The Luna's Nerd

~Chapter 1~

"What is love? The best feeling, I guess you could say. It's like being on cloud nine. You know you have strong feelings for someone that you can't deny, and you'll do anything to make them happy." Mom smiles to the camera. I rewind it again to stare at her features. Her obsidian hair bounces on her shoulders as she answers my question.

"Will we find love?" A smaller version of me cooes sitting on her lap. Titus nods with a smile behind her.

"Of course you will, baby. Your mate will mean everything to you."

"Mate." I repeat and the word leaves a sour taste on my tongue.

"Ty!" My brother yells.

I quickly turn off the television as he barges into my room. "Wh-What?" I ask.

"Were you watching porn?" He fakes exasperation.

"No! I wasn't watching... Porn!" I narrow my eyes. "What do you want?"

"Emily's outside waiting for you." He gives me a small nod. A smile appears on his face. "Do you like her?"

I glare at him, "You ask that about every girl I talk to."

Titus scowls back, "You're my little bro. I'm supposed to. Besides, I should be the one to know who's apart of your sex life and who's not."

My frown deepens, "I don't have a sex life."

He's interrupted by a loud, frantic knock on the front door. "By the sound of her knocks I'd say she really wants it." Titus teases. I glare at him and throw my backpack over my shoulder.

"I need to get to school early." I sigh walking passed him. I rush out the door, bumping into Emily who is unusually close to the door.

"Ty, we need to talk-"

Titus approaches the doorway. He leans his body against the frame and winks at me. Emily jumps in shock, fear crossing her eyes as she glances at Titus. He gives her a warning type of look that changes a split second as he sees me looking at him. "We can talk at school, yeah? Okay bye." Emily squeakes stumbling toward her car.

I glare at Titus. "You scared her off. What did she ever do to you!" I hiss. I don't understand why he has such a hatred towards some people associated with me. It's my life and I control it, not him.

"It's about what she could do to you." He replies blankly.

"Is this still about sex? One second you're telling me to do it and then telling me not to do it!" I shout.

"It's not about sex." He replies, his expression still relaxed.

"Then what is it about?" I demand. I'm beginning to grow tired of Titus and his protective attitude toward me.

"That..." His demeanor broke and he grinds his teeth together, "I can't tell you."

"You know what?" I pause as I could feel anger course throughout my body. I throw a punch at him in which he successfully dodges like he always does. "You're an ass." I turn away and begin to walk to the woods. I hear Titus' shouts but I continue to retreat into the darkening woods. As soon as he's out of hearing range, I allow my body to go numb. I drop my tense posture and let my feet drag me through the woven patch of dead leaves.

Crunch! Crunch! Comes with every step I make. I inhale and exhale to get rid of my lingering anger. My brother always knows how to rile me up like a bull and spray me down with insults like a cat being doused in water and he expects me to not do anything about it. He's always wanting to control the people I associate myself with, and it always makes me... It makes me... I ball my fists and stuff them in my pockets. I don't care if it's burning 90 degrees. I still cover myself underneath my hoodie as if it can hide my identity. I sometimes wish I could ball up into a corner and disappear from life altogether. Sometimes I even wish I died in the accident, but those thoughts didn't stay long. I survived for a reason, and there was no need to think on how the past could have been because it's not. The past is the past and there is no changing it. It's the future that needs to be changed from those past experiences.