The Secret

Chapter 3 | Hangin with the Rake Bros

•Brianne•

I came home exhausted from work. Working with teenagers is easy to relate with in ways, but tough when they want to confide in you for things. Things I have to report to the district or even discreetly to my brother or Travis. Today might be one of those times where I end up fostering a teen again for about a week. I love my friends all the way to their bones, but when I foster a kid, nothing else matters.
I changed into my sweats and hoodie and decided to relax before it was time to go out with the group tonight. I put my feet up on my ottoman, and ended up sleeping for two whole hours. It was probably the best little nap I've taken in weeks. I looked at the time on my phone and it was already 6pm.
I went to the bathroom and looked at myself in the mirror. I had one of those weird makeover movie thoughts in my head and I truly needed to get out of my prudeness. Who better to change this in just a few hours, but Sarai. I don't want to be stuck fostering kids all my life and then become a weird hermit who doesn't leave the house. I need a guy to get me out this weird prude funk. I need a guy to get me out my virgin misery.
I went shopping with Sarai and Jenn earlier in the week after work. I tried on quite a few dresses that Sarai called "hot little numbers that guys won't keep their hands off, but would love to take off". So, I bought them. After Sarai helped me figure out how to get all the straps on the new dress on, she helped me with my makeup and hair. Jenn came by with a enough servings to make Mimosas before we head out. She knew I was a little more than nervous going out dressed like a vixen from hell and was definitely open to the fact that guys would try to talk to me. Fabian would always try to scare me in that brotherly twin type of way, by telling me that just because I have green eyes, guys will want to talk to me or want to have sex with me.
Well, I've never been so intimidated by my own eyes before, let alone the way I looked at myself in the mirror tonight. I didn't look like me. I looked like the type of girl that I would see Mason take home, but Travis would be too intimidated by and shy to talk to. And rarely, Travis gets shy. He usually gets his way when he sees a girl that he wants to take home, and executes the situation all the way through the night until he gets the girl back into bed.. or car. Even as a drunken night when the group and I passed out at his place, I wouldn't be caught like a 27yr old dead celebrity trying to crash on his bed. Let's just not go there in thought, okay? I would crash out in Mason's bed sometimes. Mason has this weird rule of never bringing girls back to his place. He's this weird clean freak, but doesn't mind getting dirty in someone else's bedroom. It's really sad that I know these guys way too well for their own damn good.
Speaking of well enough for their own good, Fabian called me up this week bothered about Travis's fostering situation. I think it's kind of cute. I just hope he knows that he's got to make every right decision that involves everything a child can see and remember about him. Or Social Services will definitely take his foster kid away from him faster than his first thought of fostering any human being at all. On second thought, Social Services will take away his foster kid faster then a thirsty woman, taking her panties off for him. Just saying. I just don't want him jumping into something so huge that he won't be able to handle it. The only person who will be hurt in the end, is the kid he's trying to foster. I just can't see Travis in that type of light yet. I could be way wrong. I don't know what goes on in Travis's head of the things beyond what he confides in me with already. Maybe I need to be better friend and be more supportive instead of being so assuming.

Shit. I just don't see it.

When the girls and I walked into the club and upstairs to our vip area, these morons act like they've never seen women before. It's not like this is our first time going to a club together. We do this every other weekend. And then I realized, they were all staring at me. I noticed my brother punched Skyelar in the arm. I rolled my eyes and laughed at Skyelar's shameless ogling. And then, I noticed something that made my smile fade away. Travis looked like he almost dropped his drink from his hand and then quickly looked away. He stood up and walked toward the balcony railing and gazed down at the dancing crowd. He leaned over with his drink in his hand and his hand covering his chin. I saw Mason walk next to him start talking to him. Travis looked like he was in a bad mood. I feel like maybe he might be mad at me for doubting him about the whole fostering situation.
I actually felt kind of bad. I fixed myself a drink and then I grabbed a napkin.
"Hey, Brianna Girl, you okay, hun?" Jenn asked sweetly.
I shrugged. Maybe we should go downstairs. I think Trav might be upset with me."
"What? I doubt that. I think he's just trying to hide from staring at you. You look fucking amazing tonight, Bri. He's probably trying hide a fucking boner." She smiled and then laughed reassuringly.
I smiled back and laughed. "Whatever. Let's just go downstairs. I need a change of scenery anyway."
"Alright. C'mon." Jenn stood up and Sarai and I followed.
We were downstairs for just a while before I started to feel a little uncomfortable in my own skin. At least with this dress on. I want to get used to this, but maybe not this soon. Sarai and Jenn we're already dancing with random guys. I wish I was a confident as them. I just couldn't do it when a random guy came up to me and asked if he could buy me a drink, while I already had a full glass of whatever I made myself upstairs. I started to stride in Jenn's direction, because that's not creepy at all.
"I can't do this, Jenn. I'm going upstairs, hun." I said to her before I turned my heel and headed straight for the elevator to the vip area. As soon as the elevator doors glided open, Travis almost crashed into me on his way out. He grabbed my hips into him, catching my balance from falling.
"Hey, hey, hey." He said quickly.
"I'm sorry." I said shaking my head at the klutz I am.
"No, no, no. Woah, hey. You alright, Bri?" He asked looking at me in concern.
"Yeah. I just need to get back upstairs." I was feeling embarrased and needed away from the situation.
"That guy wasn't bothering you, was he?" He asked. Any other time I'd be annoyed that I was being watched from the balcony above but any of our friends, but right now, I couldn't be more relieved.
"No..I- I just_" I fidgeted with the straw in my glass, "I just needed to get upstairs." I said as the elevator doors started to close. "You sure you're alright, Bri?" He asked again looking at me for the truth.
I nodded and smiled. "Yeah. I just don't know how they do it." I laughed.
He lowered his brow at me with a smirk. "Do what? Be whores?" He laughed.
"Travis!"
"What! I think I'm allowed to say that to you of all people about them. You know how they are."
I laughed a little thinking about how true that is, "Yeah, and what about you? Mister rake hell of the town?" I laughed gently digging my finger as I pointed into his chest.
He cocked his head back with a smirk and proudly, "That guy is going away real soon." He wrapped his hand around my finger and lowered my hand off him.
I laughed as the elevator doors opened back up. "Oh. Please, Travis Shinoda. You have no idea how much to even know how to make that guy go away. You can't if you started to try."
He looked down at me without smiling. I looked up at him in defeat as we walked out of the elevator.