Their Little Sunshine

[31] Brother's for a Reason

Third Person POV

Kiara groaned in frustration, throwing her hands in the air as she turned back toward them. Her cheeks were flushed with a mix of irritation and mild embarrassment, "You know what? Fine. I'll come back. But for the record," she said, planting her hands on her hips, "I'm not the first person who's going to school for the first time. Everyone does it. It's normal!"

Her words felt defensive even to her own ears, and she hated that she sounded so flustered. It wasn’t like her to be rattled this easily, but the smirks on her cousins’ faces were doing a number on her nerves.

Zayn leaned back casually, his sly grin spreading across his face. “True, everyone does it. But not everyone’s our sister.”

Carlos snickered, clearly amused. "Oh, we’re more than happy, Kiara. Don’t stop now; this is the most entertaining part of the morning."

Kiara shot him a withering look, but it didn’t stop her heart from sinking a little. Great. Here we go again. Getting teased was not the most pleasant thing! It was much fun teasing others.

Carson, standing next to him, chimed in without missing a beat. “And you know what that means, right? No one’s going to help you. It’s a rite of passage for you.”

"Seriously?" Kiara clenched her fists by her sides, trying to keep her frustration in check. “You guys are impossible.” she muttered

“Aw, don’t look so defeated,” Carson continued, “We’re just making sure you don’t get special treatment.”

“Exactly,” Carlos added, nodding sagely. “It’s all about tough love, Ki”

Before she could respond, Silas, decided to join in again. "You know," he began, his voice low and deliberately slow, "if you keep going on about my driving skills, I might just have to teach you how it’s done." He leaned slightly closer, his tone dripping with mischief. "Think you could keep up, Kiara?"

Her eyes snapped to his, her mouth opening slightly as if to respond, but no words came out. Silas tilted his head, his smirk growing. "No? Didn’t think so."

Unbeknownst to her, a small pout had already formed on her face.

Carlos chuckled. “Don’t worry, Kiara. Even if you get lost, we’ll probably hear about it. Someone’s bound to mention the clueless new kid wandering the halls.”

Carson added, “Just make sure you don’t end up in the janitor’s closet. That’d be embarrassing.”

Kiara spun back around, her cheeks flushed. “You know what? Forget it.” She stomped back toward the group, muttering under her breath, “I can’t believe I’m related to you guys.”

Jake, finally freed from Antonio’s hold, grinned at her. “Hey, don’t look at me. I tried to help.”

“Yeah, right,”

“Come here,” Kritton’s gentle voice broke through the teasing. Before she knew it, he guided her to stand in front of him.

“What are you doing?” she asked, confused.

“Relax,” Kritton said, wrapping his arms around her shoulders from behind. His hold was comforting, though there was a playful gleam in his eyes. “You look like you’re ready to explode.”

Kiara sighed heavily, her body sagging slightly as she leaned back against Kritton. “This is not what I need on my first day.”

Kritton tightened his hold slightly, leaning down so his chin nearly rested on top of her head. "You know, Kiara, if you’re going to keep acting like this, I might just have to escort you to every single one of your classes today. Make sure you don’t trip or get lost."