Broken Promises

26 | blake

Entering my house with Noah in tow, it seems I've forgotten how embarrassing my family can be.

I didn't have to pick my siblings up from school today because Mom didn't have a shift at work this afternoon, so she did instead. Walking into the living room, I remember that my mom's supervision can only reach so far.

Grayson and Reeve are wrestling in the middle of the rug, full-on tackling each other. I watch, eyes wide, as Grayson rolls on top of Reeve, releasing some sort of battle cry before punching Reeve's stomach. Hard. And then Reeve laughs. He laughs.

As if the commotion the twins are making isn't enough, Jackie is off to the side sitting on her Elmo potty (which she strictly uses as a chair), eating from the giant party-sized pack of Oreo's Mom bought last week. Mom is nowhere to be seen.

"Reeve! Grayson!" I bark, just as Reeve raises his fist and aims for Grayson's face. "Cut it out, you two!" I march up to my brothers, tearing Reeve off of his twin.

"Wait!" Reeve cries, trying to pull out of my grasp. "I was just about to knock him into next year!"

"Why are you fighting this time?" I ask in exasperation, holding the twins back from each other.

"He threw my toothbrush in the toilet!" Reeve exclaims, glaring at Grayson.

I glance down at Grayson in question, silently asking if this is true.

Grayson looks up at me with wide blue eyes, seemingly caught off guard. "I only threw his toothbrush in the toilet because Reeve filmed a video of him rubbing my toothbrush in the dirt outside, dropping it in the trash, stepping on it, then washing it off and putting it back in my bathroom! And he didn't show me the video until after I brushed my teeth this morning!"

"Reeve!" I gasp. "Why?"

Reeve scratches the back of his neck, then strokes his chin thoughtfully. "Oh, yeah. I forgot I did that."

"You little—" Grayson lunges for Reeve, but I shove him back.

"Both of you, threes. Now!" I cry louder than I mean too, though am efficient in gaining the twin's attention.

Threes is this game my mom came up with when Brooke and I were little and got into arguments. Basically, whenever one of us kids fights with another, we have to stop what we're doing and say three nice things about the person we're arguing with.

"Fine," Reeve sighs, glaring at his twin. "I'll go first. Um . . . I guess you're not ugly—but only 'cause you look like me. You're good at Call of Duty sometimes. And you're my brother."

I don't see how the last sentence counts as a nice thing about Grayson, but I let it slide.

Grayson crosses his arms over his chest, glancing over at me. His expression seems to be asking: Do I have to?

"Fine," Grayson grumbles. "You can be fun sometimes. And you're my brother, too. And even though you ruined my toothbrush, you did wash it. So, I guess it's okay."

Reeve perks up at this. "Really?"

Grayson shrugs. "I guess."

"So we're cool now?"

"Whatever."

"Wanna go play soccer in the backyard?"

"Sure."

Just like that, Grayson and Reeve are friends again. Shaking my head, I turn to Noah, almost having forgotten he had to witness all of that. He steps toward me, glancing at me like I'm some sort of hero.

"You know," he whispers once he reaches my side, "you're kind of hot when you're taking authority."

I blush and shove his arm, wondering if he's teasing me or serious. At Noah's presence, the twins and Jackie both look up in excitement.

"Noah!" the twins cry as Jackie screeches, "Cute boy?"

"Can you show me that backhand throw now?"

"Are you any good at soccer?"

"Did you come to play with me?"

"Give him some room to breathe, guys," I tell my siblings as they close in on Noah, rolling my eyes.

"How about this?" Noah intervenes, shooting me a quick glance before returning his attention to my siblings. "After I'm done hanging out with your sister, I'll head outside to teach you that backhand throw, okay?"

Reeve nod enthusiastically, as if he's talking to his idol.

Noah then turns to Grayson and says, "Soccer is cool. I played for a few years. I'm more of a goalie, though, to be honest." Afterwards, Noah glances down at Jackie and smiles as she extends her arms to him. Noah bends down to pick her up, holding her into his chest.

My mother then bustles into the living room, phone in hand, indicating she's just ended a call. She looks prepared to give a lecture, though her expression turns to one of relief when her gaze lands on me.

"Oh, Blake, thank God," Mom murmurs, squeezing her eyes closed. "I'm guessing you took care of all that screaming the boys were doing?"

"You're welcome," I say to mom with a smile.

My mother returns my smile, her gaze drifting to Noah.

"Well, if it isn't Noah Reed," Mom says jokingly. "Is your father here, too?"

"Not today," Noah informs my mother, setting Jackie back on the ground and shoving his hands into his pockets. "Just me."

Mom momentarily glances back over at me, raising her eyebrows. "I see," she says, shooting me a knowing smile. "You can go on up to your room if you want, Blake. I can take things from here."

"You sure?" It's not that I question my mother's authority, it's just . . . the twins and Jackie can be a real handful.

"Positive." Mom hoists Jackie into her arms, smiling at me and Noah. "Go have fun." With that, Mom turns to enter the kitchen. She pauses before exiting the room, glancing over her shoulder as she says, "But not too much fun. Don't forget I'll be here."

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a/n: i am soooooooooo fucking ready to see my girl omfg i love her.