Between Ties

A Game Worth Playing

Maverick's Point of View

New York was beautiful at night, but I didn't always think that. I had hated this city when I had first moved here to live with Kenzo and his family, when I was forced to leave my mother behind in Spain.

It was hard to be away from her, it still f*****g is, but I know that Luca being non-existent was safer for both her and I.

I watched the colorful glistened flashes of light and a glittering captivating mirage as we drove through the city,

Him and I,

And he was being strangely quiet, maybe a little too quiet. Something was definitely f*****g up.

I created slits with my eyes and then twisted my neck to face him,

Tusco sat comfortably in the drivers seat, one hand on the steering wheel as he stared off into the depth of the road, something was on his mind. He wasn't being his normal self,

I cleared my throat.

"The f**k is your problem?" I raised a brow turning down the sound of 6lack floating mystically in the space of his car and then he licked his lips.

"I'd rather not say." He shrugged and then I rolled my eyes brushing my hand through my hair as I exhaled "Look if you didn't want to drive me to Beth's party. You could have f*****g said so."

He laughed lightly but he's eyes still had that look of depth and emptiness in them "The f**k? I offered to! I mean I'm not going to have my baby boy drinking and driving, plus it's Friday and it's a full moon. It's coven night." He shrugged "we can't exactly tell a taxi driver to drop you off in the middle of the forest, now can we?" He laughed.

The forest was our spot and grounds for practice. Tonight was a full moon which meant that we were camping out. Every full moon, our magic is given a pass. We can practice spells without the cost of a sacrifice therefore making it free magic,

It's like going to a f*****g candy store and picking out whatever you wanted for free, no price no punishment.

"Yo, don't call me baby boy, you piece of shit." I smiled shoving him lightly. I hate when my brothers refer to me as the baby even though I am, but f**k that s**t. "Look are you going to tell me what the f**k is up with you? Or do you want me to set your favorite sneakers on fire, those Jordan's are pretty limited so I suggest you start talking boy" I played and then he laughed.

"b***h if you ever do that I will f*****g make you choke on your own spit." He said in jest.

"But seriously" his laughing eyes toned itself down from a twinkle and glimmer to dullness and grey "if I tell you, you can't get mad." He said cautiously as he switched lanes and then stoped at the red light that flashed in our faces, adding a layer of resting red to settle on the surface of our skins as if it had absorbed the color.

"I'm not making promises." I narrowed my eyes,

I hope this is not about a f*****g girl. I have enough girl drama happening around me and honestly I can't f*****g be giving anyone girl advice right now, when I cant even decide if I can be friends with the girl that lives across from me or if I should finally pop the will you be my girlfriend question to the girl who I'm currently seeing, who acts like my girlfriend even though she ain't.

"At this point, I honestly don't give a f**k. I just need to talk about this. It's on my f*****g mind." He said in a hurry as he put the car into motion at the switch of the red glow turning bright green "Remember the grimoire..." he stared off saying with a sigh of relief.

"Don't tell me you still f*****g have it. If Kenzo finds out that we-" I begin to panic, Kenzo was a d**k and even though I could probably beat the s**t out his weak ass,

I honestly still feared him.

"No I took pictures of the grimoire and put it back before he knew it was gone." He said as my heart had began to calm down, but then I had gotten a little scared, because now I wasn't sure what this was about, if it wasn't a girl and not Kenzo,

Then what the f**k-

"I found a resurrection spell." He said and then my heart sunk at the mention of his words, because I knew what the f**k was coming and,

fuck that!

"You don't even know if he's dead! We're just assuming!" I yelled as I feel my powers begin to activate like a switch to light bulb being turned on from the rage I had felt gushing in my blood, my body began to heat itself up, I could feel my skin tingling from the sensation and then I focused in order to calm it down,

But more importantly to calm myself down.

"Maverick! He's dead!" He yelled.

"How the f**k do you even know that!?"

"I did a location spell!" He admitted and then my eyes looked confused, but I knew damn straight that f*****g grimoire didn't mention no f*****g location spell that was strong enough to locate our father, because Kenzo had been looking for one since he was fifteen, and even if he did find one he would need something that personally belonged to our father in order to find him, and as far as I know Kenzo was the only one who had the ring,

Our fathers ring.

Their were different types of location spells, ones to find people, and ones to find people who used magic to never be found. Our father was protected by the latter.

"Oh really!? A f*****g protective location spell that you found where!?" I threw my hands up rotating my whole body to face him.

We've met different witches in our lifetime but none who knew a location spell so advanced. We had tried many but the only answer we had received was a boundary of magic that didn't allow access to the answer we seek, nothing was strong enough to break that boundary.

"Nixon." He admitted and then I was astonished "he met a witch in Detroit last week when he was on tour. She's originally from Salem. She's a Salem witch." He licked his lips.

"Since when do you f**k with black magic?" I asked because we both know that Salem witches only use black magic. "But more importantly since when do you f**k with Nixion?"

"He texted me yesterday to tell me that his bringing the witch to New York. She knew how to do the location spell that we needed and he was going to bring her for the three of us to meet and discuss if were going to do this."

"But then you got greedy and you and Nixion decided for all of us!?" I was shocked "So Kenzo and I, we just don't have a say?"

"Kenzo would have wanted this, man be real."

"No he f*****g wouldn't, not at the cost of using black magic and neither would I." I said trying to fathom this. "We could have found another way." I shook my head in disapproval,

Dreading to ask my next question because I knew what black magic wanted in return for its power.

"Who did you kill?" I swallowed.

"We found a r****t. I had to kill him." He said as I swallowed hard. Who the f**k was this sitting next to me because he is not my Brother, Tusco is not a murderer.

Black magic was a whole different ball game. It was nothing like the magic of the earth that we were use to. It had its own rules and it was dangerous. We all had it, a black magic switch inside of us, that could only be activated once we committed murder,

It was stronger, and easier but dangerous and consuming and always came with a price a fool would pay.

My brother was now a fool.

"they used my blood to do the spell, Nixon's was mixed with cocaine and we needed clean blood from our fathers bloodline to find him...and we broke the barrier of magic protecting his truth and,

he's dead."

Has he gone mad!

"Yo! I know you have daddy issues and I know you f*****g want answers, we all do!" I said breathing in deeply from the slight panic I had felt deep within ever nerve of my body, I had anxiety which Kenzo cured with a spell when I was a kid but I felt like every fiber holding that spell together was slowly ripping apart inside of me but I couldn't let it, I f*****g refuse to,

and then I slowly exhaled "I know that our father is a vulnerable topic for you man, but next time talk to me first before you go out looking for Nixon's help and killing people! Nixon is the f*****g poster child for solving his problems with black magic."

"I know! It's f****d up Luca! I just!" He said my real name and that only meant that he was being real in this moment and he seemed disappointed in himself "I just wanted to know him, and ask him why he left. Why he didn't care about any of us and what all of this means. Why we're the only witches with elemental powers. I just want answers!"

"No offense but he f*****g means nothing to me. He left my mother while she was pregnant to struggle on her own, he didn't even stay to see my birth! She was just some woman he knocked up. I don't give a f**k about him and I don't want answers. I never did! I don't want to bring him back and you can count me out for helping you do so." I said seriously "I'm glad his dead, because if I ever got a chance to meet him,

I would have killed him myself."

Rhyett's point of view

My eyes had been opened to the glowing purple and blue lights that dimmed over Beth's parents penthouse, smoke from hookah's had caused a foggy layer of messy clouds and blurred vision to rest over the crowd of partying guests that I had never met before,

I knew that most of them had attended our school, but aside from Beth's close circle I had known no one, causing a nervous feeling to rinse over my body as I stepped past the pool feeling Xander's hand slide smoothly around my waist, as if we were both made of silk, my eyes fell down to watch his movement before it lifted to see his strikingly handsome face. I smiled at him.

He glanced over to wink at me, making me feel comfortable as he gripped me a little tighter and then loosened his grip but still held onto my body, before he got distracted by a random guy asking him about something that involved football,

I could hardly hear over the music that was filled with bass and drifty energy, not too upbeat but enough beat to have drunk girls swaying and dancing to the sound as if they've been captivated by some sort of drugged up mellow trace.

Xander leaned in to respond and then I saw them both laughing,

I smiled watching Xander laugh and in some way it had felt like I had known him forever and that I had felt proud to be in the arms of Xander Bronwell, captain of the football team.

"You okay?" He asked me to make sure that I wasn't feeling too nervous about being here together with him. It had been the first time we were this open and affectionate around other people, it was like being i********: official in real life, we didn't have a label but it was clear that we were together. He wanted everyone to know this, I liked that.

I like him.

I nodded "yeah, thanks to you." I smiled and then he smiled as he took my hand gently to lead me through the crowd of people conversing at the pool table and screaming at each other from the excitement of the intense game.

I then heard a different laugher coming from behind three boys who were joking amongst themselves as we moved through the sea of people and then they stepped to get themselves drinks from the kitchen, only to reveal a setup of couches that was created for a certain group of people.

People I knew,

Kind of.

I smiled still holding onto Xander's hand as I noticed the messy clouds open up as if the heavens had opened up to earth, as their faces were now visible beneath the heaviness of it all.

Beth sat like a lady with her legs crossed on the arm of one couch as she threw her dark hair back over her shoulder, she was stunning as she took out her phone to record a Snapchat.

We then entered the space of what looked like only Beth's closest could enjoy and indulge in, giving it that V.I.P section at a club scenery.

"You made it boy!" Xander laughed as he excitedly walked over to the boy laying comfortably on the couch with his feet up as they crossed each other, he wore white and black Nike Uptempo's, with a black hoody and sweatpants to match as he twisted his head to see Xander and then took his hand like boys do as he smiled.

"Yeah man! You know how Beth gets when Im not being social." He smirked as a lit cigarette suck out from the side of his mouth.

"I'm right here Mavs!?" She said and then roughed up his hair before she had spotted me.

She had a big smile on her face as she walked over to me and then hugged me.

Kaylee, one of Beth's friends then greeted me as well before Beth had asked her to get us drinks as if Kaylee was a her little waitress, but by the smile on Kaylee's face she seemed happy to be told what to do by Beth.

I didn't like this, the way Beth spoke to people sometimes.

"Oh my god! Sit!" She said confidently and then told Maverick to sit upright so there could be space on the couch for me to be seated as Xander and her had grabbed the couch that was placed right across from Maverick while Beth's other friends occupied the other one that was a little further apart from us.

Maverick then lifted himself up slowly as if he was an old man dying from back pains as he blew out a cloud of smoke from a small space her created with his lips and then his bright shiny eyes had met mine,

And it's been a while since that had happened.

Him and I had barely spoke this week after I had awkwardly watched him and Beth almost have s*x on his couch. I mean during school time we had hung out but always in a group setting and we'd hardly said three words to each other.

"Yo." He nodded at me then I rolled my eyes playfully as I sat down beside him, he was being...nice.

"hey." I smiled and then he smiled small in return before pulling another drag of his cigarette as he nodded lightly as if he had an internal conversation with himself going on in his head and then Kaylee drifted into the circle laughing as some boy had flirted with her,

She carried a tray of drinks and bottles and then placed it down onto the table that stood flat in the middle,

Maverick then picked up the ice bucket after rolling up his hoody sleeves up with two rolls, exposing his silver, shinny watch as he didn't want the bottom of his sleeves to get wet while he dug for ice from the ice bucket and began to pour himself a huge glass of whiskey,

A little too much for him to be okay I noticed, but pretended that I didn't.

Xander then handed me a cider and then I smiled politely to thank him as he winked, while the music still set the mood for a chilled but wild night. He leaned over to ask Maverick something, speaking to him in what had looked like a serious conversation as Maverick set out more glasses to pour himself as he held the bottle in his hand, just nodding and saying "yeah for sure" every two seconds to whatever Xander was talking to him about.

I had then noticed Beth who had held her phone up in the air rotating it around to capture the party for her viewers and then she focused it on our circle of friends as I took a sip from the glass bottle of my berry flavored cider.

She laughed reading the words on her screen and then said "I'm on i********: live and everyone wants to know who the girl with the red hair is." She smiled and then pointed her phone camera at me as I flipped my hair playfully, gave a sexy little look and then stuck out my tongue before bursting out in laughed at how intentionally cringe I was being.

"Guys that's the gorgeous, Rhyett Willow" Her words came out confidently as she spoke to her audience and then read the comments aloud.

"She's hot! What's her @ !?"

"She's gorgeous."

"They should remake the little mermaid and cast this girl as Ariel. Tell me I'm not the only one who see it!" She laughed, and then Xander smirked becoming playfully as he said,

"Back off everyone, she's mine." and then Beth pointed the camera at him and then she pointed it at Mavs who had just downed his second glass of poison, that he seemed to drink like water.

"Smile baby." She said to him and then he looked up from focusing on placing the glass back onto the table, he then smiled a big flashy smile which was adorable, and then he laughed under his breathe shaking his head as she said "love you bebe." And then he winked before making his lips into a kissing shape, almost kissing her sweetly from a distance before pouring himself another drink "you too, babe."

He picked up the bottle and then she grinned before resting the camera back on Xander and asked her followers if they had any questions for him and then the two of them participated in a question and answer game with her audience as I glanced over to notice Maverick's eyes showing me that he was in deep though as he stared at his glass as if he was waiting for his glass to save him, sitting with his back hunched over.

I wanted to ask him what was wrong. I had to,

but as I opened my mouth to speak he had beat me to it, he lifted his head up slightly, he was still hunched over, but twisted his neck to look at me. His floppy, dark, shinny, straight hair hung loosely as he shook off his thoughts, having his hair move with his motion.

"How was the bio test this morning?" He asked with small eyes.

Really? We're just going to ignore the fact that you're going through the most right now.

Okay Mav's, whatever you're comfortable with.

I allowed him to distract himself.

"Not so good." I smiled admitting it embarrassingly.

He smirked "come on it couldn't have been that bad. I mean it was pretty chilled, although 7.8 was a b***h but still...it was ayt." He shrugged pushing himself back onto the couch as I watched him rest comfortably, the couch cushion had almost absorbed him into the bed of its surface and he then went back to looking at me as he smiled.

"Easy for you to say, you're smart Maverick Novak!" I leaned back too making myself just as comfortable, as if I was on my couch at home lifting up my legs onto its coziness.

"Who says I'm smart Rhyett Willow!?" He joked.

"Really Mavs, don't be modest! I know you are." I nodded lightly and then he pushed back his hair from his face, sighing as a cocky grin appeared.

"Not smart enough to stay away from-" he had a glimmer of playfulness and then cut off his words as he had licked his lower lip to prevent himself from finishing his sentence.

"Alcohol." He said choosing his word carefully, but something had told me that that wasn't what he wanted to say, but I brushed it off.

I joked pointed at the bottle of alcohol in front him "Clearly!"

"Yeah but-"

"Guys! My followers wanna play a couples drinking game, which couple knows each other better. 4 rounds. The couple who gets the answer wrong must take a shot." Beth excitedly suggested as she pulled us from our conversation, both of us giving her our attention as we glanced over at her.

"No fair, Xander and I only know each other for a week!" I protested kindly, throwing my hands in the air.

"We can take them! Have a little faith!" Xander joked and then I said "okay fine. I'm down!" sitting myself upright.

To be honest I was a little competitive. I like to win, come on who doesn't!?

"Maverick?" Beth looked at him with a raised brow waiting for him to agree.

Maverick's Point of View

I hate when she does this s**t, can't she just put her phone down for ten minutes and have an actual conversation with me,

be present, you know.

I just wanna f*****g talk, the s*x is good it's always good but It's really not enough sometimes.

I just want to communicate below the surface, shallow level that we do.

She didn't even ask if I was okay, and of course I wasn't going to f*****g admit that I wasn't,

I mean I couldn't exactly tell her that I just found out that my father was dead, my closest brother turned to the king of darkness Nixon before coming to me first, and not to mention that he killed someone and now he wants to bring our piece of s**t father back from the dead.

I wasn't going to tell her any of that. I couldn't, but I wish she would just be more attentive.

Yeah, I might sound like a f*****g b***h right now but I'm a man who knows exactly what the f**k he needs in a woman and I just need more, and I was beginning to wonder if she was capable of giving me that,

I rolled my eyes agreeing to her game,

And then I noticed Rhy scoot over on our couch to be a little closer to me as she had a look of pure seriousness on her face, this girl was here to win, and her game face was kinda scary, in a cute but I'll kill you if you win way.

Calm down, now sweetheart.

I tried to hide my smile.

Beth then pulled me to look at her as she read the first question that her followers had asked, as Xander plopped all of the shot glasses onto the table in a line, before pouring the alcohol to fill them up to have them be ready for the game.

"Okay this one is for the girls!" She seemed amped and then continued to read "what is your partners favorite show to watch on Netflix?"

Easy, Rick and Morty. I typed into my phone and then Xander typed into his, before the girls could answer.

"Go!" Xander said as he noticed we were both done with typing our answers.

"Okay! Um...Xander's been talking about You, all week so I'm going to say You." Rhy seemed confident and then Xander flipped his phone around to show that his answer was,

You. She was right, and did a celebratory "yes!" As the two of them hi-fived.

Beth then rolled her eyes and said "obviously Maverick's answer is Peaky Blinders"

What the actual f**k. I sighed deeply and before I could turn my phone around to show her that she was wrong as f**k,

Rhy had playfully said,

"Beth that one was easy. He likes Rick and Morty!" She said and then I glanced at her for a moment.

Mmmm...I thought, as a small smirked forced itself to show on my lips. I'm surprised that she knows that.

I turned my phone around to show that my answer was indeed Rick and Morty.

"How did you know that?" She asked Rhy and then Rhy waved it off. "I live across from him Beth, his blinds are always open and his Tv is always playing episodes of Rick and Morty." She shrugged and then Beth ignored her as Xander handed her and I shots, while we both downed it quickly.

The liquid hitting my throat with a sting as I swallowed it down. A feeling I enjoyed, it made me feel less shitty than I did at the start of tonight even for a moment,

I licked my lips,

and then she read the next question, after pulling a disgusted face from the taste of the alcohol.

"This one's for the boys." She paused and then read "what does your partner do first thing in the morning."

Easy,

I watched Beth take Xander's phone to type her answer as she used her phone to continue filming.

"She picks out an outfit and takes out her make-up before showering." I shrugged and then she turned around Xander's phone to show that her answer was,

"Picks out an outfit" I smirked and then she laughed before Xander had answered,

But hesitated a little before he did.

"Has breakfast??" He wasn't sure as he looked over at her, and then I smiled as I answered his question in my mind.

Plays the new Halsey album, and dances around the lounge with her cat.

"Plays music and have a dance party." She said sadly knowing she was about to take a shot as her eyes looked down at the little tot glasses.

"s**t!" She said before my smiling ass handed her a glass as Beth and I watched the two of them down it, but they quickly shook off the taste and then heard Beth speak.

"Okay this is the tie breaker, this one is for the boys again and it's a good one!" She said and then made herself comfortable and ready "boys, what is your partners worst trait. Now be careful when you answer Maverick!" She joked and then I smiled typing down what I think she would want to see,

Being addicted to social media,

But that wasn't her worst trait, it was her lack of communication skills, but I wasn't f*****g going to say that. I didn't feel like having an argument tonight. So I had to play it safe.

I said the social media thing and then she got excited as our answers had matched. I saw Rhy quickly typing her answer and then Xander pulled out of the game,

"I can't answer this, she doesn't have any bad traits." He said refusing to answer and then she brushed it off,

"Nooo...Come on it's just a game." She displayed her sad, puppy-dog eyes.

"No Rhy, you're perfect. They win, we lose." He said and then took a shot as I rolled my eyes.

Okay ima head out. I need stronger liquor,

I think the kitchen might have it, I watched Xander and Beth then read more comments as I lifted myself up and then as I was about to walk off towards the kitchen,

I turned around and then licked my lips before swallowing and looking down at her, thinking that I shouldn't probably do this,

but f**k it.

"You're impulsive. That's your worst trait." I said knowing that I was right, she was impulsive because she acts on her emotions without thinking, and...

I feel like sometimes she regrets it.

She stared into my eyes as I stared into hers and then broke our gaze as I reached down to pull her phone slowly from her loose grip, making her aware that I wasn't trying to be aggressive with her,

I just wanted to reassure myself of my answer, for whatever f*****g reason I felt the need to,

And she let me.

I held her phone in my hand and then glanced at the screen.

"Impulsive." It read and then I shook my head as my lips had made a almost smile, as I breathed out of my nose and rolled my eyes. "Ima, go get a stronger drink." I nodded and then turned to almost walk off before hearing her say,

"I'll go with. I need one too." She stood up from her seat and then she followed behind me as I felt her hand scrunch up the back of my T-shirt into a ball that she held tightly in the palm of her hand, to make sure she didn't get lost in the crowed,

I walked ignoring it and then felt her stepping behind me while I had felt myself sighing deeply.

Impulsive.