"You can't ignore me forever Sage, come on, talk to me." Dad said as he sat on the chair next to the couch. I flipped through the commercials in the TV trying to find something to watch.
"I know I haven't been the best dad okay?" He sighed, admitting it out loud.
"Didn't Notice." I said nonchalantly as my finger kept hitting the up button. "I didn't believe grandpa at first but this just adds to it all."
I could almost see my dad face drop, "what did Kreese tell you? You know I told you he is going to try to manipulate and control your life."
"Grandpa Kreese is the only man in my life who cares for me." I shot at my dad, dropping the remote next to me. "You have no right to be able to tell me that he is the manipulative and you aren't."
My dad shook his head at me, "you don't get it do you?"
I scoffed, rolling my eyes at my father. "Do you know how many times grandpa came to all the daddy daughter stuff at my school? You know who many times my grandpa was the chaperone on field trips while mom was coked out of her mind at home? Or even despite all that, how many times I cried in his arms about why all my friends had dads and i didn't." I said, biting my cheek.
"And when I finally get to have a relationship with my dad, he keeps me for a bit and then gets bored. Signs the custody papers back over to my aunt- don't think I don't know that. You didn't lose custody you gave it up." I told him.
Dad stayed silent, that seemed to shut him up. Not even denying the accusations I had spewed at him, giving me all the clarification I need.
"You don't get to pick and choose which kids you want a relationship with." I whispered. "You lost Robby, you lost Miguel, and now you've lost me."
~~~
"No." I stated looking at Kyler who was stretching infront of me.
"No? What do you mean no?" He asked dropping his arms to the side.
"Id rather die than go to prom with you." I sighed stretching my neck. Who in Kylers right mind did he think he was to ask me to go to prom with him?
I had never planned on going to the prom since i wasn't even enrolled in the school. Even if I wanted to go I would have gone with Eli but, he hasn't talked to me since we hung out.
"Come on Sage, we both know you have a thing for me." Kyler said with a pleading look on his face.
"I will never ever voluntarily hang out with you." I told him, crossing my arms over my chest. "So you better find a new date fast."
The boy huffed and walked away from me. I rolled my eyes as he did and grabbed my hair, pulling it off my shoulders, I was burning up and all I had done was fall in.
It had been a few days of karate practice and although it was my first time really doing karate since the surgery, I think I was doing fine.
Lost my breath a few times but it was nothing that wasn't normal.
"You going to prom?" Robby asked me as sensei dismissed us to train with a partner.
I rolled my eyes at his stupid question, "I'm not a junior." I told him. "Besides I'm not exactly the kind of person who likes to be around other people."
"Don't you want the high school experience?" Robby asked sarcastically as he threw a punch at me, which I blocked.
"And you do?" I asked throwing one at him.
"Maybe." He said, "we could sneak in together."
"I'm from California not Alabama." I said giving him a sarcastic smile, blocking a punch.
Robby looked at me unamused, "obviously not as your date Sage." He stated.
"Showing up with your half brother is even more lame than not going to prom. Besides I don't own a dress that would be appropriate for the prom." I stated.
"Don't worry about that." Silver stated walking up to us, "I think it would be a great idea if you each went."
"Yeah I don't think so." I huffed throwing a punch that Robby didn't block, it bounced off his chest and he looked at me unamused, "my bad."
"I think it would be a great idea for you two to bond before the competition." Silver stated.
Me and Robby looked at each other, "bond?" I asked, "at prom?"
Silver shrugged, "come get my card after class if you two decide on going. Get you guys a nice outfit." He walked away leaving me and Robby standing there.
"What do you say sis? Wanna crash prom?" He asked holding up his fists in his fighting position.
I sighed and shrugged, "I have Nothing better to do."
~~
One thing I thought I'd never be doing was dress shopping. Doing it with my brother was a whole other thing. I never wanted siblings growing up, I was perfectly happy with just me and my mom. After she died I was glad I didn't have a sibling so no one else would feel the pain that I felt.
Yet here I was sitting in front of my brother laughing as I made him twirl in the suits.
"Do it again." I smiled propping my head up on my head.
"I've twirled 6 times in this suit." Robby said rolling his eyes at me as he did a half twirl to look into the mirror.
"That means I like it." I stayed, "all the other ones you only spun twice."
Robby pulled down the suit jacket, adjusting it on his body "Really? This one?" He asked turning around to face me.
I nodded, "you look nice." He smiled at me and shoved his hands into his pockets, "your turn."
I let out a groan at the thought of trying on dresses, "do I have to?" I asked.
"Yes." Robby stated as I stood up, him not replacing himself in my chair.
I grabbed the dresses that I had picked out with a lot of help from the worker and from Robby, and got into the dressing room.
"You know normally girls do this with their boyfriends not their brothers." I said stripping myself of my clothes and taking the first dress off the coat hanger.
"What ever happen to your boy toy anyways?" Robby asked.
"You gutted his hair. Lost all his confidence, unclouded his judgment. Doesn't want to be with someone like me." I huffed as I tried to zip up the dress in the back.
"His lose." Robby stated.
"I use to uh." I mumbled staring at myself in the mirror, hating how this one even looked, "-trying on another one this one is literally disgusting." I interrupted my own story.
"I use to take punches for him." I said racking through the dresses to actually find one I liked before I tried it on. "He got bullied a lot before he was hawk and I was always there to fight them for him." I grabbed a dress from the options, staring at it. I shrugged lightly as it wasn't awful, "I use to be a lot. I still am a lot, maybe more but I was too much for him." I slipped the dress off my shoulder and stepped out of it.
"What do you mean?" Robby asked.
I sighed as I stepped Into the new dress, "I was a sad teenager who's mom just died, who smoked cigarettes and got into fights. I towered over the boy well until the end of sophomore year, yelling at him with a busted nose as blood spewed every time I talked. He was a loser who still watched PG movies and went to bed at 9 am." I zipped up the back of the dress to the best of my ability, staring into the mirror, "and the only reason he was friends with me was because he was scared of me." I said, my voice wavering slightly. "And I loved him." I whispered, not even sure if Robby heard.
I ran a hand over my face and unlocked the dressing room, stepping out. "So?" I asked flatting a hand over the back of the dress.
Robby smiled, "do a twirl." I rolled my eyes, looking at him unamused as I slowly spun around.
His smile was bigger by the time I got around, "I think it's perfect. You look great Sage." He said.
"Good because I am not trying on another one." I huffed walking back into the dressing room.
"And Sage?" Robby said as I was pulling off the dress, "yeah?" I said grabbing my shirt from the floor and pulling it over my head.
"He'll come around." Robby stated.
~~
