Total pages in book: 104
Estimated words: 102929 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 515(@200wpm)___ 412(@250wpm)___ 343(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 102929 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 515(@200wpm)___ 412(@250wpm)___ 343(@300wpm)
After giving it a little thought, I was going to use this opportunity to do everything in my power to get her to talk to me. This couldn’t go on any longer. It was ridiculous that he allowed it to go this far. If I had to do this, then I was going to get something out of it.
Answers for one.
I knew I wasn’t the only person out of us expecting the cops to show up at the door any day now, and they wouldn’t be there for me.
Julius asked, “Did you finish your test early?” He was like a lovestruck puppy, waiting for her affection.
All she did was smile, and his face lit up as if he were a damn Christmas tree. It truly was pathetic. At this point, I swear they were telepathic. This was how they always communicated, and it blew my mind every single time, further pissing me off.
I rolled my eyes, shaking my head at the pitiful scene unfolding in front of me. How this was enough for him was beyond me.
I’d reached my bullshit meter for the day, so I stated, “I’d love to stick around and play your guys’ warped version of charades, but I have better things to do.”
A guy could only take so much. Julius’s stare let me know he was still waiting for an answer. I glared at him, half-heartedly agreeing with my expression. After I surrendered to what could simply be described as the weekend from hell, our fates were sealed.
I was still trying to keep my life separate from Julius and his sidekick. It was none of their business what I was up to. It was blatantly obvious to me that Julius was basically pussy-whipped with no pussy. They hadn’t had sex. I lived under the same roof, so I’d know.
That was surprising because Julius usually had more pull with girls. He never had a problem getting laid, but it was becoming apparent that whatever he felt for her was something I couldn’t understand, and it had nothing to do with sex.
Trust was sacred to me, and Julius handed it to her like it was nothing. Most days, it felt like he didn’t even trust me. He took on everything: the good, the bad, and the ugly. He was persistent in handling it on his own, and that frustrated me more than anything.
At this crossroads, who knew what the future held? I sure as shit didn’t.
Regardless, there was no defining our relationship, let alone our brotherly dynamic. I’d be seventeen soon, and he wasn’t far off from becoming a legal adult. It was crazy how fast time flew by, yet so damn slow.
It’d been almost six years since our mom left and never came back. Every time my mind went there, every time I allowed the unanswered questions to fester inside me, just waiting to blow up and take over, I’d remind myself that I didn’t need answers in order to survive and keep going.
Nothing made sense, and as the years carried on, it became crystal clear that nothing would. I could go on with the uncertainty of what the future held for us, but not when it came down to Isla. I needed to know who this chick was, or I was going to burst from the inside out. She’d talk to me until I got the truth out of her if it was the last thing I did.
I wasn’t my brother, and she’d learn quickly who she answered to.
I hitched a ride with my friend Brian. I’d known him since grade school. Despite knowing a lot of people, I didn’t have many friends. They were more like acquaintances. We went to a party in the woods at Steve’s house. It was the same old thing. He lived in the boonies, and his parents were never home.
Their huge house was on acres of land. He was constantly throwing some sort of festivity every day of the week. Since they lived in the middle of nowhere, the cops weren’t called, and we were able to do whatever we wanted, and that we did.
I spent most of the night smoking weed while drinking beer and keeping to myself. Watching everyone else get wasted was what I did best. I wasn’t much for small talk, and unless I wanted to get lost in a girl, I stayed in a corner observing instead. I found it just as entertaining.
I’d get fucked up sometimes, but it wasn’t my MO. I found that getting intoxicated didn’t help my mind from betraying me. It made it so much worse, and it was enough to keep me on the straight and narrow for the most part. At least when it came to this stuff.
Tomorrow would be a new day indeed, one where I had to play babysitter, and I’d never done that before with anyone. However, I refused to let her get under my skin. This was a test I didn’t ask for, and I wouldn’t be playing by my brother’s rules.