Ready to Take on the World

Chapter 27: I love my brother

''Hey'' I said as I entered Brian's room. Of course I knocked before, but I didn't wait for an answer, I just entered.

He looked up to me and greeted me back.

''How are you?'' I asked sitting on the bed next to him. He had been watching a movie, but he put his laptop away when I came in. He sat up and said:''I'm fine. From what I hear, you're not.''

''They told you?'' I asked. He nodded, smiled and replied: ''You know that in this house information spreads like wildfire. Are you OK?''

I rolled my eyes and said:''Yes, I'm fine. I had it under control. I'm sure that if Ian hadn't showed up, I would have saved myself somehow. You know me, I'm full of tricks.''

''That, I do know. I'm sure you would've handled it.'' We laughed and I shook my head. He knew me, they all did. I would've done something. I would've never let anybody hurt me. I would've found a way to get rid of them. Maybe I wouldn't have been successful, but I would've done everything in my power to save myself.

''Isn't it late? Shouldn't you be in bed?'' He said and I frowned a little bit.

''Seriously? I'm not a little girl anymore, you know,'' I said with my eyebrow raised.

''Well to me you are, to all of us you are,'' He laughed and I playfully punched him in the shoulder.

''I don't know which exact year you're stuck in, but it's certainly the past.'' I laughed back.

But then I needed to get to the point:''Seriously though, how are you?''

He smiled and said:''You've already asked me that. I told you I'm fine. Wait ... all of a sudden my sister cares about me? Who are you and what have you done with Kailynn?''

I hit him in the shoulder again, a bit harder this time, and said:''Oh c'mon, I've always cared about you.''

He laughed and I said:''No, really, I wanted to talk to you.''

''About what? If it's about the party, I think I've apologized twice...'' 

I interrupted him by saying:''It's not about the party OK, calm down.''

''OK,'' He laughed.

''It's about ... Well, I just wanted to tell you that I love you and that you can talk to me about anything, whenever you want.''

He laughed and said:''Oh, look at my sister getting all sentimental. Seriously, are you OK?''

''I mean it,'' I looked at him with a serious expression on my face.

He stopped laughing, but still had a nice small smile on his lips.

''I know. I love you too and you can talk to me any time you want too. Except when I'm watching a movie like I was before you walked into my room. You're in big trouble now.'' We smiled and I hit him in the shoulder again.

''Will you stop doing that?'' He said jokingly, grabbed my arm and pulled me, so I fell on his bed. He started tickling me, but he wasn't very successful. I fought back quite well and tickled and kicked him too. When we both calmed down, I sat on the other side of his bed and Brian said: ''No, but really, I know. You love me and you can be my confidant if I need one. Where did all of this come from?''

''I just ... needed you to know. Can't a sister tell her brother that she loves him?'' I said and smiled.

''Well, I know and I love you too.'' He returned the smile.

I hugged him and then I left. I knew I had to tell him. Soon. Whether Sally helped me or not and even if he was gonna be pissed, even if he wouldn't understand.

I went to my room and called Jake. We talked for an hour. I told him I had gone to visit Sally. He was a little mad, but knowing that I was safe and that everything was OK, calmed him down. 

When I finally fell asleep, I did so thinking about Sally. I wanted to go there again, talk to her again, get to know her. She seemed like a really nice person. She didn't want me to get pulled into her world. She wanted me to be safe.

I was gonna do it again that weekend. I needed her help, I needed to convince her to talk to Brian. 

The days just flew by. I met Jake almost every day. We were always hiding somewhere. Whether we were in an empty classroom, behind a big tree, in the park or in his house. Dalton knew but he didn't have a problem with it. At least he didn't say anything. I was very grateful for that.