A Rose and A Kiss in the Rain

Lilibeth

I'm gonna kill the knuckle head of my brother.

This weekend, it's been quite weird. I've decided to not cry anymore or let loneliness slump me around. If half of my family don't want to be there for me, then it's up to them. Besides, it's my baby, my responsibility.

So because I haven't let myself get down anymore, I've lift up my head and I've been seeing my father quieter than usual. When I pass by, he doesn't say a word to me like he used to. Instead, all he does is give me a sad look and then look away.

My mom has been too excited for no reason. Maybe it's because I told her my new plans for my heart to heal, and she just gave me a proud smile. But I've noticed something else from the last time I talked to her. She's hiding something. A memory. A story from her past...

I'll let her tell it to me when she's ready, but she seems like she wants to take it out somehow.

The only one that hasn't changed is my brother. And I'm going to kill him. If he's angry at Luke and I, it doesn't mean he has to be angry to the rest of the world also.

Because I still don't have my phone back, I talked with Charity on Monday during school. Now we switched papers as her eyes showed sadness and her shoulders slumped heavily. Luke missed school on Monday so I had her to myself on that day, and I gave her a small chuckle when we stopped by her locker.

"Hey, ballerina. What's going on? Are you pregnant, too?"

She only gave me a smile that didn't reach her eyes and shrugged. "Nothing. I'm fine."

"Liar," I said as she closed her locker. "Even Natalie asked me what's wrong with you, and you know that she can be oblivious to many things."

Charity did a small chuckle and said, "It's nothing. You have other things to worry about."

"Hey." I stopped her as I put a gentle hand on her shoulder. "Don't do that. I know I have someone to take care of, but that doesn't mean I've left you to the side. So tell me. What happened?"

Charity hesitated and I knew it was serious. And it had something to do with me. So I stopped and crosses my arms on my chest.

She did a sigh and said, "It's your brother..."

I knew it.

I clenched my jaw as anger stirred inside of me and I opened my mouth to say something. But she quickly said, "But it's okay! You don't have to get mad! It's just something between...us...It has nothing to do with you!"

"Liar! Your eyes dilated!"

"Shut up! My eyes don't dilate when I lie!"

"But you get nervous and your voice goes an octave higher like that."

Charity sighed in frustration and said, "Fine. It was about you. The other day that we went on a...date...sorta...I don't know what it was honestly because he ignored me the whole time. And when I insisted he should tell me what's wrong, he told me that he..well that I should've told him about you and then he just left."

My heart shrunk for my best friend and her sadness. She looked down and I lifted up her chin. "Let me talk to him."

"No! It'll make it worse. If he doesn't want to be with me just because of that, then I should've never—"

"Okay. Calm down. I'll talk to him. Don't worry."

"Really?" Her eyes twinkled and smiled. "Thank you!" She gave me a tight hug and I chuckled. But anger for my brother ran through my veins and I was determined to make this right.