Time And I

Four

I spotted Rick watching me through the window. As I stepped through the gate, he ran to open the front door for me. When Brody saw I was inside my house, he drove home.

Locking the door behind me, I spun around to face Rick. He was a few inches taller than me, about five-foot-ten. His arms were as thin as sticks, his waist thin, but his torso chubby. His hair was messy, most likely from constantly running his hands through them as he analyzed my sister's video footage from her latest gameplay. Life as her editor was a stressful one that he wouldn't trade for anything.

He crossed his arms over his chest and smirked. I smirked right back. "Jeanie's recording?"

"Yup."

"Alright." I clapped my hands. "Interrogate me."

"Where were you?"

"At the Clubhouse."

"With who."

"My club mates."

He narrowed his eyes at me. I smiled innocently. "Who drove you home?"

"Brody."

"A boyfriend I don't know about?"

"I think you already know the answer."

He glared at me, and I glared right back until we were both smiling. "Alright. I think Jeanie will be happy with that," he stated, holding his hand up for a high five.

With Jeanie always recording or live streaming whenever I came home from the Clubhouse, or even school, Rick took on the role of the "Concerned Sibling." It worked since he was as much my honorary brother as I was his honorary sister.

Rick was over every day while Jeanie recorded. He was never allowed in her studio during sessions unless it was an emergency or she called him in. It allowed the recording sessions to run far smoother, and it helped keep the footage he'd edit fresher. He'd sit at the desk in the living room and edit until I came home. He'd take a break, and we'd talk while I'd cook dinner. Then Jeanie would come out, we'd all eat, he'd go home, and then I'd watch TV until I went to bed.

"How are your hands doing? Any better?"

"Still healing, but doesn't hurt as much."

I could instantly tell that Jeanie was standing behind me the moment Rick got that look in his eyes. He'd been in love with my sister ever since he met her sophomore year of college. Jeanie was in love with him too, but she'd never been the best at showcasing her feelings. At least not in the romantic sense. Each time Rick would flirt with her, she mistook it for friendly banter. He eventually assumed that she didn't want to take their relationship further, so he stopped flirting. Despite missing it, she never brought it up out of fear of making things awkward between them.

I stepped out of the way in case her camera was still recording, and she quickly shut the door behind her. I never wanted to risk being in one of her videos.

Jeanie was a famous gamer. She'd been making videos on YouTube for five years, having four million subscribers. And she'd been filming live streams since Twitch started, earning three million followers. No one knew I was related to her, not out of shame but peace of mind. There were a lot of people I went to school with whom watched her. If they knew we were related, they would constantly berate me for information on her and asking to come over and watch her work. I didn't need anyone breathing down my neck, so she never mentioned me by name, and I never talked about her.

Plus, with all the death threats she received for being a female gamer, it was safer to keep me out of her limelight.

"You know I am sorry about that," she mumbled as she grabbed my hand.