With The Labels

Chapter Twelve

A/N:
Now back to Caroline's POV :)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Chapter Twelve

Mom is supposed to come home mid afternoon today, Sunday. The morning is uneventful, mostly consisting of me laying around on the couch and watching old reruns of Modern Family and taking care of the horses. I throw a pity party for myself, choosing to ignore figuring out how to deal with Blake on Monday without it being totally awkward. Which, let's face it, will inevitably be a horrible experience. I don't even know what I want to say to him. 'Hey, you tried kissing me yesterday, let's be just friends?' I don't think that will fly very well. But ignoring your problems and pretending they don't exist always works the best, right?

Shutting off the TV, I flop on my back, staring up at the living room ceiling. My phone vibrates and I take it out, glancing up at the bright screen.

Mom: Hi, honey. Will be home soon. I have something important to tell you so make sure you are home. Not sure what your plans are.

I text my mom back, slightly curious about what important things she needs to tell me right when she gets home. Surely it won't be that important. Probably just mom making sure I didn't burn the house down when she was gone. By soon I assume she means within the hour, so I decide to make myself look presentable, like I wasn't sitting around the house all day, even though that was actually the case.

Hopping in for a quick shower, I wash my hair and then change into a pair of dark washed skinny jeans and a white striped shirt. I take a peek out of my bedroom window and see mom's familiar car pulling into the driveway. I walk out of my room and into the living room, opening up the front door so I can greet my mom. But I was surprised she wasn't the only person getting out of the car. And I was even more surprised when I realized who it was.

My eyes go wide and I am frozen in place. It's been almost a year since I have seen him last. After dad got sick, he took it really hard and decided to stay at college and finish off his senior year.

It was James.

It was my brother.

James grins widely at me, waving. He has changed so much since I saw him last. He looks almost happier.

I run over to my older brother, and be buries me in a big hug, laughing.

"Care, long time no see." He releases me from our embrace. I look up at his towering figure.

"What are you doing here? Aren't you in school?" I have so many questions for my brother after not talking to him in what feels like forever. When dad died, I had no one. Mom kept to herself, and James wasn't there to comfort me. I had to learn how to deal with the pain alone.

"I was at school, but since I took summer classes I got to graduate a semester early. So I'll be staying at home for a while, helping with work around the farm until I find a place to work and a place to stay." He talks to me as we walk to the back of the car, opening up the trunk. James takes out two duffle bags from the car and I take another before closing the trunk.

We walk back over to mom together, who plants a kiss on my forehead. "Nice to see you, honey. Hope you like the surprise." She smiles warmly at me, seeming happy that both of her kids are at home together.

I nod, walking into the house with them and into the guest room where James will be staying. I set the duffle on the ground, "I'm very happy. It's nice to have the family back together." I frown slightly, "Well, most of it."

Mom pats my shoulder, "Dad is always with us, watching over. The whole family is together."

~

A couple hours after his arrival, James and I are sitting in a booth in downtown Honeycomb at a small cafe. We sit across from each other, him with a coffee mug in his hands and me with a glass of sweet tea. The atmosphere of the cafe is warm and friendly, freshly decorated for the upcoming fall season. I recognize many people from school either studying at one of the tables or working here.

I stir the tea with a straw. James clears his throat, "So how have you been? I need an update."

I shrug my shoulders. "I'm fine, just adjusting to the new town. It's quiet, it's different, but I really like it."

"How's school?" Uh-oh, I know where this is going.

"It's good. My teachers and nice and the classes are challenging, but interesting. Just trying to figure everything out. I have made some really good friends so far, some a lot closer than those back home."

"Any boys? Mom was saying something about a boy, Blake?" Staring at my iced tea, I glance up at my older brother.

"No boys, but I do know Blake. He drives me to school."

"Mom says you guys are close?"

I shake my head, hiding the fact that we have done quite a few intimate things together. "No, I mean yeah, we are friends." I pause, considering what I should say next. I feel like I should stop but I let myself continue to talk, "I don't know. It's complicated."

He gives me a sideways smile. "I'm sure it's not that complicated. You have grown into a beautiful young lady, Care, and I'm sure any guy would fall head over heels for you. What is really going on with this boy?"

I bite my lip, wanting to speak honestly to James, "I don't know what to do. I think I really messed up and I don't know how to fix it or how to talk to him. I feel horrible, but at the same time I don't."

"Care, even though I haven't seen you in a while, I still know you. You build a wall around you, separating your feelings from your surroundings. Your head from your heart. And whenever there is a weak spot in the wall, you build it even higher. You have to let people in, start trusting them. Not everyone is bad."

My voice cracks. "I'm just afraid that if I get close to anyone I don't know if I have the energy to be able to lose someone again."

James takes my hand, "And we will have to worry about that the rest of our lives. People come and go, shit happens. Hell, that's life for you, and we just have to learn how to deal with it." He lets go of my hand, smiling, "And about that boy, I don't know what happened between you two, and quite frankly I really don't want to know. But you should invite him over for dinner tonight. And if things don't end up working out, you will always have me to drive you to school, at least until you get your own car." James winks at me.

I offer my brother a soft smile, "I think I'll take your advice. Thanks, James." I am grateful to have a brother like James. We are able to have deep conversations like this and I haven't even seen him in a year. That is what I love about him, my own personal therapist. Suddenly, things don't feel so bad anymore.

~~~~~~~~~~

Hope you guys liked this chapter!
How do y'all like James, because personally I am falling in love with him and his personality.

Pictured to the side is Tyler Hoechlin, who plays James. I needed to incorporate another Teen Wolf character into my story, because the world needs to appreciate their beauty more ;)