Last One Standing (wattys2017) (UNDER CONSTRUCTION)

Game of Hormones

The students in the hall parted like the Red Sea when my brothers walked in.

I like to imagine it happening like the cheesy scenes in coming-of-age movies and shows, where the entire hallway stops and stares. The doors swing open and my brothers move in slow motion through the entrance of the school, Jason's Letterman flapping wildly in the wind. The girls would all giggle and swoon, rocking back and forth as if they were going to faint. The rest of my brothers would walk behind him, fist pumping the guys and kissing the top of girls hands.

That's what I liked to imagine; it was far from the reality of things.

It was more like a hurricane was striking every time the boys walked in. Most of the guys in the hall scattered like mice, heads bowed and shoulders hunched as if they had lost their masculinity the second my brothers walked in. The ones that didn't only nodded in acknowledgment to the boys walking by. The girls hung back by their lockers, half of them looking ready to be sucked into a black hole in the ground, the other half looking ready to pounce at my brothers at any second.

My brothers were feared as much as they were loved at this school.

"Alex!" Jason said obnoxiously loud, drawing out every letter of my name.

"What?" I gave him a bored, disinterested look as the rest of my brothers parted and went their separate ways.

"I need you to help set up tonight." he said, leaning against my locker.

"Set up for what?"

"Our party, obviously." He sighed, as if he were talking to an illiterate two year old, "You know, the end of the year party that's hosted at a different house every year? Yeah, well it's our turn." I slammed my head back against the locker, the dull ache nothing compared the pain I knew I'd be feeling later.

"It's also sort of a Welcome to the Harrison House party for Griffin." like that made it any better.

"Dad-" I began.

"Dad already knows, sis. Hence we he and Aliyah split for the night." Jace winked, a smirk playing on his thin lips.

The least my Dad could have done was take me with them. Although, it did make sense why he had held the family meeting this morning.

"So, are you gonna help?" he poked at my stomach until irritation got the best of me and I pushed him away.

"Yes, now please leave me alone. I need peace from you guys for a few hours."

*

"Do you have a favorite brother?" my best friend's strange question tore me out of my thoughts about tonight.

I looked up from my textbook and at him, my left eyebrow raising slightly. He looked genuinely curious, his sea green eyes roaming my face as he waited for an answer.

"Who asks that?" I laughed, shaking my head as I continued to scribble down my notes.

"I'm serious." he made a gesture with his hand, "Just because parents can't say they have a favorite doesn't mean a sibling can't."

"Toby." I reached over and rested my hand on top of his, "We all know who my favorite brother is. Now please refrain from asking me any more strange questions until after math. My mind is already having trouble processing why the hell they had to put letters into equations."

*

The story of how Tobias Fisher and I became friends is actually kind of odd. Of course my brothers had disapproved and still do, but they never made the attempt to stop it.