Last One Standing (wattys2017) (UNDER CONSTRUCTION)

If Happy Ever After Existed

There's a framed photo hung above my bed of my brothers and me at the carnival on my six birthday. My small hands were latched on to a stuffed panda bear twice the size of me, hiding the lower part of my face so all that was visible was my big blue eyes, wide with excitement.

Leaving Rennie's ten years later wasn't much different. After realizing none of the prizes were worth their time, my brothers and Toby had thrown their tickets into a pile that took the counter attendant over and hour to count, and agreed to buy me a giant stuffed animal. Carrying it out of the arcade, I could barely see over the head and nearly stumbled over my own feet multiple times.

When we got to the car lot, Toby shoved the stuffed dog into the back seat. I fought him for over five minutes sitting in back and laying on it until I realized it wasn't any use. There was no way he was going to let me sleep in the back of his car, he knew very well that once I fell asleep it would be nearly impossible to wake me again.

"You riding with Tobias?" James asked from the hood of Jace's Acura, eyes lingering on me for as second before drifting to Toby.

"Yeah. You guys are loud and obnoxious. He is too, just a little less." I responded.

Tobias threw his hand over his chest in feign hurt, gasping dramatically, "I am not loud and obnoxious."

"You are." I stood my ground, yawning. "Can we go home now? We can talk about nothing later."

My brothers and Toby rolled their eyes in unison, "Whatever."

I climbed into the car and kept my eyes trained out the window, watching as Johnny and Tobias exchanged looks that could have opened up a hole in the ground. After what seemed like hours of endless glaring, Toby tore himself away and walked around the car to get in.

I didn't have enough energy to question why the rim of his eyes were starting to redden or why his face was unnaturally pale. My mind started to drift elsewhere as he started the car and sped off into the night, leaving nothing but my body present beside him.

*

My brother's were home by the time I stepped into the house and shut the door quietly behind me. Half of them were passed out on in various places around the living room, the other three were nowhere to be seen. Dad was sitting at the kitchen table, his fingers dancing across the keyboard, face illuminated by the bright screen of his laptop.

"How was your day, sweetheart?" Dad didn't look at me as he I passed, but tried his best at small talk.

"It sucked." I lied. It hadn't been bad after I had left for work with Toby, everything had seemed to start looking up. There was just a part of me that wanted to see how far my father was going to go to show his concern.

"What happened?" he diverted his eyes from his laptop for half a second to take in my appearance, then went back to typing.

Oh, you know, the usual. I just found out my entire life has been a lie an you're nothing but a cheating piece of crap.

"It doesn't matter." I rushed out of the room and up the stairs before my bitterness could get the best of me and wake my brothers. No matter the aching of betrayal I felt in my chest every time I stared into my father's eyes, there was no way in hell I was going to allow my brothers to feel the same because of me.

Shutting my bedroom door, I pressed my back against it, tears brimming my eyes as I tried to fight the tightening in my chest. My father had been so close I could touch him, but it wouldn't ever be enough.