Dignified

"Okay, you ready?" Zach grinned, his bright blue eyes wide with excitement. "He's going to kill us. We're about to die." Ryan said, laughing with his younger brother. The two boys were gripping a bed sheet from either end, holding their sleeping older brother in it. He sighed in his sleep, his dark hair falling over his face. They inched their way through the large lake house, their bare feet causing the wooden floors to creak beneath them with every step they took. A younger, much smaller boy ran behind them, smiling widely as all three of his older brothers made their way outside. He had jet black hair and bright green eyes that seemed to smile along with him as he laughed. Zach and Ryan pulled the sleeping boy, Clark, over to the edge of a large pool. "On three." Whispered Zach. They began counting down together, the excitement getting to them. They rocked Clark back and forth in the bed sheet, each of them holding back their laughter. "One...two..three!" They yelled, releasing the sheet into the pool. Clark was barely opening his eyes when the coldness of the pool rushed over him. He panicked underwater, trying to find his way up. Zach, Ryan, and Trace all howled in laughter as they watched their older brother struggle against the water. Clark gasped loudly as he surfaced, rubbing the water out of his eyes and coughing loudly. He glared at his brothers intently, realizing what had happened. "That's not funny." He said, pulling himself out over the edge. "Who's idea was that? That was not funny." He had a low, mature voice and a very muscular build. "I'm being serious!" He snapped. The three boys stopped laughing, knowing they were in trouble. Ryan bit his lip, trying to hold back his laughter as Clark began lecturing them. He knew better, from past experience, than to interrupt his older brother when he was angry. "I could have been seriously injured. What if I hadn't known how to swim, hmm? I would have drowned!" He yelled. Zach sighed, rolling his eyes and shifting his weight. "But you weren't seriously injured and you do know how to swim, so it's no big deal." He said. "Honestly, Clark, why do you always have to make such a big fuss over everything?" Ryan nudged Zach nervously, knowing he was about to get them in more trouble. Clark sighed with frustration, walking over to a beach chair. He took a seat, placing his face into his hands. "Zach...why won't you understand that everything I do is for your own good? I'm the oldest one here and it's my responsibility to take care of you guys! It's my job to protect you when Dad isn't around, and that's practically all the time." He ran his fingers through his hair, becoming more upset as he talked. "What are you going to do if something happens to me? Huh? What are you going to do? Who's going to care for you?" Zach slipped his hands into his pockets, sulking as Clark spoke. "But you're not even that much older than us, Clark. You're seventeen. Stop trying to act like you're twenty one, because you're not."He spat, looking at the ground. "Ryan's sixteen, and I'm fifteen. We know how to take care of ourselves, Clark. We're not kids anymore." Clark stood up, about to yell at him, when Trace ran up to his older brother and pressed his palm to Clark's chest. There was something about Trace's touch that could calm anyone down. Nobody knew why it happened, just that it worked. He sighed, rubbing his eyes before making his way into the house. "Dude, why do you always have to talk back to him? You know it just makes him angry and it hurts his feelings." Ryan said, bending over the edge of the pool in attempt to pull the sheet out. Zach's guilt and annoyed look disappeared and was replaced with a smirk when he turned towards Ryan. He took the opportunity and ran towards his brother, kicking him into the pool. Ryan yelled, trying to grab on to the edge of the pool, but slipped in anyways. He struggled a bit before he was able to surface. He took a deep breath and flipped his hair, sending water everywhere. Zach laughed, heading back towards the house grinning at his brother over his shoulder.