Into My Own

Eighteen

The boys and I decided to go to dinner at the local bar and we stayed to play pool until the owner kicked us out at nine.

"Should we go home or find something else to do?" Charlie glanced at us.

"Something else." My answer was prompt and finite.

"Yeah, so what's the whole deal with mom anyhow? All you said earlier is that she was mad," Torrin questioned curiously.

I let Charlie handle that one.

"Lina called her about the picture and she flipped out. Yelled at us for not being safe and me for letting her be stupid. Then she straight up called Coda a whore and I kinda lost my shit."

Torrin looked at us with wide eyes. "Seriously?"

I giggled a little. "Yeah. He told mom to go to hell until she could stop being a teenage bitch and start being a parent."

Torrin let out a low whistle. "Good job, bro. I think that was a long time coming."

"No kidding. It takes a lot to make me lose it but she pushed it too far."

"Think dad's gonna be mad?"

Charlie shrugged. "I don't really care if he is. It's not my fault. Besides, I'm moving out."

A familiar sense of loss hit me for a moment.

"You forget that we have another couple years of hell to pay if he is," Torrin commented indignantly.

"Not my problem," Charlie smirked, receiving a slug in the shoulder. "Fine! You guys can live with me if you want!"

"You shouldn't say that. You know we'd both take you up on it," I added.

"It's all fun and games until I try to bring a girl home..."

While I gasped at the inappropriate comment, Torrin decided to tease him.

"You can't even get a girl to talk to you without running away in terror!"

"Shut the hell up," Charlie retorted, fighting a grin.

We turned in to Tommy's lane and I could feel a bit of panic rising. The last time Torrin and Tommy had been in a room together for more than twenty minutes they'd got into it.

I turned to my brother. "Torrin?"

"Hmm?"

"I swear to god if you get in a fight with Tommy I'm gonna kick both of your asses, got it?" My voice remained muffled by earlier's tears, making my threats all the more comical.

He cracked a grin. "I wouldn't mind seeing that kid get his ass kicked."

At the sight of my glare, he finished his thought.

"But I'm not in much of a fighting mood myself after all those burgers so I think I'll just stick to drinking beer and shutting up."

I released a breath. "Thank god."

Charlie put his pickup in park and pulled the keys out. "Let's get this show on the road."