Five's A Crowd

ten

The drive home was awkward, to say the least. No one said anything and the vibration of the car's engine was the only thing keeping me calm. 

How am I supposed to tell my brothers what happened? What if they're mad? What if they're disappointed in me? Chase notified Matteo that we would be coming home, and said that I'd explain what happened in detail. 

I didn't like that bit.

Goosebumps line my arms as Chase pulls into the grand driveway, shortly followed by Charlie's car, which parks next to us.   

The twins both exit their respective vehicles at the same time, while I remain in Chase's car. I hear my brothers say from outside, before Charlie throws the car door open, and grabs my arm in his grip,  dragging me from the seat. 

I mutter a couple of words in retaliation but go silent after receiving a sharp look from my mysterious brother. 

After one more huff, I follow Charlie and Chase into the house, where the rest of my brothers wait. They are all sitting on sofas in the living room. 

When they hear us enter, all of their eyes fall on the dark marks that litter my neck. It must be a disgusting sight for them. 

Their so called sister that has been living in their house for a couple of days, comes home early on her first day of school with hickey marks. It sounds terrible. 

"Sit down, Hazel," Matteo's voice booms through the room, and pulls me from my depressing thoughts.

I choose an unoccupied sofa, that is placed on the other side of the room. Far away from my brothers. 

"What happened, Hazel? Why do I get a call at the start of the day saying that a teacher has assaulted you?" My oldest brother's voice is even, but I can see through his eyes that he is worried. 

"I don't know," I exclaim sarcastically, my eyes piercing through his head, "why don't you ask Fletcher?"

Matteo leans forward in his seat. He rolls up his sleeves so they rest at his elbows, and puts his man hands on his knees. Now he's interested. 

"I wasn't aware that you and Mr. Halligan were on first names basis."

Fuck. I stuffed up. 

"We're not. It's just that- we... um... we- you know, it's just-" 

My oldest brother holds his hand up to stop me from talking, and I do just that, knowing that any words coming out of my mouth will sound stupid. 

"It's fine. We'll just find out by ourselves if you're not willing to share," Axel says, mockingly pouting as he shrugs his shoulders in 'defeat.'

"No! I'll tell you!" I shout. "FletcherandIdatedandthenhedisappearedandtodayheforcedhimselfuponme," I say in one breath, and I'm sure that no one understood a word I just said.

"Ze, repeat what you just said, but a lot slower please," Levi soothingly says.

I take a deep breath, before repeating myself, just like my brother asked. "Fletcher and I dated and then he disappeared and today he forced himself upon me."

"Fuck!" Axel shouts, dramatically, while Matteo brushes his hair with one hand. 

"So you're telling me that you were in a relationship with an adult... as a minor?" Matteo asks, but he already knows the answer. 

"Possibly," I reply quietly, looking down at my lap.

"So you're not going to shout at her, or anything?" Axel asks, sounding appalled.

"I think we have bigger problems on our hands, Axel. I promise that we'll deal with that later, though," my oldest brother responds. 

The breath gets knocked out of me, and it becomes really hard to breathe. I don't want to get in trouble. I only told my brothers, so they wouldn't have to find out from someone else. The figures around me begin to get blurry, and my surroundings are hard to make out. 

I see a couple of blobs in my vision and assume that they are my brothers. I feel a distorted hand touch my arm, and instantly flinch back upon reflex. When I'm having a panic attack, I hate when people get in my personal space, and put their hands on me.

Especially now, because someone just touched me in places I have never touched myself. 

A cough leaves my mouth. Suddenly, sound comes back to my ears, and vision comes back to my eyes. 

"You're okay, sweetheart." Levi keeps repeating, stroking my hand with the pad of his thumb. "We're so proud of you. You're so brave, Ze."

My third oldest brother wipes away the stray tears that coat my porcelain cheeks. 

"We're going to talk to the school, so you won't ever have to see Mr. Halligan again. By the time you attend school tomorrow, he will be fired, and a female teacher will replace him," Matteo promises. 

"Thank you so much," I exclaim, jumping up from the sofa, and throwing myself into my oldest brother's arms.

At first, he seems a little concerned, but after a couple of seconds, his bulk arms wrap around my small body. 

"You don't know how grateful I am." Tears plague his shirt, and Matteo gently runs his hand through my hair, trying to calm me down.

Eventually, I pull myself away, and instantly wipe my nose, in fear of being snotty. 

"Why don't you go and take a shower, Hazel? I'm sure you want to clean up," Matteo suggests, "the boys and I will be here when you come out. Maybe we'll watch a movie tonight. As a family."

"We? I won't be doing any of that family bonding shit," Axel exclaims, with disgust.

"Yes you will, and you won't complain about it again," Matteo growls.

I slowly make my way out of the room, and upstairs to my bedroom, where I have an ensuite. I run the shower on the coldest setting, and after I have undressed, I merely stand under the water, allowing it to soak my entire body. 

By the time I have finished, my entire body is shaking, and my hair is wet. But I feel cleaner, and a lot less disgusted with myself. 

I wrap a towel around my shoulders, before making my way back into my bedroom. I pick out a pair of black baggy track pants, and an oversized Taylor Swift merch shirt. 

I grab a plain hair tie, and pull my wet hair into a messy bun, so it doesn't stain my shirt.

After taking one last look in my vanity mirror, I nod my head, and begin to make my way back downstairs, hoping for a movie marathon. 

A/N: Hey guys, thank you so much for reading. PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE VOTE, COMMENT, AND READ WHEN I GET A CHAPTER OUT TOMORROW (hopefully). I have a plan for where this book is going, I just need a little support. Also, thank you very much for 900 reads (I know that it's not a lot,) but to me, it means the world. Keep slaying in life, and I will see you tomorrow night- or day depending on where you live- when I update tomorrow. Bye <3