My brothers best friend

Chapter 5: Unspoken Truths

(Edited)

Chapter 5

Jake's Point of view.

What's wrong with me? Why can't I just stop being such a jerk, even for a second? I was awful—completely out of line in front of her. I called her a... I can't even say it. She probably hates me now. But why do I do this? Why do I turn into this person when she's around? I'm not like this with other people. With them, I'm normal. I can keep it together. But with her? Everything just goes wrong. I can't think straight. It's like I'm a different person when she's near. I don't know how to act, and I always screw it up.

What happened earlier? That's not something I imagined. She probably thinks I'm a complete jerk.

But she doesn't hate me. She's probably just upset—hurt by what I said, by calling her a bitch. She's regretting what happened between us, I can tell. She's hurt. But I don't think she's a bitch. She can be tough, sure, even a little annoying at times. But to me? She's perfect. Absolutely perfect.

I've spent so long trying to look at her differently, trying to force myself to see her any other way. But I can't. No matter how hard I try, I just can't.

But if I could—if I could stop these feelings, I swear I would.

Congrats, Jake. You've just made the girl you can't stop thinking about hate you. Well done. Just keep it up, buddy.

Shut up, buddy.

Once I'm back inside the Westwood house, I scan the room for Mason. It doesn't take long to spot him with Paige, standing off to one side, laughing and talking. The sight irritates me. How can he be so casual after what he just did to his sister?

As I approach, Mason's the first to speak, his voice too careful, too practiced.

"Sorry, man. I should've taken her home myself, but thanks."

I notice the tension in his posture—rigid, like he's trying to keep something hidden. Paige must've been trying to calm him down while I was driving Valerie to her dorm.

Mason's not someone who gets angry easily. You might not believe me, but the only people who really get under his skin are his family. With anyone else, he either shuts down or shuts them out. But with Valerie? It's different. He cares about her—more than she'll ever realize. That's why he's been so wound up lately.

It's not just about her not listening to him. It's about him, too. He's angry at himself. Angry that he couldn't be there for her before, when she needed him. Now, he's probably second-guessing everything—wondering why he left her alone with their parents, knowing how they are. It's not that they're bad parents; they just have their priorities. Their jobs come first, and sometimes that means their kids get left in the background.

"No problem, man." I shrug, wanting to move on from the topic. It wasn't a big deal. Honestly, I enjoy Valerie's company—always have. She has this way of putting people at ease, making everyone around her feel comfortable. Even though today wasn't exactly a fun trip, I still appreciated having her there. She was probably cursing me out in her head the whole time.

"Are you sure? She can be... hard to handle sometimes," Mason says, his voice taking on a tone I don't like. "You know what I mean, right? She can be a real bitch."

I feel my fists clench without thinking. What the hell? Why is he talking about his own sister like that? I mean, I called her a bitch earlier, but... I didn't mean it. Or maybe I did, but... I regret it now.

Yes, Valerie can be a bitch but she has her reasons, and we don't exactly make it easy for her to be sweet. She's quick to get mad, and when we were teenagers, that was something the boys and I used to laugh about. I know Mason loves her, and he's probably just drunk, but it's still not okay to talk about her like that.