It’s Avery, and he wants a favour

Avery Smith: ‘u awake’

Michael Smith: ‘yeah’

Moments later, he slips into your room, and you have a rough idea what this is all about.

“I’m going to sneak out,” he whispers. “Can you help me?”

“I can,” you say slowly. “But if you get caught and it turns out I was involved, Belle’s going to be real mad.”

Avery cups his hands and pleads. “Please, man.”

“I don’t know...”

You suddenly toss him a small key, which he catches with a yelp.

Avery barks out a small chuckle and claps you on the shoulder. “I knew I could count on you.”

You smile back. “Be back before 5, or I’m throwing you under the bus.”

Avery nods. He opens your window and climbs onto the tree next to it. You watch him climb down and jog across the lawn to the abandoned guards’ quarters, which has a metal gate leading outside. Your father never got around to actually hiring the guards, seeing as he is busy a lot of the time.

Avery is most likely heading over to the house of his girlfriend, Janice. Her form flashes through your mind and you shake your head, trying to shake the thoughts.

You let out a chuckle at the irony. You’re a guy trying to corrupt the woman who raised him, but you’re hesitating to think inappropriate thoughts about your brother’s girlfriend.

You allow your mind wander to Janice, and you remember the first time you laid eyes on her.

She was the blue-eyed blonde that every guy had to look back at when she walked past.

You met on the first day of high school, three years ago. Tall and athletic, her skin was lightly tanned from spending time in the sun. You met her in Math class, where she needed your help to understand the material, and still does. You remember developing a huge crush on her, mesmerised by the way she brushes errant strands of hair her behind her ear as she tried to read the notes you made for her. She had flashed you a grateful smile and exchanged numbers with you.

You remember returning home that day and immediately confiding in Avery the fact that you had your first crush, and had even scored her number. He congratulated you and acted like the proud older brother that you are sure at the time he had been. She came over to your house to hang out the following week. She was Avery’s date the next, and they were a couple by year’s end.

You had been betrayed by the one person you had trusted with your feelings, your own brother. The person you trusted the most after Belle.

You remember ignoring him for months, through all his apologies and reasons.

“I’m sorry Michael, it just happened. We were just hanging out but then it just-“

You remember Janice fidgeting around you in class, trying to hold awkward conversations with you at Avery’s request. You eventually gave Avery and Janice your blessing, but the bitter feeling of being betrayed wells up every now and then, whenever you think of them together.

As you stare at the Coin in your hand, you feel the same bitter feeling well up in you. You can almost taste it in the back of your throat.

‘I’m sorry too, Avery. But I realise now that I am a very petty person. You only have yourself to blame...’