If There's Something

Chapter 6

Rush

I would say that I was embarrassed seeing Farren step out of the bathroom in her britches – I think they called it boy shorts – and a tank top but I wasn't. I mean, I hadn't expected to see her dressed like that but it was kind of a turn on since her legs looked amazing.

We had spent all of our childhood summers together and had seen more of each other than necessary but that wasn't going to stop me from telling her to put on more clothes. I wasn't sure whether Wes would approve of his little sister prancing around in front of the three of us guys in her underwear but I sure as hell wasn't okay with it. I didn't want to care about anyone or anything but when it came to Farren, there was always a voice in my head telling me to be protective of her. Maybe it was mom's voice. Mom had always loved Farren like her own daughter. I heart ached at the thought of my mother and I pushed the thoughts away.

"You're not coming down for dinner like that, are you?" I asked her and she unfroze from her frozen state, making her way over to the laundry hamper.

"I don't wear pants in my house, I'm not wearing pants in yours," was all she said before she tried to side-step me to get through the door but I grabbed her by the arm and yanked her back. "What the fuck? Let go."

"Put on pants or shorts or whatever," I ordered and she narrowed her eyes at me.

"You have no right to tell me what-"

"It's my house," I cut her off and she was clearly annoyed.

"Should I leave?" she asked, catching me off guard. She had never been able to talk back to me when we were kids. She had complied with my orders whenever I told her something and she had never been able to talk back. "Because I can do that. It's not like it would make a difference to you. I mean, some other girl would spend the night-"

"Don't-" I said through gritted teeth even though I knew she was upset about what she had seen earlier. But it couldn't be true right? She couldn't still have feelings for me after all these years of me ignoring her.

"I would say I'd skip dinner but Levi's cooking lasagna just for me so-" she tried her pull her hand away but couldn't escape from my grasp.

"Are you acting out because of what you saw earlier?" I asked her and she rolled her eyes.

"Don't flatter yourself, Rush," she smirked. "You've always been a jerk to me. I'm just not taking your shit this time."

"What's going on?" I heard Wes's voice before I saw him since he had appeared behind me. "Are you guys actually arguing?"

"Tell her to put on some clothes," I said simply and she used all her strength to pull her hand away from my grasp.

She nursed her hand which was now turning bright red and took a deep breath as if she was trying to control her anger. Wes gave her a pointed look and she groaned.

"You know what?" she asked, digging into the cupboard and coming up with a pair of shorts. "If that's what makes you leave me alone then I'll do it because I don't want to have this freaking argument with you again." She looked right at me as she pulled on her shorts, covering barely any more skin.

She shoved past both of us as she exited the room, stomping down the stairs, making it very obvious that she was annoyed.

"When the hell did she get so-" I started but shook my head, cutting myself off.

"If you say hot, I might punch you," Wes joked and turned around. "But yeah, I've seen how guys stare at her."

I didn't doubt what he was telling me was true. From the looks of her, it would be impossible for any guy to not stare. She was thin but curvy, her hair was beautiful, her eyes reminded me of clear blue water, she had high cheek bones and a well-shaped face. And even though she had changed a lot, even in personality, I still felt drawn to her. Seeing her angry had actually turned me on a bit.

"I was going to say hot-headed but okay," I smirked and he chuckled.

"You're not one to talk, bro," he put a hand on my shoulder and squeezed. "Let's go get dinner before my sister swallows all of it."

"That skinny thing can't eat all of the lasagna," I laughed but followed him anyway.

"You'll be surprised," he responded as we went downstairs.

We entered the kitchen and the smell of my brother's cooking filled the air. It smelt amazing and my stomach growled in response. I hadn't had any lunch, unless Candy or Cady counted as lunch so I was famished. Levi had already set the casserole of lasagna on the kitchen counter. He had a neatly cut piece of it on his plate which hadn't started eating yet. He was leaning over the counter and watching Farren as she dug into her plate of lasagna which was filled, leaving the casserole half empty.

"Farren, you pig!" Wes exclaimed jokingly. "You already snorted down after of the-"

"I just started!" she exclaimed in defense. "Maybe come eat next time instead of having unnecessary conversations."

She didn't even glance at me. In fact, she was making a conscious effort to ignore me. Levi had an amused smirk on his face and I badly wanted to wipe that smirk off his face.

Wes ignored the comment and took the bar stool next to her, leaving only the one furthest from her left for me to occupy I took a seat without a word and waited for Wes to fill his plate before I filled mine. I hated being the oldest sometimes. I felt pressured but it wasn't like I even acted like the oldest. Levi was the one making our meals and Wes was the one fixing fights. Farren, being the youngest, had that as an excuse to act like a child, though she was acting her age. I only had myself to blame for pissing her off.

"So how's college going, Wes?" Levi asked breaking the silence. "Heard you got a girlfriend."

"You got a girlfriend?" Farren turned to look at him, her blonde ponytail smacking around her neck to fall onto her shoulder. "Am I the only one who doesn't know anything around here? How many secrets are you guys keeping for me?"

Levi and Wes shared a look that was frightening concerning and then Levi looked at me. Wes knew that I had had open heart surgery but no one had ever told Farren. She hadn't known that I had had a bad heart. Also, she didn't know that it was the reason I hadn't been able to attend my mother's funeral. That was the reason I never let anyone see my chest, the long scar running the length of it wasn't very attractive. I had gotten a tattoo to cover it and even though some girls had managed to catch a glimpse of it, I never let any of them touch it.

"Fine, don't tell me anything," Farren frowned, shoving another forkful into her mouth. "I don't even want to know."

"She said she'd come visit and I was going to surprise you," Wes cooed, trying to calm his sister down. "Thanks, Levi, for ruining it."

"Sorry, man," Levi said apologetically. "Farren."

She looked up and they locked eyes for several seconds until she looked back at her food again, her expression softening.

What the hell was that? Were they talking through their eyes now? Since when did they do that? Was I missing something because the last time I talked to Levi, he had told me he hadn't spoken to her in four years either? What the hell was happening?