Sullivan Siblings

XXV

"I am so lone-lyyyy. I have nobodyyyy, to come and visitttttt." I sing random words to the tune of Akon's song, Lonely, from his Konvict album.

"'Cause you're soooooo laaaaaammmme!" Hollis mocks me from his spot, leaned against Emmett's ugly grey car.

"Shut up!" I hiss, whacking his shoulder with my palm.

"Let's go!" Emmett impatiently orders and slams his door shut. Hollis and I share a look before rolling our eyes.

"Shotgun!" I squeal as I launch myself around the hood of the lame Honda Civic.

"Lu gets shotgun!" Emmett shouts. His dark green eyes glare at me. "You know this shit already."

"Whatever!" I snap. Since Emmett was expelled, he has been our designated driver for school days. He is not allowed on school property so we have to walk to the next street over, which boasts of a coffee shop, laundry mat and some apartment buildings. Personally, I think it is kind of sketchy.

Since Manny is still suspended, at least we all get our own seats. I reach my hand up to tug my backpack off, realizing I forgot it. Because it is a weekend, the teachers had to load us with too much homework. And, since I am grounded, and I have nothing to do this weekend, I really should go get it. Even though I'll probably be too busy thinking about Izak Sullivan, the tin box, Ivan's crazy blood memory, our parents and whatever other family we might have and, of course, why I had to stupidly go and fall for Frederick Kowalski.

"I forgot my backpack!" I spin on my heel. "I'll be back!"

"Crappy Terminator reference!" Hollis shouts after me.

"She's not supposed to be alone!" Emmett groans. I look over my shoulder to see him walking to me, then stopping because, not only was he expelled, but the school has a restraining order against him. "Someone go follow her!"

"I got her!" Baby's voice greets my ears a second before I barrel into his body. He catches me with a grunt. We both jerk from the force, but do not fall.

"Oh my gosh, just leave me alone!" I moan. I squirm out of his hold and slap at his hands reaching to steady me. Tears pool in my eyes, but I valiantly will them away. "Can no one leave me alone?!"

"Not according to Odin and Ivan." Baby answers my rhetorical question seriously. I shoot him a very dirty look as we both walk to my locker, which just so happens to be in the farthest wing of the school away from where Emmett parks. Pettily, I wonder if Odin is paying him extra now. He hasn't given me any money since we made that deal to keep his nerd-i-ness a secret.

"No one left me alone all day!" I grumble, referring to my group of girl friends, and students that had the balls to brave Hollis, Silas and Luke's indignation at their audacity.

Random students kept coming up to me and asking if it was true. Austin's recent ex-girlfriend yelled me out and called me down in the middle of the cafeteria. His friends, mostly hockey players, made it very clear what they wish to do me for crying 'wolf'. Besides all that, Geoffrey, Zach, Boy, Baby, Ansel, Tristan, Ethan, and Alistair grouped in with my brothers crazy overprotective antics and, at least, one brother and two of their friends were constantly with me!

The only reprieve I got was in my classrooms, but then, that's where Kieth and the girls hovered over me. Sam was trying to act like my therapist. Lana and Katie were arguing with classmates about how it did happen and that they need to mind their own business. Astrid was over the top too cheerful and giggly, as if she didn't know what else to say, or do. Kieth got into a fight with Austin's little cousin in our grade. Chelsea, thankfully, seemed to be the only normal one.