red | e.d

fourteen

EDEN-JADE THURLOW

The whole weekend, I slept. I had no energy, and absolutely no will to get out of bed.

I hadn't been answering my phone, not once. I had many missed calls and nearly hundreds of texts, from Katie, Luke, and even Ethan. I didn't respond, though, I couldn't face anyone. I felt so humiliated, and I hadn't even done anything wrong.

I heard footsteps making their way closer to my bedroom, as I quickly buried my face into my pillow, pretending to be asleep. However, I couldn't fool my brother, as he instantly opened my blinds, grabbing the pillow from beneath my face and dropping it on top of my body.
" You're late, get up " Alex told me, rushing out of my room almost straight after.
I didn't even get the chance to tell him no, before he had left. I didn't move though, instead I put my pillow back where it was, and pulled the duvet back above my head.

A few minutes later, though, I felt a dip in the bed beside me, and a sigh come from who I guessed was my brothers, lips.
" What's up with you? " He asked me, trying to pull the cover down, so that he could at least see my eyes.
I didn't let him, instead I tugged it further upwards, so he couldn't see the state that I was in. Anyone would know that I was a mess just by looking at me.
However, his strength overpowered me this time, as he suddenly yanked the blanket off of my face, revealing my red eyes and my blotchy skin. His muscles immediately softened as he looked at me, confusion and worry replacing the glimmer of mischievousness in his eyes.

" What's wrong, Jade? " Alex instantly quizzed me, staring down at me in concern.
I just shook my head, turning to face towards my caring brother properly. I at least owed him an answer, I hadn't spoken to him all weekend.
" No, I'm not. I'm not going to school " I groaned, crossing my arms against my chest, as I sat up straight, my back resting against my headboard.
Alex raised an eyebrow at this, laughing gently.
" I'm sorry, but you are " He began, making me sigh, knowing I couldn't get away with it " Now what happened? "

I sat silently, rubbing under my eyes with my hands, letting out a yawn. When I didn't respond and my brother saw the look on my face, his eyes darkened, his body tensing up as a thought crossed his mind.
" Is it a boy? Did someone hurt you, Jade? " His voice sounded stern, as if a sudden rush of anger had shot through his veins.
He was extremely overprotective, but in a way, I loved it. Alex had always been like this, even when we were little. My mother never did it, and my father definitely didn't, so he grew up protecting me no matter the cost.
" Yeah. It's pathetic, I know " I groaned, sitting upright, jumping out of my bed faster than ever.

My brother raised an eyebrow at my sudden movement, staring at me as I threw a hoodie on over my pyjama top. I could tell that he was bubbling with anger on the inside, his eyes dark and his jaw clenched.
" What's his name? I'll pay him a little visit " He was quick to say, something which somebody would usually joke about.
But with Alex, what you see is what you get. If I told him Ethan's damn name, he'd be at his doorstep within the the next half an hour. If not, he'd take it upon himself to do some serious digging.

And as annoyed and hurt as I was, because of Ethan, it would kill me to see him get hurt.

RED

I walked through the hallway, eyes staring my way as I made my way to the cafeteria. I had successfully managed to get my brother to let me go into school at lunch instead, which was where I was heading to right now.

People whispered as they usually did, a few of the boys whistling, to which I ignored. However, when I saw Luke and Katie, and not Ethan, sitting at our usual table, I smiled triumphantly.