The Other Side: Growing Pains

20. Maybe

SJ's POV

"It's not what it looks like—..."
____________

"It looks like you and him just came out of the bathroom together!" I yell before realizing my one good arm is pressed against J.R.'s chin and neck.

"So maybe it is what you think," he says as he tries to breathe calmly.

"You think this is funny?" I ask as I force his back into the lockers. "My sister ain't no hoe!"

"C'mon man! You know better than that!" He tells me. "I wouldn't disrespect her like that!"

Surprisingly, he doesn't put up much of a fight to free himself of my grip.

"He was just protecting me!" Summer says and I start to listen to her words carefully. "Those fat ass triplets came into the bathroom messing with me and J.R. stopped them. That's all that happened."

I can tell by the irritation in my sister's tone, she's being truthful. And it prompts me to let him go.

My heart rate slows down as I watch him fix his shirt.

"My fault," I mumble and J.R. picks up his phone that now has a cracked screen.

"I would've done the same for my sister," he responds before fixing his hat.

"Except we barely get along, so why would you cause a scene like that?" Summer questions me.

And the answer is simple. She's my sister, no matter how much we argue, I don't want her compromising herself or her self worth for anybody.

"Look, yall clearly need to talk. If you still want a ride—" He says and his calmness creeps me out, a little. But it's too late to backdown now.

"My sister's not riding anything of yours..." I say as he walks away and shakes his head.

"I meant in a car, bro!" He laughs and I'm still not in a joking mood.

We go silent for a few seconds before he's completely gone.

"Ouch," I yelp after Summer smacks me across my chest in frustration. "What the hell, Summ? How do you have an attitude with me when you're the one in the girl's bathroom playing 'whack-a-hoe' with some guy you really know nothing about?"

"What the hell is whack-a-hoe? And keep your voice down!" She whispers as we hear a teacher shutting their classroom door.

"Summer, if anybody besides me would've seen you coming out of a bathroom with him, you would've been labeled and blackballed in this school. Not to mention, our father is in this school right now. What if I was him?" I ask frantically.

"Luckily you're not him or anybody else for that matter." She says and I shake my head. "Which is why I don't understand your reaction... You argue me down every chance you geta at- but you don't hesitate to risk your life for me? Make it make sense, SJ!"

"Risk my life? It would've been a fight, at most." I say calmly and she shakes her head.

"Only, I get the feeling, J.R. is not one to fist fight." She says and I start to think about her words a little deeper.

She's right, J.R. was way too calm for someone who was under attack from a top high school athlete.

"You think he was going to shoot me?" I ask and she tries not to, but she laughs.

"You're so stupid," she mumbles as I notice her eyes gloss up.

"Aye— what's wrong? I was just joking. He wasn't going to shoot me..." I say seriously. "At least, I don't think."

She shakes her head and I know she's not being honest.

"Are you hurt?" I ask as I look over her body.

"Just my heart. A little." She admits hesitantly as her back slides down the lockers and her bottom hits the floor.

I follow her lead as my arm wraps around her shoulder.

"You want to talk about it?" I ask before she lays her head on my shoulder and begins to cry.

"I thought he actually liked me," she whispers. "But turns out, he just feels the need to keep me safe."

Her words confuse me. And I don't think I want to know every detail about this bathroom thing, anymore. But I know enough to recognize my sister is hurting.

"Are you kidding me?" I ask as I rub her shoulder and lean my head against hers in comfort. "A guy willing to protect you is way better than being liked. That's love, sis! You see me preparing to go toe-to-toe with ol' boy? That's because I love you!"

She stops sobbing for a second and looks at me before leaning her head back on my shoulder and staring down the empty hallway.

"Yeah, but you're my brother. And I have three more of you." She says seriously. "I thought J.R. actually liked me—-liked me."

"I'm sure he does, Summ! But things are complicated—- you know?" I question her and she stays quiet. "You remember that first time I told you that I liked Milan—-?"

My voice cracks at the formation of Milan's name.

Unless it's to my therapist, I don't really speak about her. It's just too hard.

Summer laughs. "I remember you were so hype after y'all's first kiss."

"What I never mentioned was the epic fail I had before we ever kissed..." I tell her and I can see she wants to know more. "So I'm standing by the swings during the fourth grade game of tag. And I see, big ass, Joey push Milan off the swing. So I instantly get pissed. And I'm right in his face——..."

Summer is already laughing and that's way better than seeing her cry.

"So I'm like, Joe— say you're sorry before I beat your ass!"

"Awww—," she chimes in. "Did he say sorry?"

"Hell no! He walked over and pushed me so hard, I flew into Milan and made her cry even harder." I admit.

She looks at me curiously. "So how is this story related to J.R. and I?"

I shrug, unknowingly, and she cracks up laughing.

"I have no clue," I admit and she laughs harder. "I just can't stand seeing you cry... so I—."

"I think what he's trying to say is that, boys who like you, sometimes show you best by doing what they naturally know how to do."

We both stand to our feet at the sound of our father's voice and we wait for him to finish his statement as he comes around the corner.

I don't know how much he heard, but I hope it wasn't much.

"In this case, Jason seems like a natural protector. Just like me—- and just like your brother. The key is finding out why he's a protector. Then, his feelings towards you will likely make more sense!"

Summer looks at our dad, before looking over at me and smiling.

I watch as she opens her arms and wraps them tightly around him. He follows with two forehead kisses and a tight squeeze, before extending his arm to me.

I look around the hallway and he laughs. "C'mon man... you know you want a hug too."

We all laugh before I walk into the reach of his arm and wrap my arms around the both of them.

"I love you both!" Summer says kindly.

"We love you too!" I tell her sincerely.