Frenemies

Chapter 21: Older Brother

"I won't be gone for too long...just a few days," the handsome boy said, small pained grin plastered on his face as he lay next to you on your bed.

You stared at the side of the older boy's face, seeing the slight bruising that stemmed his cheek. Your heart sunk, eyes tired and falling as he was trying hard to fight back tears himself.

"I'm sorry he does this to you," you awkwardly let out, never understanding why it was always him who got the shorter end of the stick. Never once were you bruised, slapped, or called names. Never once. But the older boy that lay quietly next to you had this happen to him since he was 5 years-old and you were 2.

It had always been this way...

"It's alright," the older boy sighed out, smiling over at you sweetly when seeing how harshly you were taking all of this, "I've gotten used to it."

Your stomach and heart were still sinking, breath drained.

"I'm sorry," you said lightly.

"Now, why would you be sorry?" the boy asked, chuckling a little as he moved his blue cap off his head. "If anything, you should be happy I'm finally leaving this dump of a home because of you. I get to study abroad!"

You pursed you lips at that.

"And besides," the boy chuckled out, finally allowing his light eyes to meet yours, "I might finally be able to have fun for a change...explore a new part of the world y'know? It could be good for me."

You felt tears form at your eyes. Forcing a smile, you nodded, "Y-Yeah, I'm excited for you."

The boy grinned when noticing the tears string up in your eyes. Chuckling he pouted for a second before placing his blue cap playfully onto your head, he messed up your hair as he shoved the cap teasingly onto your face more.

You slapped at his hand gently, laughing breathily before fixing the hat lamely onto your head and watching as he lay back onto the pillow next to you more comfortably again.

You let a tear escape you.

"You'll come back right?"

The boy smiled sweetly at that, the cut by his lower lip making your body feel slight relief that he was leaving. This could be good for him. To get away...

"Of course I will," the boy said slowly, warmness raging off the sweet individual who now poked at your nose, "An older brother always come back for their baby sis."

.

You snapped out of your thoughts the moment there was a hand slamming before you on the table. Jumping for a moment, you stared over at your father who was timidly placing a bag onto the counter. Not knowing why the soft noise seemed so loud to you, your jaw clenched as you tried to sneak away from what you were just thinking about.

"W-What time would you be back again?" you asked softly, looking over at your father who slowly smiled over at you.

"Soon sweetie," the man said lowly before awkwardly making eye contact with your mother who stood stalking up luggage by the door. "In about a week's time...you're used to this though, every year this is necessary."

"For Grandma and Mom's sake," you said lightly, head tilting as the saddened atmosphere of your house seemed to grow with every minute that passed by, "...but do you find this necessary?"

The last bit was soft from you. You watched as your father before you had his smile slowly falter, a saddening look swept his face as he slowly moved his hands to close the bag he had been filling up.