Pain changed her. It made her trust less, overthink more, and shut people out.

Damien

"Good. Now, take off the hoodie."

Bennett put his hand on my left shoulder, so I looked at him, wanting to know what he was doing. "Just... don't be mad, okay?" Bennett asked, worriedly, but I was confused. Bennett looked at the King, letting go of my shoulder, and I looked at the King as well, waiting for him to take off the hood.

He reached in the pocket of his hoodie and pulled his hand back out. His right hand was in a fist, clutching onto something as he moved his hand up in an underhand throw, so I moved my hands up to catch it, but he never threw anything. He lifted his hand up again and tossed something small, so I caught it with my right hand and clutched onto it.

It was something small and hard. I unclenched my hand and a terrible feeling fell into my stomach as I saw a flash drive. Was it my flash drive? How did he have it? I snapped my eyes toward him, and I was confused. My mind started working, thinking of every possibility of why he would have it.

Did Mae give it to him? I gave it to her, specifically, why would she give it to someone else? My mind kept running to the different people that could be under the hood and kept convincing me that it was one person in particular, but I had a hard time believing it. It couldn't be true.

"Take off the hoodie," I demanded, but it came out harsher than I had wanted it to. And if it was that one person, I didn't want to cause fear. "Please," I added softly.

I was confused and kept trying to see the darkness that surrounded his face, but I couldn't. He lifted his hands, reaching for his hood, and it felt like hours as I waited for the revealing, frozen in my spot.

He pulled the hood off along with his beanie, and my heart stopped. Was this death? Was the one person I had hated, really be the one person I had loved all along? She fluffed her hair out around her, looking down, almost as if she was trying to hide.

"Cupcake?" Ryder whispered. I looked at him, and he was shocked. He looked at Max and Bennett, but they were looking away, purposely avoiding eye contact. "Did you know?" Ryder asked them. Bennett scratched the back of his neck, and Max looked in the back of him, at the empty wall as if it was the most fascinating piece of artwork.

"Huh. When did this wall get here?" Max asked in thought as he scratched the side of his head and turned around to face the wall. Did they know?

"I'm sorry for not telling you," Bennett admitted and that terrible feeling in my stomach intensified. Ryder furrowed his eyebrows as he cocked his head back, glaring at Bennett.

"Sorry? Out of all the people, I didn't think you would do this to me," he glared at Bennett, hurt and angry that he kept a secret from him. Ryder and Bennett never kept secrets from each other, they told each other everything. I knew Ryder felt betrayed, as did I.

"Ooh, come on, why are you mad?" Bennett asked him. Could he really ask that? I wanted to yell at him, but I couldn't. I couldn't think of anything coherent to say. Words failed me as I stood rooted in my spot, dumbfounded.

"'Cause you didn't let me in on the secret! I expected this from Max, he's a traitor," Ryder said. Here we go again with the fighting.

"How am I a traitor?" Max asked when he turned around, stopping his charade. It hurt me that out of Bennett and Max, it was Max who had kept the secret from me.

I knew Bennett had to of kept some secrets from me, but Max? We shared everything. All our problems, all our secrets. He told me everything, and I did the same with him. They all started arguing, and my eyes drifted back to her. I was still shocked, looking at her absentmindedly.

The guys kept fighting, and I just wanted them to be quiet, so I could talk to her. To ask her why and get clarity. I needed to know.

"Shut up," I said as I looked at her, but I was talking to the guys. I shot them a look, so she knew I wasn't telling her to shut up, and they stopped bickering, standing next to me in silence. As I was looking at them, my eyes drifted toward Bennett, and I shook my head at him. I looked at Max, staring at him. I was hurt that he would lie to me, and for who knows how long? I looked at both of them, feeling betrayed. "You both knew, and you guys didn't tell me?"

"Don't we have a code or something?" Max asked, using our code against me. I narrowed my eyes at him. Really? That was all he had to say?!

"Yeah, like if it's not your story-" Bennett started but hesitated as I glared at him, not wanting to be reminded of our code. "Don't... tell it," Bennett barely finished the more I glared. I clenched my teeth in anger, clenching harder and harder the angrier I felt. He knew I was mad, he knew no words would get rid of the betrayal I felt. Bennet looked down, afraid to look at me, and my eyes shifted to Max who held an apologetic look.

"I'm sorry, Mano," Max apologized, shaking his head, and making eye contact to show how sorry he was.

"Hermano? Really?" I asked, hurt by him. "How could you look me in the eyes, knowing the secret you kept, and call me that?" He looked down, shaking his head as he lifted his shoulders. "Brothers don't lie."

"Please, Mano," Max begged, his voice hurt by my words. He wanted my forgiveness, but I wouldn't give it to him. I looked away, not able to shake the feeling.

"Don't call me that," I said and looked away from him and to the door. I still couldn't believe it. I looked at her, shaking my head, not wanting to believe who was before me. This couldn't be real. This had to be a dream. If this was a dream, would she answer if I called out to her? "Mae?" I asked softly, and she nodded slowly.

I had so many questions, and I wanted answers to them but as I was going to say something else, the door burst open. She put her hoodie back on quickly, before my crew member, Paul, could see her. She tucked her hair back inside of her hood and looked away.

"The leader of the Reapers is coming. Word's gone around that the King's in here with you. They're willing to pay for him," Paul said when he walked in. He looked at her then back at me.

I heard gunshots going off outside and screaming. Guys started shouting, giving commands, and I ducked as more gunshots went off. I looked around for Max, and we made eye contact as he was looking for me too. He was crouched down next to Bennett. I looked away from him and to Mae. She reached for Zach who he was lying on his side, covering his ears.

"Get them out of here," I ordered Bennett and Max. They moved toward her in a crouched position and once they were near her, they stopped and sat, waiting for Ryder and I to go out there. Billy got his gun out, making sure it was loaded and cocked his gun before opening the door. I rushed to my duffle bag, pulling out my gun, and doing the same. I looked for Ryder, seeing him already strapped, and waiting for me. Billy checked if the hall was clear and then left with us following after him.

We followed the sound of the shots being fired and peeked out into the open area where the fights happen. Some Reapers were shooting in the air as everyone ran out. I felt relief as I knew no one got shot.

Billy stood and walked out, so Ryder and I followed him with Ryder on his right side and me on his left, flanking Billy. It felt different having Ryder here and not Max. Max was usually the one who stood next to me, but it felt better having Ryder here, knowing he wasn't one of the ones who had betrayed me.

"Word has it your leader was here," Billy spoke, pointing his gun at one of the Reapers. There were just three of them, but their leader wasn't one of the three. I would have known if he was, I was looking for him myself. We were lied to. I pointed my gun at one of them, and Ryder did the same with the other.

"This is neutral territory, fights like this can cause unwanted problems," I started, narrowing my eyes at the girl I held my gun to. I analyzed her, wanting to know if she would be lethal. She seemed to be of average height. Her hair on the right side of her head was braided in cornrows and the other half was curled and purple. She smiled, condescendingly as I spoke. "Ones we'd be forced to stop," I spoke, low and intimidating.

"Is that so?" She asked, taking a step closer, testing me. I did the same, and she smirked. "You gonna shoot a girl?" She teased.

"Like your leader hasn't already shot you," I mocked, maliciously. "Isn't that the way into his crew? Survive a bullet wound." She clenched her teeth, angry that I knew the truth.

"Seems cold-hearted, he must really care for you," Ryder sneered, curling his upper lip in anger as he mocked her, and she pointed her gun at him.

"Drop it," I heard Max's voice as he came next to me, standing to my left. He stood close to the girl as he pointed his gun at her. "Or I drop you."

"Hmm," she hummed as her eyes scanned his body. "Max I take it?" His grip tightened, angry that she knew his name, and she smiled.

"You're the one whose car we totaled," the guy Ryder was pointing his gun at chuckled. "My bat took a likening to your car... although, you already knew that." He smiled, and I knew that angered Max further.

"How about you tell us what you want," Bennett spoke, holding his gun toward the Reaper that was pointing his weapon at Ryder.

"We wanted the King, but we know he took off. We'll get him, though. He's been wanting him for quite a few years now," the guy in the middle spoke. They started to backing away slowly. The two guys left out the door, but the girl stayed, holding the door open. A gunshot went off, echoing in the warehouse, and she left.

Max's body turned as he held his shoulder. He yelled out in pain, and my heart dropped. I put my gun on safety before putting it in my waistband. I rushed toward him, trying to see how bad his wound was, but he kept moving away.

"Let me see!" I said. He was breathing hard as he stood. I looked at his shoulder, and his shirt had a long tear on the side. I gently moved the fabric of his shirt, looking at his wound, and seeing that the bullet grazed the side of his shoulder. "You'll need stitches," I said, feeling relieved the bullet didn't penetrate him.

I looked at him, and he looked guilty as his face cringed in pain. "Probably deserve this right?" He winced as I looked at his wound. His bullet wound could have been worse, could have been fatal. That thought alone washed away any anger I felt toward him. For that split second, I thought he could have been shot in the heart, that I thought I lost my best friend, made me realized I could never truly stay mad at him.

I looked at Billy, and he was talking on the phone. He kept nodding, listening to someone on the phone. He stopped nodding and hung up. "We gotta go. Their leader was here, he just left when... you know who did," Billy told us, weary to not say Mae's name in case anyone was still here.

"How did they know when he left," Bennett asked, and Billy looked at me. I read that look in his eyes and knew what it meant. Someone in my crew told him.

"Paul, the new recruit," Max suggested, and I shook my head, angrily, knowing it was him.

"Find him," I ordered Ryder and Bennett. They walked out, and I looked at Max, knowing he needed to be patched up. He couldn't go to the hospital because the nurses would report it to the police, so he would need one of our medics to do a few stitches on him. "You good just until we get home?"

"Is it still home?" He asked, wanting to know if my house would still be his home too. I walked away telling him to come on, and he listened. We walked out, and I saw the King's—well, Mae's car. Some people were by it and took off running when they saw us. I was able to get a look at their jackets and saw the scythe and the skull on their black jacket.

A loud explosion was heard and then a strong wave hit me, sending me flying back into the wall. My head made contact with the wall before my body did, and I groaned as I hit the floor. A painful throbbing pounded in the back of my head as my vision started to become disoriented.

I looked around, seeing everything bright but disoriented. An orange blur was all my vision could register. I began to worry about my friends. There was a ringing in my ear and the more I listened, the more painful it was. I lifted my arms, pressing my hands into my ears to stop the ringing and focused on something else.

"Max," I called out as I saw a glimpse of his body lying on the ground before my vision blurred again. I put my hands down, and the ringing stopped, but my voice sounded muffled as if my voice was turned on low. He turned his head, his face cringing in pain. My vision kept blurring and clearing, repeatedly.

He turned his body over and hissed in pain when he rolled over on his wounded shoulder. I got up on my knees, but I didn't have the strength to move any further. My head pounded, and I felt sweat running down my neck. It tickled, so I wiped it off but when I brought my hand back down, I saw blood.

"Damien," Max called out, and his voice sounded low too. He got up, worried as he came to me. He started to blur as he came closer to me, and I closed my eyes. "Open your eyes! Mano, stay awake!" That time he spoke, it was louder but as if there was still something covering his voice. It wasn't as clear as it used to be.

I felt him shaking me, but I forgot how to open my eyes. I kept trying, but I didn't know-how. It was a simple action, yet I had no control over it. He bought me to a standing position, carrying all my weight, and that allowed me to relax and want to fall asleep.

"Damien!" I heard Ryder's voice, he became clearer as I felt another body on the side me, both carrying me.

"Bennett," I mumbled, worried for him. Where was he? I couldn't see anything. Just the smell and sound of crackles from the fire. "Where's-" I couldn't finish as I lost my train of thought.

I hadn't known how much time had passed, but I felt something soft as the two bodies slowly drifted away. It kept feeling like I was sleeping but everything around me became clearer, and my hearing became clearer as well. I wanted to open my eyes and with that thought, my eyes fluttered opened and light came in, but I couldn't see anything. My vision was still blurry.

"Damien," I heard Max's voice call out softly. I looked up, and the ceiling looked familiar.

"Damien, I'm going to need you to say awake," I heard a feminine voice speak. I blinked a few times and looked to the side of me and saw a girl I knew. I thought about who she was, and the knowledge came back to me. Her name was Macy, she was in my crew as a medic, but she was still training to be a nurse, or was it doctor?

"Are you-" I cleared my throat when my voice barely came out. "Are you a doctor?" I furrowed my eyebrows in thought as I tried to remember.

"Is that your way of saying, do I know what I'm doing?" She chuckled, and I smiled. "I'm training to be. How are you feeling?" She helped me to a sitting position before handing me two pills and a glass of water. I took them, and after I was done drinking the water, she grabbed the glass from me, setting it onto the side table by the couch. I looked around, and we were in the living room of my house.

"Like crap," I told her, and she nodded. "What happened?" The more I spoke, the more I became awake.

"You hit your head. No concussion, surprisingly, but you did scrape your head, so that explains the blood," she explained. "You were bleeding a lot, but the damage was minimal. I cleaned it already."

"Thank you," I told her, and she nodded as she gathered her things. She went to Ryder, and he smiled sweetly at her.

"How are you doing?" She whispered softly, and he nodded. He put his hands on the side of her hips and pulled her between his legs.

"Maybe you can make me feel better later," he told her, and she laughed. "I'm doing good. Thank you." She leaned down to him, and I looked away when they kissed. She pulled away, and he stayed looking at her until she walked out. I heard the door close, and Ryder looked at us. "Pervs."

"Are you two dating?" Bennett asked, and Ryder shrugged as he smiled.

"We're just having fun," Ryder said as he moved seats from the arm of the couch that was in front of me to the cushion.

"How long? Why didn't you tell me?" Benett smiled as he asked. Ryder narrowed his eyes at Bennett, glaring angrily, and Bennett's smile faded as he looked down, saddened by Ryder's hostility.

"Like how you didn't tell me?" Ryder asked bitterly. He stood, straightening his back, and trying to intimidate Bennett by standing tall.

"Well, glad to know I wasn't the only one keeping secrets," Bennett sneered as he got up, and Ryder shoved him. I noticed Bennett's hand was wrapped as he winced when he hit it against the wall after Ryder pushed him.

"He's hurt. Stop!" Max told Ryder as he sat on the arm of the couch. He had a few scrapes on his face but that was all. I looked at his shoulder, and there was gauze taped to him where he was shot.

"So now you two are best buddies?" Ryder snapped, and Max stood, but Ryder stood taller than Max, trying to intimidate him.

"Why, you jealous?" Max asked, mocking Ryder, and Ryder started getting angry. It was never a good thing that they were both hotheads who snapped easily with their short fuses, Max with the shorter fuse.

"More like wondering when you're gonna stop stealing from me!" Ryder spat, and Max got angry, tired of always hearing that he stole me from Ryder.

He shoved Ryder, provoking him to start something, and Ryder shoved him back. It was only a matter of time before they started fist fighting. Max winced when Ryder pushed on his wound. They started arguing again, and I was tired of it.

"Stop," I told them and started getting up. "For once, just shut the hell up!" I got up angrily and walked upstairs. I laid on my bed, and the door opened. I kept looking to see who was going to walk in and saw Ryder.

"Did you know?" He asked as he took a seat on the chair to my desk.

"Do you think I knew?!" I snapped, and he held up his hands. I felt bad for snapping at him because he was innocent in all this. "No. I wouldn't have been willing to fight her if I knew." And that was true. I wouldn't have wanted to fight knowing it was her. I would never be willing to hurt Mae that way, not ever.

The door opened, and my brothers walked in. "You good?" Deacon asked.

"No," Ryder cried out. "I think I'm dying." He inhaled a ragged breath, and my brothers laughed. I smiled as I shook my head at Ryder.

"You look the least banged up, dude," Declan laughed, and Ryder smiled.

"Yeah," Ryder sighed, smiling smugly as he put his hands in the back of his head and stretched his legs out, crossing his right foot over his left ankle. "The universe wanted to protect what's most valuable."

"Riiight," Dylan snorted, and we laughed.

"Hey," Deacon called out, so I looked at him. "Where's my car?"

"Yeah, Billy had to give us a ride," Declan said. I shrugged, and Deacon furrowed his eyebrows as he walked out. I got up, following him out, wanting to know if anyone messed with his car. Max was walking by him in the hall, but Deacon stopped him.

"Not so fast," Deacon said, stopping Max from walking any further. "Where's my car?" Max avoided eye contact, pretending to look at his wound. "Max?"

"I was shot, Deacon," Max said as he placed his hand over his shoulder and wincing a bit, adding to the effect.

"It was just a graze, you'll be fine," Ryder smiled, and Max glared at him.

"Where's. My. Car?" Deacon growled out slowly, worried that something bad happened to his car.

"I was shot, Deacon," Max repeated with a scared look.

"Max!" Deacon snapped. Max ran past him, down the hall, and down the stairs with Deacon following him. "I'm gonna kill you, Max!"

"I'll help you, Deacon!" Ryder shouted as he ran after them.

*~*

Two days later

The sound of knocking slowly brought me out of my sleep. "Yeah?" I asked, groggily. The door opened, so I sat up and saw Max walk in. I looked away, and he sighed, tired of me being angry at him.

"Still being petty?" He asked, and I found that funny. I tried fighting a smile, but he laughed which ruined my fight. I looked at him, and he was smiling as I shook my head with a smile of my own.

"I just wished you told me," I told him, and he nodded with a sad look in his eyes.

"We barely figured it out. I really am sorry," he told me, sincerity filled his voice, and I nodded, knowing he really was. He started smiling, hope burning in his eyes. "Do you forgive me?"

"I'll think about it," I teased with a small smile, and his smile grew wider.

"You can't stay mad at me for long, you know?" He chuckled, knowing the truth as he leaned on the wall with his good shoulder.

"I know," I grumbled and looked out my window. It was dark out, so I looked at the time, and it was one-thirty in the morning. "You woke me up."

"I couldn't sleep," he said. That happened to both of us every time we fought. We always felt guilty, and we would always set our pride aside and apologize to each other. "Mae gave me a message to give to you."

"What is it?" I asked quickly. He furrowed his eyebrows in thought, and I sat up, eager to know. I felt a slight pound in my head, and I cringed my face a bit, but it subsided, so I looked back at Max.

"She signed 'I'm sorry for not telling you. I never expected any of this to happen. I hope I didn't cause too much damage,'" he said. "She had Zach tell me it."

I thought back on it and wondered why didn't she tell me. I knew trust meant a lot to her but, was she really not going to tell me before we fought? Was she really going to let me fight her? To hurt her? If it wasn't for Billy, she wouldn't have told me.

I heard footsteps, and Bennett walked in with Ryder following him. "Did you really not know?" Bennett asked, and I thought about my answer before speaking.

I had thought of who it could before they said it was James. The racing made me question if it was her, but I saw a few times how she flinched when James moved too fast around her and that made her less of a possibility, and him more of one. I had always wondered if he would ever hurt her and that made me not like him. It made me question every time she would smile around him as if her happiness around him was actually real, or if he was abusive.

"I didn't know. I considered her, but I stopped questioning it after they told me it was James. I didn't think Zach would have a reason to lie," I said. "I just don't understand why she didn't tell me."

"Ask her," Max said, and I shook my head. Mae would have told me if she trusted me. She didn't tell me, so she didn't trust me enough to know.

"Talk to her," Bennett agreed, but I shook my head again. "You need to. You need to ask her yourself."

"It's better to get clarity before you hurt your mind trying to come up with answers," Max said as he took a seat on the chair to my desk.

I looked up in thought, thinking how pointless it would be to talk to her; to try and find clarity or try to mend our friendship. No matter what, Mae and I seem to always drift. Something always pushed us away from each other, separating us and not wanting us close.

Maybe it was a sign that we should stop fighting the force that was trying to keep us away. Maybe it was a sign that kept telling us we wouldn't work out. A sign that was sparing us from heartache. Or maybe a sign telling you to fight harder and something good will come out of. My subconscious said in hope.

"She doesn't want to talk to me," I told them, looking away from the ceiling and to them.

"Well, there's only one way to find out," Max reasoned. I saw movement from the door, and my brother's walked in, two of them with sleep in their face.

"You guys talk too loud," Declan grumbled the one who had been asleep. Dylan nodded, half asleep.

"Alright, get up," Ryder declared, and I shook my head stubbornly.

"It's one in the morning, go to bed," I brought the comforter to my chin, but Deacon walked to my blanket, and I held onto it. He tried ripping it away from me, but I held on tighter, knowing he would have done this.

"Damien," Deacon whined, and I laughed, keeping my hold on the comforter. Declan came up to my bed and grabbed a piece of the blanket, pulling and leaning back, trying to use his weight, but I held onto it.

"Let... go..." Declan said, struggling to pull the blanket. "Help." He looked at Dylan. Dylan grabbed the comforter and pulled, but he was still half asleep, so he didn't pull with his strength. He woke up a bit and started pulling with a smile.

"Let go," Dylan said as they were leaning back, and I laughed as I did what he said, but they fell back. Dylan taking Ryder with him.

"Get off me. You weigh a ton," Ryder joked as Dylan laid sprawled out on him.

"Don't fat shame me!" Dylan joked back, and we laughed. Dylan attempted to get up, but Bennett held him down. I sat up to see what would happen next, and Bennett sat on Dylan. "Can't... breath." Ryder tried gasping for air but couldn't because of all the weight that restricted him. Bennett still didn't get up as he started to speak. Max laughed in amusement, and Ryder tried grumbling out a profanity at him but ran out of oxygen before he could finish.

"Okay, Damien. We need to talk," Bennett insisted with a smile, knowing what he was doing. He wiggled his butt on Dylan's back, getting comfortable, and stretched out his legs.

"I'll... haunt... you, Bent!" Ryder threatened. Bennett rolled his eyes but reluctantly got up. Dylan got up, breathing heavily, and Ryder started gasping for air. He got up, glaring at Bennett, but Bennett laughed at the sight of a panting Ryder. I looked over Ryder's features, and they were angry.

"Awe shit," Bennett gulped as he saw Ryder's red face of fury. Bennett took a step back, but Ryder took one forward.

"Yeah 'awe shit,'" Ryder sneered as he tackled Bennett to the floor, and they started wrestling. Bennett was on top and Ryder struggled to switch the position.

"Huh, kinky," Max said, and we laughed. That distracted Bennett and Ryder switched the position, sitting on Bennett's face. I was surprised Ryder was on top because Bennett was stronger than him. I started laughing, joining the others.

"Get your balls out of my face, Ryder!" Bennett hissed. "And you said Dylan weighs a ton." We continued to laugh, but the pressure became too much on my head, so I had to calm down.

"Hey! Take that back!" Ryder complained, smashing his butt further onto Bennett's face. I wanted to laugh at the sight of Bennett's face being squished and red, but I had to refrain and take deep breaths. "Can you breathe, Bent?" Ryder laughed, teasing him.

"No," Bennett grumbled, struggling to breathe.

"So take it back," Ryder told him, getting up a bit and sitting back down.

"Okay, you don't! Now... get... off." Bennett said, struggling to breathe. Ryder farted, then got off.

"I'M GOING TO KILL YOU, RYDER!" Bennett yelled. He ran to my restroom, and I heard the water to my faucet running. I laughed at how disgusting that was, and he walked back in the room with a wet, red face, glaring at Ryder. He sat down at the corner of the desk, next to Max, and took a deep breath. "I'm going to kill you later because we need to talk to Damien now."

Ryder jumped on my bed, putting his hands behind his head, and crossing his legs. "Not if I kill you first," Ryder mumbled, but Bennett heard.

"That's it. I'm killing you now!" He got up, but I stopped him before he made another move.

"Stop," I demanded, and he listened, not moving or saying another word.

"Good boy. Now sit. Sit, Bennett," Ryder cooed, and my brothers laughed as I slapped my forehead, laughing myself. Ryder was just digging himself deeper and deeper.

"I'm going to sit because we need to talk to Damien, not because you said to," Bennett spoke slowly, trying to tame his anger by taking deep breaths, but Ryder snorted, causing a crack in Bennett's methods.

"Mmm-hmm," Ryder hummed, looking away smugly as if he won. I bumped his arm with my elbow, giving him a warning look. He knew exactly what to do to get Bennett angry, and he was doing just that.

"I'd stop if I were you," Deacon chuckled to Ryder.

"Yeah, he might actually kill you" Declan agreed, laughing.

"Fine, I'll stop. But not 'cause he said to but 'cause we need to talk to Damien," Ryder crossed his arms, hating that he had to give in and stop picking on Bennett.

"Mmm-hmm," Bennett hummed with a smug smile, and I knew it would start again, so I spoke before it could.

"Just say what you're gonna, so I can go back to sleep," I urged, sitting back, and leaning on my wall.

"Are you going to talk to Mae?" Ryder asked, and I shook my head. "Why?" I gave him an incredulous look. He deadpanned, not wanting to repeat what he asked, and I sighed.

"Because... I don't know what to say," I mumbled. Which was true. "She would have told me if she trusted me."

"You don't know that," Max shook his head.

"And you do? She was going to let me fight her, to let me hurt her. Which I would have done. And since I didn't know it was her, I would have done it happily." They stayed quiet, knowing I was right, so I got the comforter, lying back down, and closed my eyes. I could still feel them in my room, so I couldn't fall back to sleep yet.

"Is he serious?" Dylan asked, and I opened my eyes but didn't look at them. Mae didn't trust me to know her secret, what part weren't they understanding?

"I know. He recorded his feelings down, talking to her, and gave it to her, but now he can't talk to her?" Declan whispered back, and I closed my eyes before opening them and looking toward my nightstand at the flash drive. I wanted to know why she gave it back to me. Did she listen to it? Did she not care to have it? Did she even know how I felt toward her? What if she didn't?

"I know. He's being a little a bitch," Deacon whispered back. I threw the cover off half of my body and prompted myself on my elbow as I glared at him.

"Stop talking about me as if I'm not in the room!" I snapped, and he smiled.

"Stop being a little bitch," he told me, and I sat up.

"Stop, Damien," Bennett told me. "You know what to say."

"Ooh, and what is that, Bennett? 'Hey, Mae. Good thing we didn't fight because I would have definitely beat the shit out of you.' Or how about this, Bennett? 'Sorry the leader of the Reapers wants to kidnap you, but hey! Maybe you can kick his ass like you were going to kick mine.' How's that, Bennett?" I spat annoyed, and they laughed.

"If you have to!" Max said. I threw my pillow at him, and he laughed. "Okay, maybe not that." I nodded, finally agreeing with one of them.

"Tell her your truth," Deacon suggested, and I looked at him, confused by what he had meant.

"Yeah. How can you expect her to tell you something important, to tell you her truth, when you haven't told her yours?" Declan agreed. "I know you may have told her how you felt, but tell her something bigger and deeper than that."

"Tell her about what happened to you," Dylan added, and my heart began to race at the thought of telling Mae my truth. "Maybe if you did, she would see how honest and truthful you are, and maybe she'll trust you."

"You have to communicate," Max told me. "Talking is always better than just assuming. You get nowhere assuming things. It's always better to talk and know the truth."

"Assuming can lead to wrongful assumptions," Bennett said. I listened to what they were saying and knew their words held truth. I needed to talk to her, and I needed to do it in person. I needed her to know the truth about me. I needed to lay everything out, and if she didn't return the gesture or at least trust me a bit more, then I'll let go, knowing I did everything I could have done.

"Do you still love her?" Ryder asked softly, and I didn't need to think about my answer.

"Yeah," I nodded, and they smiled. I lifted my shoulders, shrugging as I smiled. "She's someone I've always loved." They all smiled at my answer before making fun of me. I smiled as their teasing lifted my mood.

"Then what are you waiting for?" Max asked, but I knew it was rhetorical. I started feeling a boost of energy, a need, and a wanting to talk to her. "Talk to her." He encouraged, fueling the energy I was feeling, and I knew he was right, so I jumped up, rushing to the door to talk to the one person I've been wanting to talk to.

"You're only in your boxers!" Dylan shouted to me from my room as I made it out to the hallway. I looked down and saw my blue boxers. I groaned as this halt stomped on my energy. Another set back. I turned around and walked back to my room.

"Yeah, now's not the time for that. Mae will see that later," Max teased, raising his eyebrows suggestively.

"Not sure why she would want to," Ryder whispered, and I looked at him, but he looked in the corner, pretending to not see me as he pursed his lips and raised his eyebrows.

"I heard that," I told him, and he started walking to me with a smug look on his face.

"Oops. Sorry," he said, smugly as he started walking out. He passed by me, so I slapped the back of his neck.

"Ow!" He rubbed the back of his neck and frowned.

"Oops. Sorry," I mocked in the same tone. He glared at me, and the guys started laughing.

"Bighead," Max told him as he walked out of my room.

"Mega mind," Ryder bit back as he followed him out. I walked to my restroom to take a shower. I wanted to look good in front of her. Impressions mattered to me. Especially, when they came to her. I got into the shower, putting the water a little past warm, and closed my eyes as the warm water made my thoughts stir.

I was scared to tell her my truth, scared that she would reject me because of them. I was tired of always being distanced from her because of everything that kept happening. I didn't want that to keep happening anymore, and I hoped after I told her my truth, we would finally stop being separated. I finished my shower and got out, dressing in my black jeans with the same color t-shirt, and my white Nike high tops.

I felt bad for being the one to wake Mae up, and I wasn't sure if she would have her phone on silent, so I settled on waking up Zach, so he could wake her up. I dialed his number and after a couple of rings, he answered.

"What the hell do you want?" He snapped, his voice thick with sleep. "Who is this?"

"Not a morning person are we?" I teased as I started to smile, but he was quiet, so I answered him. "It's Damien."

"This shouldn't even qualify as the morning. I swear, Damien, if you don't tell me what you want, I'm hanging up," He snapped again.

"Is Mae awake?" I asked, and I heard shuffling on the other side of the phone.

"No. It's two in the morning... everyone's asleep... on a Monday night... a couple of hours before school," his voice was suggesting I should do the same, and I knew he was probably right, but I needed to talk to her now. A few hours couldn't wait.

"Can you wake her up and tell her I texted her? That's all," I told him, and he groaned before hanging up. I hoped he wouldn't fall back asleep and actually told her. I opened my message app and texted Mae.

Meet me at the beach, where we did our project. -D

After I texted her, I put my phone in my pocket and grabbed my keys off my desk. I left my room, heading downstairs to the front door but stopped at the bottom of the stairs as I saw the guys waiting by the door.

"There he is!" Ryder chirped with a smile.

"Took you long enough," Max grumbled as he slipped on his shoes.

"What are you guys doing?" I asked, clutching onto my keys as I had a sense of déjà vu.

"Waiting for you, we're coming with you," Bennett smiled, but I shook my head. He rushed me, grabbing onto my wrist and grabbing my keys before throwing them upstairs.

"Bennett!" I snapped. "No, you're not. Not after what happened at Mae's house." I shook my head. I looked at Ryder, but he was smiling.

"We'll be good this time," Ryder laughed, and I shook my head, not believing him.

"I'll drive," Bennett said. I heard heavy footsteps rushing down the stairs as my brothers stumbled from coming down too fast.

"They didn't leave," Dylan said as he tripped on the last step but caught himself before falling.

"We wanna go," Declan said as he caught his breath. I shook my head and all three of them nodded.

"Please," they begged at the same time, and I groaned.

"You don't even know where I'm going!" I snapped.

"Where are you going?" Max asked. I shook my head, not wanting to tell him. He narrowed his eyes, so I rolled my eyes, throwing my back, and looking at the ceiling. He hit my shoulder, so I looked at him and was surprised when he held my phone in his hands.

"You pocket picker!" I accused, and Ryder laughed.

"The beach," Max said.

"Give it back!" I snapped, and Max handed my phone back to me, so I grabbed it and put it back in my pocket. How did he know my password?

"We're definitely going!" The triplets spoke at the same time.

"Bennett's driving, we're not all going to fit. There's seven of us," I reminded them.

"My car's fixed. I'll drive too," Max said. Bennett and Max walked out the door, and Ryder put his arm around my shoulder, smiling that he won, and I groaned as I looked up. I walked to Max's car, and the triplets followed me, squeezing themselves into the back.

"Why do I have to sit in the middle?" Dylan complained as he went into the back seat from my side, followed by Declan.

"Cause you were born last. You're the youngest," Declan explained once he sat in. I pushed the seat back and sat in.

"By a few minutes!" Dylan shouted, delirious of the fact they were calling him the youngest.

"Still the youngest," Declan replied.

"By literally... ten minutes from you," Dylan stated, and Max laughed.

"And fifteen from me," Deacon smiled, proudly as he sat comfortably in the back of Max.

"The good times," Declan smiled, nodding at those good times.

"I remember the day like it was yesterday," Deacon sighed in contentment, remember the day he was born as if he actually remembered it. "A whole five minutes of silence, of pure love and adoration from the family. Until you ruined it!" He turned to Declan.

"And then you ruined it!" Declan turned to Dylan, glaring, and Dylan frowned.

"Why do I always get so much hate," Dylan frowned, looking out the window, and Max and I laughed. "Do you know what you're gonna say?" He asked, leaning forward, and peering in between Max and I as he looked at me.

"No," I told him and look out the window as I thought about it. My brothers started complaining that Dylan was squishing them by leaning forward, so he sat back.

"Stop," Deacon snapped.

"You."

"Put your arm under mine," Deacon told Dylan, so I looked back to see what was happening.

"No, 'cause it gets all sweaty," Dylan complained, and they both stretched their arms out, putting their hands on their knees, waiting for each other to put their arm back down, so the other could put their arm back on top.

"You know one of you guys could have gone with Bennett?" Max asked, and I looked forward to the road.

"Whatcha tryna say, you don't want us in here?" Dylan asked, peering in between us again.

"No, he's tryna say he doesn't want you in here," Declan grumbled as he pulled Dylan back. "Sit back!"

Bennett and Max kept driving fast, trying to race each other, and we finally made it to the beach, parking close to the trail that led to the sand. I unbuckled my seat belt and looked at a smiling Max and shook my head. Bennett parked in the parking next to us, and I groaned as I covered my face with my hands, reminded of everything that could possibly go wrong because of them.

I got out of the car, glaring at Bennett and Ryder. They seemed unaffected by my glare as their smiles beamed brightly. "I hate you guys," I grumbled.

"Aww, we love you too, buddy," Ryder said as he put his arm around my shoulder. I shook my head and started walking toward the trail.

"We know to give you your space," Max said, and the other's nodded.

"But with my expertise, you might need me. Just holler," Ryder joked as he patted me on the back.

"Expertises," Max snorted, and Ryder elbowed him in the gut as he looked at me with a friendly a smile. Max composed himself and glared at the back of Ryder's head. "Bighead," Max mouth behind Ryder's back, and I smiled.

"Mega mind," Ryder said, without turning to look at what Max mouthed, and I laughed, amused that Ryder knew.

"Your expertise won't be needed," I chuckled, and they laughed as they started walking away. Max stopped and turned to look at me.

"Good luck, Mano," Max told me, and I smiled.

"Thanks, Mano," I nodded up once, and he smiled at the nickname. I sat down on the sand, hoping she would come. I looked at the waves crashing down on each other as I waited or her. I heard soft, squeaky crunches, so I looked away from the waves and turned to look at what the sound was, and smiled as I saw the one I had been waiting for.

***********************************************
A/N: Oou, I wonder what's going to happen.😈

I'm sorry if Damien finding out wasn't that well written or wasn't suspenseful or something, but it was a whole lot better than when I first wrote it. 😂

I would love some constructive criticism as long as it's helpful and not just stating negative opinions. I would be glad! And if you pointed out any grammar or spelling errors, that would be super helpful.

I'm a Native English speaker, but my grammar is terrible. And so is my eyesight, so I don't always catch some mistakes.🤷‍♀️😂😂

Damien found out the King is Mae, how do you feel about that?

What's your motto?