Too Late, Mr. Betrayer

ne came a

ew Orleans. M

ound right. What's going

erful, was laced with con

e pain, the neglect, Brooke' s miraculou

tly, a soft hum of

, her voice thick with anger on my b

now what t

n the first flight to New Orleans. You come home. David an

agile bird, flut

semble here, some friends of David's. Th

ape. A

" I whisper

his usual charismatic self,

tive, asking about my day

or perhaps just an attem

ss in the kitchen cabin

attoo. Small, black,

eath

matching tattoos. A musical eighth not

bold. It covered

?" I asked,

sleeve back. "Oh, this? It's for Bravery.

wouldn't

y. Or

ur symbol, was gone

hared history, another

wasn't just lying; he was actively re

rooke appeared

ed a smal

okay if I stayed for a bit? My plac

t even l

g me he wanted to "focus on us,"

yourself at home. Ava won

s already taking Brooke's suitcase,

om. My spac

convenience, over my feelings,

as blatant

y, treating the apartmen

or me to hear, about how I' d "bullied"

ess," Brooke would sigh dramatically. "I

ended me against Brooke, now

oached me, her ex

y to see Brooke's side. S

d. Siding wit

t deep, another

me in the kitchen, a

feels so much guilt over how you apparently... misunderst

like little d

ant psychological tor

in in my chest, m

aming, even if m

d me pale

tient. "Can't you just try to get along with Bro

My pain was an in

tened his expressio

us a new place. Smaller, maybe, until the company is f

al offer. A

s conditional, a

ng certainty, that there