Brandon Dmitry Kotlov's Story

As soon as he pulled away from Camden, he heard her say those two beautiful French words, then watched as she blacked out, slumped into his arms. "Shit," he cursed quietly, although there was no reason for the lowered volume. Picking her up the right away, he made his way to his room, then gently set her down on his bed, brushing strands of her hair out of her face with one of his hands, then kissed her forehead gently before looking at her once more. "Everything's fine, it's gonna be just fine," he whispered, taking a hold of one of her hands and sitting next to her, watching as her chest moved up and down.

Then there were two distinct knocks at the door, two knocks that said he was here. Letting go of her hand, Brandon leaned down once more and kissed Camden's cheek sweetly before walking out, closing the door to his room and looking ahead, ready to face what came next.



After knocking on the door twice, Kelly waited. He sensed someone coming closer from the other side, then put on his best smile when Brandon opened the door. "Evening, my dear," Kelly purred.

"Kelly. Pleasure," Brandon replied, but the tone in his voice suggested that the visit was anything but that. Kelly looked him up and down, then walked in casually, shoving both of his hands in his back pockets.

"Had fun tonight?" he asked, and watched as Brandon shrugged.

"Not really."

"I see you met someone."

"What's it to you?" Brandon questioned, and Kelly thought he heard aggravation in his voice. Losing the smile he had planted on his face the whole time, Kelly looked at Brandon, flipping the hair out of his eyes for once so Brandon could get the full effect of his stare.

"Listen, you told me to come over tonight. YOU told me to bring the damn entertainment. Well, I brought it, so why are you dumping your pants?" Kelly pressed on, crossing his arms over his shoulders. Brandon returned his gaze equally, then looked in the direction of his room. Instantly, Kelly got the idea and smirked. "Oh..I see...you have a girlfriend now so you're too good for me. Well, I don't intend on leaving...you know that, Brandon."

Brandon didn't say anything for a while, and the next time he looked at Kelly, he was two steps away from him. "Kelly, I really don't feel like doing this tonight, just go home," Brandon started, but Kelly shut him up by gripping his jaw a little too forcefully, and forcing him to look into his eyes.

"Listen, Brandon. You're not ruining what we have. You are not about to leave me for some girl you just met less than twelve hours ago. Clear? Good. I'll go home. But I'll be back." With that being said, Kelly released his hold on Brandon, then stormed out, slamming the door behind him and leaving nothing but quiet.

Brandon watched as Kelly made his way out the door, and then brought his hand to his face where Kelly's grip had been. The skin burned, and he knew Kelly left some sort of mark that would eventually fade. Looking back at Camden, he sighed. "...He said he'd be back. I dont' know what the hell that means, he didn't say when, but he'll be BACK. I don't know..."

Making his way to the bathroom, he turned on the lights and looked in the mirror, realizing that he was right about the marks. "Great, just what I needed," Brandon sighed, rubbing at his sore jaw. He noticed he was still wearing his jacket, so he quickly slid it off and placed it on the towel rack, not wanting to walk all the way back to his room.

As Camden came into the bathroom and stood behind him, Brandon gazed at his reflection in the mirror, then looked at Camden. "Hell no, I'd rather have him come after me than hurt you..." He turned so that he was facing her, then leaned against the counter as he pulled her close. "I love you, too...and I'm fine, really. These marks will dissapear. But we don't know what he will do next," he said quietly, then followed Camden's gaze to the little blade sitting on the cabinet.

"Uhh...my Uncle doesn't mess with shit like that," Brandon responded to her question, looking at the blade as if it was a strange animal. What the hell was going on? Turning back to Camden, he said, "We need to have a plan ready for the next time he comes by. Or something could go seriously wrong."

"It's definetely not mine," Brandon replied to Camden's question, then watched as she seemed to daze out. He knew better than to knock her out of it, because he knew he hated when someone interrupted his train of thought, even if that train was going in a bad direction. When she came back, he smiled at her. "We have plenty of time to think of a plan...talk to me now," he said, then he took her hand and led her back to his room, where he plopped down on his bed and pulled her next to him. "Tell me everything," he simply said, gazing out the window at the city below.

As Brandon listened to Camden, her story seemed only seemed to go from bad to worse. He felt his heart tighten melt inside his chest, and felt tears escape down his own cheeks as he held her as tight as he could. "Camden..." he started, but didn't know what to say, how to even begin.

Anger then began unfolding where his heart was, he felt himself getting sucked into the black rage. "Your step-dad is a FUCKING bastard," he exclaimed, tilting her face up so that she was looking at him. "Listen, please, PLEASE promise me you won't cut anymore. Promise me that if you are angry, you will come to me. If you're depressed, you'll call me or come to me or ANYTHING, just please do not touch that blade anymore," he rambled on, trying to get her to understand his words. Shaking his head, he sat up, then gazed at her once more. "I wish you didn't have to go back there. That you could stay HERE with me forever, where you belong. Do you know how much I can give you? I can treat you like GOLD, Camden. You're the most beautiful thing that has ever walked into my life, and I intend to keep you here forever, with me, safe from ANYONE who tries to harm you," he said, taking her face into his hands once more and kissing her, wishing he could breathe his love and affection into her lungs. The love and affection he didn't even know he had within him before today.

Then as she started bawling in tears, Brandon did nothing but hold her and run his hand through her hair in a gentle manner, begging to any God, Goddess, ANYONE, for her to understand the full extent of what she meant to him. He begged for all of her pain and suffering to somehow seep into HIM, so she wouldn't have to feel anything anymore. At that moment, Brandon was selfless. I would die for her.

"Oh wow, my girl is beautiful AND athletic? More bragging rights for me," Brandon laughed, looking at Camden. "Sure, I would love to come with you. I just gotta run the straightener through my hair...and I don't know why he didn't come back...to be honest, that kinda worries me." Brandon quickly thought of Kellan, the apartment which he lived in, what he might be doing. Thinking of new ways to bring Hell into Brandon's life? Maybe. Planning to hurt Camden? Possibly. Smoking a joint? More than likely.

"This is just weird. Maybe he gave up." Brandon knew that statement would not be farther from the truth. He then heard Camden listing the names of three kids. "Well, you know what they all have in common? They're LOSERS," he said, then quickly kissed her cheek before getting up and going to his room to retrieve his straightener. Plugging it in in his bathroom, he quickly ran it through his strands of hair, and watchd as little puffs of smoke came out of it. When he was done, he quickly teased it and threw in some hairspray to make sure his work would stick, then went back into the living room. "Okay. What exactly is the game plan for today, besides your gymnastics?"

"Well, he has a pretty fucked up sense of humor, so I wouldn't be surprised..." Brandon trailed off, putting his phone back in his pocket. He told himself he had to drop by Kelly's, and soon. If this wasn't a joke and Kelly really was hurt, Brandon wouldn't forgive himself for not helping, even after all the hell he's been through with Kelly. Turning his attention back to Camden, he frowned when he saw the discomfort that her ribs were giving her. "Well, how are you gonna do gymnastics with your ribs like that...?" He asked, placing both of his hands on her petite waist.

He then smiled as Camden mentioned her brother and her mom. "Well. In that case, if I ever meet them, I would hope that they like me. I want to be a part of your life forever--" Brandon stopped speaking as his Uncle Viktor walked in through the front door; he first heard the thumps of his combat boots on the floor, then saw him appear in the hall. "Viktor, how did gambling go?" Brandon asked him, smiling slightly at his uncle. From a glance, people would assume that Viktor was in his early 30s, but as you looked closer, you can see the fine lines in the man's rough face. His blue eyes were the thing that asked for the most attention, clear and welcoming. Viktor was a true Russian.

"Gambling went great, no surprise there," Viktor retorted in a heavy Russian accent, then nodded at Camden. "Finally you bring home a normal-looking human being. I'm sick of seeing that Kelly kid around here," he then said, shaking his head and throwing off his shirt, revealing his muscles and the tribal tattoo on his right arm, which extended down his back. With that being said, Viktor went into his room, shutting the door behind him.

"And THAT, is my Uncle," Brandon announced, smiling. Sometimes, he loved Viktor. That is, when he was sober enough to actually hold a conversation with. But then again, Brandon couldn't judge.

After about ten minutes of waiting, Kelly finally found the strength to fully sit up. "Why the FUCK won't you text me back, you fucking douche bag," he screamed at nothing, knowing that it wouldn't do him any good. Dragging himself out of his room and into the hall, Kelly stumbled as he stood up, then finally found his balance, even though he had to lean against the wall for support. He realized he was sweating and that his face was still hot. "What the fuck, this is ridiculous," he started saying over and over, shaking his head and walking slowly to the living room, where he laid down on the couch. His vision was blurry at the edges, but he quickly got used to it.



Brandon felt the heat rise in his cheeks when Camden told him she loved him. Looking down at the ground, he bit his lip slightly, then looked back up at her. "I love you, too." He glanced at the time on his phone then looked back up at her. "Oh, and if you really think you can practice today, then you should...but I don't want you to do any further damage to your ribs." A worried expression crossed his face as he said this, but was soon replaced by a half-smile. "Wanna go out in the city? I think we should drop by Kelly's house. Maybe he really is in trouble. Who knows. I don't wanna risk anything."

He quickly grabbed the keys to his car off the coffee table, then shoved them in his back pocket which also contained his phone.

Brandon raised his eyebrow, confusion crossing his pale face. "No, of course you didn't! I'm just so not used to someone saying that to me," he smiled, taking both of Camden's hands in his own. "And I don't blame you if you don't want to do gymnastics today. You might end up getting hurt even more, and I do NOT want that. And of course I wanna go to the beach with you..."

He could tell that Camden was really shaken up by Kelly. In fact, he wasn't surprised at all. Kellan had been a big reason why Brandon hadn't been able to make any friends; it was his anger and jealousy that cast people out of his life. Of course Brandon couldn't blame it all on Kelly, though, his own constant hunt for drugs and alcohol had also left him in an anti-social ditch. "Don't worry, babe, it's going to be fine. And he IS a scam artist..a sleazy, disturbing con artist who is also bipolar," Brandon sighed, looking at Camden. But whether he wanted to believe it or not, it was his responsibility to make sure that Kelly wouldn't end up for dead.

"I am POSITIVE. You said the right thing," Brandon told Camden, then answered her next question. "We might as well leave now, it takes about ten minutes to get over to Scam Artist's house. Then we leave. And if he tries to pull something...well...let's hope we can run fast."

Brandon was not being over-dramatic. He remembered countless times when he had to run out of Kelly's house, literally glide down the stairs for his own life while Kelly himself chased after him with various objects. "FINE, FUCK YOU, TOO," Kelly yelled, throwing whatever he held in his hand. Judging from the way it smashed against the wall and shattered on the stairs in a million pieces, Brandon knew it was a bottle. Without looking back, he continued to run, shouting "I AM NOT COMING BACK!" over and over again. Amazingly, Kelly managed to catch up with him, as drunk and high as he was. The grin on his face was enough to make Brandon sick. "Going somewhere, love?" Kelly had asked him, and Brandon did nothing but look down at the ground, which only widened Kelly's grin. "Wise choice not to answer. You're not going ANYWHERE..."

Snapping out of the flashback, Brandon gasped, then looked back at Camden, who said something about not wanting to go back to her house. "Oh, we don't have to go back there...come on..." Brandon muttered quietly, then took her hand. "VIKTOR, I'M LEAVING," he hollered in the direction of his Uncle's room, then guided Camden out of the apartment.

"North of here, some other Apartment building near a Holiday Inn hotel," Brandon replied to Camden as he took her towards the elevators yet again. Despite knowing that she was a little scared of them, he knew it was the best thing to take since they were running short on time, and Camden was in no shape to walk down sixty flights of stairs. As it came up and the doors opened, Brandon stepped in and pulled Camden close to him, then looked down at the floor while they descended. When the doors opened and they reached the lobby, Brandon walked out with Camden. The doorman was nowhere in sight. Figures.

Making his way towards the garage, Brandon quickly spotted his black Mustang, parked closest to the exit. "It's right there," he said as he led Camden to it, then unlocked the doors with the alarm on his keys. Opening the door for Camden, he waited for her to get in, then got into the driver's seat. "I don't even know what to expect right now," he sighed, then swiftly pulled out of the garage and onto the relatively busy highway.



Kelly had no idea how long he had been laying on the couch with his vision distorted. Minutes? Hours? Time seemed to be an imaginary thing to him, something that you only read about in fairy tales. His face felt as hot as desert sand. Cursing himself mentally, he realized he left his phone in the other room, and knew he couldn't get up to get it.

Maybe it is your time to die, his mind repeated over and over, but it wasn't his voice that was talking. Rolling off the couch, he winced in pain, but then realized the floor was ice cold. If I die, it might as well be in comfort, he told himself, then laughed at the thought. How does one die in comfort, exactly? He supposed he would find out.

As Brandon was driving, his eyes were on the road, focused and alert, while his knuckles were turning white from gripping the steering wheel so tight. "To answer your earlier question, I think it's because of both. He had a heavy over-dose of Hallucinogens three nights back. I told him to stop but he wasn't having it. It's happened many times before.'

As he was driving, he noticed that Camden pointed to a house. Looking over and hearing her say it was her own, he sighed. "Don't worry about it right now, you don't have to go back at the moment..."

As he continued to drive, he saw the Holiday Inn next to Kelly's apartment building coming up in the distance. Making a left, he quickly parked at the rear of the parking lot, then got out and went over to the passenger door, opening it for Camden. "And we're here," he announced quietly. He thought it would be safer to park at the Holiday Inn, since Kelly would immediately see them from his window upstairs if he were to park in the apartment building parking lot.

As they reached the doors to the apartment building, Brandon turned to Camden. She had asked him to promise he would stop his affair with drugs and alcohol. Thinking for a bit, Brandon bit his lip anxiously and gazed at her.

"I can stop today if I wanted to...I don't want to risk losing my life and leaving you here. I want to be with you forever, which is why I wanted you to promise me you would stop the cutting." Kissing her forehead gently as he previously did, he took her hand once more and led her inside. Looking around a lobby that looked similar to his own, Brandon spotted the doorman sitting at his desk lazily, filling out paper work. Once again, he turned to Camden. "Kelly lives on the second story so it's not a long walk."

He led Camden to the staircase, then started walking up the stairs one by one, being careful not to trip because of the lack of lightning in the stair well. When he reached the second story, he looked around. "Okay, he lives right there," Brandon said, pointing to the second door on the right. It was painted blood-red originally, but over the years the red faded into a depressing maroon color. Just another thing that was faded out of Kelly's life. Scratches carved the wood around the peep hole, as well as the paint around the doorknob.

"It's not or never," Brandon said simply, gripping Camden's hand just a little tighter.

As Brandon walked to the door, he knocked twice, much like Kelly would knock on his door on a regular basis. He then realized that Kelly, being as dumb as he is, never locked his door. Grasping the doorknob, he twisted it and pushed it open. Walking in, he noticed that no lights were on in the house. "KELLY, where the fuck are you," he hollered while still holding into Camden's hand. Turning to her, he muttered, "This is some sort of joke, I'm telling you..."



Hearing Brandon's voice call out in the hall, Kelly looked up from the hardwood floor. "I'm in the living room, darling," he replied in a nonchalant voice, then rested his head back down onto the floor. He watched as Brandon ran in, then his vision once again turned black for a couple moments. As Brandon picked him up off the floor and sat him up, Kelly coughed.

"What the FUCK did you do?!" Brandon exclaimed, and it was easy to detect the worried look in his brown eyes. Kelly laughed at the question, but soon stopped when he was short of breath. He felt Brandon laying him back down onto the cold floor, brush the hair out of his eyes, then watched as he left the room. Turning his head sideways, Kelly noticed Brandon's girlfriend in the hall.

"Oh, it's YOU," was all he said before closing his eyes. When Brandon returned, he was carrying a bottle of water and a cold washcloth. Setting the items on the ground, he picked Kelly up and laid him on the couch, then put the washcloth over his forehead.

"Now you need to drink this," Brandon said, opening the water bottle and lifting Kelly's head up in the crook of his arm. Despite his hatered for water, he allowed Brandon to hold the bottle up to his lips, and as soon as he felt the liquid go down his throat, Kelly felt ten times better. By the time he was finished, Kelly realized that he drank almost the entire bottle. "You're suffering from dehydration....you weren't gonna die," Brandon sighed. "I know you hate water, but honestly, Kelly...don't do this to me."

Kelly didn't say anything for the longest time, just stared into Brandon's brown eyes.

"He's fine...he is gonna be just fine," Brandon replied, both to Camden and to Kelly to re-assure him. Brushing more hair out of Kelly's face, Brandon then took the washcloth off his forehead to feel the skin. It was getting better, at least at the moment. Running into the kitchen, he wet the washcloth again, then brought it back, setting it back where it was on Kelly's forehead. "Listen, finish the rest of this water and then drink another one if you must. You can't rely on alcohol to quench your thirst," Brandon said.

He heard Kelly laugh, or at least attempt to laugh. "Okay, okay, I will, Kotlov."

"I'm not kidding," Brandon warned.

"Neither am I."

With that quick exchange, Brandon stood up, looking down at Kelly. "Where's your phone?" He waited for Kelly to give him an answer, but instead he just pointed in the direction of his room. Brandon got the idea, then walked the short distance to Kelly's room, and saw his cellphone on the hardwood floor. A couple feet away, he saw a shattered Daniel's bottle, as well as drops of blood outlining the floor. God fucking damn, Kelly... Grabbing the phone, he walked back into the living room, then handed it to Kelly. "Listen, if you need ANYTHING, you call me. Don't do something else stupid. I can't have your death hanging over my head, Kelly."

He gave Kelly one final gaze before he walked back to Camden, taking her hand and leading her out the door, down the stairs, and all the way outside without saying a word.



Kellan listened to everything Brandon had said to him, not bothering to put up an argument. Even if he had the energy to do so, he wouldn't have said anything. After Brandon walked out with the girl, Kellan sat up, holding on to the washcloth so it wouldn't fall off his forehead. He then reached for the water bottle, twisting the cap off and bringing it to his lips. In a matter of seconds, he had finished the remaining water.

"Why did you have to leave..." he then asked, looking down at the ground. He didn't expect an answer, but the silence in the room still made his heart ache.

As soon as they reached the outside, Brandon squinted in the sunlight. Everything outside was the total opposite of what was inside of Kelly's apartment. The smell of cannabis and open bottles of Daniels still stuck around in his lungs, and he took in a breath to attempt to wash it out.

Feeling Camden hop on his back, Brandon laughed and smiled over at her. "I know he's okay. I just wish he wouldn't do this shit. It makes me anxious," he grumbled. "Oh, and I love you, too."

As they reached his car and Camden got in, Brandon walked over to the driver's side and got in himself, then stuck the keys in the ignition and began driving away. Kelly's apartment building turned smaller and smaller in his mirror, and he focused on getting out of there as soon as possible.

The drive to the beach didn't take long, about twenty minutes. After finding a relatively good parking spot, Brandon got out, breathing in the salty ocean air. The view looked better already.

As Camden kissed him, Brandon closed his eyes and smiled against her lips. He then allowed her to take him to the board walk, where he watched as Camden found a bathing suit and got excited. "It looks great on you, babe," Brandon grinned, then chased her halfway down the beach, where he eventually caught up to her and hugged her from behind, resting his head on her shoulder. "I need to tell you something. This is the best day of my life. Well, I mean yesterday was great, too, hell I met you yesterday, but you know what I mean..." he trailed off, not wanting to ramble like an idiot.

Thinking back, Brandon couldn't think of a time when he felt like this. Free, not afraid of facing tomorrow, energetic, passionate. He had the girl of this dreams in his arms. He finally had a reason to give up the monsters that have taken over both his body and his emotional self. Kissing Camden's shoulder gently, he looked out at the water. "Thank you. For giving me a chance."

"Hey, I can say the exact same statement to YOU, my dear," he replied to Camden, then laughed as she pulled him down, him landing on top of her. As she kissed him again, he rested one of his hands on her waist, then bit her lip playfully.

When she did her flip, Brandon cheered her on. This girl was becoming more and more incredible right in front of his eyes, he thought to himself, smiling as she came over, soaking wet and hugged him. Brandon was never much of a swimmer, but it was still fun to come down to the beach. Though he mostly did it at night, he was just glad to be with Camden at the moment, and not worrying, for once, about what was to come next.

Watching as Brandon ran over to Alex, his face once again turned into that emotionless wall. Only having contact with Camden and Kelly in the past few days has left him feeling awkward around others. When she came back and hugged Brandon, he smirked as she asked what he wanted to do.

Then as she started running again, he chased after her, yelling "OH, you know I'll catch you!"

Catching up to her, her once again hugged her waist and pulled her down on top of him, then cupped her face into his hands. "We can do whatever you want. I'm yours for the entire day, then the one after that and so on."

Brandon watched as Camden came back with a sharpie, then sat next to him and began drawing something on his wrist. When he examined her finished work, he smiled, then took the sharpie from her and began drawing his own masterpiece onto her wrist.

"There, how do you like it?" he asked her when he was done, holding up her wrist to observe his work.

When Camden asked about taking pictures, Brandon grinned. "Ahhh, photography, one of my FAVORITE past-times. I like this idea."

"I am so glad you like it," Brandon said, then smiled. "I've always been with the arts, if I do say so myself..." He then watched as she drew the same design in the sand, then snapped a picture of it.

"I take pictures of sceneries, then put them in black and white to really add emotion to it," he replied to her question, then, smirked his cute, cocky smirk into the camera as she snapped a picture of the two of them. He really got excited when she handed the camera to him, and stood up. "Well, what should I do...I have so many ideas for you. Too bad your beauty won't be completely captured on camera," he winked, then pulled her in close. "Here, you make a creeped out face while I kiss your cheek," he chuckled, then held the camera up and rested his lips on Camden's soft face.

(That is so sad, yet powerful.<3)



An hour of constant water drinking and power napping had left Kellan feeling better than he previously did. Getting up off the couch, he removed the wet washcloth that Brandon had placed on his forehead. He stretched his arms and torso, then grabbed his phone and stuffed it into his back pocket. His face didn't feel completely hot anymore, but it was still warmer than what was considered normal.

After grabbing another drink of water, Kelly walked out the door and into the hall, then down the stairs. He wasn't going to be cooped up in his apartment all damn day. When he got outside, the heat from the sun seemed to radiate into his pores. "This is why I don't fucking go out during the day," he grumbled to himself, beginning to walk down the street in the direction of the beach.



"Hmmm...here, how about this," Brandon said as he pulled Camden in the direction of the water. Facing her, he held the camera with his right hand so that he could catch the ocean waves in the background. "Bite your lip while smiling slightly..you know, kinda look down at the ground in a shy manner while I hold your face. I think this would look great in Black and White," he mused, chuckling softly.

Brandon grinned as Camden asked him to look through her pictures, then started clicking the 'back' arrow on her camera, examining her work carefully. "These are all so beautiful," he remarked, looking up at her, then at her pictures again. She was quite the photographer. Taking out his iPhone, he unlocked the screen and went through his own pictures, ones he took out of boredum more than anything. "This is one of my own favorites that I took," he said, turning the screen around so Camden could see the picture.

He had no idea who the girl was in the picture, hell, she didn't even know he was taking a photo. Chuckling at the thought, Brandon gazed at Camden and waited for her opinion.

(I shall message you and tell you! :D! I just figured out yesterday!)

"It's my passion, too! As you can imagine, I constantly take pictures of myself...you know, it's the hair," Brandon winked, flipping the strands that were in his eyes, then putting his phone back in his pocket. "And I have no clue who the chick is, she was just standing there randomly." After a moment of thinking, Brandon turned on Camden's camera again, and gestured to the sand. "You should draw a big heart, you know, then stand in the middle and look down at the sand, as if you really miss someone. I'm thinking this could be a great vintage looking photo?"

"Oh Camden, what AREN'T you good at?" Brandon asked her, then listened to her next idea for their picture as he showed her the picture he took of her standing in the middle of the heart.

Setting the camera on a 20-second timer, Brandon quickly ran back to Camden and pulled her down on the sand, then sat down cross-legged and took both of her hands while gazing at her and biting his lip. As soon as the picture snapped, he walked back over and collected the camera, looking at the result. "This is awesome!" he called out, gesturing for Camden to come over and see the picture.