If There's Something

Chapter 9

  When I woke up in the morning, I had a missive hang over but that wasn't the only reason I felt like shit. I remembered every single thing that had happened the night before. I remember catching Monique and Tucker in their last act of dishonesty which hadn't hurt as much as hearing that my parents were getting divorced. What was worse was that it was true. It wasn't just a rumor.

Wes had knowingly taken me out of the house and Levi and Rush had gone along with it. And I knew better than to think that they had done it to protect me. I knew what everyone thought about me – spoilt little rich girl who acted out to get attention. It was true to some level but it wasn't attention in general that I wanted. It was the attention any child deserved from their parents that I craved. I was tired of being the invisible one. I was tired of watching my parents do anything and everything to keep Wes happy when they barely even looked at me. I was tired of having to run to Wes as my safe house when I was secretly blaming him for my invisibility when it came to our parents.

With Aunt Marya gone, I had nothing close to a real mom. I hadn't told anyone about it but I had cried equally hard when she had died. I had taken as hard as her own children because she had been a mother to me more than my own.

I knew there was no point of lying in bed all day. There was actually more to do in the farm house than there was back home. And one thing that I wanted to do was change. I was done putting up a façade. I was done pretending to be happy when I wasn't and putting up with everyone and everything just so people would like me.

So I got out of bed and forced myself into the bathroom to freshen up. The cuts on my legs stung a little but the pain didn't bother me. I had gotten hurt a number of times during cheer practice and I was used to having cuts and bruises.

After having a shower to remove the stench of alcohol from the night before, I brushed my teeth, blow dried my hair and changed into a pair of shorts and a t-shirt. Lastly, I slipped my feet into my black converse and headed downstairs. The house was quiet...maybe too quiet. Maybe no one was at home. That was both a good thing and a bad thing. A good thing because I didn't want to have to face any of them after last night and a bad thing because I kind of did need to borrow one of their cars or bikes or something to go into town.

I headed into the kitchen, wondering where everyone was. There was a pot of coffee which was still steaming so it hadn't been long since they left. I opened one of the cabinets to find a cup and internally groaned when I realized they were kept on the highest shelf.

"You're shitting me, right?" I sighed as I tried to reach for it.

I was too busy trying to reach for the cup that I didn't notice someone come behind me.

"You're awake," Levi's voice almost made a jump.

I turned my head to look at him but he was standing too close. Having his body so close to mine felt strange but kind of warm at the same time. He leaned forward, his chest brushing against my back as he got a cup off of the top shelf and placed it on the counter in front of me. He stepped away and I turned to look at him, my cheeks aflame.

"Uh, thanks," I mumbled and turned back to pour myself a cup of coffee. "I thought everyone was out."

"Rush is exercising the horses and your brother is feeding the other animals," he told me, leaning against the counter.

I could help but notice how nicely he had grown up. He was lean, tall and muscular, not to mention sweet and adorable when he was shy. Maybe I had fallen for the wrong brother.

"I'm sorry-" we both started at the same time.

"You go first," he chuckled and even his laugh was warm.