Oliver

God, what is wrong with me?

I finally got to have lunch with Ashton and I fucked it up. She told me about Tyson cheating on her. I wasn't surprised, which is a pretty terrible thing to admit. My reaction was poor, I know. I just got furious with him. My dead brother. I've been mad at him for months, for leaving town like he did. For coming back and not being himself. For being so damn reckless that day that he lost his life. But now? I'm even more mad at him, knowing what he did before he left.

I should have apologized to Ashton on his behalf. I should have apologize, at all. But I didn't. I just sat there. I told her that I miss him. And then I said those stupid words. - I said I missed her, too. I mean, I did. And seeing her that morning in the office five weeks ago? It felt like something was actually going to go right, for once. But it's been weeks and now it's obvious - she hates me. Especially after that lunch.

I'm back at my uncle's office, later that afternoon. My cubicle is small and in the middle of the damn room. I miss that empty office in Ashton's building already. I have no reason to go back there, though.

"Dude! You must have made a good impression on that girl you were working with!" my cousin Dustin shouts at me, walking over.

He's dressed like he's a bum who lives on the streets.  He's covered in paint and dust. I mean, he's our head construction guy. For a year or two, I was in construction, too. But I'm not as handy as him and Joey, so I gave up my head contractor position recently. Johnny figured out I'm good with people and the tech side of the company. I'm second I'm line, too. The older cousin. Maybe uncle Johnny will retire early. He's only forty-five, so that's unlikely. But I can hope. I want this to be my company before I'm forty.

"What?" I ask Dustin, not getting what he's saying.

   "The ad agency dropped off like a million donuts for the office today," he goes on. That's when I see he's eating a messy looking donut. There's some sort of frosting on his cheek. He's only twenty two, but he's a hard worker.

"Oh. Sweet," I say, but all I can think about is Ashton and that I let her leave the Starbucks how she did.

"You look angry. What's up?" Dustin goes on, leaning onto my desk.

I try to fix I'm my face. "No, I'm fine. Um. Tired."

"Ohh late night with the girl friend? How's she doing?"

I hate the word girlfriend. I always have. Sable is my girlfriend, I know that. But still. I don't make a habit of saying it out loud. Sable is more like a friend that I take out for dinner and have sex with sometimes.

"She's fine," I say quickly.

   "Fine, huh? She sure is." He laughs.

I don't know even care that he thinks she's hot. I mean, she is. Everyone can see that. I'm not possessive of her. I wouldn't even care if she dated someone else. I obviously know there is problem here. I'm not a cheater, I never have. I would end it with Sable if I was ever thinking about someone else. I'm just not into the relationship part.

"I gotta get back to... this..." I say, and look down at my laptop.

   "Sure, yeah. Well, welcome back, dude. It's been weird around here without you."

I actually didn't think they'd really missed me. I only checked in here a few times over the last five weeks, mostly I worked from Ashton's office or from home. Being back here is strange - it's loud and I can't focus. I've only been back an hour.

"My dad is glad your back," Dustin goes on, not leaving me alone yet. "I swear he likes you more than he likes me."

His dad is my uncle Johnny. I've always been close with uncle Johnny, my mom's brother. Tyson wanted nothing to do with the family business, but I did. I was sure I'd own it once day, even as a teenager. I'm working my way up, now.

"Well, I actually work," I joke.

Dustin throws me a middle finger and fake laughs. "I'm headed to Ruby street. I'm actually... late."

"See ya," I call after him.

The house he's working on on Ruby street is a small two-story that needs a ton of work. We bought it cheap a couple of months ago and it's supposed to be a fast flip, but we'll see. I'm hoping to have it on the market by November.

My phone is buzzing a minute later. No one wants me to get any work done today, apparently. I could ignore it, but for whatever reason I pull it out and look. It's a text from Sable.

Hey. I went to the office but you weren't there. I thought it was your last day today?

Shit. She went to Ashton's office? Without texting first?

I went out for lunch and them came back to the south side office, I reply right away.

   Who'd you go to lunch with? Ashton wasn't at the office either.

My stomach tightens. This is not good. I didn't do anything wrong but it feels like I did. Also, Sable's being a possessive girlfriend right now. I don't like this at all.

Can I call you tonight? I've got a lot of work to do right now, I send back, not answering her question.

A few minutes pass. I know I pissed her off. Right now I just really don't care. She's suspicious and things I'm doing something wrong behind her back. I don't need to try to convince her otherwise, especially when I'm trying to work.

Finally, she answers. Yeah. Talk to you tonight.

I leave it be, for now.

*

When I'm home again that evening, I don't want to call her. It all feels like too much, all of a sudden. I mean, I was fine with Sable before Ashton came back into my life, but I didn't see this side of Sable before. She's jealous and possessive and I'm not into it. After I eat some leftover pizza, I convince myself to call her.

Just tell her you're tired and you'll see her Friday, I tell myself.

   "Hey," she answers after one ring.

Was she waiting for me to call?

"Hey."

   "Can we hang out tonight? I miss you."

She misses me? I saw her only five days ago. I barely think about her when we aren't together so suddenly I know I've really been leading her on. Two months of dating is just about enough. I have to end this. I wasn't going to do this tonight, but now?

"Um, yeah. I just need to shower. You want to come here? I actually need to... talk to you about something," I say instead of what I planned to say.

   "Oh? Everything okay?" She's oblivious to where I'm going with this.

"Uh, yeah. See you in an hour?" I just want to end this call.

   "Okay," she finishes and I hang up before she can say anything else.

I'm pacing the living room for the next forty five minutes. I hate the break ups. I do it for them, or maybe for me. I don't even know. But I hate it when the time comes. Sable doesn't even know this is coming. That makes it worse. She's going to blame Ashton. Or call me names. Or worse, beg me not to break up with her. I can picture it.

I didn't even shower because I've been pacing and trying to figure out the right way to tell her - we're done. It doesn't feel good. It never does.

The doorbell rings.

Sable never rings the doorbell. Sometimes she knocks, but usually she just comes into my house. I'm not a fan of that. But the fact that she's ringing the doorbell is weird.
    I cross the room with an exaggerated sigh and swing the door open.

It's not Sable. Why isn't it Sable?

There's a girl at my door. She's young, well, likely Sable's age. She has dark brown hair and dark eyes and glasses. She's short and thin and she's wearing a black sweater and jeans. I have no idea who this girl is. Since I was expecting Sable, I can't quite comprehend this.

We stare at each other for like two minutes, neither of us talking.

Finally, she pushes her way into my house.

"Um, excuse me...-" I begin, stepping back.

She goes walking further into my living room, and she leaves the door open. When her eyes meet mine again, she looks like she's been crying. What is going on? Why is this girl in my house?

"You're Oliver? Tyson's brother?" she asks me suddenly.

Um, what?

I nod, because I don't know what to say. I don't know why this girl is here. I've never seen her before, as far as I know.

"I'm... my name is Hailey."

She's looking at me for something. She wants me to recognize her? She wants me to know who she is, I think. I don't need this today, whatever it is.

"Okay. What-" I begin again.

   "I had a baby. In June. It's a girl. Um..." she seems like she's in distress, all of a sudden. "She's in the car."

"Sorry, I don't really know-"

    "Oliver?"

I turn my head and see that Sable is now in the doorway of my house. Of course she is. She looks confused as she looks between this girl and me. She's waiting for an answer, but I sure as hell don't have one.

"Sable-"

   "Really? I knew something was up, but I thought it was... oh my god." Sable's shaking her head and backing away.

She thinks I'm cheating on her with this Hailey girl? Shit.

Hailey doesn't move, but she keeps her eyes on me. I walk to the door and Sable is outside, on the porch.

"It's not... no... " I say, but my brain is so messed up right now. "Sable, I don't even..."

   "Wow," Sable says and then laughs. "You're really not smooth, are you? If you wanted to break up you should have just told me."

"I..." I was going to. Today.

"Goodbye, Oliver," Sable finishes and turns back around to go down the sidewalk, towards her car.

I stay there for a minute longer than I should before going back into my house. My heart is pounding into the walls of my chest. Hailey is looking at me again, her face now wet with tears.

"The baby is... Tyson's. I told him about her, and he said everything would be okay. He said he just had to go to Maine for a few months and when he got back, we'd be together and... I believed him."

I'm shaking my head as the realization hits me, after her explanation. My brother got this girl pregnant.

"What happened when he came back?" I ask, even though I'm pretty sure I already know.

The fact that there's a baby in my driveway and it's my niece isn't really registering in my head. I need more facts.

"He wouldn't take my calls. I didn't know where he was living, but he basically ghosted me. I was eight months pregnant. And then... he called me. He said he was going to take care of me and the baby and not to worry. We met for lunch and he seemed... different. Out of it. And then he..."

   "Died," I finish for her.

She nods. She's crying again as she walks back towards the front door. She's looking out at the car. I watch as she wipes her eyes and looks back at me.

"I've been trying, for almost three months, to do this. My parents wanted me to have an abortion, but I believed Tyson when he said... anyway, so they won't  help me. I'm only twenty one."

Holy shit. This girl is here because she wants me to give her money to help with the baby. I step back. There's only a feet few between us but I need more space. I need to breathe.

I could give her money. I could help her. But how do I know she's telling the truth? Oh my god, what will my parents think of this?

"You need money?" I ask, because it seems obvious that's why she's here.

She drops her head. She takes in a breath. I'm not prepared for what she says next.

"No. I want you to take her."