The Enemy Lives Next Door (bxb)

Part Four

Part Four

•••

Certain things in life just don't sit right with me.

Take my stupid brother, for instance, who decides to invite his entire football team over because our mom's working a double shift tonight.

The noise they make is unbearable, a cacophony of trashy music and shouting that drowns out any coherent thought. I lie on my bed, pillow pressed against my ears in a sick attempt to block it out.

"Please," I beg desperately to the universe, "I promise not to be an unmannered teenager anymore."

For a moment, it seems to work, but the noise returns in full force. I fling my pillow aside, hearing it crash against my desk. Maybe I should call the cops and report unsupervised teenage boys drinking alcohol.

A crash from downstairs jolts me up. I leave my room and head down to find my mother's antique blue vase shattered across the floor.

Flynn stands there, hand over his mouth, looking guilty. "I didn't mean to," he rushes out when we lock eyes. "It was just... there."

My brother's laughter echoes in the background, fueling my anger. I storm over, grab him by the t-shirt, and drag him into the kitchen.

"Hey, Dalley!" Liam calls out, but I ignore him, dragging Gale away from the chaos.

In the kitchen, out of earshot from the others, I turn and glare at him. "What the fuck, Gale?"

He sways on his feet, eyes glassy and unfocused. "What the fuck?" he slurs back.

"You need to get your friends out of here," I demand, my voice hard. "Mom's gonna be pissed, and I'm so gonna enjoy watching you drown in your misery when she finds out your friends broke her vase!"

He furrows his brows. "Mom's vase is broken?"

"Yes!" I snap, slapping his chest. "You're too drunk to notice! Why do I even bother with you?"

Gale raises his hand like a schoolboy. When I don't respond, he continues, "just know that I love you, brother, but I'm telling Mom you broke it —" I open my mouth to protest, but he shushes me, "— or I'll tell her you used her credit card to buy shit online."

I fold my arms across my chest. "Then I'll tell her you bumped her car and blamed it on the lady at the supermarket."

He pouts and raises an eyebrow. "Then I'll tell her you created a profile on a dating site for her."

Damn. He's good. Gale smirks, knowing he's hit the right spot. My eye twitches, anger boiling up. What a dipshit. I shove him hard in the chest. "I hope you get paralyzed! And also, your head is so big for your body it makes you look ridiculous!"

I don't give him time to respond. I bolt out of the kitchen into the backyard, stomping over to my tree — my place of serenity — to collect my thoughts.

Anger rushes through my veins, and I lose my grip on a branch, falling onto the grass with a loud thud. Groaning, I roll onto my back and stare up at the huge tree.