Chapter Thirty-Three

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TW: mentions of drug abuse
~ Adam ~

The ride back to Spring Creek was quiet. Cole was visibly tense as he sat in the passenger seat, phone tapping against his knee as he stared out the window with an unreadable expression.

Adam wouldn't say he looked angry. He looked, strangely, like he'd expected this somehow. Maybe he had. From what he'd told Adam, his brother had issues of his own to deal with.

Adam spent twenty-five minutes of the drive tossing up whether to ask the question or not. Eventually, he said, "Do you want to talk about it?"

"Not right now, please." Cole had said in monotone. He inhaled a sharp breath, sending a cursory glance Adam's way. "I'm sorry, it's not you. I just don't want to say anything I'll regret so I'd rather not speak yet."

Adam nodded and went back to focusing on the road. "It's fine. Take all the time you need."

They stopped briefly at a petrol station so Adam could replace the fuel. He then drove them back to Piper's suburb. Night had well and truly fallen by the time they were pulling up in her driveway.

"Thankyou." Cole said, not looking at Adam. He began to climb out of the car. "I'll text you later."

"Wait!" Adam scrambled to climb out of the driver's seat and met Cole at the rear. He reached out to catch Cole's arm before the other boy could take off down the footpath. "Let me come with you."

"Adam, no." Cole shook his head sharply. "This is not a side of my family you want to see, believe me."

"You're clearly not in a space to deal with this alone," Adam said before he could stop himself. Cole didn't look angered by his words, just curious. "Maybe it'll be easier having someone with you."

"This isn't my first time picking Max up from a police station."

Adam didn't know how to respond to that. "Look," he said gently, "if you really want me to stay, I will. But I just want you to know that you don't have to do this alone. I'm here when you need me."

The words felt unfamiliar on Adam's tongue. It had been a long time since he'd said those words to anyone and maybe it was too soon to mean them yet. But then Adam remembered Cole telling him stories of his family, the curl of his upper lip when he was secretly amused, the feeling of his mouth on Adam's, cold and dizzying, like someone had let a fire erupt in his core that he had no intention of stopping. He wanted to let that fire burn, if only to remind Cole that there was warmth somewhere on the other side.

He didn't know what Cole was thinking; the other boy's expression never changed. But then he simply said, "Okay," and that was that.

Adam's eyes widened. He'd honestly thought Cole would shoot him down. "G-great," he stuttered, holding up the car keys. "Just let me drop these off to Piper and we can be on our way."

Cole climbed into the Nissan to start the heater running as Adam jogged up the path to the house. Piper opened the door after two knocks, smiling, but her expression changed when she noticed Adam's frown. "What happened?"

"It's a long story. Thankyou so much for lending me your car."

He made to dash off the porch but Piper stopped him. "Adam, wait!"

He halted to a stop, turned and looked at her. Her eyes were wide with worry. "Is everything okay? Where's Cole?"

Adam didn't want to reveal Cole's personal business. He said, "Something came up. Cole's waiting for me in the car. I'm sorry. I'll do my best to explain everything later."

"Okay, go." Piper nodded, eyes fierce but brow creased with concern. "But drive carefully. Be safe."

"I will. Thanks, Pipe."

Adam jogged down the porch steps and booked it to the car. Cole had the car in gear before Adam was even belted.

"So, what's the plan when we get there?" Adam asked once settled.

Cole's jaw clicked once. "I need to call Brendon."

"And then?"

Cole didn't answer.

The rest of the drive to Lake Forest was spent in silence. Cole ignored every speed restriction, one hand on the wheel as the other rested on his knee. He didn't look angry, but Adam couldn't be sure given how he was hitting curves in the road as though every ounce of horsepower had personally wronged him.

Adam stared out the window, watching pine trees zip past in a blur. The moon overhead was full and bright, casting pale lustre across the highway before them.

Adam hadn't known what to expect. He'd never been to Lake Forest before. Where Spring Creek's crown jewel was Holland University, this town spoke of nothing but undeniable resplendency.

Main Street was lined with coffee shops, expensive boutiques, and colourful umbrellas over adorned picnic tables. Geometric structures housed a shopping centre with luxurious brands advertised on every supporting billboard. A library had been built near the square with eighteenth century architecture, and it was well and truly possible that the bank's doors were made from real brass. The town itself was cushioned by sprawling foothills, the whisper of winding roads curving through trees that no doubt led to the glorious estates built into the rolling hills above.

Nothing was gritty and unrefined; everything was polished and gleaming with the air of inherited fortune. Adam could see why Cole wanted to escape so much.

Cole bypassed the luxurious shop fronts to head to the eastern side of town. Here, the buildings started to show signs of ruin and decay. Graffiti covered nearly every brick surface and weeds sprouted up from cracks in the footpath. It was no wonder this side of town was so far on the outskirts. It represented everything opposite of what opulent wealth stood for.

Lake Forest's Police Station stood several kilometres out of town. Cole pulled into the small parking lot, ignoring the signs and pulling in between two spaces at the front reserved for police officers only.  

Cole killed the engine and opened the door. Adam got out on the opposite side, neither of them saying a word as they climbed the concrete steps to the building's entrance. Without a word, Cole strode over to the front desk. "Maximoff Decker."

The officer who stood at the desk - a stout man with sandy hair who looked aged beyond his years - didn't look up. In monotone, he asked, "Relation to the detained?"

"Older brother."

The police officer glanced up briefly before doing a double take. His eyes widened. "Cole Decker?"

Cole didn't look impressed. "Jenkins."

"Well, I'll be damned," The officer - Jenkins - straightened up, eyeing Cole with a look of consternation. "I thought for sure you'd end up in some juvenile detention centre before your eighteenth birthday."

Cole flashed him a wicked smirk. "You always underestimated me, Jenkins. It's one of the reasons I left this town. Life is boring when all the blue bombers are too slow to catch your dust."

"There has certainly been less graffiti and broken glass around here since you left." Jenkins mused. He shot Adam a glance out of the corner of his eye. "Who've you brought with you tonight?"

"This is Adam." Cole gently pulled Adam closer to the desk. "He's not here to listen to your bullshit, Jenkins."

"Well, colour me amazed." Jenkins huffed a laugh, his mustache twitching as his lips curled upward in a smirk. "I never thought I'd see the day when Cole Decker got himself a boyfriend."

Cole glanced at him impatiently. "My brother."

"Right." Jenkins clicked through a few files on the computer. "Your brother was brought in an hour ago. First arrest in six months. Officer Sully found him and a group of friends heading north on the highway with half a kilo of cannibas in their possession."

"Charges?"

A few more clicks on the computer. "Your brother is being charged for driving under the influence and without a permit. The blood and urine sample came back positive twenty minutes ago."

"And the fallout?"

This time Jenkins was reading from a manila folder. "He'll be issued a warning and receive a DUI. He'll also need to pay a fine and attend mandatory drug counselling." He looked up from the paper. "You know, your brother isn't going to be underage much longer. These juvenile arrest records aren't going to hold out forever."

"I'm working on it." Cole growled.

Jenkins sighed and went back to reading off the file. "You'll need to post bail. In relation to his past record, there will be a mandatory-"

"Hold on." Cole turned to Adam. "Adam, why don't you take a seat over there? I'll come get you when I've sorted through the paperwork."

Adam glanced between Cole and Jenkins. The officer sent him a resigned look and Adam understood. There was an entire history being laid out before him, one that wasn't his business to bare witness to.

Adam nodded and took a small step back. "Sure, I'll be over there if you need me."

"Thankyou."

Cole didn't spare him another glance as Adam turned and headed to the waiting room. He sat down in the plastic chairs, hands crossed in his lap as he watched Cole sign papers at the front desk. He was just out of earshot and couldn't hear what Jenkins was saying, though there seemed to be a look of sympathy on his face as he delivered his speech. Cole nodded along with an air of boredom.

Adam didn't know how long to expect they'd be waiting. He'd never been in this situation before - at least not where he was part of bailing someone out - but naturally he assumed it could take hours.

Which is why it was surprising when twenty-five minutes later, a door opened on the left and out stepped a boy who was a near-perfect copy of the one who stood before him. Police officer in tow, he made his way over to the front desk where Cole stood.

Adam could barely blink as he watched the younger one approach. There was no denying the striking resemblance between the brothers. Maximoff was virtually the carbon copy of Cole, albeit a few years younger, with the same devilishly handsome looks and chip on his shoulder that the latter made so charming. They shared the same dark hair and pale complexion. With their leather jackets and ripped jeans, they even dressed the same - though Adam suspected that was more Max's design than Cole's.

The only real difference Adam could pick out from this far was the lack of tattoos on Max's skin, and the boyish grin he wore so unlike his brother's perpetual scowl.

Max came to a stop in front of his brother, lip curled upward and cheekbones high with a mischievous grin. "Cole."

"Max." Cole said calmly.

"Fancy meeting you here."

"I could say the same to you."

"What are you doing here?"

"You know why I'm here."

"That I do."

"Care to explain?"

"Joyriding gone wrong?"

"With half a kilo of cannibas stashed under the seat?"

Max's shoulders dropped in defeat. In a small voice, he said, "I tried, okay?"

Cole put one hand on the back of his brother's neck and steered him toward the exit. "I'm taking you home. Adam!"

At his cue, Adam stood and approached the brothers. Max gave him a once-over. "Who's he?"

Cole lead the way outside down the steps, unlocking the rental car. "He is not your concern right now."

"Your boyfriend." Max flashed him a thumbs-up. "Got it."

Cole groaned, though he didn't sound annoyed. "Adam, this is my younger brother Max. Max, this is Adam. Don't be an ass."

"Hi, Max." Adam said.

Max flashed a toothy grin at Adam. "How do you do, your Lordship?"

Cole cuffed him over the back of his head. "Get in the car, squirt."

Max saluted him and climbed in the backseat.

Cole turned to face Adam. "I'm sorry about this."

"You don't have to apologise."

"I didn't mean this part."

Adam frowned but went around to the other side of the car and climbed in.

Max stuck his head between the two front seats as Cole peeled out onto the main road. "So, how did you two meet? Adam, please tell me you're studying something more interesting than Political Science. I never understand anything Cole is talking about."

"Uh uh, no." Cole reached back and pushed Max back in his seat. "We're not doing that right now. We're going to talk about this. Besides, Adam studies Bioengineering, so you'll be at an even bigger loss."

"Still more interesting than political ideologies."

"Max."

Max sighed and slumped back in the middle seat. "What do you want me to say?"

"I want you to tell me what you were thinking."

Adam couldn't contain his surprise as he looked across to Cole. He hadn't known what he'd been expecting Cole to do when it came to busting his sixteen-year old kid brother out of jail. Yell, scream, maybe, but certainly not for Cole to address the weight of the situation as if he were merely asking the weather forecast.

"I don't know." Max mumbled in the backseat.

"You weren't thinking."

"You don't know what it's like, okay?" Max desperately pushed forward again, cramming his body between the seats to look at Cole. He didn't look angry, just upset. "Between Dad being gone and Mum how she is, everything sucks. You can't stand this town as it is. Neither can I. It's why you left!"

"I left because I was a legal adult moving forward in my life," Cole said calmly, "not a troubled teenager with something to prove."

Adam really didn't think he should be here for this but there was nowhere to go. Neither of the brothers seemed to mind talking about personal issues around him so he said nothing.

"I'm not troubled."

"You have a drug problem."

"I know that!"

"And now a DUI."

The fight seemed to leave Max as he collpased back in his seat. Quieter, "I'm sorry, okay?"

"No." Cole shook his head firmly, glancing back in the rearview mirror. "Don't say that. Don't say you're sorry unless it's for anyone but you. If you're going to apologise then it needs to be for yourself."

Max scrubbed a hand over his face. He looked tired and too young for any of this. "Six months. I threw away six months of sobriety just because my friends said they wanted to do something fun and stupid."

"And they're paying for it," Cole agreed, "but six months or six days, I am still incredibly proud of you."

A small smile appeared on Max's face then, but it was tinged with sadness. "I miss you." he said in a small voice.

Cole kept his eyes on the road as he said, "I miss you too, kid."

No one spoke for the rest of the journey. Fifteen minutes out of town, Cole pulled off the highway onto a long and winding driveway. Half a mile later, a great house came into view.

Adam couldn't help but lean forward in his seat to peer out the windshield. Even shrouded by darkness, he could barely believe the palatial sight before him.

The house before him was extraordinary. Pillars of sandstone supported three storeys, each wing of the house clearly defined with wrap-around balconies. The roof was charcoal and each window had been sculpted to look like archways. Up a series of concrete steps, a grand entryway comprised of sculptors led to the front door.

Dead centre of the circular driveway was a three-tier fountain, and left of that stood a series of garages with rustic doors.

At first sight, the estate was opulent in design, but a closer look would reveal years of negligence. Central of the round driveway was a three-tier fountain with thick layers of moss floating in the green-tinged water below. Weeds sprouted up from cracks in the cobblestone driveway, and ivy had grown long and wiry over the trellis beneath the second-floor window.

Cole pulled the car around to the front door and killed the engine. They sat in silence for a good minute or two before Max asked quietly from the backseat, "What now?"

Cole sighed. "Now, I have to call Brendon."

Max's eyes widened in panic. His head was between the front seats again. "What? No, you can't! He doesn't have to know about this! You haven't even called him yet!"

"Max," Cole said gently, "you were in jail tonight. He needs to know."

"But you already picked me up," Max continued to plead. Adam was astounded to see tears welling in his eyes. "Cole, please. I'll be better. I promise. Please don't call Brendon."

"Max-"

"No!"

Max was out of the car in a flash but he didn't make a break for the house. He breathed heavily, clouds of vapour pouring from his mouth and he hyperventilated.

Cole was out of the car in seconds. He grabbed hold of Max and pulled him into his arms, fiercely hugging him.

"It's okay." Adam overheard Cole telling his younger brother, as Cole hadn't bothered to shut the driver's door in his haste. "It's okay. I promise you."

"Don't call Brendon." Max cried.

"He's not that bad."

"He's awful!" Mac pushed out of Cole's arms, staring teary-eyed up at him. "He only ever comes here when he needs to yell at me. I hate him!"

"Don't say that, Max. You don't hate him."

"I do! And so do you."

Cole audibly sighed. "Brendon and I have a complicated relationship. But yours doesn't have to be."

"No." Max said defiantly. "He's not the one staying here two nights a week. He's not the one who buying groceries and refilling Mum's prescriptions and asking about my day. He's not the one who cares about this family."

"Max-"

Max stepped forward and buried his face in Cole's chest, mumbling, "Why can't I just come and live with you?"

Cole stroked his brother's hair soothingly. "You know why."

"I'm nearly eighteen."

"You're still in school."

"I could transfer."

"The nearest school is twenty-kilometres away. You go to private school here."

"I'll go to a public school. I don't care."

Cole made a face. "I do. No brother of mine will ever be caught dead in a public school. You should see what passes for meat in their canteens."

Max snorted a laugh through his tears. "You would know. You swapped out the burgers for cat food when you were fifteen."

"I rest my case."

Max sniffed, a choked laugh breaking through his sobs. "Don't call Brendon yet."

Cole sighed and stroked his brother's hair, his other arm pulling him close. "I suppose there's nothing he can do tonight. I'll call him in the morning."

"Thankyou."

Cole pulled away and looked down at his brother. "Let's get you inside. Mum will be wondering where you are."

Max scoffed. "She doesn't care about me."

Adam didn't see what look Cole sent the younger Decker but it was enough to have Max throwing his hands up in defeat and turning on his heel. "Fine. See ya', Adam!"

"Bye, Max." Adam called, a little awkwardly.

Max strode toward the house as Cole turned and reached into the driver's seat. He pulled the keys out of the ignition and looked at Adam. "You coming?"

"Oh," Adam unclipped his seatbelt. "Okay."

He climbed out of the car. Cole locked it and set off toward the house, clearly expecting Adam to follow. "C'mon. I'm sure I can scrounge us up some coffee from the last time I was here."

It became clear to Adam very quickly that he was expected to enter the Decker residence - this big and glorious house, even in an unkept state - in the same manner one would stroll through a coffee shop. Open. Inviting.

Which is why Adam stopped and his tracks halfway to the house and called, "Wait."

Cole turned. "Problem?"

"I-" Adam glanced somewhat warily up at the house. "I can't go inside, Cole."

"Don't worry." Cole said. "Brendon isn't going to be there. It's just Mum, Max and us."

"No, that's not what I mean."

Cole frowned and took a step toward him,

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