Loving Myself

Chapter 3

"Jace, there's a tiny brunette and a tall brunette here to see you!" dad shouts from the kitchen where the front door is located.

Picking my head up from my homework to see what time it is. Who in the hell is here at 3 in the afternoon on a Saturday to see me? Standing I lock my braces before grabbing the crutches dad gave me to use (like the ones you recieve from the hospital if you break or sprain something on your legs) and headed downstairs.

Making my way down the stairs I enter the kitchen and stop suddenly. I'm surprised to see Archer and Bianca standing inside the house. "Hey, please don't take this the wrong way but why are you two here? How did you even know where I live?" I'm trying to keep my shock to myself.

Yes, they're becoming my friends slowly but they've never been here ever. Drake is the only one who's ever been to my house but he's been my only real friend that isn't ashamed to be seen with me.

"Hey man, we came to see if you'd like to go to the park with us?" Bianca asks in her sweet tone; her eyes hopeful.

Glancing at dad looking for permission to go with them or not since all of us were planning on going there ourselves in an hour. Dad nods his permission for me to leave now.

Nodding back at the two in front of me I smile as bright as I can. If they're going to make an honest gesture to become my friend, then so will I. "Yeah, give me five minutes and meet me by," I stop mid-sentence because I have no idea if either of them have a truck to put my chair in the back of.

Archer must have known where my thought was heading because he smiled gesturing his thumb behind him. "Drake is here, he drove. He's in the driveway talking to a kid our age." He looks at me intently before saying, "the guy Drake is talking to looks a lot like you actually."

Realization hits me who he's talking about. "That's my older brother, Jacob; he's 18 years old like the three of you."

Archer and Bianca give each other a confused look before turning back to me. "If he's 18 years like us, how old are you then?" Bianca asks, her big blue eyes confused.

Smiling softly at her, I say, "I'm 17 years old."

"Then how are you a senior then, if you're 17 years and your brother is 18 years and a senior as well?" Archer asks in his deep baritone voice.

"Jace skipped a grade when he was in middle school putting him in the same grade as my oldest," dad answers for me when he enters the kitchen with my sports chair and folding it out and locking the seat into place.

I'm surprised dad brought my chair in from the mud room where all of our sporting equipment and muddy clothing are left until they are cleaned.

"Thanks dad," I say motioning toward the chair he nods in response and heads towards the mud room again where my sisters are.

Settling myself in the chair I proceed to remove my braces after I had leaned the crutches against the table. After I removed my second brace, I start placing the braces and crutches into my lap to place them in the corner of the living room for when we come home.

"Would you like me to take care of those for you?" Archer asks not moving and surprisingly I'm not upset at his question. Most people assume I need the help and try or just do it for me instead of asking if I would like or need the help.

Smiling brightly at him, I shake my head. "No thank you, but I appreciate you treating me like I'm a person not a damn cripple." Noticing the look on his face I rush to reassure him. "Most people, those who aren't my family or Drake just assume I can't do things for myself and make me feel useless and I hate that, so I appreciate you asked and didn't move to take these from me and do it for me. You can't begin to understand how much I am thankful for that."