Unravelling

Chapter 6 - A Little Paranoid

It is Monday and the first day of school after the summer vacations. The first day of junior high!

I am very excited about this and therefore I am up long before it is even time to leave. Normally, I am dragging out getting up in the morning until the very last minute. But I am way too fidgety to stay in bed any longer.

I cannot wait to see my best friends Gracie and Jayden after the long summer break. Both of them have been away for the best part of their vacation. And last week, when they were back, I preferred to spend time with Luke and Sean instead, knowing that that will not last much longer, while I will see my friends again every day once school starts.

The only thing that puts a bit of a damper on my mood is the fact that I will be, once again, going to the same school as my brothers. While I don't mind Jack being there – at least I don't think I will, since I have only ever gone to the same school as him when I was in first grade and I barely remember that – I definitely do not fancy seeing the twins at school every day.

The feeling seems to be mutual, since Aidan has been driving it home over the past few days that I am not, under any circumstances, to speak to them on school grounds. Something about them having a reputation to uphold, or whatever. I don't normally take him too seriously and I am definitely not intending to play by his rules. But I am also quite happy that they are obviously willing to ignore my existence at school. That should make it at least somewhat bearable. I hope.

Then there is the issue of Ben being a teacher at the school. He is most likely less inclined to just forget about the fact that I am in the building, too. I have mentioned before that my brothers have a tendency to be slightly overprotective. My friends tell me that I am exaggerating. But they do not have to walk in my shoes and they don't have the first idea what it is like, growing up with all these guys who constantly feel the need to remind me that I am just a silly little girl. Okay, to be fair, not all the guys do that. Noah and Aidan are the exemption here, which makes me like them a lot more than they probably deserve. At least when it comes to this, they leave me in peace.

"Good morning, Alex!" I chirp happily as I saunter into the kitchen, ready to start my day.

I have already had a shower and gotten dressed. I even made an effort to put my hair into two loose braids. My brother startles, looking up from the newspaper that he is reading.

"Hello, peanut," he greets me with a small smile. "What are you doing up already?"

"I thought I'll take the skateboard to school. Since that'll take me about half an hour, I better get a head start," I tell him, trying to keep a straight face.

I don't know what has gotten into me that I am telling him something as ridiculous as this, but somehow, my excitement puts me in such a good mood that I feel like messing with my oldest brother. I don't normally do that, since he is not the easiest target in my family. I am much more likely to get a hilarious reaction out of my teenage brothers. Josh and Ben are pretty easy, too. Not so much Sam, because he always somehow figures out what I am up to.

"The hell you will!" Alex, predictably, exclaims. "Put that nonsense out of your head right now."

I giggle and throw my arms around his neck, hugging him.

"Aww, Alex, I'm just kidding. I'll be a good girl, like always, and I'll suffer through a car ride with Ben and the Three Stooges."

He wraps his left arm around my waist and cuddles me against his side for a moment. Then he kisses my temple and rubs his hand up and down my side.

"I'm glad to hear that. Gosh, I still cannot get over the fact that you're already in junior high now," he muses. "Where has the time gone?"

"Josh says that time flies once you're getting old," I tease him.