*Author's Note: Any and all persons engaging in any sexual activity are at least eighteen years of age.
**Disclaimers: This story has been edited by myself, utilizing Microsoft Spell-Check; you have been forewarned. Expect to find mistakes. If that bothers you, kindly stop reading now.
*.**.*
It was a pattern Andrew Carter knew all too well. He had something he valued, something that was his. And William took it away from him. If his older brother couldn't take it away, then William would break it.
And the rest of the family would take William's side. After all, William was the golden child, the fair haired son that could do no wrong.
"Quit!" Candy Durmonte giggled, playfully slapping William on his arm.
"What?" William smirked. "That's what it is, right? Sharp Knife College, right?"
"Andy, tell him he's wrong," Candy protested, still giggling.
"Uh huh," Andrew said, not bothering to hide his annoyance. "Candy, he knows it's Whittle College. He's just being an ass hole."
"Andrew!" Big Bill Carter snapped, graying eyebrows knotted together in anger. "Do not call your brother..."
"Okay, Dad, whatever, Dad," Andrew snapped.
"Oh no sir, do not 'whatever' me, young man," Big Bill barked out.
"Whatever, bye," Andrew said, turning and walking to the door of the Carter home.
"Andrew Michael Carter, get back here," Big Bill barked out, furious with his middle child.
"Candy, you coming?" Andrew sighed.
That long hesitation, the look Candy gave to William was all the answer Andrew needed. With a final shake of his head, Andrew left the living room. He did not bother going up to his room to retrieve the suitcase. There was nothing of value to him in the small case.
Walking in and catching his girlfriend of two years in a passionate embrace with his older brother had been a painful shock. Quietly, he'd turned and left the library before either Candy or William had seen him. Natalie Carter, their sister and the baby of the family had seen Andrew, and just like everyone else, had taken William's side, smirking at Andrew's consternation and pain.
Andrew did not hear Natalie inform Candy, quite gleefully, that Andrew had seen her and William's passionate embrace of moments earlier. Andrew did not hear Big Bill's declaration that Andrew just needed to get over it; Candy was free to choose whom she wanted, and obviously, Candy had chosen the better man.
Andrew would have smiled at his mother's sneering declaration of "The better man? A better man wouldn't try to seduce the girlfriend of his brother, would he?"
Of course, the smile would have left Andrew's face when William laughed his mocking laugh and said, "Try? There was no 'try' to it. I said let's fuck and this little slut said 'okay.'"
Andrew would have found little pleasure in Candy's shocked gasp or pained sobbing. He also would have felt little compulsion to soothe, comfort his former girlfriend.
On the nearly fourteen hours from DeGarde, Louisiana to Broken Field, Kansas, Andrew had a lot of time to think. He and Candy had been talking marriage. They'd been talking about their future plans and goals and aspirations. Candy had graduated the previous semester with a Bachelor's in Business Administration. Andrew was very nearly finished with his Master's in Electrical Engineering. Of course, he would be assuming a position with Triangle Carter Incorporated and had planned to assist Candy in finding gainful employment with one of the oil companies or other industries in and around St. Elizabeth's Parish.
There was just the one obstacle to their future happiness; Candace Ann Durmonte insisted on meeting Andrew's family. Andrew had begged with Candy; please elope with him to Las Vegas, please run off to Mexico for a wedding south of the border. Anything but meeting his family first.
"Know what? A broken engagement is a shit load cheaper than a divorce," Andrew decided by the time he pulled up to his apartment in Broken Field, Kansas.
He did not hear from Candy. After two weeks, Andrew boxed up the few items she'd left in his apartment and brought them to her parents' home in April Springs, Kansas. When her father demanded to know where Candy was, Andrew gave the man William's cell phone number.
"Thanks a fucking lot, whiney ass faggot," William snapped at Andrew. "Had some ass hole calling, looking for his slut daughter."
Andrew disconnected the call and quickly blocked William's number. After a moment's hesitation, he blocked Big Bill's number, Natalie's number, and their mother's number. A phone store in the local Save Well discount store sold him a new cell phone and cell phone number.
"Dude, where's Candy?" Freddie Scott asked, spotting Andrew at the local Brick's Pizzeria, enjoying a medium Supreme. "And uh, hey, tried calling you last night; Whittle tore up the Pioneers, man."
"Yeah, dude," Ryan Smith asked, attempting to grab a slice of Andrew's pizza.
"Bitch, get your own," Andrew said, slapping Ryan's hand quite hard. "Sorry, dude, got a new phone number; guess I forgot give it out."
"Dude! Joking here, all right?" Ryan complained, rubbing his injured hand.
"Seriously, where's Candy?" Freddie asked. "Cindy's been trying to get her; she ain't answering none of Cindy's calls."
"Don't know," Andrew shrugged. "Went to visit my parents. Candy met my brother, decided she'd trade up and that's the last I seen of her."
"Dude! No shit?" Ryan asked, mouth open in shock. "Dude, that's seriously fucked up."
"Cindy, think you need to get on over here," Freddie said into his cell phone.
So Andrew told Freddie and Ryan and Freddie's and Ryan's wives the whole sordid tale; from birth, what William wanted, William got. If there was anything left afterward? Then Andrew got the crumbs. And that ended the moment Natalie was born. Now, William got the lion's share, then Natalie was next in line. If there was anything left, then Andrew could have that.
"My science fair project? I mean, I'd created a vortex, a controlled tornado, you know, using dry ice," Andrew said, clenching his jaw tightly. "Guaranteed A, right? William breaks it all the fuck up the night before."
"And that's who that bitch Candy left you for?" Freddie's wife Cindy asked.
"Better off without her," Dianne agreed. "Ryan, I said dibs on the last piece, damn it. Give it here."
"What? You still eating that last piece," Ryan complained but did relinquish the last slice of pizza to his wife.
"And of course, my mom and dad? 'Oh, William didn't mean it. He just wanted to see how it worked. Tell him you're sorry William,'" Andrew continued. "So, I catch Candy with William, I'm sure my dad said, 'what? She's supposed settle for Andrew? When she can have William?'"
Andrew had no way of knowing it, but his statement was fairly accurate to what Big Bill Carter had said. Cindy, Dianne, Ryan and Freddie shook their heads in disgust.
"Well, we need to do something to get you out of this funk," Ryan declared.
"Yeah, man, sitting around? Dwelling on the problem? That's not the solution, Dude," Freddie agreed.
"But I'm not," Andrew said.
"No, no, just sitting around feeling sorry for yourself over what that bitch did to you?" Ryan said.
"But I'm not," Andrew protested.
"Girls, we need to take Andrew to um, to, um, where, Ryan?" Freddie asked.
"Benhurst!" Ryan announced.
"Benhurst? Colorado?" Freddie verified. "Hell yeah!"
"Count me out; Jake's got the Hollister case coming up," Dianne said.
"And I'm scheduled all week at Stanfield's," Cindy stated. "Especially if you're going to be visiting any of them pot shops they got there."
"Guys' weekend," Freddie and Ryan announced and gave each other high fives.
Andrew found himself being coerced and bullied into a 'Guys Weekend' he had not wanted, nor needed. Yes, the break-up with Candy did hurt, but he had simply put it behind him. The break with his family would be a little, a lot harder; after years of studies, Andrew realized he simply could not go to work for Big Bill and William in the family business. He simply could not, and would not work under either one of the Carter men.
He had chosen Electrical Engineering specifically because Triangle Carter Incorporated provided the electrical services for offshore oil rigs. They also provided communications and computer services; Minnie had suggested that William go into engineering as a way to keep them current, keep TC ahead of the others vying to provide the same services. Big Bill had immediately shot Minnie's idea down; William was needed in the office. So Andrew, who had always maintained better grades than William, opted to go to Whittle College.
Triangle Carter Incorporated had actually been Minnie Carter's brainchild. Big Bill had come in from a fourteen day stint on an offshore oil rig and had told Minnie about a portable telephone that one of the electricians had brought with him. Big Bill had laughed at the device, had laughed at the foolish electrician for wasting all that money on such a cumbersome device.
Minnie however saw that there was a need for such communications and saw that a company that could provide reliable, affordable communications in such locations would flourish. Despite his misgivings, Big Bill agreed to give it a go.
At the time, Triangle Carter Incorporated was named TC after Minnie Carter, Bill Carter, and the mountain of debt the Carters were under. When William joined their family, he became the third leg of TC. Then Andrew came along; Big Bill and Minnie did toy with the idea of becoming Trapezoid Carter; Minnie said she'd drop out and be Stay At Home Carter. Natalie's arrival restored the idea of Three Carters; William, Andrew and Natalie, with Big Bill driving the triangle around.
While Freddie and Ryan schemed and planned their extended weekend, Andrew completed his requirements for his Master's. He then emptied out his apartment and put everything into unit 223A of Eazy Storage Center on Henderson Plains Road. The apartment manager did a walk through and grudgingly agreed that Andrew would be getting a refund of his security deposit.
"All right my man!" Ryan screamed as they got into Freddie's Mercedes-Benz. "Raquel Falls, here we come!"
"Raquel Falls?" Andrew asked from the rear seat. "Thought we was going..."
"The Ski Lift Motel on two ten," Freddie affirmed. "Don't worry, we got three rooms, pussy. Like I told Cindy, ain't no way I'm sharing a bed with either one of you homos."
