Somewhere Only We Know

IV - Burden and banter

10:38 a.m.

"What? No! Why would you say that?" Micaela exclaimed, her voice trembling with a mix of disbelief and hurt.

Chase turned towards Diane, his expression a mix of disappointment and confusion. "What the hell, Diane?" His eyes searched hers for some semblance of understanding or, at the very least, a reason behind her words.

Diane crossed her arms, her voice dropping to a soft, almost defeated whisper. "I—I didn't mean it like that."

"I've always believed I was a burden—just a weight dragging you all down, especially Jesse. There was a time when I fought against those thoughts, tried to keep them at bay. But do you know when it all started? When I was just six years old." The silence in the room felt heavy with unspoken emotions.

After a moment that seemed to stretch into eternity, I finally spoke, breaking the tension with an unexpected smile. "This is the confirmation I didn't know I needed, I guess. Thanks for letting me know, Diane." I turned away, grabbing my bag, ready to escape the painful atmosphere.

"Where are you going, Em?" Chase asked, a note of genuine concern threading through his words. It was as if he felt an unbreakable bond with me, like we were real siblings caught in this tangled web of family drama.

"I don't know. Probably to Jesse," I replied, half-jokingly, "since we're both a bunch of troublemakers." I moved toward the elevator, the sound of its ding echoing in the otherwise quiet hall.

Before I could step inside, Chase burst in after me. "Really low blow, Diane. Jesus." He stepped boldly into the elevator, preventing the doors from closing. "I'm coming with you, Em."

For a moment, we stood there, enveloped in silence, the weight of our conversation hanging heavy in the air. Chase was the first to break it, his voice calm yet insightful. "I don't understand your sisters, you know. They'd be so lucky to have you. You're a good kid." He placed a comforting hand on my shoulder, a gesture that both soothed and stirred my already roiling emotions. "Don't listen to a single word that came out of Diane's mouth."

"I don't understand them either," I admitted, my gaze dropping to the floor as I struggled to keep my composure. "It's eye-opening, really. To finally know that Diane secretly hates me." I let out a bitter laugh, trying to mask the hurt. "That's two siblings down. I always thought it would be Mica who hated me, but I thought wrong, I guess."

"Come on, Em. Mica could never hate you. Sure, she can be a handful, but if there's one thing I could say to describe her, it would be full of love. She's one of the kindest people I've ever known." He turned his focus on the elevator doors, lost in thought as our reflections stared back at us.

As we lingered in silence, I pondered where I might go when I stepped out of this elevator. The doors opened with a soft whoosh, and Chase stood in front of me, making sure I would take the step outside.

"Well, would you look at that? My two favorite people in the world are in one elevator!" A lively voice cut through the uncertainty. "Well, excluding Tom Hanks, of course. But anyway!" he cleared his throat, his voice switching to a more serious tone. "Come with me."

Before I could turn around to see who it was, I instantly recognized Jesse Davidson's voice—a brother I was both excited and apprehensive to see again.

We followed him through a crowd of sleek black cars until we reached a limousine—a stark contrast to the turmoil in my mind. My heart raced as disbelief washed over me; I could hardly grasp that this man I barely remembered was still alive and coherent. In my mind, everyone who left was dead. That way, they couldn't choose to abandon me. I pushed my way into the limo, the reality still settling on my shoulders like an unwelcome burden.

"Chase, can you move so I can see the reason I came back to this horrid town?" I felt Chase's reassuring grip on my arm, his presence grounding me as I slowly removed my hoodie and lifted my head to meet Jesse's gaze.

"Hello, Maxine," he greeted, a smirk playing on his lips. "The weather is quite nice today, isn't it? Anyway, did you miss me?"

I couldn't suppress a smirk as I regarded his familiar, infuriatingly carefree expression. He hadn't changed at all. "No, yeah. I missed you. You know what I missed the most about you?" I tilted my head slightly, expecting his signature sarcastic retort. "I missed how you were barely around when I was a kid. Just like Dad. You know, these days, I feel like you are Dad." I braced myself for the fallout, knowing how touchy that subject was.

For a moment, his expression hardened, and his eyes pierced mine with an intensity that made the air around us feel electric. "I am nothing like your father, Maxine," he said, his voice low and measured, but I could see the flicker of pain underneath.

I couldn't help but laugh, knowing how much he despised our father. Quickly, I steered the conversation away. "What about you, Jesse? What did you miss about me? Or about good old North Carolina?"

A smile broke across his face, genuine this time. "Starting with you, I miss the way you can ruin a perfectly good conversation." He chuckled lightly, then his gaze shifted to Chase as if weighing his next words. "And as for North Carolina..." his voice trailed off, and he seemed lost in thought for a moment.

"Nice weather, right, Chase?" he finally said with a playful smirk.

"Yeah. The atmosphere outside is warm and cozy," Chase replied, "but in here, I feel like I'm being frozen to death by your gaze."

"Funny. Quick question, though. Why are you with my little sister? Aren't you supposed to be hiding behind Micaela? You know, since you can't seem to live without her breathing down your neck." Jesse's tone was teasing, but the underlying challenge was unmistakable.

"Now you're the funny one," Chase shot back, his smile teasing but defensive. "I'm here because your other two sisters couldn't be bothered to keep Max company. And I would never trust anyone's life in your hands."

"Now, why would you think I'd do anything to harm little Maxine here?" Jesse replied, feigning innocence. I could tell he was enjoying this back-and-forth. "I'm just taking her with me to New York since our mother couldn't be bothered to come back from Greece."

Jesse's gaze was locked onto mine when I turned to face him, and I felt a jolt of unease at the implication of his words. "Mom is in Greece?" I asked, my voice betraying a mix of confusion and alarm.

"Oh, did she not tell you?" Jesse's tone was light, but I could hear the edge beneath it. "She's moving to Greece to get married. She emailed me about her plans a month ago and asked me to take you to New York with me. Of course, at that time, I didn't know I had to bring Chase as well." He turned, casting a playful glance at Chase.

"She's getting married and living in Greece? How could she not have mentioned this to me?" Anger and disbelief swirled within me. I had barely registered her leaving—now she was starting a new life halfway across the world?

"You know, you really shouldn't trust what people tell you. By now, she's probably a Mrs. Greece," Jesse said with a smug smile. "And don't worry, Chase, I'm completely fine with you in my home. I'll be away all the time anyway. I wouldn't want Maxine to rot in my apartment by herself." 

The gravity of Jesse's revelations hung in the air, eclipsing the playful banter we had just shared. Everything I thought I understood about my family was unraveling. As we drove into the unknown, I couldn't shake the feeling that the worst was yet to come.

HOLA BROSKI'S. NO MORE WRITER'S BLOCK, LET'S GO!!

word count is 1341.