Anomalies ✔

Chapter Twelve

CHAPTER TWELVE: FLINCH

There is an awkward silence that overcomes you when you cross paths with the person that kisses your heart the second that you meet them. It balances on the edge of unknown but always desired. 
-Carl Henegan

Stepping over Axel I open my door without knocking, not needing to because fuck Atlas this is my room, and stumble over to my desk where I finally allow myself to collapse against the wall.

Fuck.

Someone raised him right, because that little shit almost won.

"Sawyer, you whore," I cough out, kicking the corner of my bed -which I happen to know makes one bedpost under the mattress slip out. I'm right and my brother is sent tumbling to the floor, cursing loudly. "Medicine."

Atlas opens his mouth to complain, takes one look at me and stops.

We might fight and be pricks, someone more than the other, but we're family, we're brothers. We love each other. And I know that we'd both die for each other if it came down to it.

So for a moment, he puts his annoyance at me aside and gets me my anxiety medicine- -that I swallow dry; it tastes like shit- -without me even having to say what kind I wanted.

I can handle the pain.

It's not what I'm worried about.

"Let me see your stomach," Atlas huffs at me while fixing my bed, eyes narrowed as I just clench my jaw and look away from him. "Alpha."

My name is definitely a warning out of his mouth but I don't heed it.

I'm not what's important right now, my pain doesn't matter, I just need to do something, literally anything, to make Jasper not be afraid of me again.

"He had that coming, you know. The guy pisses everyone around him off."

"Fuck off."

"Alpha, come on," He crouches in front of me, making me flinch as he reaches out and helps me go from the ground to my bed. "Let me see the damage."

Crossing my arms- -thoughts dark, angry and seething with everything directed at myself and the scars on my ribs, the ones on my upper thighs, my ankles- -I glower at him, "Just get me ice. I'm fine."

My brother snorts, "Fine people don't need ice, fuck-head."

"You fight too, shit-face." I snap. "So I don't need a lecture from you."

Silently, with one last glare that doubles as a warning- -he's definitely going to check me and see how hurt I am whether I resist the effort at not, Atlas slips out of the room to get me ice.

At least I was able to stall him.

If only we were on the first floor, then I could jump out the window.

Trust me, it's still tempting.

It's not even a few seconds before the door opens again, making me scowl -I know full well how long it takes to get ice and then walk back to my room and it's definitely slower than that.

Looking up, the destructive train my dark thoughts took around my mind comes to a screeching halt as Jasper stands in the doorway, minty eyes blinking at me and a sad little pout on his lips.

Sad people shouldn't be allowed to look that fucking attractive.

"Jasp-" I cut myself off with a growl, arm moving out to the side. This time pain is brought along with it, making me groan and press a hand to my side.