Jodee

Chapter 4 - Alone

The second Ace's car pulled into the driveway of our house. I quickly opened the door, grabbing my backpack and stepping outside of the car.

I had to get away from my brother as soon as possible. ASAP!

"Jo..." I heard Ace's voice as I was walking out the door but I didn't stay around long enough to hear what he was trying to say.

I ran up to the front door, my backpack slung over my right shoulder. Furiously, wiping the tears from my eyes.

Like it was most days when I got home, the door was unlocked so I opened it and ran inside, shutting the door behind me.

"You're home!" A different voice called from what seemed to be the kitchen – Caleb.

I didn't respond to Caleb or even acknowledge that he spoke to me before turning towards the stairs. Careful to keep my head down so he wouldn't see I'd been crying.

"Jodee. Hey! Where are you going?" Caleb yelled from the bottom of the stairs.

He stood there peering up towards the top of the stairs where I was. One of his hands held onto the railing, while the other was in the air in annoyance from me ignoring him.

I didn't turn around or look at Caleb, I just kept walking.

I wanted to be alone in my room.

"What the fuck is her deal about?" Was the last thing I heard as I disappeared into my room, closing the door behind me.

I let my bag slide down my arm and to the ground as my back fell against my newly closed door. Sliding down the door my tears started to flow from my eyes again, slowly and quietly until it wasn't.

I sat against the door to my room, my knees pulled up to my chest with my head buried in them, sobbing.

***

I heard a soft knock at my bedroom door but I didn't pay attention to it.

I had finally gotten myself off of the floor and over to my bed where I laid, with my back facing the door, but I still wasn't over what Ace did. What Ace did to me.

For the past hour or so I just laid there, sometimes trying to go to sleep other times with my eyes open, just laying. But I wasn't moving any time soon.

"Jodee?" A soft voice called. My door creaked open and then shut again, telling me that someone had just entered my room.

I knew it was Caleb because he can try to make his voice soft, gentle, delicate, but it would never really work because his voice was too deep.

I heard shuffling as Caleb came further into my room before I felt the bed dip right near my knees were, telling me that Caleb had sat down next to me before I felt his hand on my leg.

"C'mon, Jo. I know you're awake. Open those pretty brown eyes for me, humm?" Caleb tried to speak to me.

"Go away." I spoke, not moving but opening my eyes to look at my brother's best friend.

Caleb was looking down at me with worry and confusion written all over his face.

He smiled softly – "why don't you sit up?"

I knew what he was doing but I would not succumb to his ways.

"Go away." I spoke again, looking away from Caleb and towards the window that was on the wall directly facing my body.

"What did Ace do?" Caleb questioned directly, his tone becoming a little less gentle.

I didn't respond.

"Hey! I'm speaking to you." Caleb said, shaking my body, trying to get my attention.

"Stop!" I groaned, kicking him – not forcefully but not playfully – in the hip with my feet, still in my shoes.

I hadn't bothered to take them off.

"Fine." Caleb sighed. "If you don't want to tell me what happened to make you so upset, you don't have to. But you do have to come down for dinner."

I shook my head, burying it into my pillow to get away from Caleb.

"It's spaghetti?" He tried to tempt me again with my favorite dish.

"I said – no," I growled, a little more forcefully this time.

Would he just take a hint?

Caleb sighed again – "Ace isn't going to be there."

I knew Caleb thought that would make it all better, which in a little way it did because I did not under any circumstances want to see my older brother right now and probably for the next couple of days.

But I still didn't want to come down for dinner. I wasn't hungry in the first place and I just wanted to be alone to sulk and wallow in self pity right now. Maybe listen to music or read a book if I was up for it, but I just didn't want to do anything at the moment.

Or be with anyone. Not even my friends who I so desperately wanted to hang out with today that I would go as far as to talk back to my scary older brother and cause him to get pissed at me.

"Jodee Fay Chambers! If you don't get your ass downstairs in five seconds I will carry you down there myself so help me god," Caleb suddenly exclaimed, standing up and pointing towards the door.

I looked up at Caleb in alarm from his major change in tone and how fast he stood up. My body came off the bed slightly so I was sitting up a little but I didn't get up.

"Jodee, I'm warning you," Caleb said again, his threatening tone going even lower.

I still didn't do anything. Part of me wanted to see what Caleb would do.

"Fine." Caleb stated.

My brother's best friend stoked over to me before putting one hand under the back of my knees and the other behind my back, and in one quick motion he had pulled me up off of the bed and into his arms.

My hands immediately flew towards his neck, scared that he would drop me, but Caleb just continued walking towards the door. Opening my door with his foot he stepped outside of my room and headed for the stairs.

"No! Caleb stop!" I exclaimed, squirming in his arms so I pushed myself further up towards his chest, to get away from the floor – not like that was going to help me at all.

"Relax," Caleb responded, a deep rumble coming from his chest as he began to laugh. "I'm not going to drop you."

"It's stairs, Cal, stairs!" I exclaimed.

"So? I'm a big boy," Caleb teased.

Once we got into the kitchen where I ate most of my meals Caleb finally set me down. True to his word, Ace was nowhere to be found and the table was only set for two.

Reluctantly, I stayed for the entire meal, making small words with Caleb here and there but he mainly just spoke to me, or at me really. Caleb always talked a lot, it was part of what made him, him.

He did ask a couple times about what happened with Ace or what Ace did. I didn't tell him anything and I kept my arm hidden under my jacket because my wrist was starting to bruise so I don't think Caleb knew that my brother hurt me. He even tried going with the approach that something happened at school, when really we both knew that Ace was the one who upset me.

Dinner was fine in the end I guess, but the second we were both done I did make a beeline for my room and shut the door again to keep unwanted people out – Ace and Caleb.