Just One of the Guys
Thirteen

Corbin

Pounding on my door wakes me up, nearly scaring the crap out of me. My mind is still hazy from sleep, as I try to recall when I must have dozed off.

*No clue, but who would've thought that spending the night crying while also in searing pain would completely drain a person?*

More pounding comes from the door, reminding me of why I awoke in the first place.

"Corb's, open up man," Gentry says from the other side of the door, banging on it again already.

"I'm coming, I'm coming," I grumble as I crawl out of bed, adjusting the sling with my good hand as I walk to the door.

When I pull it open, I replace not only Gentry but Colt and Knox, too. They're all standing on the other side of the door, a brown paper bag hanging from one of Colt's hands.

Knox has his cell clasped in one of his, the other at his side with his thumb tucked into his front pocket.

"We brought soup," Colt says, sheepishly. "If you're feeling up for some company."

"Damn, you look like shi- What the fuck happened bro?" Gentry says, interrupting himself when he sees the sling on my arm.

Waltzing into my apartment, not waiting for an invitation to come in, Gentry collapses onto the foot of my bed and grimaces when I glare at him for the *you look like shit* remark that he didn't finish. "Sorry," he says sheepishly. "It could be worse. You look as bad as Knox does."

At Gentry's declaration, my attention is drawn to Knox.

And damn, Gentry's right. Knox looks like he didn't sleep at all last night-his usually golden skin, pale, his dark eyes gaunt.

"Hope there isn't something going around." Colt says, following Gentry into my apartment and handing me the bag with the soup in it.

"It's just from the cafeteria but we figured you may need to get something on your stomach," Colt says as he lowers himself to the floor and leaning against my bed, making himself comfortable. "So, what did you do?" Colt asks, following up to Gentry's question that I didn't answer.

"Long story," I mutter, not feeling like rehashing what happened or even trying to come up with a believable lie.

"Dude, Knox, get in here," Gentry says, dropping the subject of my arm, then leans down and pulls something out of his backpack that I hadn't realized he'd brought with him. "Brought the notes that cou asked for", he says, placing them at the foot of my bed, "and some movies to watch and keep you company," he finishes, digging in his bag again, pulling out several DVD's and holding them up in the air.

I glance over at Knox as he turns his attention from Gentry to me, silently asking if he's good to come in. I nod in response and sit down on the bed, the container of the hot soup in one hand and a spoon in the other.

Knox comes inside but just kind of stands around looking awkward as Gentry gets up, plugs a DVD into the player, and starts up a movie: *Gone in 60 seconds*, *Gentry's favorite movie of all time.*

Not really interested in the movie, I settled on eating my soup.

Movement out of the corner of my eye draws my attention to Knox, who is still standing, shifting from foot to foot, staring at his phone: the look on his face, not one that I've seen on him before.

"Hey," I whisper, trying to push my anger aside since Corbin is not supposed to be pissed at him, and try to get his attention. When he moves my way, I sit up in the bed and make room for him to sit down. "Sit."

He doesn't move, just looks from me, back down at his phone and then back at the spot on my bed that I just made for him.

"Knox. Sit." I whisper again, putting a little more authority in my voice this time.

He finally concedes, taking the spot next to me.

As soon as he sits down, his woodsy scent claims my senses, immediately bringing back how it felt to be wrapped up in his arms as he kissed the hell out of me.

Then I remember what he did after, and anger begins to make its way back to the surface again.

As I attempt to tamp down the sudden rush of anger, my appetite disappears as I cast side glares at the asshole sitting next to me. Sitting my nearly full soup container down on my nightstand, I pick up my phone and lean over until I'm basically lying down while sitting up, if that even makes sense.

My eyes widen, noticing that my inbox is full of texts.

Clicking on the message's app, I glance over them, seeing that there's a couple from Gentry but they're mostly from Knox.

**Gentry: Ya feelin any better man?**

**Knox: Fuck!**

**Knox: Averi, what did I do?**

**Knox: Please, don't be mad at me.**

**Knox: Will you please talk to me?**

**Knox: I just need to try to explain what happened.**

**Gentry: Me and a couple of the guys are coming over.** **Knox: Please, Averi.**

The last one was sent about ten minutes ago, just before they came into my apartment.

*That's why he was staring at his phone.*

*He was trying to reach me well too freaking bad!*

I glance over at him, not caring that he looks like shit with his haggard appearance. Knox's typical confidence that he always wears around like a plate of armor is missing: the pallor of his skin lighter than normal, almost with a sickly green tinge to it. His nails, that I always admired for being so neat and clean, were now red and puffy and looked like they had been bitten past the quick. His knee hasn't stopped bouncing since he sat down on the bed, and he pulls his phone out every 30 seconds, checking it and then heaving a heavy sigh when there's not a response waiting for him.

His fingers fly across the phone screen for several minutes as he types out a message and moments after he shuts off the screen, my phone vibrates in my hand several times, indicating more texts have come in. *Wonder who they could be from.*

Still watching Knox, he goes back to the ritual of staring at his screen for a few seconds, cursing under his breath, and then slipping the phone back into his front right pocket.

After a few minutes, trying not to look too obvious, I pull up the texts, turning my screen away from him and read over his words.

**Knox: Averi, I am so damn sorry for what happened last night. I didn't want to explain to you through a text what happened, but I need to clear the air. You're not messaging me back and I'm going out of my mind with worry, afraid that something bad has happened to you, and it's because of me because I left you alone or because I upset you.**

**Knox: So, here it goes; when I asked if we could start the night over, it was clear in my head how I wanted to do that, not realizing that I hadn't conveyed those thoughts to you, and instead I'd just turned around and took off back up the trail and away from you.**

**Knox: I hadn't realized how that looked until my buddy Colt helped me look at it from a different perspective. I've been so out of my mind concerned that something had happened to you, that I hadn't considered there was possibly another alternative, that we'd had a misunderstanding.**

**Knox: If you don't want to see me again or talk to me, I understand but I need to know that you're okay.**

**Knox: I have some stuff in my past that haunts me, and I automatically jump to the worst possible thing that could happen, getting myself worked up as fear consumes me, unable to wrap my head around another possibility.** **Knox: I'm not trying to make you feel guilty or anything, just trying to explain where my head is at and why I NEED to hear from you that you're okay.**

**Knox: So, please, I'm begging you. If you're okay, please just say something back. Tell me to piss off. I don't care. I just need to know that you're alright.**

I stare at my screen once I've finished reading his messages. With an internal struggle going on, I fight the urge to give in to him and reach out, all the while still trying to hold onto my anger, too afraid that if I let it go that I really will cave, and I don't need any more shit piled on top of me.

It's piled so high as it is that I don't think I'll ever be able to replace my way out from under it.

"I can't do this..." Knox mutters.

The bed shifts at the movement as he stands up and bolts out the door like his ass is on fire, not even saying goodbye to any of us.

"God damn, she's got him broken up," Colt whispers as soon as the door clicks shut.

Colt's words draw my attention, and able to see them from where I'm lying, I watch as Gentry turns towards him, looking like he's fixing to say something, but is cut off when Colt continues, "I want to be pissed at her for putting him through this, but I think it was all just a misunderstanding."

*Misunderstanding my butt! He freaking bailed on me!*

"What happened?" Gentry quietly asks, glancing over at me as he pauses the show, then turning his attention back to Colt, he glances at the door that Knox had just exited before returning his gaze to Colt, giving him his full attention. "It's not my story to tell, but you know the girl that Knox met at the Berkshire party a little over a month ago?"

When Gentry nods that he remembers, but doesn't say anything, Colt quietly continues, "Well the most that I can say is that there's been something going on between them and then something happened yesterday, a misunderstanding as best as I can tell without hearing her side, and it's completely decimating him not knowing if she's okay. He hasn't been able to reach her."

*You want my side? I'll give you my side! He's a goddamn asshole who deserves all the hurt and whatever else that he's feeling!*

"Fuck!" Gentry curses.

"Shh!" Colt shushes and then chastises him, "let him rest, don't wake him with your loudmouth."

"Sorry... and this, after everything that happened before..." Gentry says quietly this time.

"Yeah," Colt cuts him off, "it's really tearing him apart."

"This isn't good," Gentry murmurs.

"Do you think part of what's going on with him is because of what happened before?" Gentry asks, as I hear them collecting their things before leaving my apartment and quietly closing the door behind them, they leave me unable to hear Colt's response to Gentry's question.

I want to know more. I want to know what Gentry meant by *what happened before*. *Before what?* Then I remember Knox's comment in his text about being haunted by things in his past, just like Gentry said.

*And, boy do I understand being haunted by your past.*

*Maybe Knox and I have more in common than I realized. Doesn't mean that I forgive the asshole though!*

I end up falling asleep and waking up to the ping of an incoming text message. Blindly reaching onto the nightstand, I pat around until my hand lands on the hard exterior of my cell. Pulling it back beneath the covers, I note that I've been asleep for a couple of hours already, and have an awaiting message from Gentry.

**Gentry: If you get to feeling better, want to catch the game tonight together?**

**Gentry: Probably gonna head that way about 6:45 if you decide you want to go, just meet me at my apartment around then.**

**Averi: Sounds good. I'm feeling better, thankfully. See you in a bit.**

Peeling myself out of the bed, I make my way toward the bathroom and turn on the shower. As it warms up, I remove the sling and brace, and then examine my reflection in the mirror. With the dark circles under my red rimmed, nearly lifeless blue eyes, and my skin sporting a sallow hue, I'm currently a sad excuse for a boy or girl.

I just look...pathetic.