ʙʀᴏᴋᴇɴ ✓

T W E N T Y - O N E

Alexa

Where the hell is it? I wondered as I turned my room upside down looking for my journal that I wrote all my personal thoughts and feelings in. I haven't actually wrote in it for a few weeks, even since those three popular guys befriended me, but...

My journal was my comfort before I met them, and talking about my feelings made me feel so much better, even on the worst of days.

But now I can't find my journal, and I'm really starting to freak out —- what if someone reads it? What if that someone is someone that despises me? A lot of people do, so it's more likely to be that. What if my journal is used against me?

Maybe I just misplaced it, I thought, close to tears. I removed the blankets from my bed, but my journal wasn't there either. I remembered seeing it on my desk yesterday morning.

But I didn't see it last night, I realized. But then again, I wasn't looking at my desk all too much. I simply read a book I got from the library, and then went to bed at around nine.

If anyone ever read my journal, I'll die.

I haven't even thought about my journal in a while, just merely glancing at it every day with no added thoughts attached, but then when I looked over to not see a journal, I definitely noticed and I'm terrified and incredibly anxious about where my journal is and why I can't find it.

"Hiya, sis!" came a voice from my doorway as I picked up a lamp. I slowly glanced up to see Cameron standing there, wearing a smirk on his face. I stared at him —- this is the second time he called me sis, why exactly?

"Um... hey, Cameron," I said, warily.

"Why do you look so frazzle?" Cameron questioned. "It's like you've lost something extremely important." He chuckled, as if that was funny, but it wasn't. At all.

"No reason." I sighed. "What are you doing there... by my bedroom? Almost in my bedroom." I forced a smile on my face, so he'd think that I wasn't getting bitchy with him —- someone who has hurt me and I'm not forgetting any time soon, though he apparently already did.

Cameron shrugged, glancing around. "Yo, want to have some sibling bonding time?"

"With who?" I asked incredulously. He can't mean him, can he?

"With me," he said in a song song voice as he walked closer to me and... bopped my nose? "What do you say, Alexa?"

"I say you're crazy," I blurted out without thinking, and then quickly covered my mouth, when I realized that I said that out loud.

Cameron frowned and stared at me, clearly sad about my response. I mentally sighed; he looked like a lost puppy in that moment. "I mean, I say you're crazy if you think I'm going to say no to... hanging out with you," I told him.

Cameron smiled a goofy grin, which almost made me happy that he was so happy, but it's hard to trust anyone. At least for me. But what could possibly go wrong?

"So, what do you mean by sibling bonding?" I questioned.

"Exactly as it sounds. Sibling bonding, duh," Cameron says as if it should be obvious. "Well, we could go to the mall or something —- oh, I can buy you earrings!"

"My ears aren't pierced...."

"Then we'll get your ears pierced," Cameron stated. "If you want to? I mean, they do use needles, so it probably hurt, but I won't really know, since my ears aren't pierced. But you definitely should."

I thought about that for a mere second, before that dread feeling settled back in my stomach. "As fun as that sounds, I can't," I say. I need to look for my journal. The longer it stays missing, the least likely chance I'll be able to find it and more of a chance for someone to read it.

Though, I have always wanted my ears pierced....

Cameron smiled —- a smile very different from his previous one —- and put his hand on my shoulder. "I was only asking out of politeness," he told me, "but I wasn't giving you much of a choice."

I stared at him —- looking up while doing so, since he is taller than me after all. "Excuse me, what?" I questioned.

"I said—-"

I held a hand up. "I heard you the first time, thanks," I said. "But I seriously can't. I, um, kind of already have plans." Like look for my journal, I thought bitterly.

"Plans?" Cameron questioned. "Well, too bad, let's go. It'll be fun, Alexa!" he promised. "Don't you want to hang out with me?"

No. But I couldn't say that, not when he was making a sad puppy dog face —- again —- which made my heart clench. I groaned quietly. "Okay, fine," I said, probably going to regret giving in. Why do I have to be a pushover?

Cameron grinned, grabbing my wrist. "Great!" he said, dragging me out of my bedroom. "We're going to get your ears pierced and then I'mma buy you earrings! That's what little girls like, right?"

I shrugged.

Cameron continued. "And I'll be there the entire time!" he said. "If it hurts, just squeeze my hand or wrist, I mean, it probably will hurt and—-"

"I got it," I said.

Compared to stomach cramps, how bad could ears piercing probably be? But then again, I've never been afraid of needles. But.... no needles ever went in my ears before....

"Where are you two going?" questioned a voice as we crossed the living room and about to exit the house through the door. We turned around to see Zach standing there, wearing a frown on his face while glaring at me.

"Going to hang out," Cameron told him without an ounce of hesitation.

Cameron is the only step brother that's... nice to me, so the fact that he's admitting that to his brother that absolutely hates me, kind of surprised me. Just a tad.

Zach narrowed his eyes at Cameron. "Why?" he questioned incredulously.

"Because she's our sister and I..." He looked down at me. "....think she's okay. C'mon, Alexa."

Zach huffed. "Who else are we going to pick on if she's g—-"

"I guess no one," Cameron interrupted as he pulled me outside of our house.

Well, I guess we ARE hanging out. Talk about weird...