Exploration Date – Part 14 (Patreon)

I hesitated. “Phoenix, I was thinking… maybe I should drive home. See my parents. Check on Liv. Been a minute.”

Phoenix snorted, already pulling on a fresh tank. “Bro, why? Your fam is the worst. So boring. Mom’s gonna cry, Dad’s gonna grill you about grades, Liv’s gonna be a raging bitch like always. Waste of gas.”

I shrugged, trying to play it casual even though my gut had been churning since that text from Kai. “Just feels like I should. Mom’s been texting non-stop. And… y’know. Family shit.”

He eyed me for a second, then waved it off. Then tossed me his keys like they were nothing.

“Take the Mustang. I’m not using it till tonight. Don’t scratch my baby, though.”

I caught them mid-air, metal biting into my palm. “For real?”

“Yeah, for real. Go run whatever lame errand you got. Just fill the tank when you’re done.”

 “Fine. Whatever. Go be a good son. But say hey to Liv for me. Tell her your throat’s feeling better now that it’s had some real practice.”

He grinned wide, all teeth.

I forced a laugh. “Haha, good one…”

Phoenix leaned in closer, voice dropping. “Lol, wouldn’t surprise me if she’s in your ex’s bed right now. Skank always seemed to have the hots for him. Bet she’s riding that twig dick while you’re out here playing college boy.”

My stomach lurched. “Not my ex. And Kai would never do that.”

Phoenix just shrugged again, already turning back to his phone. “Sure, bro. Whatever helps you sleep. Drive safe. Don’t crash my ride thinking about your sister getting plowed.”

◆◆◆

The drive was three hours of highway and bad radio. I kept the windows down, let the cold air slap my face, tried to shake the sour taste Phoenix’s words left behind. Kai’s text sat unread in my notifications the whole way. I told myself I was just checking on his mom. That’s it. Bros do that. Even after everything.

Kai’s neighborhood looked smaller than I remembered. Depressing. Peeling paint on every house, chain-link fences sagging, cars on blocks in half the driveways. I slowed as I turned onto his street, Phoenix’s Mustang growling low like it didn’t belong here.

I wasn’t planning to stop long—just knock, say hi, see how his mom was doing, maybe give him a quick hug if it didn’t feel weird. Then bounce.

But I saw them before I even parked.

Backyard. Shitty chain-link fence barely hiding anything. Kai and fucking Liv sitting on the sagging picnic table, shoulders touching. Her head on his shoulder. His arm around her waist. Fingers laced together—tight, like they’d been doing it for weeks. She laughed at something he said, tilted her face up. He leaned down. Not quite kissing, but close enough the intention was fucking obvious.

They looked… cozy. Intimate as fuck.

My foot slammed the brake. The Mustang jerked to a stop in the middle of the street. Horn blared behind me—I didn’t care.

Fucking bitch-sister, Phoenix was right!

And best friend?

No. No best friend fucks their best friend’s sister. That’s so messed up. That’s betrayal on both sides. Kai—loyal, clingy, “I love you man” Kai—sitting there holding hands with Liv like it was normal. Like I hadn’t existed. Like the shit we did, the promises we made when we were kids, the way he looked at me that last Saturday before everything blew up… none of it mattered.

My hands shook on the wheel. Knuckles white. I felt jealousy and Rage.

I stared through the windshield until my eyes burned.

Then I threw the car into reverse, peeled out, tires chirping on cracked asphalt.

The Mustang ate up the last stretch of highway like it was pissed off too. I pulled into my own driveway just as the sun was dipping, tires crunching gravel loud enough to announce me like a fucking trumpet. Lights were on in the kitchen. Mom’s silhouette moved behind the curtains. I killed the engine, sat there gripping the wheel until my knuckles ached, then got out.

Mom turned from the stove the second I stepped in. “Arlo? Honey, what are you—”

Dad looked up from his phone at the table, eyebrows shooting up. “Thought you weren’t coming till spring break.”

I dropped Phoenix’s keys on the counter with a clatter. “Yeah, well. Surprise.”

Mom wiped her hands on a dish towel, eyes flicking over me like she was checking for injuries. “You okay? You look… agitated.”

I laughed—short, bitter. “Peachy.”

Dad set his phone down. “You been to Kai’s? We heard his mom’s not doing great. Poor kid.”

I scoffed, loud enough it echoed off the cabinets. “Nah. We’re not close anymore. Friends grow apart. Happens.”

Mom’s face softened, but there was something sharp underneath. “Doesn’t seem like that when I spoke to him yesterday.”

My head snapped up. “You talked with him?”

“Yeah, honey. He was here yesterday with Liv.”

The room tilted. “With Liv?”

Mom nodded like it was the most normal thing. “Yeah. They hung out in your room for a bit. Liv’s sleeping there while her own room is getting repainted. She decided to stay home another year, finish up community college. Saves money.”

My brain short-circuited. “She fucked him in my room?”

Mom’s mouth dropped open. “Arlo! What is wrong with you! That’s your sister and your best friend!”

“Exactly!” I barked, voice cracking higher than I wanted. “Fucking in my bed! That’s such a fucked-up thing to do!”

Dad stood up fast, chair scraping. “Don’t talk to your mom like that about your own sister and Kai!”

I threw my hands up. “Fuck this shit!”

I turned for the door. Mom called after me—“Arlo, wait!”—but I was already yanking it open.

Liv was coming up the walkway, keys jingling, hoodie zipped to her chin. She froze when she saw me.

“You’re home?”

“No,” I spat. “I’m going back. Back to Phoenix. Away from this fucked-up family!”

Her eyes narrowed. “Phoenix? Are you serious right now?”

“Dead serious.”

She stepped closer, voice dropping dangerous. “You shouldn’t trust that guy, Arlo. He’s a walking red flag. Controlling, manipulative, treats people like toys. And speaking of Kai—he needs you. His mom’s really sick. Like, hospital-tests sick. He’s falling apart and you’re out here playing gym-rat with a twisted fuck. Stop being a fucking brat and talk to him.”

I laughed—ugly, mean. “Oh, now you care? After you climbed into my bed with him? Real classy, Liv. Real fucking sisterly.”

She stared at me like I’d slapped her. Then her face hardened. “I’m not fucking Kai. Never have, never will. We’re friends. He comes over to talk because his house is a shithole and his stepdad’s a drunk asshole. We sit on your floor, play old Switch games, and he cries sometimes. That’s it. But yeah, go ahead—keep projecting your jealous bullshit onto everyone else while you let Phoenix turn you into his little bitch-boy.”

“Fuck you.”

“No, fuck you,” she shot back, stepping right up into my space. “You’re throwing away the one person who’s ever actually given a shit about you because you’re too scared to admit you’re into him. Kai’s been in love with you since we were kids, you dumbass. And instead of dealing with it like a man, you’re running to a toxic meathead who’s gonna chew you up and spit you out.”

Dad appeared in the doorway behind her. “Both of you, inside. Now.”

“Fuck that,” I snarled. “I’m done.”

I turned toward the Mustang.

Liv’s voice cracked like a whip. “Go on then! Run back to your daddy Phoenix! Maybe he’ll let you suck his dick while he laughs about how pathetic you are!”

I spun back, chest heaving. “Go fuck your new boyfriend!”

She smiled—cold, vicious, eyes glittering. “YES I FUCKING WILL! WE’RE GONNA FUCK ALL NIGHT IN YOUR FUCKING BED YOU FUCKING PUSSY!”

The words hit like a slap. I stared at her—my bitch sister, standing there owning every inch of the chaos she just threw in my face.

Then I got in the car, Slammed the door shut. I revved the engine so hard the exhaust popped.

Tore out of the driveway without looking back.

The road blurred. My hands shook on the wheel. Throat burned again—not from cock this time. From screaming inside my own head.

I didn’t know where I was going.

Just that it wasn’t back to them.

And it sure as hell wasn’t toward Kai.

Not yet.

Maybe never.