Jodee

Chapter 11 - Decisions

ACE POV

I had just opened my laptop again so I could go back to work as my sister left my office when my best friend came in.

Caleb peeked his head into the door tentatively, but once he saw I was at my desk and I looked up at him he opened the door fully and came walking in.

"Hey, man. What did Jodee need?" He questioned casually coming over to my desk and inconspicuously looking at the many papers I had all around it.

I rolled my eyes slightly not looking up at my best friend.

Caleb had always been super nosy. So when I had told him before that he had to leave my office to go get Jodee but he wasn't allowed in the "meeting" of sorts my sister and I had he had gotten super defensive.

I was actually very surprised when my little sister had texted me saying that she had to talk to me and only me. This is because usually if it's not that big of a deal I'd just send Caleb down due to my heavy work schedule and I don't really like having "heart-to-hearts" with my sister I guess. My best friend is more of the touchy feely one. And sometimes Jodee really needed someone to talk to about her feelings and I really wasn't that person.

But once she pulled out the school dance form it made sense I was her legal guardian so I was really the one person she needed to talk to regarding some form for school or other things like that.

Wordlessly, I pushed the form to the side of the table Caleb was standing on and went back to looking at my computer.

I hated technology. I would always prefer to do it the good old fashion way with anything.

"Oh! She wants to go to the winter dance?" Caleb said, glee evident in his voice.

I just nodded my head.

"Sooo," He drew out the word. "Why haven't you signed it yet?" My best friend questioned.

Caleb set the piece of paper back down on my desk before pushing it towards me a little with the signature portion angled towards me. I sighed, stealing a quick glance at the white paper with black writing before looking back up at him.

I took a deep breath before speaking - "I don't if I'm going to." I said slowly, feeling every word on my tongue.

"What the fuck, Ace? And why the hell not?" Caleb immediately retorted.

I huffed out a breath in anger before fixing him with a sharp glare - "Not safe."

"Ace. Jodee is being social," Caleb started to lecture me, disregarding my previous words. "Don't you want to promote that? Don't you want her to have a social life at all?"

"I understand that ... aspect." I started to say. "I do ... want. But s'not safe. I can't fucking risk my sister's safety."

Of course, I wanted my sister to have a social life and to be happy with her friend and peers because I couldn't keep her all to myself for the rest of her and my life. But right now with what's going on with my work and all of that stuff I just really thought that her safety would be extremely undermined at this highschool dance.

I would always choose my sister's safety over her feelings any day.

This was just something I had to do as her big brother and guardian. She may not always like me for it or I may not always like my decision, but it is something I have to do.

"Her safety?" Caleb retorted. "Send her with extra body guards! Threatened the school! Fuck, I don't know ... send some damn kid in to watch her in the dance!" He started to list off. "Ace, she has to go to this dance. You know what it was like in high school. Your social life is complete shit if you miss these dances. Especially if you're a girl like Jodee."