"Pierce, please I'm trying to study." I let out an aggravated sigh as my eyes flickered upward from the white-colored pages of my textbook. Pierce approached closer to me, sliding the textbook out from my lap and throwing it to the side.
"Take a bre...
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After I finally got Reese to swear she wasn't going to tell anyone, the two of us headed back inside. I told her that she couldn't even act like she was over the moon, or Aspen would know something was up. I regretted telling her, knowing how big her mouth was, but I wanted to bring a smile to her face after the past week. I was happy to see her have some joy again after everything she had been through.
It killed me to tell her; I wasn't ready to let her into this world, but she needed to know. Reese was still young; she didn't have to grow up as fast as the rest of us. But she understood. She knew that I had to make a decision to protect Aspen. I felt guilty at first; it ate away at me. I told myself I should've felt horrible after killing my own father...but the days passed, and the grief I expected never came. Instead, I mourned the relationships with my family, fearful that I would ruin them forever.
Juniper jumped to my side as soon as the words came out. She didn't hesitate, and that was Juniper. She was one of my best friends and would support me no matter what. Harley and Sawyer followed suit, reminding me that we would all get through this together and that they understood. My mom...she understood above everyone. All these years, I thought she turned the other cheek, but she saw through all of it. She knew how my father was; she was just too frail and abused to speak up. I hoped we could all move on together, gain back some of the power he took from all of us.
Once Reese and I walked back into the living room, the whispers ended, and eyes snapped in our direction. No one dared to speak a word, instead watching me intently. Reese flashed me one last smile before heading over to my mom. My mom pulled her into a tight hug, holding onto her youngest as if her life depended on it.
Everyone was here-my sisters, Theo, Tyson, Greyson, Alexandria, Mars, Mercury, Cypress, Triston, Evangeline, Aspen, and her family. The only two people missing were Xander and Phoenix, nowhere to be found. I assumed Xander stormed off, and Phoenix took off right after him. If there was anyone who could get through to him, it was her.
"Pierce," Alexandria spoke up out of the silence, looking around at everyone. "We all just want you to know...we have your back."
"We do," Greyson spoke up from beside Aspen, the two of them talking when I originally came into the room. "We all just wanted Aspen to be okay. We know you were just protecting her."
"All of you, for that matter," Theo cleared his throat, leaning forward in his seat as his hands dangled between his legs. "We all know Vance was an asshole...we just never thought it would go this far."
"We're all just trying to say, we don't blame you for what you did," Mars spoke up from his seat, my eyes darting as each of them spoke one by one.
"Hell no, we don't." Cypress got up from his seat, walking toward me and grabbing my hand in a firm handshake before pulling me into a quick hug. Cypress broke away from me, slinging an arm around my shoulders as he looked over toward Aspen. "After all, what the hell would we do without her?"
