"So tell me, Officer Nate," I glared at Micah as this was the fifth time this week we've eaten out with him since Worth insisted to me, "Why should I trust you? You're a police officer! I just...I just can't even imagine ever putting my full fledged faith into you."

He laughs, Worth just drinking his milkshake as he watched TV in the restaurant we drove out for.

"I don't care if you do or not to be honest." I say sternly, and Micah smirks.

"You're so unconvincing." He chuckles, and I look away from him. "Would it hurt you to at least pretend like you don't hate my guts? We don't even know each other like that. All I've done is call you a bitch here and there."

I didn't care about that. It's about what he's doing to Worth and what he's willing to put him through.

"That means nothing to me."

"It means something to me." Worth chimes in suddenly, and I saw Micah look at him now. "I don't allow anyone to call him a bitch. In jail, you call someone a bitch you're asking for either a fight or trying to talk down to them. No one will fight him, and no one will dare talk down to him."

"Ooh, so scary~." Micah seems to mock him, but that only makes Worth roll his eyes at him. "Seriously though. You've brought Malakai out here multiple times to see me since I'm stuck here, so you'll have to get used to me at some point since I won't be leaving this state anytime soon."

I don't say anything because I wasn't going to be getting used to anything. I could get used to seeing him be behind bars. Besides that, him as a person, no way.

"Oh well, because I am not going to waste my time pretending I like you. That's fake, and I am a fake person." I sneer at him, sitting back against my seat. "What do I fucking get out of pretending to be nice to you besides my pain and suffering pretending to do so?"

Micah glanced at Worth who shrugs at him, and I saw him look surprised by his reaction.

"Malakai...I can't believe this. You really don't have a problem with what he just said?"

"No?" Worth drank his shake again, nodding at me. "I can't force him to like you, and he hasn't said anything rude to you. What do I need to have a problem with?"

I saw Micah take offense to that instantly. Worth didn't seem to care, no, he definitely didn't care. I knew that he still really loved his brother and wanted to protect him, but there was something amiss in it all.

He clearly had this idea to keep him from prison...his destiny being to protect his brother from jail. Except...he clearly has a leg up on him in terms of...everything.

I don't understand.

"I never saw you as the one to become a police officer's bitch."

"If you say so." Worth shrugs, looking back at the TV and he definitely didn't care about that. That bothered Micah some more because he's an obvious piece of work.

If I didn't know any better, I would think Micah was the younger one.

Worth is bigger than him and way more mature than him. Not that looks determine age either, but Worth is definitely much more better looking than his brother. He's just got it all...

"Who are you and what did you do with my brother?!" Micah snaps at Worth, only to laugh as he smacks Worth's shoulder harshly.

I saw Worth just bracing himself against it as if to mask if it really hurt or not. That pissed me off to see such a thing. My fist banging on the table, Micah stops and raises his eyebrow.

"What?"

"You...should check up on your order," I just say a random lie, and he frowns, "I saw your order be taken to the wrong table over there. You should check that out because that means we wait even longer."

Micah stood up, walking over in the direction I directed. Except as I sneer at his retreating back, I glanced over to see Worth smirking at me.

"You're a good liar. You'd be a great petty criminal."

"I'm good, besides, I needed a break from his nonsense. You just take it so easily! While if it was any other inmate in our pod you would've been set them straight. Actually, they wouldn't have even gotten that far!" I exclaim truthfully.

"Well, the difference between the inmates and my brother is quite obvious. Just in case, you still want me to explain?" He teases and I roll my eyes. "Seriously though, most of the times he's just teasing to get a reaction. If you react, which you have been doing very well not reacting, he'll just get bored or angry. That'll make him either stop or do more pestering stuff. You just gotta tune it out sometimes, like a barking dog. You tune it out."

"You just compared your older brother to a barking dog." I say calmly, looking at him blankly.

Worth shrugs, chuckling as he slides his shake over to me. I end up tasting it and see him look over at where Micah was.

"He probably went to the restroom because I don't see him in the direction you pointed anymore. Or...maybe he-."

"You are a fuckin' liar!" I see Micah rush up from the other side opposite of where we were looking. He looked irritated as he sat beside Worth again who was back looking at the TV. "That wasn't my order! I don't know if you're as dumb as you look, but I think you are if you think a chicken salad and ribs look the same!"

I snicker, looking at the TV with Worth because his brother was such a loser. Not to mention...I brought my camcorder this time. There's no need for the camera part to see Micah, but it's what he says is what counts.

If I have to be around him more to appease Worth, I might as well get evidence piled up against him to get Worth out.

"Don't say that again." Worth warns him, narrowing his eyes on Micah who snorts.

"Malakai...I'll have you know that I don't really take warnings well. Those that typically warn me get shot in the forehead or their asses whooped. How many people do you think suffered the worst fate?" Micah questions him, and I see Worth glare at him. "Only two, okay - chill out! It was before you were in jail anyway for your shit."

Worth sniffs, looking away sharply and I was happy I got that. More stuff against him on his already lengthy file.

"You know, for someone who seems to brag a lot about their crimes, how was Worth caught and you weren't?" I question him mockingly, causing Worth to look at me now.

I could tell that he questioned my motives in asking. Except he seemed to let go of his suspicions as he raised his eyebrow at Micah.

"Yeah. How do you manage to always spout on and on about your crimes, but the one who was caught, hmm?" He seems to be insinuating something.

Micah looked at him blankly, only to smile as he leans back in his seat calmly.

"Probably because I'm much more slick than you? You always were so sloppy." Micah laughs, and Worth didn't laugh. I definitely wasn't laughing as we just see him laugh by himself.

Worth eventually looked away, and I could tell that he was trying to hide what he was really feeling about the situation. Which he was very good at doing...hiding what he truly feels.

"You seem like the sloppy one to me." I sneer at him in disgust. "Besides, do you, yourself, know what Malakai is charged for?"

"Yeah, but do I dare say all the shit he's done? You might stop liking him if I do, just being honest. He's a pretty sick guy." Micah shook his head in disappointment. "I thought I raised him right. Giving him the necessities, loving him as best as I could, protecting him! Yet this is what I get? A brother who might serve the rest of his life in jail, or worse! He might be put to death!"

Worth just looks at him, not even trying to argue with him. He just looks at me as he folds his arms.

"Life or death. They're both futile anyway. If I get life, I'll just be wasting my time and all those I've...hurt, will just suffer with the thought that I'm living with no punishment really but being trapped between four walls. If I get death, I lose my life and then people hurt from that, and those I've hurt still don't get a resolution because it doesn't bring their loved ones back...my death, doesn't." Worth breathes only for Micah to yawn at his words.

I stood up now, glaring down at Micah because I couldn't take his...cruelty at this point. Not towards me, but Worth.

Why take it this far just because he raised him practically as a father? I know he didn't raise him into being such an amazing person, that's for sure.

"I'm leaving." I hiss at Micah.

"Bye-."

"Wait, why're you leaving?" Worth asks me in disappointment. "Your food hasn't even come. They are taking long, but we did order a lot of food."

"It's not about the food." I shook my head, glaring at Micah. "I don't know how I could eat anyway when something as repulsive as your brother sits before me. I wouldn't be able to keep it down with all the shit he spouts."

I walk away from them, happening to see our waiter walking over with confusion as I walked out.

I needed to be outside, and I needed to just be away from Micah. Wait...

I go in the car real quick, locking the doors as I check my phone for the camera footage. As I look I put the phone to my ear so that I could listen in for anything.

And, thankfully, I heard Micah running his dumbass mouth. Not that that wasn't to be expected from an idiot like-.

"Nate."

I gasp, my phone dropping as I look to see Worth standing at the passenger door. He knocked on it and pointed down to the lock, and I nod as I grab my phone first. Going off the recording, I unlock the door so that he could come in.

As he does, he looks at me like I'm crazy.

"Since when were you so easily frightened?" He questions me, and I smile awkwardly. "No seriously."

He sighs, grinning at me as he cradled my cheek. I look at him in shock to such a gentle and abrupt touch...not that I shouldn't say he hasn't been gentle with me before. I think...

"I know Micah is a pain in the ass, but he's my brother. He's done some bad things and I know you're a fed and that just sends your radar all over the place. Except...he isn't all that bad. Things are just weird right now because he's stuck here. I'd be upset too if I was him-."

"No, I won't accept that." I yank my cheek out of his hand, irritated. "He's a horrible person. How can you allow him to treat you this way and lie on you?"

Worth frowns, and I don't say anything more after that. I'm just going to give myself away at this point.

"Lie on me? What has he lied on me about?"

"Nothing." I mumble, gripping the steering wheel as I rest my forehead against it. "Nothing...at all. It's like talking to a fucking wall sometimes with you."

"What?"

I knew Worth was confused because I haven't made it known I know what's going on here. His confusion was all over his face and he just laid back in the seat, clearly thinking.

"I mean...what do you want me to tell you so that I'm not a 'fucking wall'?" Worth says suddenly, and I look over at him in shock. "I can tell you some things about my life growing up. Just a little though...not anything crazy like my first time-."

"I get it," I interrupt, shaking my head at him, "You know what...yeah, tell me about that."

Worth looked surprised by me saying that, but I was only agreeing to hear about such a thing as a distraction. I needed many distractions these days.

"Tell you about my first time?"

"Yeah."

I see him look at me blankly and I waited for him. I looked at him just as blankly so that he knew I wasn't kidding. Until he snickers, shrugging as he rests one of his elbows on the center armrest.

He turns to look at me quite mischievously and I still didn't react just yet.

"Well...I didn't lose it at the prison, so you can be happy about that."

"I guess?" I frown, and he chuckles.

"See? Okay, it was when I was ninth grade. I was always bigger than everyone for my age, and even into adulthood, I still am. There were girls and boys who came onto me, metaphorically and literally speaking." He laughs, but I didn't laugh once and that quickly silenced him. "Anyway, I began to realize that I had more of an inclination towards guys. I did sexual things, but I never went there. Like how you and I do things together, it was like that."

I feel my face twist up in displeasure, and his eyes widened at how that sounded.

"Anyway! There was this Junior in my school who I was kinda crushin' on. He was kinda on the heavy side, but I thought he was cute and just...he had a big ass- mind you! I was in ninth grade! He made it work in my eyes and he was just so fine to me. Long story short, I knew he was straight and was just trying to get him to be into me. You know, be there for him and flirt discreetly- not do too much. Until he had to move out of nowhere and I was pissed off, so-."

"Wait, he moved away?" I interrupt, and Worth frowns at me. He ends up nodding though, and my eyes widened. "Why?"

I didn't want to tell him that that did sound familiar in my mind. Because I did move when I was in my Junior year because my dad ended up being stationed somewhere else for work. I was also on the heavy side back then, but my parents just called it baby fat.

For some odd reason...I don't remember a guy flirting with me. I'd remember someone like him.

"What happened...after that then since you lost out on the guy you were going for?"

"Oh yeah, there was this sophomore who I thought was cute and I just asked him if he wanted to do it. I told him it would be my first time and that I was the top, no discussions." Worth shrugs, and I snort. "He said that I was weird, but that since I was 'hot' - his words - he'd do it. Let's just say...we dated up until I was arrested."

I wondered if that meant...no, never mind.

"So, you were arrested when you were a Junior?"

"Yep."

"That's...horrible."

"What is?"

"You being arrested when you were a Junior and then being placed into a adult prison that's corrupted as fuck!" I shout at him.

Worth purses his lips, not seeming to see the severity of what I was saying.

"I mean, I already looked like an adult by the time I was fifteen-."

"It doesn't matter!" I sneer, grabbing him by the collar of his jacket as I yank him closer towards me. "You are so desensitized from this horror that you don't even see the issue in it yourself. It's heartbreaking, ...are heartbreaking. Don't you see that?"

Worth doesn't say anything as he grips my hands that were on his collar, staring into my eyes.

"What I see is that...you're not telling me something, what's going on?" Worth questions me with no emotion in his voice.

It was monotone and his eyes had no life either. His hands pushed mine down on the armrest, holding them still as he looks at me.

"Answer me."

"It's fuckin' obvious! I hate your shitty brother and how he treats you and talks to you! What else reason would it be for me behaving this way?" I snap, looking away as I know that was a good enough lie to go back on. It was believable too since I really did hate his brother.

I see him almost practically looking into my soul, tried to, at least. I let him look into my eyes so that he didn't feel like I was lying but...it was beginning to hurt. Not hurt physically, but all of this lying and shit...

Because I actually like him. I care about him and you don't lie to someone you care about. I would say when it comes down to what I'm trying to do for him, it is necessary to lie. It still feels...wrong though.

Suddenly, I was surprised for him to just kiss me instead. My eyes wide on his calm ones as he kissed me. Except it didn't last long when I heard-.

"Unlock the fuckin' car and let's go! I had to pay for that shit because you two want to run off and suck each other's faces off!" Micah yells, and I roll down the window.

"You don't need to be in my car. You have the buses that take you to well-known motels. Not to mention there's others who might be able to tolerate you, I can't. I need a break, okay?" I say sarcastically, pretending like I cared where and what happened to him.

He clearly caught on as he sneered, and we saw his hand reach back. I made myself stay still so that I didn't give away that I did bring some police stuff. Until Worth opened the door and it smacks Micah, causing him to stagger a bit and show he was just going to throw his drink probably in my face.

"I can't make him give you a ride, okay? We'll see you later." He nods at him, and that made Micah more angry it seemed when he closed the door. Rolling up the window as I reversed out of the parking spot, I was happy to be leaving him.

I didn't want to see him again...but Worth wants to be around him whenever he can... For what though?!

"And I know you were thinking about it. That guy I was dating before I was arrested, Devin? Him and I are no longer together, so-."

"Did you break up? Say the words exactly and it was known on both ends?"

When I see Worth face forward blankly, I instantly knew the answer.

That was a fucking no.

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