A Loaded Gun

Chapter 9

A/N I would have uploaded this earlier but something about offline?  Idk.  Anyway, here it is.

Brooke POV

"I feel like I've been saying this a lot, but WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT?" A voice I identified as Daniel yelled. 

Marcus turned to him with a dry expression.  "That, my dear brother, was a night terror.  And Brooke, I need to know what it was about." 

Technically it was an afternoon terror, but whatever.  I needed an excuse, and fast.  I took a deep breath, allowed my tears to finally fall, and put on the show of a lifetime.

"I-I sometimes dream about when Mom died.  It always scares me and it gets worse every time.  I'm sorry, I didn't mean to disturb anyone." 

Lucas and Daniel's eyes softened with pity, but Marcus' were narrowed, calculating.  I knew he saw through my lie, but hopefully he wouldn't bring it up. 

Unfortunately, I had no such luck.  "Brooke, you remember the rule about lying?"

"I swear, I'm not lying."  The tears were real, it was just the excuse that was fake. 

"Hmmm," he didn't believe me.  This was the best act I had put on in my life, and he saw right through it as if it was glass. 

"Until you tell me the truth, you will be punished." I sucked in a breath, preparing for the worst. 

Whenever I lied to Benny, he usually brought out a knife.  Who knows what Marcus would do?

"You're grounded.  You will stay in your room except for mealtimes until you tell me the truth."
That's it?  This doesn't feel like a punishment. 

He mistook my shocked face for indignation and said, "You brought this on yourself.  Don't complain."

"N-no I'm not complaining.  I understand." 

"Don't worry Brooke, we'll still keep you company.  Since you feel uncomfortable at the mall, we'll do some online shopping.  It'll be so much fun!" 

Unsurprisingly that was Lucas.  He seemed to be the most chill among my brothers.  "Thank you, Lucas.  That's very sweet of you." 

They filed out of my room, Marcus last.  With folded arms, he said, "I'll get the truth out of you eventually.  It's only a matter of time, Brooke." 

I couldn't help the shudder that passed through me when I heard his dark tone.  That wasn't just a promise, that was a threat. 

Once they were gone, I curled up on my bed and cried.  I hated the dreams that I had about Benny and my mom. 

I wasn't really lying when I said I dreamt about Mom; she pops up sometimes and I beg for her to save me.  She never does, she just fades away like a ghost.

An hour later, I was reading a book called A Secret Service, and it was so interesting!

A/N go check out @joymoment!  She's got amazing stories and I love all of them.  A Secret Service is also published on Amazon, and I would definitely recommend getting it.  Not advertising, just genuinely love all her books.

The story was so well-written and the characters had so much depth.  So engrossed in Carter's badass story, I didn't notice when Lucas literally skipped into my room with a laptop in his hands. 

"You ready to do some shopping?"

I closed the book with a small smile.  "Yeah, I guess so."

He scanned my body and said, "You look like an extra-small.  You're so tiny!"

He must be lying to me.  Benny always said I was fat.  I didn't want to call him out though, so I just smiled shyly. 

He pulled up a website called American Eagle and we slowly sifted through the various categories of clothing. 

Every time I hovered the mouse over a particular piece of clothing, he put it in the cart.  He did the same thing on the next website, Aeropostale. 

That one made me smile because he remembered the hoodie and shorts I was looking at. 

Charlotte Russe was another website.  I liked their clothes, they were really pretty and looked comfy. 

Factoring in accessories and undergarments, we went to 5 websites total.

Every time we went to the checkout, he covered my eyes with his hands so I couldn't see the total. 

Joke's on him though, because I was good with numbers and kept track of each purchase.  It came out to around $3500, which is way too much for any piece of clothing. 

When I protested the cost, Lucas just laughed and said, "This is just the beginning, principessa.  I want to make sure we got the right size, then we'll do the real thing. 

"This is nothing but a drop in the ocean of our funds.  I'll run to the store and get you a couple outfits to hold you over until the clothes arrive." 

How much money did they have?  There was going to be more clothes?  Where would I put all of them? 

I thanked him for buying all this stuff for me, and he laughed again.  "We're not done yet.  We just did clothes, we haven't even started on electronics." 

We're not done yet?  How much are we gonna spend?  He went on the Apple website and bought an iPhone 14, Airpods, a Series 7 Watch, and a Macbook Pro. 

Next he pulled up a website and helped me pick out cases for all of them.  They were really pretty, but all of it was way too expensive. 

He refused to hear what I had to say, putting his hands over his ears and yelling "LALALALALA" until I stopped talking. 

That got a giggle out of me.  His eyes widened and a bright grin spread across his face.  "I made you laugh!  I did it first!  I can't wait to brag about this to the others!"

I ducked my head shyly. 

"Hey Brooke?  Would you mind if I asked you something?"
You just did.
"No, I don't mind."
"What was Mom like?  I was only 8 when she left, so I don't have a lot of memories of her."

A soft smile came over my face.  "She was the best.  She did so well raising me on her own.  She always knew just what to say to make me feel better, and she encouraged me in everything I did. 
"When I was feeling sad, she would make me cookies and we would watch Phineas and Ferb together.  She always made sure I was never alone, even when she had to work nights she hired a babysitter.  It really hurt when she died."

Tears glistened in both our eyes.  Mine for memories, his for missed opportunities. 

I got curious.  "Why did she leave?  What happened?"

Lucas shifted uncomfortably.  "I think that's a topic for Marcus to discuss."  I nodded my head in disappointment. 

I was too scared to ask Marcus a question like that so I guess I'd never find out.  The rest of the evening we spent together with him telling me stories about his childhood. 

They were happy, but to me it was bittersweet.  I eventually fell asleep with my head on his lap, silent tears rolling down my face.

A/N sorry this is so boring.  I'll update soon to make up for it.  Also I forgot how boring the holidays are.  Like there's absolutely nothing to do and I can't write because I have no idea what to do next.  I've prewritten up to I think chapter 32 and I'm stuck for ideas.  As soon as I finish I'll update more often, but for now I don't want to run out of chapters and feel pressured to write every week.