I Just Had to Lick the Cookie, Didn't I?

So I'm tearing this and everything else between
me and what I wanna do, to pieces
I'm tearing you and everything else between
me and you to memory
I'm stronger now, even after everything that you did
Still alive and kicking
I'm better now, I'm awake
Now I can see, everything in front of me
I'm stronger now, even after everything that you did
Still alive and kicking
I'm better now, I'm awake
Now I can see, everything in front of me

"Ahem." Both Milo and I turned our heads to look at Cadan. Some girl was standing with him. She must be Elise. "Sorry to disrupt you," he apologized sarcastically.

"Oh, it's alright," Milo shot back, equally sarcastic.

"Yes, well, when exactly were you planning on telling me that you had a girlfriend?" he asked venomously. Clearly someone's a little upset...

"I was unaware that you cared," Milo replied airily. Cadan scoffed.

"How do you think this looks, Logan!? You randomly decide to let the media in on your little romance and now they've blown it all out of proportion! Do you have any idea how much father had to pay Indy Ken to keep from printing a bunch of crap about your little whore friend!?" Whore friend!? Do I really look like...? No. What a fart face. Come on, he should recognize me from that dinner a while back.

"Get over yourself Cadan." Milo was being calm while his brother was clearly steaming.

"This isn't just about me, Logan! How do you think the rest of the family is going to feel about this? You've chosen to stay out of the media and here you are, showing up on every headline from here to Tokyo. Broken promises are what tear this family apart!" Cadan continued to seethe. Elise just continued to pet the two dogs.

"I never promised to stay out of the media, Cadan. And I fail to see why this upsets you. I never meant to have my face everywhere, but that's what happens. You don't get the 'firm' until dad turns fifty. The media will be all over you then." Milo looked at Elise and Cadan seethed.

"This is ludicrous! How could you do this to me!?" Cadan bellows. I widen my eyes, uncomfortable and confused. Milo looks up at his older brother.

"Do what?" he asks darkly. "Give you a perfect life?" Uneasily, I shift under the covers and watch my hands as I twiddle my thumbs.

"You're kidding? You didn't give me anything! For god's sake Logan, all you've ever done is fuck everything up!" I feel Milo tense and watch his fist clench and unclench. Awkwardly, I reach out and grab one of his tightened fists, holding it reassuringly. Sure it's odd, but he's my friend and I'm here to support him.

"It's nice to know you feel that way," Milo said solemnly. He gets into a lot of fights...

"Whodoesn't!? You're the worst thing that ever happened to this family, Logan! The worst god damn thing! You turned the Dean against Wayland," Milo cringed at the name as Cadan shouted, "you got all of the academic credit, you messed everything up for my brother! You killed him! I know you did! It's all your fault he gave up on us and left! It's all your fault! And for god's sake, how could you do this to me!? Elise and I were supposed to be getting the attention, not you! We're the ones getting married, not you!" Cadan breathed heavily for a few moments before glaring at his brother. "You're a damn overachiever is what you are. You'll never be satisfied with what you have, you just have to go and steal everything away from everyone else."

All four of us sat in thick silence for a few minutes. Everyone was tense.

"Get out," Milo croaked. Elise looked up at him sympathetically and got to her feet. Cadan stared, breathing heavily. "Get out, right now," he repeated more harshly. Elise took hold of Cadan's arm and whispered something in his ear; her fiancé just shook her off.

"You're a worthless piece of shit, Maelogan MaddenBoone. You disgrace my name," Cadan spat heatedly, looking his brother straight in the eye. "Oh, and before I leave, I'd like you to know why I mustered up every ounce of self control I had to come here. I hate you. Everyone hates you, you're just too damn stupid to realize it." And with his final words, Cadan dragged Elise out of Milo's room, slamming the door.

Milo didn't move. I could hear his heart beating, and I could hear his breath catch. It took me a few moments to comprehend what had just happened and then BAM, it hit me like a frying pan to the face in one of those old cartoons.

Cadan William Boone, Milo's older brother,---whom I had assumed to be a respectable, well-mannered, and kind human being---just burst into 'our' room and told his sibling off. Not only did he tell him off, he...told Milo to get the fuck out of his family's house and never come back in a very discrete way. Personally, I'm not really understanding the whole ordeal.

When I met the Boones that night last month, they seemed normal. They seemed happy and perfect. Sure it had been a little odd that I ran into Milo in the middle of the woods, but still. Caroline was beautiful and nice, William was commanding and kind. Cadan seemed like a normal young man, really. Of course when Faith...yea, well, that whole thing in William's office showed me that he was a little off his rocker, and that there was a little tension between him and Milo. Earlier when the Boones came home Milo seemed tense and agitated, but I brushed it off.

The Boones couldn't be like...my family, right? They were too public, too famous, too perfect. Everyone was so---

"Adriaan," Milo choked out. I looked over at him, but he was looking straight ahead at his bookcase on the opposite wall.

"Yea?" I asked quietly. Milo adjusted our hands---I hadn't moved mine---so that he held mine, tightly I might add.

"I'm really sorry you had to hear that. Really, really, really sorry." His voice was weak and breaking. He was being tough, too tough if you ask me. Come on people, if my brother just confessed his loathing for me like that, I'd be pretty torn apart. Even if I was a man.

"It's...alright. There are worse things than that, right?" I tried to laugh, but it didn't work. There was no point. Milo squeezed my hand a little and turned to look at me. His eyes were clouded over and full of pain. This was the real Milo, and it scared me.

"I need to tell you something. I don't want you to feel sorry for me though. I don't need sympathy." I nodded and he blinked back tears.

My gut was telling me this wouldn't be pretty.