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Tucker:Where the hell are you? What bar are you at?
Gabe:I don't know. It's called St. Claire's, I think.
Tucker:Wait, I'll find you.
A few minutes later, Tucker calls. "Hey man, so according to Google, you're about ten minutes away. I'm on my way to get you now; I won't be long," Tucker says.
"It's fine I've been here a few hours, what's another ten minutes," I slur.
"Hours? I thought you'd just arrived," Tucker says.
"Nah, no, I've been here a few hours, building up that liquid courage to deal with fucking Princess Izzy and all her perfect friends," I snap.
"You promised not to drink Gabe, you knew how important this was to Izzy," Tucker moans.
"Fuck her, fuck him, fuck the lot of you," I snap again.
I hear Nate and Tucker talking in the background.
"Who are you talking to?"
"It's nobody," Tucker says, and I hear a rustling sound, as if he's trying to hide the phone. I hear their voices again, but I can't make out what's being said until I hear Nate's voice and realize Tucker must have handed him the phone.
"Gabe, I'm so glad it's you. I've been trying to call you all day. Did you get my messages?" Nate questions.
"Yeah, I got 'em," I admit.
"Then why didn't you call me back?"
"Cuz I was busy," I say, taking another swig of my beer.
"You're drunk again, aren't you, Gabe? You promised you'd stay sober for my birthday. We were going to do something together, remember? You obviously knew Bella had this planned, yet you were still there getting drunk rather than joining me?" Nate questions, and I can hear the sadness in his voice.
"Are you coming or what, Tucker?" I ask again,.not wanting to deal with this conversation with Nate any longer.What do I even say anyway?
"Yeah I'm on my way now, see you in ten," Tucker says, before putting the phone down.
Sure enough, fifteen minutes later, I see a stupid, obnoxious minivan pull up. I pray to God that’s not Tucker because he seems stupid enough.. I watch it park and see the big ‘Nate's 21st Birthday’ sign hanging in the back and cringe. This is definitely the work of "Little Miss Perfect Isabella". I walk over, expecting to see Tucker, but instead, my brother jumps out.
"Sorry man, you know how Nate feels about drinking and driving," Tucker apologizes, as he gets out of the passenger side.
"Yeah, he should because unlike you, I'm not a fucking idiot," Nate seethes. I hang my head in embarrassment, not knowing whether his comment was directed at Tucker or me, or maybe both.
"I see the pub, and your hatred for Bella was once again more interesting and important than being there for your own brother. Seems like a family trait, don't you think?" hisses Nate, his words sounding as if they are laced with pure venom. Fuck me, I don't think I've ever seen him this angry, so I just stand, staring in disbelief. "Get in the mother fucking bus!" Nate shouts, reminding me so much of how our father used to talk, which instantly gets my back up and puts me in fight or flight mode.
"You can kiss my ass if you think I'm going to get on Miss Perfect's bus," I reply angrily. Nate steps away from the open door and comes right into my space, squaring up to me, probably for the first time in his life.
"Do you really think I want you to get on the bus in this fucking state, Gabe? Well, I don't. But unlike YOU, for me, my family will always come first," Nate yells, at this point we're practically nose to nose. "So shut the fuck up and get the fuck in! You've already ruined what should have been one of the best nights of my life!"
"How about we leave the van here and we can all drive back in Gabe's car? We can pick up the van again in the morning," Tucker butts in, trying desperately to break the tension.
"We're only a mile away. You and I can walk into town and pick it up in the morning, bro. I could use some cardio work anyway, after all the junk food we just ate. I need to make sure I keep this hot physique. " Tucker laughs, trying desperately to lighten the mood. I've seen him do this so many times before, and usually Nate immediately goes into playful banter mode, but tonight I see no sign of his anger going away anytime soon.
We all get in the car in silence, and before I can even blink, we're at the cabin, which, truth be told, looks really impressive from the outside. I have to admit Izzy was right, it does look perfect. It's right on the beach, and I can see a big bonfire and hear fun and laughter going on. Part of me is glad Nate is lucky enough to experience this. I just wish it didn't have to be with these assholes instead of me.
Nate leads me through the door and shows me to a room where I can put my luggage. I see that everyone else has already unpacked, but I just throw my tattered bag on the bed. I go outside, find a place and, more importantly, a beer and sit down on one of the chairs by the fire.
"I think you should have this instead," Nate suggests, trying to hand me a soda. I knock it out of his hands.
