Damn. I was officially jealous of the seals. At least they didn’t have to worry about anything except clapping and looking badass while people fed them.
I guess that sounded a lot like a retirement home or preschool. Hell, things were so much easier when I was a kid.
“So…” Demetri took the bucket from my hands and refilled it. “You want to go first or do you want me to?”
I snorted. “It’s like you’ve gotten a brain transplant or something.”
“Come again?”
Shaking my head I turned to him. “You’re like my damn conscience, the voice of reason, the sane one. When the hell did that happen?”
“To be fair, you did tell me to grow a pair last time I got into trouble. I believe your words were, Grow up, be a man… you know, something along those lines.”
“Karma,” I mumbled.
“Isn’t it great?” Demetri grinned.
I didn’t return his smile. “Not the words I would choose. But, for what it’s worth, I am proud of you.” I felt my throat close with emotion. I looked away and concentrated on the seals as they splashed around.
“I’ll go first,” Demetri said quietly, leaning his arms against the watery cement cage. “I’m sorry.”
“What?” Had I been leaning any further on the cage I would have fallen in from shock. “What the hell do you have to be sorry for?”
Demetri shrugged. “Taking so damn long to get over my shit.”
“You were just a kid… it’s not your fault…”
“And you’re not a kid? Damn, Alec, you turn twenty-one this year. You’re still a spring chicken, man.”
“Because that’s what every guy wants to be compared to.” I bit down hard on my lip. “And it’s not your fault. If anything, it’s mine. In trying to protect you, in being selfish, I’ve lost everything, you, Nat… our careers.”
Demetri moved closer to me and concentrated on the wall in front of us where it said: “Please do not touch the seals.”
“I want to tell you,” I said breaking the silence. “But I’m afraid to. I’m afraid you’ll never forgive me.”
Demetri laughed low in his throat shaking his head. “Did you sleep with my girlfriend again?”
“No.”
“Get her hooked on drugs again?”
“That would be a no.”
“Any future plans to do so?”
“That would be a hell, no.”
“So history isn’t repeating itself.” Demetri smirked. “And whatever happens from here on out, we can handle together. You didn’t abandon me. I won’t abandon you.”
“Do you really mean that?” I felt my eyes well with tears as I tried to keep my voice even.
“Absolutely.”
“I—” I pushed away from the cement cage and began pacing. “I screwed up.”
“With Nat?”
“With you,” I clarified. “I screwed up with you.”
“But you just said—”
“Before the fame, before everything… when dad died… He made me promise, and I did promise him, but then I just felt jealous. Why is it that I’m such a selfish bastard that I’m jealous of everything? I’m jealous of the damn seals right now!” I pointed at the seals splashing around and kicked the cement wall.
Demetri laughed. “Well, they are badass.”
I shook my head, if I didn’t say it now I never would. “You’re adopted.”
The room fell silent. Demetri’s smile froze on his face and then he looked down at his hands.
Someone kill me now. It felt like ten years. I watched a series of emotions play across his face, not one of them appeared to be shock.
“I know.”
“WHAT?” I yelled.
Demetri shrugged. “I was there.”
“You were a baby. There’s no way you would remember, man.”
“Not that, you ass.” Demetri rolled his eyes. “I remember dad telling you something important. I remember feeling like I wasn’t the same as you but I never could figure out why. And then I heard that word. Adopted.” Demetri folded his arms across his chest. “Granted, nobody’s ever actually told me. But I assumed it to be true. I mean, look at me.”
He pointed to his body and then pointed to mine. “We’re pretty different.”
“Not that different,” I said fiercely. “You’re still my brother.”
“Calm down.” Demetri laughed. “I know that. You think it would be that easy getting rid of me?”
“Well…” I cursed. “That’s not all.”
“I figured it wasn’t. There’s a conspiracy theory out there about us not being blood-related anyways. In fact, the Twitter profile has like five hundred thousand followers.”
“Good to know.” I smirked.
“So?” Demetri shrugged. “What else? Lay it on me.”
“You’re Jaymeson’s step-brother.”
Demetri’s face fell. I looked away. I couldn’t look him in the eyes. I just kept my head down in hopes that the seal would hop out of its cage and maul me.
Finally after a few minutes of utter silence, I looked up just in time to see Demetri’s fist flying toward my face.
Chapter Thirty
Demetri
A crack sounded the minute my knuckles met his jaw. He deserved that and more. Though I didn’t have the whole story — it sucked he would keep that little tidbit away from me.