The Heartthrob Won't Leave

Chapter Fourteen (New Chapters)

"How's school? Have you finally gotten off your lazy ass yet?"

"Why are you so mean to me? What did I do to deserve this?" she asked with a comedic tone, laying across her bed, digging her head into the pillow with the phone to her ear.

"I'll have to think on that" Blake let out a small laugh at his words, letting out a sigh and rolling over with her back against the bed covers. There were a few moments of nice silence between them, it hadn't been long since they had spoken last, but to Blake, it had felt like ages. Her brother was someone that always made her feel better when she was sad, Clayton was always like that. She still remembered their moments as kids, despite the age gap, Clayton never resented her. He would play with her dolls and drink fake tea together, push her on the swingset and carry her to her room when she fell asleep. The best moments from her childhood were with him, and she would always love him for it.

"Clay, when are you going to tell me about mom?" she asked

"Someday, when your strong enough to hear about it" he responded simply, it made her slightly frustrated, it had been what he always said, since the moment of their first phone call when she was nine years old, right after she had first moved into the house from the group home she had been forced into by the state. Now, it had been seven years, and still, Clayton didn't believe she was ready to hear what he had to say. She wondered why she was so frustrated about, sometimes questioning why she wanted to know at all. She suspected that the reason she wanted to know so badly was to cling to that part of her childhood that was so warm and perfect before the dark settled in, created its home, and ruined everything.

"I'm sorry Blake, but I have to go to work. One of us has bills to pay you know" she smiled softly at his words

"Of course," she said softly, kind of saddened that it had to end, but there was nothing she could do. But, she was also happy that it happened to begin with. "When can we speak again?"

"Let's try for tomorrow, Ok Kiddo?"

"Great, I'll be waiting for your call," they said their goodbyes and she hung up the line, placing the phone next to her on the bed covers and letting out a sigh, staring at the bumpy roof above her. It was one of those moments with complete silence that she cherished so much, letting in a deep breath and calmly releasing it, closing her eyes lightly and letting a soft smile graced her lips. That was, until the noise from the hall made her eyes open.

"Attack!" was yelled clearly on the other side of her door, making her eyebrows raise slightly, leaning up on her elbows against the bed covers, watching the door to her bedroom open, and in came the heavy, long fur covered mutt she loved so much. Before she could stop him, he had already climbed up on her bed, trapping her against the covers and licking her all over her face.

"Mutley! Stop it Mutley!" she cried between licks, laughing.

"Mutley! You're not supposed to lick her! You're supposed to kill her!" Jace complained from the door entrance, watching the dog attack her with kisses.

"What the heck Jace?! Get him off of me!" she cried under the attacking licks of the dog, his long fur getting caught up her nose.

"Mutley! Off!" Jace yelled, pointing at the ground with his finger. The dog let out a groan of annoyance, getting off the bed and heading out the door that he had come in. Blake leaned up, grabbing her duvet and wiping her wet face covered in Mutley slobber. "I"m working on his fighting skills" Jace claimed, his hands on his hips at the end of her bed. She rolled her eyes, letting out a laugh, the thought of Mutley hurting someone was absolutely laughable. The dog may have been big, but he was far from a fighter, in the seven years she had been living there, not once did she ever witness Mutley even growl at a person.

"That was your older brother right?-" Jace asked, collapsing next to her on the bed covers "The one on the phone just now?"

"Yes" she responded simply, leaning up slightly "Who said you could lay on my bed?" she asked

"I do what I want!" he snapped back like a child, making her snort, falling back to the covers again. "He still lives downtown right?"

"Yup, but he and Emily are intending on moving to the suburbs before the baby is born" she responded, looking over at him "What about your mom? Have you heard from her?" he turned his head, meeting her eyes.

"Not a peep, not that it matters" he responded "That woman can burn in hell for all I care" Jace was always like this, ever since they had met when he moved into the house three years after she did, she had never heard a word about his family, where he came from. From asking Karl, all Blake knew was that it had just been him and his mom since he was born, and something happened and she was sent to rehab, and Jace was sent to foster care, hopping a few other houses before he hit Karl's radar and he brought the twelve-year-old kid home to join the clan. Jace leaned up on his palms, looking back at her on the bed.

"Hurry up, or you'll be late for breakfast" She watched as he got off the bed, leaving through the door and closing it behind him. She sighed, wondering if there would ever be a time when she heard the whole story, would he ever open up to someone? Let himself truly grieve the past?