Chapter 4: Dropping out of college.

"Tristan..." she called, her voice filled with surprise. She couldn't believe he had just raised his voice at her—something he had never done before.

"You always manage to spoil my mood," Tristan said, taking off his glasses as he walked to his wardrobe. He pulled out a bedspread and laid it on the floor.

"You can take the bed" he muttered, lying down and turning his back to his mother, who sighed sadly.

The pain of trying to get the two boys on good terms was eating her up. She couldn't just leave Aiden like that. She pitied him, pitied what he had endured in the past, and she believed that was why he resented having a new mom.

"Please, for my sake, Tristan, be kind to Aiden and be mindful of what you say to him... please," she said, her voice soft and pleading. Tristan rolled his eyes subtly. Why was she trying so hard to make Aiden like her? It didn’t make sense to him.

"I need to be at school by 7 a.m.," he replied curtly, still refusing to face his mother.

*****

Troy and Jefferson stood watching as Aiden, unconscious from drinking too much, lay slumped on the floor.

"What should we do? Jefferson asked, glancing at the rest of the boys.

"I think I've stayed out for long man. It's over 1am and I need to go to bed. We have practice as early as 6am remember?" Kai said, Sam and Colby agreed to his words.

Troy nodded and bid them goodnight before facing Jefferson since it was left just the two of them now with Aiden.

"Let's take him to my dorm. It's not far from here and also not far from school" Jefferson suggested.

"Alright, since he'd be sharing your dorm, I'll carry him there" Troy volunteered. He helped Aiden up with Jefferson assisting him.

Troy bent down slightly as Jefferson helped hoist Aiden onto his back. After making sure Aiden was secure, they headed out of the frat house.

Troy walked slowly down the quiet street with Jefferson, each step he took felt heavier than the last. His legs were aching, and his back felt like it might break at any moment. This drunk Aiden was a lot heavier than he looked. Troy tried to adjust Aiden’s limp arms, which dangled loosely over his shoulders.

“Need a break?” Jefferson finally asked, noticing Troy's struggle. His voice was calm, but Troy could hear the concern in it. Even though his back screamed for relief, Troy shook his head.

“Nah, we’re almost there,” Troy muttered, his voice strained. He didn’t want to admit how exhausted he really was. He couldn't let Jefferson carry Aiden. After all, he was the oldest, even if it was only by three months since they were all the same age.

"Alright, just in case you're tired." Jefferson added, slowing his pace even more so Troy could keep up.

Aiden shifted slightly, mumbling something in his sleep, though his words weren't clear and made no sense. His head rested heavily against Troy’s neck, and it felt like his weight doubled with every step. Troy let out a small groan, adjusting his grip on Aiden’s legs.

“You’re so heavy, man,” Troy groaned, his legs wobbling as if they might fall apart from his waist, but he kept walking.

“Almost there,” Jefferson said as he walked ahead. Troy sighed in relief, feeling a small wave of hope that this ordeal was nearly over.

“Finally,” Troy muttered, causing Jefferson to chuckle.

When they reached the front steps of Jefferson’s dorm, Troy adjusted Aiden one last time, his back screaming in protest and his arms burning from the effort. He was certain he'd need some pain relief later.

Jefferson quickly input his password and pulled the door open. As soon as they stepped inside, the warmth of the room enveloped them, offering a welcome contrast to the chilly night air.

Troy carefully lowered Aiden onto the bed, doing his best to be gentle so he wouldn’t wake him. Aiden, however, was still completely out, his chest rising and falling steadily as he slept.

Troy sighed and stood up, rubbing his sore shoulders to ease the stiffness and numbness he felt.

"That was insane... This is the last time I'm carrying him. What’s he even eating?" Troy said as he sat on the small couch near the bed.

Jefferson chuckled as he grabbed a blanket from the chair and draped it over Aiden.

“He’s gonna have one hell of a headache tomorrow,” he said with a small grin, watching Aiden sleep. Troy ran a hand through his hair and chuckled softly.

"Yeah, and he better remember I carried him all the way here, or I'll kill him," Troy joked.

"Are you staying over?" Jefferson asked, putting the basketball he and Troy had played with earlier back on the shelf.

"I don't have a choice..." Troy replied, lying down on the couch as Jefferson headed to the bathroom for a shower. When he was done, he joined Aiden on the bed.

*****

"It's all your fault... Yours and your father's... This is because of you."

"Mom, please..."

"I wish you had died during the surgery..."

Aiden gripped the bedspread tightly, beads of sweat forming on his forehead. Trembling from the vivid nightmare, his eyes snapped open. He sat up abruptly, like a robot, taking in his surroundings and realizing it was already morning.

A sharp headache hit him, and he groaned, his thoughts drifting back to the events of the previous day—his fight with Tristan.

"That bastard," he muttered, struggling to get out of bed.

"Where is he?" Aiden asked aloud, though no one was there to answer. He looked around for any sign of Jefferson. When he realized Jefferson had left for school without waking him, Aiden scoffed in disbelief.

Shaking his head, he dragged himself to the bathroom to shower, doing his best to ignore the pounding headache.

******

Tristan sat across from the beautiful lecturer, a frown creasing his face as he struggled to process everything she had just said. She smiled softly and gave his shoulder a reassuring pat.

"I know I was wrong for not telling you sooner, but it was the school authorities' decision. What could I do? I'm not in a position to go against it," the lecturer, Miss Brianna, explained.

"You could have at least chosen someone else, Miss Brianna. How do you expect me to tutor someone like Aiden? He doesn't even pay attention in your class, so what makes you think he'll listen to me?" Tristan asked, his voice calm but laced with frustration.

"He may not, but the board paired you two because you're brothers and—"

"We're not," he interrupted, his tone firm. "We're complete strangers. I wouldn’t have a troublesome brother like Aiden. You should assign him to someone else, because I'm not doing it," Tristan said as he slung his backpack over his shoulder and stood, ready to leave.

"I'm sorry, Mr. Roxley," she called after him, causing him to pause mid-step. "This isn't something I can change."

He clenched his fists, exhaling sharply in frustration. This situation felt unbearably unfair. Why had the school authorities paired them just because they assumed they were brothers?

"Instead of looking for a way out of this, why not try to work through whatever issues you two have?" Miss Brianna suggested. Her words only darkened Tristan’s mood further. He turned to face her, his expression unreadable.

"I'll handle it my way," he muttered, making his way toward the door. As he reached for the handle, the door swung open, revealing Aiden standing in the doorway.

"No need to come inside; it's final. You and Tristan are paired, and that’s it," the lecturer said, her frustration evident. Despite this, Aiden walked in, ignoring both her and Tristan, who was stepping out of the office.

“Hey,” Aiden greeted casually.

"Hey? That's it? Hey?" Miss Brianna responded in disbelief, unable to process that he had addressed her so casually. She was well aware of how annoying Aiden could be around female lecturers; it always almost as if he was allergic to women.

"I don’t know your name, so don’t blame me. Or would you prefer if I called you 'old lady'?" he asked sarcastically.

"It’s Brianna... Miss Brianna," she corrected him. It baffled her that Aiden didn’t seem to know her name, and apparently had no interest in knowing it. How could her student not know her name?

"Sure, Miss Brianna..." Aiden said dismissively as he made to sit down.

"No need to sit, Aiden. My answer is no... a big no," she interrupted. "You should focus on how to work things out with Tristan. I even heard you two are brothers, so why refuse to work together? This could actually help you since Tristan has only three months left in college." She explained, trying to reason with him.

Aiden remained silent, clenching his fists to keep his anger in check.

"First of all, he’s not my brother," Aiden replied, forcing a smile. He then pulled a small envelope from his pocket and placed it in front of her, causing Miss Brianna to raise an eyebrow in confusion.

"What’s this?" she asked, eyeing the envelope suspiciously.

"I knew this would happen so I came prepared," he said flatly. "I’m dropping out of college." His tone was nonchalant, and Miss Brianna blinked rapidly, shocked. Was their hatred for each other this intense?