First // c.c.

Chapter 9: Jase

Jase's POV

I sat at the dining table, scrolling through my phone, my twitter app to be exact, and tried to kill time before I drove over to pick up Camila for another hang out today. I was thinking maybe we got watch a movie today and then have dinner. Hopefully she'll be up for that.

Oh would ya look at that? I stumbled upon a very productive and helpful fan account of the girls, who posted the meet and greet pictures we took at their mall performance a few days ago.

Damn not to be such a creep or anything, but I'm loving these pictures right now. I couldn't stop admiring them. We took three while we were there, considering we were the last group and we waited centuries to meet them, so we got a bit more extra time. One was of course a funny picture, the other one we had to throw up the 'west side' and 'SF' signs, and the last one was a nice picture, with everyone smiling. One where it actually looks like we're all friends or something.

I found it completely funny to see that Camila was literally all the way on the opposite side from me in the pictures. The order was Camila, Ally, Veronica, Lauren, me, Normani and Dinah. I actually tried so hard to avoid her, just because I was nervous as hell, but now I kind of regret not even acknowleding her much at the meet and greet before the kiss happened.

Just then my older brother Jerick walked into the room heading to the kitchen. I looked over at him a bit confused, since he does usually work weekdays from morning 'til the afternoon, and considering today was Friday around 12 pm, why was he home? "You off work today?" I questioned my older brother as he opened up the refrigerator to grab the carton of milk.

He shook his head 'no' and answered me as he poured himself a glass and came over to sit right across from me at the table. "Just told them I might be a little late today," he mentioned, taking a huge gulp of his beverage. "If you haven't noticed, I am still a bit hungover from yesterday." He downed his glass of milk within in a minute and I don't get how. "One of my coworkers got the news from his girl to call off an engagement." He shook his head is dismay, I would too. That's a really hard thing to deal with. "The buddies and I decided to bring him out for a little fun."

Then I remembered him coming home way past midnight last night. Vee and I tried to wait up for him, well I succeeded, Vee on the other hand didn't. I would've asked and interrogated where he'd been, but I wanted to head to bed already. I was tired as hell I did have a pretty eventful day yesterday.

But Jerick? Getting hungover? Nah way. If anyone, he was the most responsible in the family. Also because he is the oldest. "You? Hungover?" I asked clearly surprised at his actions.

He held his hands out to me, signaling that he wanted me to stop the questions, "I know, I know, you don't need to give me a lecture. I feel fucking horrible about it alright?" I'm guessing he still had a huge headache since he rubbed his temples constantly as he spoke his words. "I told myself I wasn't going to drink, not anymore, but I clearly blew that," his voice sounding so disappointed in himself.

Damn, he really feels bad about it. Why is that? He was an adult, he could do whatever he wanted to do. Drinking is normal for adults right? Is he afraid to look like a bad role model to us? Does he not want us to see him at this low point?

"Jerick it's not a big deal. So you got hungover, so you drank, you're 27 and you work your ass off to provide for all of us for god sakes, you're allowed to have at least a little fun," I protested to him, trying to lighten his mood just a bit.

"No you honestly don't get it Jase," his voice a bit deeper, and now I wondered, what was going on. "I drove back home, while I was drunk." Wait what? He placed his hands over his eyes, and I'm assuming that the sunlight was getting to him or the shame he probably felt telling me, his younger brother, about a huge mistake he made.