A House Full of Brothers

Chapter 22

After pacing around my room trying to calm my breathing, a knock sounded through my room. When I opened the door I was shocked to see Jason standing awkwardly on the other side.

  "What?" I snapped bitterly. If it were any of my other brothers I probably would have been the slightest bit nicer but Jason was the last of them I'd like to see right now.

  "I wanted to talk. Apologize too." He said lowly. I was happy with his answer but kept my stone-cold expression. I moved out of the way and he walked in slowly and took a seat on the side of my bed. After I climbed on to my bed and sat criss-cross, he began.

  "I really am sorry. I didn't mean you were a slut. At all. That was an irrelevant insult really. But I was so used to you being shy and wearing baggy sweatshirts and staying secluded so when you started completely contradicting that, I just exploded. Hanging out with Blake only made me more angry and I couldn't explain it properly with words- hell, I still can't. I called you that thinking it would make everything go back to normal. I tried to really - and I mean really - exaggerate the changes so you'd see them too and maybe fix them. I can't explain what was going through my head but just know I'm sorry. I only care about you and it was me going overboard because at the time it all made sense." Jason said it all slowly but was tripping over his words, unsure as to how he should explain it. My eyes began to water because I had finally gotten his long awaited apology.

  I was confused to why I crying but at the same time understood. I leaned in to hug him.

  "You're a dick." I mumbled sarcastically. I was trying to lighten the mood while still showing him he hurt me. He let out a single chuckle.

  "I know. I'm sorry." He rubbed my back. "Can we go back to me being your favorite?"

  "That's never how it was, Jace." I laughed.

  "We can make it that way." He said hopefully, pulling away from the hug.

  "You'll have to earn it, bud." I teased him as if he were a little brother even though he was two years older and a foot taller.

  Jace did try to earn it for the rest of the day. We talked more than we ever have and it was all much more peaceful, even more peaceful than it was prior to our argument.

***

  I was expecting the car ride to school to be loud, stressful, and full of tense energy but was pleasantly surprised when everything was light, happy, and calming. The most intense thing that happened was a small argument between Jason and Jax over who was taller. However they were teenage twins, arguments were bound to happen, especially when it was basically a competition.

  "So they didn't kill you?" Kyle asked as he walked me to my class, like usual. He was shocked to hear how everyone handled the situation.

  "Nope." I shook my head with the shrug of my shoulders.

  "Weird." He hummed to himself. All of the sudden, Kyle stumbled a few feet forward. I was confused until I saw Blake with a smile on the other side of him.

  "Hey, Babe." He winked to me, like an idiot. Thankfully that's what he was going for - I hope. I rolled my eyes.

  "Hi."

  "Wow. Great to see you too." Blake huffed.

  "What do you expect?" I chuckled.

  "Compliments. A good old 'how are you'. I don't know, anything really. But not 'hi' that's so boring." He had a little speech to give while he walked to the left of me.