My Over Protective Brothers. | #Wattys 2016.

Chapter 13 - "Elephants."

My Over Protective Brothers. Copyright © 2015. All Rights Reserved.

"Ohana means family. Family means nobody gets left behind or forgotten" - Lilo and Stitch.

Xavier^

******

Aspen's POV.

I woke up curled into someone's chest. I looked up and saw Bennett. I was confused for a second then remember everything from last night. The screaming, breaking the vase, not feeling good enough.

I looked over at the time and saw it was only 5:30am. I untangled myself from Bennett's arms and walked over to the bathroom, I switched on the light and winced from the blinding light. I blinked a couple of times and got used to the light. I turned and looked in the mirror.

Tears stained my face, dark black bags under my eyes, chapped lips and a bird nest on top of my head. God don't I look beautiful. I splashed some cold water in my face and rubbed it around my neck.

My belly started to rumble but the thought of food made my belly turned. I walked out the bathroom and saw Bennett spread out like a star on my bed. My bed.

I walked out my room and stepped carefully in case any of the floor board's creaked. I walked quietly down the stairs and saw the kitchen light on. I walked into to it and saw Xavier sitting at the table with his head on the table. I saw he was asleep.

I shook his shoulder and he grumbled something I couldn't understand. I shook his shoulder again and his eyes slowly opened.

"Aspen" He said in his sleepy voice.

"Yeah it's me" I said quietly.

"Are you okay?" He sat up.

I shrugged my shoulders and made a glass of orange juice.

"Is that yes or a no?" I shrugged my shoulders again. "Aspen p-please we want to help you, but you need to let us in" The way his voice cracked brought tears to my eyes.

"I-I just" I trailed off not knowing what to say or how to put it into a sentence. "I just miss mum and dad so much. It hurts so much, and no one was there. No one was there Xavier" I put my glass down trying to hold in my sobs.

"We were all grieving Aspen. But I know we should of stuck together as a family and I'm sorry so sorry. But please last night was horrible, watching you scream your lungs out and you destroy yourself. It makes me and Bennett feel like we have failed you"

I didn't know what to say. "You haven't failed me, none of you have. I love you all. But things get too much. Stacey and her fucking sluts treat me like shit and it hurts. The nightmares all the time, I thought they would stop. It hurts knowing I can never be fully happy."

He walked over to me and brought me into a hug. "I will sort Stacey out and you can be happy Aspen. I know you're hurting with the nightmares, we have to hear you scream and then remember what happened."

"I know, I'm really trying okay. But I promise I won't end up like last night again" I looked up at him.

"I hope not, it hurt so much. But I love you kid" He kissed my forehead.

"Have you been here all night?" He just nodded. "Come on" I pulled his hand towards the couch.

I shoved him down and put a pillow under his head. He pulled me onto his chest and wrapped his arms around me.

"I love you baby girl" He kissed my forehead.

He soon began snoring in my ear. I wasn't tired so I just watched the sun rise slowly as the sun came through the windows. I'm not sure how long passed but I heard all the alarms upstairs meaning it was around 6:30am. I decided against going school today, I also decided to tell the boys what I told Xavier this morning.

I heard Bennett banging on all their doors and the showers starting. I closed my eyes and listened to Xavier's heartbeat. His grip on me was still tight.

I heard heavy footsteps coming down the stairs and I pretended I was asleep.

I heard someone sigh and recognised it as Bennett's. I felt a kiss being place on my forehead. "I love you" he whispered.

I heard him walk into the kitchen. That's when I heard it.

Elephants.

Joking it was just my other brothers. All shouting and mumbling shit.

They all walked into the kitchen ignoring me and Xavier on the sofa.

"Ben where is Aspen and Xavier?" I heard I think Derek asked.

"Sleeping in the living room" Ben replied.

"Okay" They replied back.

"Man last night was hard"

"That hurt so much"

"I felt it" I recognized as Derek's voice.

"What?" I heard them all ask.

"Sometimes I know it's weird but I feel her pain" Derek said.

"That is weird."

"What is weird?" I heard Parker say. He probably was still half asleep.

I heard Xavier waking up and I looked down at him.

"Hey kid" He said quietly. "Was you listening to them?"

I quickly looked down and blushed nodding slightly.

"I was too" I gasped and slapped his chest.

He began tickling me. I squealed and rolled of the sofa bringing him down with me. He dropped right on top on me squishing me with his weight.

"Urrrrrhhh. Get off me you hippo" I groaned.

"Hippo? Really" He said.

I just nodded. "I prefer to be the tickle monster" He was referring to the name when we was younger I was the most ticklish so they all knew my weakness and then they would bring out the 'Tickle Monster'.

"No no no. Xavier no" I pointed my finger at him.

He began wiggling his fingers. "Sorry I don't hear you. What are you saying?"

"Xavier please" I gave him my puppy dog face.

He was tickling my sides, I was gasping for air and laughing at the same time. Tears running down my face.

"I-I s-sto" I tried to speak but I couldn't.

He looked down at me and stop tickling me. "I love you so much Aspen and I would kill anyone who ever hurt you or hurt this family. I will place my gun in their mouth and pull that god damn trigger. You are all my life" He had tears in his eyes.

I couldn't speak. I hugged him tightly. "I love you to"

I looked towards the door and saw all the brothers there. I smiled. "Come here guys" I beckoned them over towards us.

They all smiled before running and jumping on us. "I love you all so much" I said looking at them above me.

And that is how our day was spent. Laughing and playing with each other forgetting everything. I told them what happened and they all ended up in tears and apologising. Grayson apologised for beating me up. We all realised family is forever. No matter what.

"Ohana" Parker said.

"What?" Ben asked him.

"Ohana means family. Family means nobody gets left behind or forgotten, I heard it in Lilo and Stitch." He smiled at us.

We smiled at him before he got scooped up in Grayson arms and got attacked by the tickle monster.