Emerson

Chapter 8.

Emerson's POV

When Reece came home last night he called me into his office. He informed me that my placement test revealed that I was considered a junior. This would put me in the same grade as Griffin while Saint was a senior.  Reece had me choose from a section of classes while he filled out by registration. He sent them in this morning and was waiting to hear back about when I can start. 

My days at the house are boring. Reece goes to work Knox usually goes to work with him. Leon goes to college and is gone for most of the day at school and with his friends. I spot Blaine a few times a day but he mainly hangs out in the gym and leaves when he wants to. Saint and Griffin are obviously at school. I spend most of the days watching my TV and using the phone Reece bought me. 

He bought it when he left Griffin and I alone at the mall. He gave it to me later that night. I set it up and have been playing around with it. I didn't download any social media apps, but I did download some games. 

Currently, I was playing Candy Crush while I listened to a show called Criminal Minds. The show was pretty good so far but some things are so over-dramatized. A crashing sound draws my attention to the door. I walk over to my door cracking the door open. I look out to see Blaine limping down the hallway. 

He's holding his side and using the wall to get to his room. I leave my room and walk over to him. He sees me coming and rolls his eyes. Rude. I just look at him for obvious reasons. 

"What do you want?" He sneers at me. I can smell a little bit of alcohol on his breath. It's like 2 in the afternoon. I point to his side showing my care about him. He may be a dick but no one deserves to be in pain, well some people, just not him. 

"I'm fine. Just leave me alone." He waves one of his hands away from me. He pushes past me and continues to walk to his room. I follow him making sure he doesn't pass out in the hallway. From the wall I see his side is bleeding.

"I said leave me alone. God, can't you hear." He continues limping to his room. He opens the door and tries to shut me out. I just opened the door that he didn't lock. I follow him into the bathroom to see he's taken his shirt off and is trying to wipe away blood with a wash rag. He looks in the mirror to see me standing there. 

"Fuckin leave, you freak." That one hurt a little, but Mom has said ten times worse things. I shake my head and get comfortable leaning against the door. I watch as he rolls his eyes again and starts roughly wiping his cut. With it slightly cleaner it looks like he got slashed by a knife. 

I watch as he takes an alcohol wipe and presses it against his cut. He winces but wraps his cut with a bandage. He wraps it and does it terribly. I shake my head and go towards him. I rip the terrible tape job off and redo it. 

"I don't need your help." He sneers as he tries to move my hands away. I continue to work and push his hands away from me. He pushes me away from him when I take a look at his face. I roll my eyes this time and start picking up the bathroom. I throw the dirty rag into the dirty clothes basket, and the trash into the trash can. 

"What a little bitch. Do you always not listen must have been why Mom ignored you." He continues to throw insults at me while I clean up his blood from the counter and floor. "Dad and us never wanted you back. We were just fine without in our lives." 

I start to leave the room. Blaine throws one last insult at me while I open the door to his bedroom. 

"No one ever wanted you why don't you just go disappear? We were all better off when we thought you were dead." I freeze in the doorway. I turn back towards him to see him swaying in place. 

"Maybe you were better off without me here. But too damn bad I'm here now so get over yourself." My voice comes out raspy from not using it, it's obviously deeper from what I remember. His eyes widen slightly surprised that I spoke up against him. I'm surprised too that I talked, but I'm done being a doormat. I've spent my whole life putting myself down for my Mom to survive but never again. I won't be the same person who lets people walk all over me and throw their verbal abuse at me. 

I walk out of his room not bothering to see any other reaction. I go into my room locking the door still afraid. I want to be better doesn't mean I am better.