Theirs (2 page)

Chapter Two

Alex groaned as she made it to the last patient on her list. Mrs. Marion Brown. It wasn’t that the old lady was a problem, in
fact
,
she was quite pleasant when she was lucid, it was just something about
her
that reminded Alex of her own grandmother. They didn’t look that much alike.
The
on
ly thing they had in common besides
their race,
was
Mrs. Brown’s mannerisms and
so
me of her
ph
r
ases
seemed
familiar. It made Alex think of the home she’d left so many
year
s
ago.

Eight years should have been plenty of time to get over the pain she thought had been buried deep but coupled with the recent letters she’d received, Alex realized that her wounds hadn’t completely healed.
Instead
,
she found there had been a bandage on the festering sore of her heart.

Alex tapped on the door to make sure she wasn’t violating Mrs. Brown’s privacy. “Mrs.
Brown
,
are you decent?”

When there was no answer she cautiously opened the door and stuck her head in. She breathed a sigh of relief to see the elderly lady asleep. Alex checked the oxygen machine and then verified Mrs. Brown’s pulse oximeter numbers. She looked to be in good shape and didn’t need any adjustments. Alex enjoyed working in the medical field because she liked working with people. Nursing had been her original goal but
when she discovered respiratory therapy, Alex had fallen in love. It satisfied her desire to work in the medical field and provide herself with a decent salary.

Thankfully she didn’t need to take a blood sample from her patient. As
Alex
documented her visit, a soft groan caught her attention. Mrs. Brown opened her eyes.

“Alex,” the older woman croaked.

“Good afternoon, Mrs. Brown. How are you feeling today?”

“Better now that you’re here. Could you do me a favor and get me a drink of water? My throat is dry.”

“According to your chart the doctor has you on a fast for
twenty
-
four
hours but I can get you some ice chips if you’d like.”

Mrs. Brown rolled her eyes. “What does that fool know? Just because he has some fancy degree it doesn’t mean he knows everything. Besides, if a drink a water is going to kill me, I might as well be dead already.”

Alex would have loved to fulfill
the woman’s request, but there were strict protocols in place for patient car
e that she couldn’t go against.

“I’ll get you that ice”

“I guess it’s better than nothing.”

Alex made her way to the ice machine and back. “
Here you go.”

Mrs. Brown took the cup and extracted a couple cubes from it and then popped them in her mouth. “You’re a good girl,” Mrs. Brown finally said after a while. “I like you much better than that Dave guy. Never trust a man with shifty eyes.”

Her grandmother used to have a similar saying. Everything seemed to remind her of her hometown lately.

She took a deep breath and tried to rid herself of the memories that threatened to overwhelm her. “Oh, uh, Dave isn’t a bad guy when you get to know him.”

“Hmph. Like I said, he has shifty eyes.”

Dave was another respiratory therapist who worked the night shift. In
truth
,
he wasn’t a bad guy. He was on the quiet side but other than that he was diligent in his job. “Maybe if you talked to him, you’ll get to know him better. He’s nice.”

“Maybe. I just wish I could get out this hospital bed so I can walk around. Can’t you talk to the doctor for me?”

“Well, you had major surgery last week so these things take time. The oxygen saturation in your blood looks great so I’m guessing it will only be a few more days before they send physical therapy down here to get you moving.”

“I guess that’s better than nothing. You’re a sweet girl, Alex. You remind me of my granddaughter. I haven’t seen her in years because
I had a falling out with her mother.
A
nd because of that, I don’t get to see my grandkids that much anymore. She calls on my birthdays but that’s about it.”

Alex felt like she’d been punched in the chest.
“Uh, Mrs. Brown, I have a few more patients to visit but I’ll be back before my shift is over. I’ll call your nurse to come check on you.”

“Ok, honey. You take care and don’t forget to come see me.”

“I will.”

Alex couldn’t get out that room fast enough. She raced
to
the bathroom and took a seat in one of the stalls. The last place she wanted to go was the breakroom because she didn’t want to explain why she was on the verge of hyperventilating. Damn those two! Her life had been just fine before they tracked her down and sent her those letters. Knowing their personalities, she recognized the first one had been from Cash. It had listed a list of reasons why she should go back to Bradfordville. While the second letter had been a demand that had Rusty written all over it.

Why would they think she’d want to go back to a place that was filled
with
people
who
looked upon her with such scorn? Sure the Bradford brothers had been a part of her life since she could remember. Most of Alex’s life she’d lived with her grandmother. She’d only seen her mother a handful of times and she only came around to
demand money from Grandma. She’d
stick around for a few days and then she’d be gone again for months, sometimes years. The last time Alex had seen her mother was when she was about
five
. She could barely remember what
Deena
Bryant looked like except for the picture that Grandma kept in her living room. Alex didn’t particularly miss her or think about her that much because she’d been a non-factor. But Cash and Rusty had mattered.

A lot.

Somewhere along the way she stopped seeing them as her best friends and as something more though she dared not admit it because she didn’t want to ruin the friendship they had. It didn’t stop her from stealing glances at them when she didn’t think they were looking. Alex couldn’t help but notice how tall and broad-shouldered they’d become, how well they filled out their clothes. She wondered if something was wrong with her for being attracted to both boys but then she’d tell herself that it didn’t matter, it was just a harmless crush. Besides, all the girls in school were crazy over the Bradford boys. Besides being attractive, they hailed from the wealthiest family. And because she spent so much time around them, Alex had become the target of jealous whispers and bullies. No one would dare say anything when Cash and Rusty were around but when she was on her own, they had plenty to say.

Someone had even gone as far to say within earshot around her that the Bradford boys only hung around her because they felt sorry for her. It didn’t help matters that Mrs. Bradford implied more than once that it wasn’t a good look for her sons to spend so much time with the help’s granddaughter. It gave Alex doubts and made her wonder if she was clinging to a friendship that had outlived itself. So began to put distance between her and the boys. Alex couldn’t have imagined in a
million
years what that decision would lead to.

Alex rested her head against her locker, exhausted from dodging the Bradford brothers all day. She spent the better part of Chemistry ignoring the notes Rusty passed to her. She could literally feel
him staring at her throughout the entire lesson which made
it a major
struggle to
focus on the class and sit still through the lecture
. Once the bell rang, she
dipped
out of
the room
before he could get to her and hid in the girl’s bathroom until almost the last minute before she needed to be at her
next
class
.
During lunch when she usually saw Cash as well, she hid beneath the bleachers inhaling second-hand smoke from the Goth kids instead of going to
the
library
as
was her
normal
routine.

The rest of the day had not gone much easier. She’d had two more classes with Rusty who she could tell was pissed. It was why she stayed behind in her last class for as long as she dared.
Thankfully
,
Rusty had been nowhere in sight when she stepped into the hallway and made a quick dash to her locker.

“
Hi
,
Alex.”

Alex could practically hear the smirk in that greeting. She didn’t need to turn around to see who that voice belonged to. With a sigh, she turned around to see Tabitha Redding, flanked by her two cronies, Sharon Billings and Nancy Glenn. With Tabitha as the ringleader, those three had given Alex grief since middle school, when Tabitha decided she wanted Rusty. She saw Alex as a barrier to what she wanted and from then on had made Alex’s life a living hell.

“
Hello
,
Tabitha. What do you want?”

Tabitha
pouted
with mock disappointment. “Can’t I just come by and say hello? I was just being friendly.”

Alex
narrowed her eyes and crossed her arms over her chest. “Somehow
,
I seriously doubt that. You don’t like me and I don’t like you, so just say what you
came
to say and leave me alone.”

Tabitha flipped a lock of raven hair over her shoulder before giving a secretive smile to her companions. “You see? There are some people you just can’t be
nice to
. I mean, I only came over to compliment you on your outfit. I recognize that designer. You look good in it.”

Alex
self-consciously
ran her hand down her
dress. Though she had never particularly cared for fashion, when she’d seen this outfit as she’d browsed through the second-hand shop she had to have it. It was one of the few article
s
of clothing she actually cherished. “Thank you.” She was cautious in her gratitude but
the compliment
seemed harmless enough.

But the second she said it, the evil gleam she’d come to know so well sparkled in Tabitha’s
icy gaze
. “Of course
,
it looked better on me before I donated it to charity. My mother said it was a good idea to give to the less fortunate. She was absolutely right because I’m so glad to see that my old rag could be of use to someone so obviously in need.”

Sharon and Nancy’s barely muffled giggles
were
salt
in her wounds. A smile of pure malevolence curved Tabitha’s lips as she watched for a reaction. Alex for her part was determined not to give her one. She would have liked to come up with a witty retort but her brain froze. Her soul had just taken ano
ther beating at the hands of Satan’s cheerleaders
.
She
wouldn’t cry even as she felt the sting of tears burning her eyes.

“Well
,
I
,
for one
,
am glad you donated that dress because Alex looks amazing in it.”

Alex had been so wrapped up from the pain of Tabitha’s latest attack that she hadn’t noticed Rusty or Cash coming their way.

“Cash!” Tabitha’s face was now bright red. Sharon and Nancy slowly began to distance themselves from their friend. “I didn’t see you there.”

Cash rolled his eyes. “Obviously.”

Having obviously recovered like the she-snake she was, Tabitha
insinuated
herself in between the boy
s
and
batted
her eyelashes.
“And I
,
of course
,
agree with you that Alex looks…uh, amazing. We were just having a little
chit chat before you came but I’m happy to see you. Did the two of you get the invitation to my sweet sixteen
party
? Everyone
who
is anyone will be there and it wouldn’t be a party without you two.”

Alex wanted to gag.

“Everyone who’s anyone huh?” Rusty asked.

Tabitha’s smile widened. “Of course. It will be the talk of the town.”

Rusty turned his attention to Alex. “Did you get your invite yet Alex?”

“Er, no.”

This time
,
Tabitha’s smile was more strained. “Well, it was probably lost in the mail. But
,
she’ll get one of course.”

Alex rolled her eyes. If Tabitha was nothing else, she was certainly a good actress.

“Good to hear. Now
,
if you three don’t mind
,
we’d
like to have a word alone with Alex,” Cash’s tone made it quite clear they had no
other
option.

“Of course. You must want to talk about something of
a
domestic nature. Her grandmother is your housekeeper
,
isn’t she?” Before letting either respond
,
she flipped her hair and wi
ggled her fingers at them.
“
I’ll see you guys later.” She sashayed away swinging her hips so hard, Alex hoped she’
d dislocated a bone.

“I hate her so much,” she whispered once the three vipers were out of earshot.

“Forget about her. We’re more interested in why you’re avoiding us. What the hell is going on with you?” Cash demanded.

Alex turned her back to them and pretended an interest in the contents of her locker she didn’t have. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

Cash gripped her shoulders and turned her around to face them. “Don’t play dumb, Alex. You don’t come by the house anymore, you catch the bus when I could just as easily give you a ride and you avoid us in school like we did something to you. Something must be up because I can’t imagine why our friend would do that to us without a reason.”

Alex couldn’t look at either of them. Sometime within the last couple years
,
they’d
changed
from the boys she used to climb trees and swim in the lake with
,
and morphed into
certified hotties
. They had both hit their growth spurts and now
, each
easily stood over six feet with Rusty topping his older brother by an inch.
Where they had been lanky, the boys had filled out, their shoulders were broader than before and they’d both developed muscles to
complement
their bulkier frames. Their once round faces had thinned out and had become canvases of perfection
from their chiseled jaws
to their
killer smiles.
Where Cash was blond with green eye
s, Rusty was
a redhead with hazel eyes ringed with gold. They had the type of looks that made most of the girls in school drool, and she wasn’t completely immune to them herself.

And therein lay the problem.

“Well, I’ve just been busy lately is all. If you haven’t noticed, I’m a big girl now. My grandmother doesn’t have to bring me to work with her anymore.”

The brothers exchanged a meaningful glance with each other before Rusty grinned. He gave her a slow perusal up and down that suddenly made Alex self-conscious. “Yeah, we’ve noticed you’re a big girl
,
too.” He licked his bottom lip.

Alex’s mouth went dry. If she didn’t know better
,
she’d think he was flirting with her. But that couldn’t be possible.

Cash elbowed his brother in the ribs. “Cut that out.” He returned his attention
to
Alex. “Since when has your grandmother not needing to watch you ever stopped yo
u from coming to our house? You won’t even return our calls. What the fuck is going on and I don’t want to hear another lame excuse.”

She could see the hurt in his eyes, and it saddened her to know she’d put it there. But
,
she was staying away for them. They needed to understand that. “Look, you
know
, people grow apart. I never expected this friendship to last forever.”

Cash took a step backward as if she had physically struck him. “You’re kidding
,
right?”

Rusty narrowed his gaze. “Are you saying you don’t want to be our friend anymore?”

She opened her mouth to speak and then closed it. But then
,
she remembered the recent conversation with their mother and strengthened her resolve. “Look, Cash, you’re going to college next year. And Rusty
,
we barely see each other outside of class because of the numerous sports
you’re into
. And
,
I really need to focus on my studies. I really need to earn a scholarship if I want to go college. I’m not for
tunate enough to be a Bradford.” The more she talked
, the more
Alex could tell they weren’t pleased with what she had to say.

When neither one of them said another
word,
she continued. “You’re nice guys. You don’t have to be nice to me anymore just because my grandmother is your housekeeper.”

Still
,
the boys remained silent.
Alex didn’t know what else to say. “Well, I...uh
,
need to go.” She quickly gathered the books she needed for her homework and slammed her locker shut. Alex attempted to sidle past them, but Cash placed
his
hand in front of her
, stopping
Alex’s
pro
gr
ess
. “You don’t get to spout that bullshit and then
,
walk away like we don’t fucking matter
.
Don’t we get a say in this or have you decided for all of us
?”

“It’s for the best. We don’t even hang out in the same circles. I’ll just hold you back
.”

“Hold us back from what? What are you talking about?”

“We’re just too different, okay? I don’t want to be your friend anymore. Just accept it and leave me alone.” Alex attempted to push past them, but this time
,
Rusty was the one to stop her. He yanked her arm with enough force to
pull
Alex into his arms. Before she knew what had happened, his mouth was on hers…

Alex shook her head clearing it
of
memories that were better left in the past.
That kiss had turned into something that she couldn’t have possibly imagined. It had confused
her
and meant the world to her at the same time. But the following day, it was like it had never happened. Cash and Rusty both started to ignore her and what was worse, Rusty began hanging around Tabitha.
That was
when their childhood friendship had truly ended.

Alex
gathered herself together, washed her face at the sink to calm her nerves before heading back to her duties. S
omehow
she
managed to make it through the rest of the day without making any more mistakes
,
but it was a long day
.
She
was exhausted by the time she made it back to her apartment. All she wanted to do was take a hot shower, slip into her pajamas and catch up on all the shows she’d recorded on her DVR while stuffing her face with a pint of peanut butter fudge ice cream.
She didn’t want to think about work or the letter.

After showering until all the hot water was gone, she settled in front of the
TV
, spoon and ice cream in hand when someone knocked on her door. She wasn’t expecting company and the building rental company didn’t allow solicitors. Reluctantly, she slid off the couch to answer the door. When she looked through the peephole, she froze.