My Brothers Best Friend

1

I slipped on my brown sandals that had a little bit of a heel on them because us short girls will take any height they can get. I was only 5'0" and that made me think I was adopted because everyone else in my family is normal height or taller.

My brother being 6'2 towers over me and he convinced me when I was younger that I was adopted from elves. So every Christmas 9 year old Grace would wake up and wait for Santa and his Elves to come down so I could meet my real parents. My mother found out about my plan and my brother was grounded for a month.

*8 years ago*

"S'not my fault she's gullible as shit," My brother argued and my mother gasped as she covered her mouth in disbelief of what crude words came out of my brothers mouth.

" Jackson Sky Paterson you march right up to that room of yours and sit your butt down, I will not tolerate that kind of language in my house. You're 16 for crying out loud you should know better!" My mother scolded and rubbed her eyes as my moody brother stomped up stairs. As he passed me he glared at me through his sandy blond hair that fell into his sky blue eyes.

"I hate you," He said low enough for mom not to hear but I heard him loud and clear and tears welled up in my eyes as my brother continued up the stairs. I jumped in my skin when he slammed his door shut. My mother mumbled to herself as she folded the dish towels.

"Why can't he be more like that Theo James boy?" She asked herself that a lot because Theo James was every mother's dream child. He was sweet as sugar to parents but they were all blinded by his pearly whites to see he was even worse than my brother.

Theo James was a bad kid and my 9-year-old self could see that clearly, but my mother was unaware of the bad boy because he always brought her flowers when he came over and she would smile at him and thank him for such a lovely gift. Then he would go upstairs and give my brother a gift but it was a different kind of flower and it smelled like a skunk.

When Theo James got in trouble he could charm his way out of it in an instant which is why he was so care free because he lived on top of the world in his mind. 9 year old me admired his confidence even though he scared her because she knew what he was really capable of.

Though despite all that was Theo James he seemed to have a bit of a soft spot for young me and that made him seem a little less scary.

"Mommy I'm going outside to play," I said behind a veil of sorrow from the words my brother said to me. She nodded absent minded and I took off running to our tree house my dad built on his week off from work. He worked a lot so this was a special thing to have.

I climbed the ladder and opened the floor door and climbed my small frame into the small room that sat secured on the branches of the tree.

I sat down and let the tears fall, I hated people seeing me cry. I didn't want to make their life sad as well so I always hid my tears.

I heard a throat clear and I shot my head up and saw Theo James himself sitting on the window sill smoking something that smelled like a skunk. He looked over at me with furrowed brows and he dabbed out what ever he was smoking and he swung his long legs over the ledge to face me.

"You know what I love about sunshine?" He asked and I looked up at him through tear filled lashes. "Rain never falls in the sunshine," He said as he hopped to the ground and came and sat next to me. "Why is rain falling, sunshine?" He asked and I looked up to him and for some reason, It felt okay to cry in front of him so I let my lip tremble and I looked up at him.

"Jack s-said h-he hated me," I said and I fell apart like a bad game of Jenga. I loved my brother and I couldn't think of a world with out him, he couldn't hate me.