The Woods

Chapter 9

Theo runs his hands through his short hair and I avoid making any contact with him. Desmond paces in front of the couch, his arms moving wildly.

He stops and stares at us, "Why?"

Theo sighs and leans back into the couch, "It's something we do when we're together."

Desmond glares at him and looks at me. "Des...." He waves me off and paces again.

Amy watches us with dull eyes, not to happy about us interrupting her cartoons.

Jamie came down at Desmond's scream, her face half done.

I shift uncomfortably and stare at Desmond. I try to plead with him using my eyes. He avoids looking at me.

I sigh and Jamie glances at Theo and me. "Desmond, what you saw isn't what you think you saw."

"Shut up Jamie! I know what I saw and I want to know why!" She shrinks back slightly.

Amy picks at her eggs and softly sniffles. "Desmond you're scaring Amy," Theo mutters quietly and motions at the little girl.

He turns to Amy and kneels down, balancing on the balls of his feet. "Amy." He waits for her to stop eating, "Do you know why I'm upset?" She shakes her head without looking at him. "I'm upset because the person I care for and who I thought cared for me was doing something with someone else." She nods and looks at him through a curtain of hair.

"They always do that." Her voice is soft but her words seem to pack a punch that causes Desmond to rock backward slightly. "That's how I saw them the first time." She points a small hand at me, "She was crying and Theo hugged her to make her feel better." She turns back to Desmond, her back straightening. "Whenever she's sad Theo hugs her."

Desmond rocks back again. He straightens to his full height and swishes his bangs out of his face. Amy crawls back to the television, her plate balanced on her knees and her head cocked.

Theo turns to me and covers my clenched hands with his own. He squeezes and stares at Desmond defiantly. "Happy? You've made her upset again!" His voice is shaking with anger.

"I didn't know. How was I supposed to know?" Desmond's voice raises.

Jamie shakes her head and makes her way over to me. She rubs my shoulders.

Desmond lifts his head and Theo scoffs. He stands and pushes past Desmond into the kitchen. I shake Jamie off and she follows after her brother.

He sets himself next to me. "I'm sorry Maxx."

I turn to face him. "Screw it. I'm tired of this! I can't do anything without your approval!" He hides his face in shame. "Whenever I feel myself slipping back into my personal hell Jamie gets Theo to bring me back. He's the reason I'm still here so start treating him with respect or we won't be able to have anything! Not a friendship, not a relationship, not a thing!"

"Maxx, I said I'm sorry."

I stand, my hands clenched at my sides. "That's not the point! The point is you don't trust me enough with someone I grew up with." I throw a hand at the entrance to the kitchen, "He's way too old for me to be interested in him or him in me. I've only ever liked him as a brother! I'm practically a third sister to him! His parents trust us enough to let me stay over when it's just him! He's never 'made a move.'" I air quote the last three words and notice I've made my way over to the wall.

He stands, "I'm sorry." His words are thrown at me and he turns to leave.

I glare at his back and wait for the sound of the closing door. I slump against the wall and rest my head in my lap. After several moments of me feeling sorry for myself a hand lands on my head. It begins petting my hair. "I liked him." Amy's voice startles me.

I sit up and pull her onto my lap. I wrap an arm around her, "I did too, Amy. I did too."

"If you liked him, why'd you make him leave?" I rest my chin on her head, her small body rocking in my lap.

"I don't really know, Amy. He made me mad that he didn't trust me."

"Why didn't you tell him about us in the beginning? He wouldn't have made you mad and you wouldn't have made him leave." I look down at her and bite my lip. "You could have brought him over sooner. We could have even helped you with your assignment."

"How'd you know about that?"

"I was watching you last night. I saw him save you."

I chuckle softly and kiss her hair, "Well what do you think I should do, kid?"

"Talk to him and finish your assignment. Then bring him here again."

I nod and hold my pinky up, "I pinky promise to bring him back for you." She smiles and wraps her small finger around mine.