Absolutely, Positively, No Harry's Allowed// H.S

Chapter 8

Memphis POV

"Wah!" I scream, sitting up in my bed, freezing cold water dripping down my body and soaking my sheets. I see my Gram standing above me with a satisfied smirk on her face. "Gram, what the hell?"

"Delinquents don't get to sleep in peace and comfort. Get up, dry off, and then come downstairs and you'll get your list of things to do today." And with those parting words, she walks out of my room, swinging her five gallon bucket the whole time.

"Ugh." I throw off my wet blankets, strip them off the bed and toss them in my laundry basket. I walk into the bathroom and see all my brothers dripping wet as well.

"Yo, Gram has finally lost it." Dickson says, stripping his doused clothes off in the bathroom floor and grabbing his toothbrush. He hands mine to me and Knox as well, and we all start brushing our teeth in sync.

    Walking back into my room, I discard my clothes with my sheets, and bundle everything up to take it to the washer. Stepping out of my room, I hear arguing coming from Nash's room.

    Nash is sitting on his bed where he's soaked in water as well, he's looking up at Knox with a disgruntled look on his face, who's hovering over him. Dickson is standing in the doorway watching, and I step beside him as well.

    "What's going on?"

    Knox turns and looks at me. "Pip squeak here is refusing to get up and go downstairs like Gram asked of us."

    Nash's face turns a deep shade of red. "Because I don't see why I should be punished for going to a party that you forced us to go to. Memphis didn't want to go either, but you didn't give any of us a choice. It's your fucking fault we're in trouble and that Gram is upset with us."

    Knox swipes his hand hard across the side of Nash's face, Nash stands up and tries to lunge at Knox, but he grabs him around the head and places him in a chokehold. I scurry to move past Dickson, but he places his arm in front of me to stop me. "Don't, let this happen. Let Nash see what he's really like, and let him find out for himself that he doesn't want this life anymore than we do." His voice is low so only I can hear, and I understand what he's saying. But its against my nature to stand there and watch my little brother be pummeled on and do nothing to help him.

    Knox finally relents and throws Nash back down on his bed. "You wanted to start hanging out with us, you're the one who was moping around this house for months because you were being left at home with Bristol. You told me you were old and mature enough to come party with us and handle the consequences. Well guess what, what happened last night happens a lot when you do shit thats illegal. It's part of the way we do things, Nash."

    Nash's breathing is heavy and unsteady, his hair is disheveled from wrestling with Knox, and if I didn't know any better, I'd say he was on the brink of tears. "I get that, but I've never had Gram look at me the way she did last night, she's never looked so upset and disappointed in me. I don't like it. So if that's what hanging out with you guys consists of, you can count me out." His voice is cracking the whole time he's talking, and the urge to wrap my arms around him has never been so strong.

    Knox doesn't say anything at first, he just looks at Nash with an indescribable look marring his face. I don't know what I'm hoping for, maybe him to finally see what his decisions are doing to us, maybe to understand that it's okay for us to forge our own paths, we don't have to follow after him. Whatever it was, I should have known better than to hope for him to be understanding and compassionate.

    My brother is anything but.

    "Yeah, well you're family unfortunately, you don't get to count yourself out. You're in it whether you want to be or not. So clean this fucking mess up, wipe that sorry ass look off your face, and get downstairs like Gram asked of us." He doesn't waste anymore time on us, before barging between Dickson and I, out of the room, and clunking down the old wooden steps loudly.