Fruitloops | ✓

t w e l v e

Chapter 12: I'm falling for you

The soft material underneath me made me think that I was still on Zak's sofa. My eyes were closed, and my head hurt.

As my eyes flickered open, I saw three heads on top of me, blocking the blinding white light from scorching my eyes. Though, they seemed like shadows as my eyes adjusted to their faces.

Zak, Summer and Vince.

"Are you okay?" Vince's voice seemed so far away, yet I knew he was riight above me.

I sat up and immediately felt a hand on my back as if to support me. Tingles shot through on that area where the hand was, along with warmth that saved me from the cold air-conditioning.

"Hey," Zak gave a feeble smile.

"What happened?" I croaked, trying to remember the series of events that happened before.

Maybe whatever that had happened was a dream after all.

"You fainted," Summer said, giving me a sad smile.

So it wasn't a dream.

My head snapped up as I looked at my brother. The one who was suppose to protect me, not hurt me. Not lie to me about my parents. Not keep secrets regarding our family.

The anger I had once felt gave rushing back to me. I ignored the lethargic feeling I felt and gave the deadliest death glare I have ever tried mustering in my whole life.

"You're a selfish person, y'know that?" I spat, "a caring brother wouldn't have kept something so huge from their own sister who lost her parents at the mere age of two!"

"Lyss, listen. I didn't know how to tell you, you were just too you-"

"Don't you dare. Don't you dare say I was too young! What about when I was thirteen? Fifteen? Sixteen? Eighteen? Goddamn it Zak! I'm nineteen now! You had so many years to tell me but you had to let me find out this way?" I yelled.

Summer and Vince were now looking back and forth at whoever was talking. If it was Zak, they'd watch Zak. It was almost as if they were at a Formula 1 race just moving their heads to look at the race cars passing.

Zak was now silent, as he processed whatever I had said. He placed his thumb and pointer finger on the bridge of his nose, before squeezing it in frustration.

I looked at him for just a few more seconds, before sighing and looking away.

"Can we go?" I turned to Vince.

Vince looked at Zak as if asking for approval, and Zak nodded.

I stood up with the support of Summer and we left the office, no one speaking a word.

The whole car ride was the same as it was when we were on the way to Zak's workplace.

Everyone kept silent. I could feel Summer on the backseat fidgeting and moving around in the uncomfortable silence. But so much so, I appreciated the silence.

Vince ever so often looked at me from the corner of his eye. I could see him do that from my peripheral vision as I looked at the blurry images of houses and planted as he drove.

---

The fact that I didn't have a room for myself sucked because I would have to be in a room with somebody when I wanted to be alone.

I thought about staying in Summer's room, but she kept fidgeting as if restraining from asking me what had happened.

Then I thought about going to Vince's room, but of course, Vince was in there and he'd probably talk me into telling him what had happened.