My best friend's brother and my brother's best friend (2016)

Second Chances

*Picture of Dani*

"Great news, everyone!" Al chirps careering into the kitchen, clutching her phone tightly in excitement.

"Tom Jones is coming to dinner?" Cara teases, looking up from her Mac, "wait no, Elton John!"

"You know you should be a comedian?" She responds dryly, narrowing her eyes jokingly at her.

"You're right, it's so hard to make a career choice with so many talents," she shrugs, poking her tongue out at her mum.

"Well, it's nothing like that. You're dad's coming home ... in an hour," she announces with a stunned beam on her face and leaving a piercing silence in the room.

Cara's dad's career in the navy has always kept him away for most of the year. Even me and Jeremy have only met him a handful of times over nearly twenty years. Glancing over at Eli, an old memory flashes to mind from years ago. Finding him hiding, shaking behind the trees after breaking the window with his ball. It also brings back another memory from that same night. One that I'd rather forget.

Their relationship is strenuous to say the least.

As if reading my thoughts his blue eyes instantly flicker to mine, distancing instantly. Without further notice, his chair screeches back painfully as he silently leaves the room. Right now I wish he'd told somebody else but I'm the only one who knows.

*Flashback*

I yawn loudly as I pad lightly down the stairs, avoiding waking up anyone else at this ungodly hour. Actually it sounds like somebody else is up too. I can hear multiple voices.

"I told you dad, I'll pay for it!" Eli's nervous little voice wobbles as I carefully hide my small frame just out of site behind the front room door.

"And how exactly will you do that? Do you have a job? No because even your school record is unimpressive!"

His school record? We're only in primary school?

"But dad, I promise I'm working as hard as I can!"

Suddenly after a slight pause I hear the sound of a loud strike followed by a subdued gasp from Eli. Did he just hit him?

My heart beats furiously against my chest as I duck behind a nearby plant to avoid Marcus as he storms out of the room. Once the coast is clear, I sneak into the front room where Eli's huddled alone on the couch clutching his bright red cheek.

"What happened Eli?" I ask quietly, standing nervously by the door.

"Nothing new," he mutters sharply.

"Do you want me to go and get your mum?"

"No!" He insists, looking at me with big innocent eyes.

"Why not?"

"Just promise me you won't," he says, gulping nervously.

I nod in return. I don't really have any clue what's going on but I still feel like I need to tell someone about this. Except I just promised.

*Present day*

"You ok?" I whisper, knocking lightly on his half open bedroom door.