A Family Podcast (english)

Chapter 3

Aden

"Jo, if it isn't the loser twins," 

I sighed and turned around. Tom and his friends were standing behind us. Liam gave me a sideways glance.

"Come on," I nodded towards the hallway, and we continued walking.

"I want to talk to you" Tom grabbed my backpack and turned me around. His friends laughed, and one of them shoved Liam against one of the lockers.

"What do you want, Tom?" I asked. Tom had been on our case since we started school, and usually, he wanted something. Snacks, money, homework. I hoped it was the same today, because when he bothered us for no reason, things usually didn't end well for us.

"That sounds better," Tom laughed and ruffled my hair with his hand. I tried to push his hand away, which didn't really work, but well, a guy can still dream. Tom laughed. Finally, he let go of me and reached into his backpack.

"Here," he handed me a few papers. "I have to submit this essay by Friday, and it better be good. It counts for a quarter of the final grade."

I glanced at the worksheet and shook my head. "Five pages on potential calculation? We haven't even covered that in class." Tom was a year ahead of us. It was a miracle he made it that far, but it was in my best interest that he didn't get held back. If Tom ended up in our class, I would drop out of school and start an online course or something, that was for sure.

"So what? You guys learn quickly, you'll manage," Tom patted my shoulder, and I rolled my eyes.

"Are you saying you think we're smart?" Liam asked, almost groaning as one of Tom's friends punched him in the stomach.

"Hey!" I was about to take a step forward when Tom grabbed my shoulder and pushed me against the locker.

"Actually, on second thought, I want the essay by Thursday. So put those supposedly smart heads of yours to work, or the three of us will have a real problem, got it?" I nodded silently. As if we didn't have a problem with each other already, I thought. But I didn't dare say anything.

"That's what I thought," he hissed before letting go of me and disappearing.

"Well, that's a great start to the week," Liam picked up his fallen backpack and walked towards me.

"Are you okay?" I asked, glancing at his hand on his stomach.

Liam was about to reply when Noah showed up. "Why wouldn't he be okay? Besides, it's Monday."

Liam and I exchanged a glance before I shrugged. "Oh, it's nothing. We're just about to give a presentation, and Liam is a bit nervous," I lied, and Liam nudged me with his elbow.

But I couldn't come up with another excuse on the spot. Our brothers had helped us out of trouble enough times, and we didn't dare tell them how often we were actually in trouble. Sure, they would help us, but they would also be disappointed. They just couldn't understand why we didn't fight back. And we didn't want them to realize how different we were, fearing they would stop bothering with us altogether.

Noah scrutinized us suspiciously. "You two always get an A. What's with the nerves?"

"So now we're not allowed to be nervous just because we get good grades, is that it?" Liam grumbled, and Noah raised his hands in laughter.

"Okay, okay, I was just saying," he said, putting an arm around each of us, and we walked towards the cafeteria. "I just wanted to let you know that you'll have to take the bus alone today. Jackson and Thea finish school earlier, and I'm going out with friends after school." A few of his friends were standing in front of the cafeteria, and Noah let go of us to join them. "See you later, and good luck with the presentation," he called over his shoulder before joining his friends.