Dance In The Rain

~25~ Bonfire

The next week goes by pretty well. Tate and I are really starting to settle in, and Tate has been smiling once in a while around Holden. They still aren't "good," but it isn't a constant fight to get Tate to be a decent human around him.

"When is my grounding over?" Tate asks one night as we're eating tater-tot casserole.

"You're giving me this weekend and then you're free," Holden says with a smile as he shovels in more food.

"Holden, there's a huge bonfire this weekend that I wanted to go to," Tate whines as he stabs at a tot.

"Oh shit! I forgot about that," Holden says, and I can visibly see on his face how torn he is.

"What is it?" I ask, feeling completely out of the loop.

"Tourist season is winding down for a few months, so the town has what they call 'Freedom weekend.' It's a cheesy festival that we throw because tourists drive us crazy, and we're glad to be rid of 'em."

"So can I go? Please?" Tate asks as he takes a drink of lemonade and keeps eye contact with Holden.

"If I consider it, will you drink or do drugs?"

"No," he says quickly as his leg starts bouncing up and down in anticipation.

Holden continues to study him, and Tate continues to stare at our brother.

"Tate William Thompson if you drink anything but soda and water or consume anything other than food...or sand if you're being stupid...I promise that you will get NO other warning and I will spank your ass!" He says in a tone I've never heard before, pointing his fork at him with a tot still attached.

"I promise I won't," Tate says in a soft voice.

Holden watches him for another minute before he nods. "Ok. Then you're grounded until Friday. DO NOT make me regret this."

"I won't. Thanks," he says with a smile as he eats the rest of his food in silence.

~*~

Friday gets here and Kenna and I have plans to go to the bonfire too. The idea of having a friend to do things with is completely foreign to me, but I am really starting to like it.

"I heard you drove home with Quinn," Brandy booms as she bursts into the house after school and points her finger at Holden.

"Yeah, I did. What the hell did you expect out of me? Hello, by the way! Considering I haven't seen or spoken to you since we left!"

"You have some nerve talking to me with that tone after you rode in a car for an hour with another woman!"

"I wouldn't have had to do that if my woman would've been there like she promised." Holden hisses as he stands in front of her and holds his ground.

"So I'm in the wrong? You spend time alone with her and I'm the bad guy?" She asks in a shaky voice as she pretends to start crying.

"It's not like we had sex, Brandy!" He seethes, and then notices me out of the corner of his eye and clears his throat. "I'm done talking about this in front of my sister...If you wanna keep talking, let's go outside."

She turns on her heels and storms out to the front, and Holden follows after her angrily. They're out there for over ten minutes with their voices escalating and hands flailing, but I don't snoop.

Honestly, their relationship isn't interesting enough to snoop.

"What the hell is going on out there?" Tate asks as he comes out of the bedroom and looks outside.