Jessica's Fate

Chapter 33

~A~

I drove home with the radio turned down. I was going to end up needing to call a family meeting because now that I had a confirmation, I pretty much knew which part of the Academy I was dealing with.

Was it worse that I found them interesting or that I was worried about admitting to Jess that I was also Academy?

I was pretty sure I knew who Luke's other brothers were. I hadn't missed that slight hiccup on transition. It was 7 of their closest friends to start but then he had said he was closer to his brothers than ever. But Sang... man. She was happy. Happy and relaxed about their relationship and to be honest, I had found myself observing Jess a bit more after that conversation and was strangely attracted to her even more because she just seemed like that relationship was so normal.

Like breathing.

She's been around it for 5 years though.

I guess if you're exposed to that circumstance for that long it starts to make sense.

I stopped at a stop sign, closed my eyes and exhaled a long breath. We'd taken a yoga class as a team a few years ago, when we were at camp.

None of us had really spent much time doing yoga after we got back to our lives but I'd found that the breathing techniques were helpful when I needed to think.

I know that my brothers and I had figured that the favor offer was decidedly Academy. But the intriguing part was that any of us could pay off the favors over the course of 5 years. I wasn't surprised at all that they urged me to accept the offer and it wasn't going to be a shock if I ended up not having to pay any of the favors simply because they'd chosen to take care of it for me.

All of that loyalty. Family first and all... for a girl that I couldn't bring myself to introduce them to.

That I hoarded time with like a chipmunk or squirrel hoarding nuts for winter.

The Professional Russian driver tonight? Yeah, pretty sure I've run into him on the gun range. I'm pretty sure he's taught one or more of the classes I took through the academy regarding weapons training.

I allowed myself a moment to envision what it would be like if I could introduce her to them. What if they liked her just as much as I did? I wasn't lying when I said we were picky about the girls we chose to date. There was just something off about the ones we'd dated off and on. To be honest, yes, we did choose to go out with some of them just one on one but we often had dated the same ones.

We weren't all the same age. I wasn't the youngest on my team but the 4 of us that made up the lower range were all within 18 months of each other while my oldest brothers were 2 and 3 years older than I was.

It was almost too much to think about, to consider the possibility that we'd find one girl for all of us to be in love with. And it was an even bigger compromise for the girl to even be willing to date 6 guys.

Wait.

Sang was with 9. And she's been with them for five years. I am sure she's not that much older than I am. What an amazing girl. What an amazing team to be that large in the first place and no one had left for a couple's team or to be on another team. Oh no, they were all there together, all willing and obeying.

But Sang's an Academy girl which to be honest is a thousand times different than Jess. I'm certain she's Academy aware and maybe under one type of adoption or another but I would have remembered her if she had been at an introduction. Which means it's completely risky and unwise to ask her to consider anything of a future with me or my team.

Which is the basis for my second hesitation regarding letting her meet my team.

We're all pretty entrenched in our obligations to pay back our favors and cash so that we can fully graduate.

I groaned softly and ran my hand over my face. Our upcoming assignment had the ability to get all of us graduated. It also had the potential to take 4 years to complete and I just didn't think I could ask her to be that patient if I wasn't going to have time to spend with her.

As magical as tonight had been. As beautiful as Jess was tonight – and always... I just wasn't sure if it was worth dragging her in the midst of my life.

I finished the rest of my drive home and sent her a text. ~Good night, beautiful. I'll let you know about tomorrow. Xoxo~

I parked my car and headed into my place, already thumbing a message to my brothers.

~we need to talk. Meeting 7 am. Hours and talk~

It didn't take long for the messages to come in.

Loki: 7? Geez man. I am willing and I will obey.

Cap: I'll grab doughnuts. Do I really have to say that? It's hours.

Web: You should. I'll grab coffees. Willing and obeying.

Four: Man that is early for a Sunday. Why do we all suffer? Obeying willingly.

King: I'll be up. Tell me we'll be done before the baseball game starts. W & O

Cap: Fine. I'm fricken willing and I will grudgingly obey. But you don't get to pick meeting times anymore.

~Thanks guys. See you later.~

Four: Wait. Tonight was prom... your date had a good time right?

Loki: Or did she kick you to the curb when she saw you?

Cap: I forgot about that.

King: I bet she liked dancing with him. You guys didn't see him. Bro looked good.

Web: Did you get pictures? I could hack them.

~NO hacking allowed or you'll make us have double hours. She was gorgeous and didn't mind being seen with me and that's all you're going to know. Gotta sleep now or 7 am is impossible~

I put my phone on the charger, waiting for a response from Jess before it dawned on me that she was probably already sleeping and changed for bed myself before I ignored the still incoming texts from my brothers and fell asleep.