Chapter Eleven

I awoke with a groan, tugging on my comforter to pull over my eyes and block out the sunlight that was blinding me. Last night Quinn had thrown a pool party over at her house, and my foggy memory was a key indicator that I had gone over my alcohol tolerance. I didn't want to move or sit up because I was afraid of exactly what parts of my body were going to flare up with the pain of being hungover.

Suddenly a loud crash outside my bedroom and in the hallway erupted and I groaned as pain struck in the front of my skull.

"Shit!" An all too familiar voice shouted, alerting me that Mason had come home with us.

"Mason?" I called as loudly as my voice could go without urging me to bury my face in my pillow.

A pause and then my door cracked open and Mason ducked his head in to smile crookedly at me, "Hey sorry about that."

"What'd you do?" I asked humorously, lips turned up in a small smile.

"Fell into the wall," he answered, a slight smirk on his face. I rolled my eyes and bit the bullet as I slowly sat up wincing as my vision played tilt-a-world on me. Mason had inched his way past the archway of my bedroom, and stood with his hands in his pockets as he observed me, "I was just heading home."

I nodded slowly, "Alright well maybe we can hang out later? Tristan is away visiting his grandparents for the day and Quinn said she had something to deal with today."

Mason caught my frown and raised a curious eyebrow, "She alright?"

I shrugged, "I'm not sure. She's been a little distant since our group got together at the diner a couple of weeks ago. I think she has something going on, but she hasn't bothered to tell me what."

He looked concerned, "Why not just ask her?"

I chuckled, "Quinn isn't like that. If you confront her, she tends to run away as opposed to spilling the beans. I just have to be patient. When she's ready, she'll come to me."

He frowned, "I couldn't deal with that. I'm far too impatient."

I grinned as I slowly stood up, "Well I've had years of practice."

He chuckled and nodded, "Right. We'll I'm going to head home and shower. Text me when you're ready to hang out."

I nodded and followed him downstairs to the front door. Christian was just coming from the living room, a bowl of cereal in one hand and a spoon in the other while his cheeks puffed out to the brim with cereal crunching behind his closed lips. I grimaced at him.

"Ew Christian," I muttered as I sidled past him. He opened his mouth, displaying a tongue full of mushed up of cereal and a wave of nausea hit sending me sprinting back up the stairs to my bathroom. I fell to my knees and slapped the lid up just in time to spew out all the liquid I'd ingested the night before until I was left dry heaving into the bowl.

A hand rubbing my shoulders brought me back to reality and out of my pain fused predicament. I groaned when I smelled Mason's cologne and weakly pushed my hand out, trying to bat him away, "Go away Mason."

He grabbed my hand, gave a slight squeeze but continued to rub soothing circles into my back. After a few moments of me waiting out the nausea, he reached up to flush the toilet and stood to go to the sink where he filled one of the small paper cups with water and handed it to me. I swirled and gurgled twice before I stood, instantly grabbing my toothbrush to wash away the gross taste in my mouth coupled with my morning breath.

Once I'd also gurgled Listerine, I wiped my mouth with the back of my hand and turned to Mason who was patiently waiting, "You alright now?"

I nodded, "You really didn't need to do that."

He shrugged, "I've had my share of worshipping the porcelain throne."

I gave a weak smile and rolled my eyes, "Of course."

He smiled slightly before he left the room, calling out a goodbye to me, "See you later!"

I closed the bathroom door and stripped once I'd turned on the shower. Once clean and after blow drying my hair, I felt quite better than I had after waking up a little over an hour ago. I popped some Excedrin as I made scrambled eggs and bacon for myself, practically guzzling orange juice. This was my go-to hangover meal. It always dissipated the lingering nausea and migraine and tenderness to light.

Christian soon joined me in the kitchen, mumbling an apology for triggering my earlier episode.

I shrugged, "It was bound to happen. So how are you and Jules?"

Christian spared me a glance and rolled his eyes, "Are you ever going to not hover over my relationship?"

I smirked at him as I put my dishes in the sink, "Nope. You're being faithful?"

He stopped what he was doing and glared at me, "Okay let's say I wasn't. Why do you think I would just tell you?"

I shrugged, "Just want to make sure. She's a good person and I don't want you to break her heart with your manwhore ways."

He glared, "How many times must I tell you? I wouldn't do that to Jules. I care about her. She's not like the girls I normally date Alexandra. Nobody gets that more than I do."

I glared at the full use of my name, "Fine. Don't call me that."

He smirked and stood up, "Stay out of my relationship then."

I watched him swagger his way out of the kitchen and rolled my eyes as I unlocked my phone and texted Quinn. What are you up to?

I got up to go to my bedroom, receiving her reply once I'd settled down onto my mattress, curled around my body pillow.

Not much.

I blinked and chewed on my lip, trying to determine how far I wanted to push her. You know you can tell me anything right? I'm your best friend and I love you.

I love you too. I'm fine, I promise.

Alright. I sighed as I tossed my phone to my nightstand and allowed my eyes to roll skyward as I pursed my lips. What could she possibly be hiding? I didn't think it was a boy. For the longest time Quinn had been single and had been quite open about her disinterest in dating anyone while in high school. She said it was pointless.

I sighed and rubbed my eyes, deciding not to obsess over it. Like I'd told Mason, she'd tell me when she was ready.

I glanced at the clock surprised to realize that it was already half past one in the afternoon. Mason had left over three hours ago, and as I made my decision I grabbed my phone and snapped a picture of myself doing a stupid expression on Snapchat, asking him if he was good to hang out now.

A few minutes passed before I got a reply. Come on over.

I grinned and pushed up with my arms and scooted down my bed so that I could find my flip flops. I paused briefly and glanced at the shorts and tank top I was wearing, wondering if I should change but ultimately I just shrugged and continued to trot down the stairs.

Christian was on the couch, phone in hand and his video game paused on the television, "Hey I'm heading out. You don't need the Jeep do you?"

"Nah. Where you going?" He asked distractedly, smiling slightly at his phone.

"Just over to Mason's. I should be back in a few hours," I said as I turned to the front door, missing Christian's wide yet astonished grin.

The drive over to Mason's house wasn't long and I glanced up in confusion at the black Escalade that was pulled up in front of his house as I pulled behind his blue Camaro. He hadn't texted me since I'd left my house, but the SUV was a vehicle I'd never seen any of the times that we'd been over at his house.

I cautiously went to the front door, and rang the doorbell tentatively. I didn't know why, but something felt off as I waited for Mason or Rebecca to open the door.

A few minutes of waiting and the door was quickly wrenched open by a livid and shaking Mason. My jaw dropped open and my eyes darted behind him, but no one else was in the foyer with him.

"Mason?" I asked softly, "What's wrong?"

His brown eyes were dry and bloodshot as if he hadn't slept in days. His jaw was clenched tightly as he glanced away from me, seemingly to gain control before he snapped.

"Let's go to my room," he said lowly. He sounded so pissed off, barely on the edge of sanity as he slammed the door behind me and tightly grabbed my hand. I was quick to be by his side as we ran up the stairs, his hand making my own feel tingly as my blood circulation was slowed by his grip.

He slammed his door behind him and I rubbed his arm with my free hand, trying to do anything to calm him down.

"Mason," I said softly when he merely stood in the middle of his room, staring out his window.

He glanced at me briefly before he closed his eyes and dropped his chin to his chest. His gasps became hysterical and his shoulders trembled as he pressed his knuckles into his eyes.

I walked to be in front of him, placing my hands on his wrists as I allowed him the time to calm down and regain his quickly unraveling control.

"Mason – " He jerked forward suddenly and wrapped his arms around my waist, his hands clutching the material of my shirt tightly.

"They just show up. You should have seen Annie when they first got here. Her face Alexa … she was so happy. They did that. And then they're going to leave, and she's going to be heartbroken," he sounded wrecked. My hands tightened on the back of his neck in anger at his parents. I was quickly becoming angrier at them for putting their children through this.

A dry sob broke free from him as he pressed his mouth against my shoulder. I knew he was embarrassed about breaking down in front of me. His desperate attempts to hold it all in made my eyes sting with unshed tears.

I tightened my embrace and slowly, reassuringly brushed the nape of his desk with my fingertips, "It's okay Mason. You don't have to hold it in."

He trembled in my arms and I had to look up and blink rapidly to stop myself from spontaneously crying.

"They won't even be here a full day," he whispered into my shoulder, "I know they won't! And Annie … God I can still remember her diary, Alexa. Their problems, their abandonment is making her insecure. The issues she's going to have to deal with. They can't keep doing this to her. I don't know how to protect her from them."

He pulled back, completely disconnecting the contact between us. His eyes were dry now, but his lashes were still wet and I could see a few tear tracks on each cheek. This was the second time I'd seen him cry because of them. It broke my heart.

"How do I protect her? I shouldn't even have to do this. She's their daughter!" His sadness was evaporating and his anger was rushing to the surface. It wouldn't take long before he exploded.

He rubbed his hands over his face, erasing the evidence of his tears as he turned his back to me and repeatedly clenched his fingers into his palms. His muscles were taut and for a brief second, just briefly, I was scared of him. I couldn't help it, and rationally I knew he would never hurt me or anyone else who didn't deserve it.

A soft knock on his door sounded.

"Mason?" I didn't recognize the voice, but he did. He took big steps to the door, wrenching it open. He stood, so tightly wound up that he shook slightly as he looked at a woman I faintly remembered seeing as a child. His mother.

"What?" He asked, sounding scared of what she was going to say.

She smiled politely, a smile reserved for strangers and she was using it on her own son, "You father got a call."

That was all she got out before Mason was storming past her, ignoring her calls as she stood, distraught at his obvious rejection. I fumed as I stared at the side of her head. Her blonde hair which neither of her children inherited. Her dark eyes, eyes that suddenly I thought must have resembled her heart.

"How can you treat them like this?" I suddenly exclaimed, not caring I barely knew this woman nor that this wasn't my place, "You are wrecking your children's hearts and ability to trust and for what? A job? To follow your husband around the world? It's pathetic."

She opened her mouth, looking as if she was going to argue but slowly her lips closed and her eyes dropped to the floor. She looked ashamed.

"You don't understand," she finally whispered.

"You're right. I don't," I said, "And I would never want to. I couldn't imagine leaving my children, my eighteen-year-old son and eleven-year-old daughter for months on end. There is no way I could ever agree with what you're doing to them. Your daughter misses you, all the time. Don't you get that? Does that not mean anything to you?"

"Of course it means something!" She yelled, "But this life! This home, their things. We buy all of that for them! Our jobs are the reason they're so well off! They won't have to worry about college, or starting out in life because we have built a foundation for them. That is what this is all for – "

"Don't delude yourself," I scoffed as I looked at her in disgust, grappling for a way to make this seem less than it was, "You know they would give up all of this in a heartbeat if it meant having the two of you here for more than one day every three months. Don't think so lowly of your children that way."

Screaming, distinctly Mason's voice, traveled up from the foyer and I rushed with Jennifer down the stairs to see Mason screaming at his father, Blake Coleman. My heart constricted when I caught sight of Annie, trembling in tears as her arms gripped her stomach with her chin against her chest. Her whole frame racked with sobs.

My hand pressed against my lips as I tried to control my own tears and I was forced to glance away, but I could still hear Mason.

"Just go! Like you always do, leave your children! Your job has proven to be more important than Annie or I ever will be!" He yelled, his voice breaking with emotion.

"Jennifer we need to go, the plane leaves in one hour," Blake said tonelessly. My head snapped around to look at him, aghast that he could just react with such indifference knowing his children were so destroyed by this.

I watched with judging eyes as Jennifer tilted her head up, and she walked down the stairs stopping before Annie. She set her hands on her daughter's shoulders, "Don't cry darling, we'll be back before you even know it."

"Leaving just as soon," Mason spat at her, his eyes black with hatred as he watched his parents walk, hand-in-hand out the door.

I crept to Mason, hand curling around his shoulder as he stared at the door, looking heart stricken.

"Mason…." I whispered.

He shook his head and gripped the hair on the sides of his head, "I can't … I can't do this. I … I don't know how … I – I."

A loud sob erupted and our heads swiveled to where I'd last seen Annie, but she was no longer there and our head simultaneously shot to the staircase where her cries were traveling down from. Mason was up the stairs in record time, disappearing down the hall and into her room.

I followed at a fast pace as well, but still arrived to her room after him. He had Annie cradled in his lap, his hand sweeping across her back in soothing strokes as his head was tilted down to meet her gaze.

I bit my lip as I watched the sibling interaction between the two of them. Broken but united by their pain.

I knew Mason's parents were less than ideal, but I never knew they were that heartless. I couldn't believe that Mason and Annie had been dealing with that for so long. If my parents ever treated me like that, like such a low priority, I think my will to live would expire.

I paused at the door as Mason whispered to Annie, "This is not your fault, Annie. They are just messed up people. This has everything to do with them, and not a single thing to do with you. Do you understand?"

"…"

"What?" Mason asked, not having heard her.

Her voice cracked and it was a dead giveaway that she had been heartily sobbing, but her words offered a sense of strength that left me breathless, "It's not about you either."

Mason rolled his lips into his mouth and nodded as he glanced up at me, his pain reflected clearly in his bottomless eyes, "Exactly."

I drew away from the door as the two siblings had their moment, and I slowly walked down the hallway to leave the house. It had only been an hour since I'd arrived, but as I sat in my car it felt like a lifetime of pain had scarred my heart. And as I stared at Mason's Camaro, I finally allowed my own tears to fall.