Oh Brother

The game

"And I just wanted to say, that I'm sorry... for breaking your phone." Ethan says, looking at the floor, then up at me. We stare at eachother for a bit. His brow was slightly furrowed with a frown.

A new phone AND an apology, both from Ethan? This could possibly be the best afternoon ever.

"Not for anything else though, don't get any ideas or whatever." He adds, looking off at the sky. I scoff to myself.

We sat outside, on the step that leads to the grass covered backyard. Ethan was right next to me, with his elbows on his knees, his longish dark brown hair blew with the wind as he watched Grayson do push-ups.

The sun was beaming down on us and Ethan's bare back glimmered with sweat. He and Grayson had been working out and preparing for their game tonight.

I looked down at my phone and turned it on.

I had already put most of the numbers I remembered into it, and made some contacts.

"Bailey!" Grayson yells, while panting.

I look up and he's waving me over, Ethan gets up too. Grayson walks over to the shed, I follow close behind.

"Remember what we use to do? When you would put on the head protection gear and suit to help us out?" He starts once we're inside. His arm is extended with his hand pressed on a cabinet that held the equipment he was referring to.

"Yeah...." I reply,

"Yeah, well I need you to do that now. Just gear up, take a few tackles and you're done. I promise." He tries to bargain.

I knew I wasn't going to get out of this easy,
"I'm tired, I.."

"Please, Bailey." Ethan whines, sitting down next to me on the floor, and crossing his legs,

We did use to do this often. Sometimes it was even fun, but as we both got older they got tougher. And would start convincing me to do it even when they didn't have a game to prepare for that night.

Dad would tell them that I'm 'Not their little brother.' And tell them they need to be gentle with me.

But things change.

Ethan puts his hand on my knee and looks up at me.

"What about this, you let us go as hard as we need to and then when we know if Moms not gonna be home tonight, we go ahead and have this party after the game."

"What's in that for me? I get beat for your guys own benefit and then you throw a party full of people and ruin my chances of sleep?" I say, crossing my arms.

"Look asshat, my point is that if we're having the party I'll bring you some alcohol and you can have a friend over or something." Ethan says dropping his hand into his lap, looking at me plainly.

This still had no real benefit to me, as I wanted nothing more to get home and go to bed after the game. And then to wake up early and have Cameron home.

"Fine." I murmur.

"Thank you." He sighs exasperated, pressing his hands together and bowing his head to me before he jumps up. Within a minute I'm suited up and nearly shaking in fear, but they can't know that.

I stand in the middle of the yard, Graysons going first. As if I'm player on the other team, Ethan stands at the side and tosses the ball to me.

Everything slows down until I catch it, then things go back to normal, and I'm scared again.
'Shit' I exhale, My heel digs into the grass as I turn and run for my life. I continue to run down the yard waiting for the blow. The saddest part of this whole situation was how normal it was to me, it really was all I knew. Thoughts of childhood flickered through my brain and then Graysons weight hits me as I roll to the ground, him on top of me.