Two Stars- An Auslly Fanfiction

Chapter 15

"Ally?" Eli calls, outside the door. I straighten up.

"Yeah?" The door creaks opened, but a split-second after peeking through the door, my brother closes it again.

"Never mind. I'll ask later." I have a feeling that he doesn't want Austin to be here while he talks to me. I turn to Austin, and I can tell he knows it, too. Austin, or my brother. Austin...or my brother.

"You should see what's wrong," Austin tells me. But that means he's going to leave, and I really don't want him to leave.

"Yeah..." I sigh. "I should." Austin rises, and helps me up.

"You're sure you'll be okay, right?" His concern, for some reason, makes me feel good. It's nice knowing at least someone cares around here.

"I'm not really sure of anything right now, to be honest. But something's upsetting Eli...I need to figure out what." He nods.

"Of course." He hugs me one last time. "Don't stress too much Ally. Just wait to figure everything else out."

If I could stop worrying, I would. But my mind simply doesn't work that way.

"See you tomorrow," he says as he walks down the hallway.

As soon as he's gone, Eli bursts in.

"What's wrong?" I ask, but this just earns me an unbrotherly glare.

"Dez says you're a reject," he finally announces coldly. Ouch, Dez. I thought you didn't care about that stuff...

"And...what does that have to do with you?"

"I thought you were better than that!" Eli's voice suddenly raises. "You're my older sister! You're supposed to be better! You're supposed to be able to do anything. You're not supposed to let anyone bring you down." I stare at him. For the first time in my life that I can remember, I'm infuriated with him.

"Do you think it was my choice?" I shout back. "You don't understand, you're only in fifth grade. But we're freaks, Eli! No one cares whether I'm a good person or not, I'm not even worth their time!" A tear rolls down his cheek. Now I feel terrible for yelling at him.

"Why didn't you tell me we're different, then? Why do you always make it seem like everything is fine, when it's evidentially not?"

"Because. You don't need to know everything," I say deliberately.

"I'm your brother! I should at least be told that! All this time I've been thinking of you as some kind of hero. But the rest of the world obviously doesn't agree. So now neither do I."

I cannot believe these words are coming out of my brother's mouth. I gape at him, appalled. He returns my look with one of distrust. My eyes feel a little wet, but I'm not going to show my brother that I'm any weaker than he's already discovered me to be.

"You're so stupid!" He screeches in response to my silence. I clench my fists.

"Bring it on. I've heard much worse," I mutter.

"I know you have! Because you're a freak!" He turns and runs off into Dez's room.

I find I can't lift my gaze from where he just left. My own brother hates me for who I am.

Sabrina pokes her head in. Speaking of hatred...

"Wow, Ally. I didn't know you or your brother could scream that loudly. Especially not at each other." Oh...it completely slipped my mind that everyone else in the house could hear us...my face feels hot, but I try to ignore it.

"Go away, Sabrina. I'm really not in the mood."

"I can see that. But...I just wanted to ask you something."

"Can you not ask?"

"That's not an option, no. I was just wondering..." She closes the door behind her, and lowers her voice. "I was just wondering if you'd been to the Miami Mall yet." What kind of secretive question is that? "Or any specific stores within the mall..."

I inhale sharply. Now I know where she's going with this. Because the look on her face is asking more than her words. Telling much more.

"You.." I start, but my speech falters. I try again. "You knew...you know about him." Sabrina's expression in difficult, but I can tell she wishes she didn't know. I wish I didn't know. "Why didn't you tell me?" I question furiously. "All this time, I bet you've known. I bet your whole family knows, actually! But none of you had the decency to tell Eli and I that our dad is in Miami! Why?"

"Sh, Ally! If my mom finds out you know...we didn't tell you we couldn't tell you..."

"Why not?" I ask, the volume of my voice decreasing considerably, but not the intensity.

"Well, there's two reasons. The reason I've been told, and the reason I'm not supposed to know. I've been told that if I tell you, you'll freak out." She gestures to me. "Obviously, that's correct. But then...I've also heard her talking on the phone.

Your dad begged her not to let you or any of your family in South Carolina know that he was here. I guess he had his reasons, but those, I don't know. Whatever they are, my mom agrees with them and really didn't want you to find out." I gawk at her. "Close your mouth, Ally." I oblige, but I'm still utterly shocked.

He begged my cousins not to tell us? Yes, I'd assumed he'd lost his love for us, but I hadn't thought he hated us so much, he'd try to hide from us. That's was so....wrong. I don't even know what to reply with, so what I do say next surprises me quite a bit.

"Sabby?"

"I see the name has finally caught on," she teases.

"Did your dad have red hair like you?"

Her expression is odd, because it keeps changing. One moment her forehead is creased in sadness, the next she looks like she's having trouble breathing, then she looks pained again. She opens her mouth, closes it, and opens it again.

"What makes you ask that, Ally?" Her tone is a little scary. Much too serene.

"I...I'm not sure. Curiosity?" She takes a deep breath.

"You know, Ally...I don't know what color his hair was. I never thought about it."

"Oh." The look on her face tells me that she has thought about it, though.

I don't know why I felt the need to ask that. Maybe a part of me, a horrible tiny part of me, wants proof that my problems aren't the only ones in the world.

___________________________________________________________________

Two chapters in two days! You may never see this again! Silly little Ivy...

Anyways, I somehow managed to finish this with what I call a boost of midnight creativity, so yay midnight! Vote and comment please, it means a lot to me!