My brothers best friend

Chapter 4: The Weight of Unsaid Things

(Edited)

Chapter 4

Valerie's Point of view.

It might seem like my mission is to annoy my brother, but honestly, it's his own fault. He doesn't need to interfere or try to control my choices. I'm fully capable of making my own decisions, and I always have been—and always will be. That won't change just because he's around now.

I know this is probably going to make him mad, and definitely really annoyed, but when I finally pick what to wear, I'm almost certain he'll just pick me up and carry me away from the party.

It's not because the outfit is that bad—because, honestly, I don't think it is.

It's just a short silver sequin skirt that looks really good on my legs, paired with a white top that I absolutely love how it fits on my body. I briefly consider wearing leggings, but then I decide against it at the last second.

"Val, you goat, why are you wearing that? You look super hot! But seriously, are you trying to get your brother to kill everyone who looks at you? Because there's definitely going to be a lot of guys checking you out, and Mason's not going to be happy about it," Viktoria says.

"Because I want to wear it," I shrug. "And yeah, I am trying to annoy him. I'm not letting him make decisions for me. You know he's only doing this because he finally decided to play the 'big brother, little sister' role, but I'm not having it. He ditched me at home with our parents the second he turned eighteen."

"I know, Valerie, but he was trying to be independent. Your parents were always on his back  because he wanted to be a doctor. You know they want you both to follow in their footsteps and become lawyers. Does he even know you're coming?" Viktoria asks, looking at me like she's given up on trying to make sense of everything. She doesn't get that my brother didn't leave me—he just didn't want to live under our parents' roof.

Our parents aren't even that bad. I love Mom and Dad so much. But sometimes, they were never home because they were always working. I felt so alone back then, and I needed my brother. But he left me anyway.

I pop a lollipop into my mouth and say, "No, he doesn't." But honestly, it's none of his business. If he knew, he'd skip the party and rush over here to drag me away, which is so not cool. So I haven't told him, and I'm not planning to either.

Paige walks into the room, rocking a black skirt and a green top that looks amazing on her. "Omg, girls, you both look hot! We have to take some pictures!"

"Thanks, Paige, you look great too!" Viktoria grins. "Would it be a problem if you drove us to the party? And we definitely should!"

"No, of course, it wouldn't be a problem. Just please don't tell Mason. He'll be so mad."

"Deal," I reply quickly, popping the lollipop back in my mouth.

Ten minutes later, we're on our way to the party, with Paige driving us. I know Mason's just trying to be a good big brother, but it's honestly pretty annoying—especially considering he was drinking and going to parties at nineteen, and he's only two years older than me. I love him, and maybe part of me likes the fact that he's being overprotective, because that's what I've missed. I missed having him there for me. I missed the times I'd tell him I kissed a boy and he'd immediately demand to know who it was and where the guy lived. I missed him. In a way, I consider him my twin.

If Mason sees me at the party, he'll be so mad, and I really don't want that to happen. I have to stay as far away from him as possible.

If he acts like this now, when he doesn't even know what have happened, what would he do if he did know? Just the thought of it makes me nervous.