troubled | e.d.

six

ethan

yeah, richard put me on janitor duty.

so now it's just me, him, and his weird daughter floating around the office as i sweep floors, vacuum carpet, and water plants. i'm tempted to put bleach in them, but ultimately decide against it.

richard goes out to his car to grab something, but before he does he tells me to vacuum his office and dust the bookshelves in there full of legal books.

i make sure he can seem my prominent eye roll.

but nonetheless, i drag the vacuum to his office and plug it into the nearest outlet in the hallway. most lights are off, but the one in his office is on.

i push open the door, slightly confused.

tessa stands at his desk, not noticing me but rather running her eyes quickly over a collection of blue file folders. a small box sits on the desk, and my heart drops when i read the name on the side.

dolan: case #568

"what the hell are you doing?" i ask out, my voice filled with anger and disbelief.

she looks up at me, shellshocked, and clutches he folder close to her chest.

"n-nothing i—"

"don't you see that those are confidential? those are my court documents. that's so illegal," i say, yanking them from her hands and pulling the box close to me.

i haven't even seen these. so how has she?

"please don't tell my dad," her eyes are wide, pleading with me.

"why are you snooping around in my personal business? just can't keep your nose out of anywhere else, can you?" i shoot at her.

she gulps. "i was just curious."

"you heard our conversation. you put the pieces together," i spit. "don't go around snooping in other people's lives."

she looks up at me slowly. "if it helps, i didn't read much."

"well," i blink. "what did you read?"

she opens her mouth, then shuts it.
"enough to know why it was closed."

"she's my sister," i say quietly. "how could not have done what i did?"

"you're a good brother."

i lock my jaw, snapping back into my senses and letting anger flood them once again. "stay out of my life."

"okay," she whispers, eyes still wide.

she's afraid of me. i smirk a little.

i take the thickest file folder and tuck it under my shirt and into the waistband of my pants. she looks at me like i'm crazy.

"what are you doing?"

"this is my file, idiot," i roll my eyes, tugging my shirt back over to cover it.