My Brother's Keeper

Chapter Five

I pulled my hair up into a ponytail and stared at the piece of paper on the wall. I was trying to figure out what to paint or draw before I would see Jake again.

"What are you doing?" I turned around and looked at Jermaine.

"Trying to fit my role into being a love interest for Jake Friar." He laughed.

Over the past few weeks, Jermaine, and I have gotten closer. He's been coming over a lot to help me with research for Danny. I've been also getting close to Jake. He's been bugging me to show him some of my artwork. So, today, I went to Jermaine's house so could help me make some.

"You're really going all in, huh?" I turned back around and looked at the paper on the wall. "Whatever grants me excess/access to more information." I said. Jermaine walked over to the paint, dipped a brush inside of it then threw it at the wall. It then fell on the floor. I looked over at him. "What the hell?" [A/N- idk what excess/access it should be.]

"Now, that's art." he said. I frowned.

"No, it's a mess. That I'll have to clean up." I picked up the paintbrush and put it back in the bowl. Then Jermaine threw another. I looked over at him.

"Jermaine."

"Victoria." he said mocking me. I stared at him. "I'm helping you. If you didn't know."

"This is you helping? Throwing paint brushes around that ends up making a mess for me."
"I'll help you clean up."

And that's is exactly what happened. He threw paintbrush after paint brush after paint brush. It made a huge mess but he cleaned it up. I stared at his painting.

"You like?" I looked over at him.

"It's not bad."

"I know. I make the best art." He held out a beer. I stared at him for a second.

"I'm 18."

"So?" I sighed before taking it from him. I took a sip. I gagged a little. Jermaine laughed. "What?" he asked.

"This is so gross." I said choking. He smiled and nodded.

"Yeah, beer is naturally... gross. It's beer. We don't love it for the taste. We love it for the buzz." I put the beer down on the table closest to us. "Who the fuck says gross? It's called nasty dummy?" He added making me laugh a little.

"Well, do you have anything that doesn't taste horrible?" I asked ignoring his last statements.

"Do you still want the buzz?" he asked. I looked down at the beer and shook my head.

"Nah, maybe some juice or something."

"I have orange juice." he held out a box.

"Thank you."

"You hungry?" He asked as my phone started rang. I shook my head as I pulled it out my back pocket. It was Jake. I looked at Jermaine.

"Answer it." he said before drinking some more of his beer.

"Hey."

"Hey babe. What you doing today?" Jake asked. I looked around the room at the paint.

"I uh, I've been painting." I admitted.

"Oh, making new art. Can I come and watch you?" I looked over at Jermaine.

"I uh, sorry. I wish but, I'm not in town." I lied.

"Oh, where'd you go?"

Jermaine pointed to the table near me. I looked down at it and saw a brochure. It was for Tampa. "Tampa."

"Really, that's on the opposite side of the country?" I looked at Jermaine. He shrugged.

"Yeah, I have some family over here." I said.

"Wow, when'd you leave?"

"Uh, yesterday."

"Oh, huh. Why didn't you tell me?

"I honestly forgot about this trip."

"Did your mom go?"
"No. Uh, this is my father's side of the family."
"Oh, ok. Well, I was calling to say I wanted to go out to lunch with you but now that isn't gonna happen. But, I miss you."

"I miss you too."

"Well, I have to go back to work now."
"Yeah, and I gotta go back to painting before I start getting busy again."

"Ok, bye."
"Bye." I hung the phone and looked at Jermaine. "Really? Tampa?"

"What? A boy can dream."
"Yeah, but, Tampa. I wanted to tell him I was maybe in the next state. Not, all the way out yonder." Jermaine laughed. "Now, I can't go anywhere without making sure he or his friends won't be around when I have to go out."
"Or, you can stay here."
"You know my mother ain't for all of that."
"You're 18 remember?"
"OK, my mother's still crazy."

"Look, just tell her you are going on a trip with some friends and we can go somewhere."

"Or... I can go somewhere with Justine."

"No fair. I need a vacation."

"And I don't? My past few weeks have been full of researching information about Danny's case and trying to make a grown man love me. Who by the way loves musicals. I don't even like musicals. And I'm girl." Jermaine laughed.

"You're right, we both deserve a vacation." He walked closer to me. "So, maybe we should both go on one. Am I right?"
"Yeah. Yeah. Yeah."

"So, go home discreetly, pack some clothes and then we can get Justine. Then we can get on the road." I stared at Jermaine and shook my head.

"Nah, I think it's better that I stay here."

"Are you scared of what your mother might say? You think she's going to cuss you out because you left?" he asked smirking.

"Jermaine?" he raised his eyebrow. "I hate you, so much." he laughed.

"So what are you going to do? You can't go nowhere without fearing that your boyfriend and his friends will see you."
"He's not my boyfriend." I mumbled while removing the paper from the wall and putting a clean piece up.

"If he's not your boyfriend, why are you hiding out and lying to him? What you don't want him to know you're with me?" I looked over at him.

"If he was my boyfriend, I would have told him where I was at. Isn't that a key thing in a relationship, honesty?"

"I wouldn't know, I never really been in a relationship. It's always hit it and move on." I rolled my eyes.

"I should go. I'm pretty sure I have some homework to do." I started to put my things in my bookbag.

"Vic?" I looked over at him. "I'lll see you tomorrow?"
"Yeah, I guess." I threw my bookbag on my shoulder then waved quickly to him before leaving.