Defend Me

Prologue

“I was supposed to be having the time of my life.”

Brooks

November 2024 - In My High-Rise Contemplating Life

Putting my hand on my cheek, I winced at the way it stung. I’d never actually been punched in the face before and it sucked. Zero out of ten, would not recommend. I also wouldn’t recommend sleeping with a girl who already has a boyfriend.

To be fair, I didn’t know. It was stupid of me not to pay more attention, but I got distracted by some blonde hair and pretty eyes. I’d also been leaning into the distraction a little too much.

Mistake number one.

It was only three months into the school year and I couldn’t say I was having the time of my life. There were good things, but there were also shitty ones. I thought they’d balance each other out, but every day, it felt like my hands were slipping while I held onto the edge of a cliff for dear life.

Fuck Sadie and her nefarious, cheating ways. She thought deep throating was the end-all-be-all to dick sucking anyway. I’d never complain, especially in the midst of it, but if I was digging for other ways to insult her, I’d go with it. It was her boyfriend who punched me in the face, after all.

I needed good people in my life. My main friends were amazing and I had a dozen others I could call up. But I still felt empty.

Always fucking empty.

The stellar view from my apartment, my nice ass car, and my inevitable- I mean, exciting- future didn’t even touch the chasm that threatened me.

I’d be fine. I always was. I was Brooks Elrod and, in our family, things didn’t get us down. We kept it together. Not a soul in the world could see anything that might exist under the surface. Especially not my parents.

Nothing was wrong. It was perfect.