Cry Until You Bleed

30- Fighting

“Ana Lynn Shaw,” Penn greets me with a rather unusual greeting on Thursday, which is the first time that I’ve called my brother in a while, and that’s why I’m so confused by his use of my full name.

“Uh. Penn Thomas Shaw?” I repeat his full name back to him just in case this is a thing that we’re going to start doing or something. Although I’m sure it’s just because he’s mad at me because he usually only uses my middle name when he’s mad at me.

“You haven’t called in a while,” He tells me.

“And that justifies the use of my middle name?” I wonder with raised eyebrows although he obviously can’t see them. 

“No. The fact that you’ve been going out with this boy that I know nothing about though, that justifies the use of your middle name,” He tells me and then the odd greeting makes a lot more sense.

“Did Sienna tell you?” I ask him quietly.

“Not easily. She should have, but she didn’t,” He says. “I found a receipt with a black shirt and black sneakers and I could figure that something was up considering they weren’t in Sienna’s size. So when I pressed the subject more- and I mean a lot more- she finally told me what was happening. Although, you should have told me yourself.”

“No, I don’t think that I should have,” I deny. “Because now you’re going to get really mad.”

“Of course I’m going to get really mad, Ana!” He snaps at me. “What were you thinking?”

“Are,” I correct him.

“What?”

“It’s not were. It’s ‘are’. Present tense. I’m still talking to him,” I tell him. I mean, if he knows this much then he might as well know it all, I guess. It doesn’t really matter at this point anyway, I’m still going to get it.

“Is that supposed to make me feel better?”

“I’m not trying to make you feel better,” I sigh. “I just don’t think that there’s any reason for you to get so angry over this kind of thing.”

“Not a reason to get angry?” He wonders incredulously. “Ana, you can’t just walk around with this guy without any of us knowing about it. You can’t just walk around with this guy period. Alright? You’re at Bernard’s to get better, not to find a boyfriend.”

“I am getting better,” I defend. “And he’s not my boyfriend. I don’t even like him like that. And I can walk around with this guy because I’m over here on the east coast and you’re over there on the west coast and I can’t just relay to you every single thing that I do while I’m here. Would you like me to tell you what I ate for lunch as well? Or what kind of board games I played today? Do you really want to know every single thing that I do?”

“I’m serious, Ana,” He snaps, obviously unable to tolerate my sarcasm at a point like this but I don’t care because I’m mad at him for being mad at me so we’re really not going to get anywhere with this. “We don’t even know him!”

“So? I know him,” I say. “I’m his friend, not you. You don’t have to know him.”

“I do if he’s taking you out of the center to go on dates or whatever. That is absolutely not okay. On what planet is that even remotely a good idea?”

“In the planet that we’re living on maybe,” I suggest sarcastically. “And it’s not like he’s sneaking me out or anything, Dr. Lombardi signs off on it and she knows exactly where we’re going and I have a strict time line. It’s completely safe and nothing to get your panties in a bunch for.”