vexatious (infuriating sequel)

chapter eighty-nine

"what, colby?" i am annoyed, why does he think he can do things like this? why does he find it appropriate to walk in the house and throw a fit because jake didn't want him waking me up? why does he think any of this is alright with me?

"drop the attitude," he hisses at me and i narrow my eyes. i'm not going to have a show down in front of everyone like this, but he's practically asking for it. i will not stand for the way he is belittling me, and with an audience at that. i won't let him do that to me, not right now—not ever.

"i'm going back to my room. when you want to be an adult we can talk." i turn to walk away from the boy with angry eyes, but he catches my wrist and clenches it tightly. "you're not going anywhere." his tone is too demanding for me to feel comfortable. i find jakes eyes and silently plea with him, because i know that there is no reasoning with colby right now. not when he's like this.

"bro, stop." jake is picking an impossible fight, but i hope colby listens to him. i don't want to have to deal with him when he's acting like a child.

"andromeda, don't you dare fucking walk away from me," he demands and i turn back to him. "how many times do i have to tell you not to command me like i'm your bitch?" i hear jake stifle a giggle as i whip my hand away from colbys grip. i turn on my heels and speed down the stairs to my room. i expect to have to tell colby to leave me alone, but he doesn't follow me down. i don't want to know what kind of argument colby is going to pick with the boys upstairs, but it's not my problem. if he wouldn't act this way, i'd look out for him. but him showing up like that, hitting jake and telling me to drop the attitude was way out of line. he is being insane and i can't let him get to me.

@andromeda: talk to me x2

i scroll through the replies that come through even quicker than the last time, just yesterday. i respond to a few and follow a couple of people back before scrolling through my timeline.

@tarayummy: andro isn't who y'all think she is

my eyes widen at the tweet and i find myself dumbfounded. she isn't seriously bringing her pointless drama to social media, when thousands of people follow us. i did nothing to this girl, she continuously shits on me and i'm tired of letting her get away with it. i like the tweet and decide not to respond before shutting my phone off. what the hell am i even supposed to say to her? she's trying to expose me and it's ridiculous. i swear she just can't handle the fact that i'm happy without her. she can't comprehend that my life doesn't revolve around her anymore, and i'm tired of having to deal with her shock-factor arguments towards me.

"andro?" a voice rips me from my vicious thoughts about tara.

"yeah?" i stand from my bed and am met with jake's busted face. "what the fuck?" my jaw is on the floor. i want to believe he fell, that something other than colby caused the cuts and the slight amount of blood on his face.

"sorry... you're a girl, and i haven't ever been in a fight. i don't know how to clean it up-"

"you and colby fought?" i am dumbfounded. how could he take this so far? how does he think any of this is okay? how does he expect to get me to even look at him after he did this to jake?

"yeah... don't worry, i got a few hits in too. can you help?" my stomach turns at the idea of anyone physically harming colby, but i blink the images away and nod in agreement. "yeah," i respond dryly and i can see the way his face twists in confusion. he must think i'm proud of him for fighting colby, but i don't think it's cool. i don't care about colbys testosterone explosions, and i certainly don't care for anyone hitting him. even if i'm mad at him, and want him to leave me alone forever—i don't want him to be hurt.