Jodee

Chapter 28 - They're Back

 "Caleb!" I yelled, slinging my arms around his neck and pulling my body into his.

Caleb laughed, wrapping one arm around my back as well and turning his head to kiss my left temple. "Glad to see I was missed,"

"Of course I missed you!" I exclaimed.

I pushed my body off of his, but still kept my hands wrapped around his neck as I grinned towards my honorary brother.

My time staying with Jess had been awesome and we already agreed that we have to have another sleepover very soon because we forgot how fun they are. I also said that I can probably host the next one at my house which I'm sure Jess was very excited about so she could see Caleb again after the little show he'd done, but internally it made me groan of having to try and have fun and control the ladies man that is my brother!

But I was also missing my brothers and my home a ton. I was definitely a homebody and they told me they were leaving so soon to them actually going that it just feels like they've been gone for a while. I think I'm just still in shock and never really processed that they were going so when they weren't here it was just a lot. I don't know how to explain it at all but I sure missed them.

Mr. Crawford dropped us off at school on the way to work this morning and I had gone about my day as normal ... well as normal as it can get when I'm always afraid Zane is going to be lurking around the next corner. But that's not something I want to talk or think about right now. 

Caleb texted me during the day that Ace and him had gotten home and he was going to pick me up. I made sure to tell him this time that he was to pick me up where normal people pick their kids up and not in the middle of the freaking school like him and Ace did this time. And he did as I asked, lucky for me. So now he was just parked in a random spot while we had our reunion and then we were going to head home.

I wanted to give Caleb a hug forever, but I knew we had to get out of the random person's parking spot so I reluctantly sat back in my seat and pulled my seatbelt across my chest and buckled it in.

"Where's Ace?" I asked, looking around as if I expected my brother to just magically appear.

"Your brother just had to finish something up real quick for work and wanted to make sure he had it done before you came home."

"For work? Didn't you guys just take a whole trip for work, why would there be more? Why does he want to finish it before I come home?" I fired off question after question.

Caleb side-eyed me, uncomfort swelling in his blue irises. "Jesus, that's a lot of questions ... Okay. Um. Yes, we just did a work trip. It's just some paperwork Ace has to finish up from the trip ... because I was too lazy to do it, but that's not the point. Um... what was the other question? Oh, yeah. He wants to have it done so we can all hang out. Why? You don't like that?"

"No no no!" I quickly responded to my brother's best friend's question. "Of course I want to hang out with you guys. I was just wondering."

"Ya ever heard that curiosity killed the cat, JD? Cause I think you're the bloody cat," He murmured under his breath.

"Hey!" I admonished. "I'm not going to be killed!"

I huffed, crossing my arms over my chest and glaring at Caleb who was doing his best to completely ignore me and just watch the road.

That's when my eyes zeroed in on his hands that were currently resting on the steering wheel, although there was something off about them. His knuckles were grazed, including one that had a white bandage over it. And most of the back of his hand was sporting purple and black blotches — bruises.