17. Brooke
Chapter 17
Brooke
Five Years Ago.
“ Are you ready for the final exam?” Marie asked me as she packed her notes away, and I nodded as I stared at her.
“ As ready as I’ll ever be,” I told her as I took a deep breath in. I was excited that today was my last exam, but I was nervous, as well.
I was just one final away from acquiring my Bachelors of Science , majoring in Economics . Why I had chosen such a stressful major was beyond me, but all I knew was that I was going to be paid well at the corporate job I had bagged three months ago.
I couldn’t wait to start working in an office and to fill up my closet with work outfits; of course, I was just as excited for the challenges and work opportunity I had received, but the work outfits were the apple of my eye, and I had seen a few heels I knew I had to get in my closet.
“ How has it been with your brother back home?” We walked toward the lecture hall, and I smiled.
“ Amazing , because every time I got back home, he has a meal prepared or goes out to buy dinner for us! I haven’t been able to spend that much time with him because I’ve been studying, but you’d better believe that this weekend we’ll be having a movie marathon!”
“ Invite me?” Her green eyes shone with hope, and I laughed, shaking my head.
“ Absolutely not. If there’s one person I’m not introducing to my brother, it’s you,” I told her, and she rolled her eyes as we found our seats and sat down, waiting for our instructor.
“ Meanie .” She stuck her tongue out and pushed her fist forward, and I bumped mine against it. This was like our lucky charm; before every exam, we would bump fists and kiss our knuckles, and it helped calm down the nerves.
“ Good luck,” I whispered, and she smiled, whispering back before we both faced forward, smiling.
I got this. I won’t have to do this again.
After about two hours, our college lives were officially over, and it felt so random. It was a Wednesday afternoon when Marie and I exited the lecture hall. The summer air was fresh and warm as we looked at each other quietly.
“ So , what now?” I whispered, and her eyes widened as she looked around and shrugged.
“ Coffee to celebrate?”
“ LaBranch ?” I asked her, and she nodded.
“ Let’s also get a sandwich and cupcakes; I’m starving.” She hooked her arm in mine as we walked toward our next location.
“ I’ll just get a sandwich. Brandon is taking me out for dinner to celebrate,” I squealed, and she smiled before she groaned.
“ Sure , rub it in my face that your hot brother is only taking you out for dinner,” she whined, and I laughed.
“ I would invite you, but it’s his birthday tomorrow, so it’s only fair that we spend the day together. It’s just us, you know.”
“ I know; you guys make me wish I had a sibling. It sucks to be the only child,” she groaned, and I laughed.
“ It sucks to be parentless, but my brother filled that void quickly.” I thought of the way it had just been my brother and I for the past twelve years.
Our parents passed away in a car accident, and we didn’t have any aunts or uncles or grandparents to move in with, so we were sent off to a foster home because my brother was a few years away from legally being able to be my guardian.
Two years later, when he was seventeen, he joined the Marine Corps so that he could provide for me and pay for my tuition. It had been a lot of weight that he had taken upon himself, and sometimes I hated my parents for dying, but my brother always made sure that I was taken care off.
The first few years were difficult to navigate because he wasn’t around as often; his job was demanding, and he was also studying for his degree because he wanted to become a Marine officer.
At the age of just twenty-one, he became an officer, and he had stories about how he had to train the younger ones. He almost convinced me to join the Marines as well, but then I watched The Proposal ; Sandra Bullock was such a sexy badass, and I knew my career was in the office.
“ I want your brother to be my daddy too.” She lifted her eyebrows, and disgust took over my expression as I pushed her away, but she held onto my arm as she laughed. “ I’m joking, Brooke , don’t abandon me.”
“ You say whatever comes to mind, don’t you?” I laughed, and she giggled, her short hair bobbing as she nodded.
“ I’m sorry! I’ll buy you a Frappuccino cupcake at the cafe,” she offered as we stood outside the cafe.
“ Deal .” We entered the cafe, and I watched Marie as she ordered our meal and drinks for us.
Marie was so beautiful; her small frame and short hair always caught people’s attention everywhere we went; and I was the taller friend with a bit more flesh than she had, but with her, I always felt just as beautiful.
“ Ooh , we should go shop for an outfit,” she suggested, and I shook my head.
“ Absolutely not,” I said as I placed my bag on the bench before we sat down in the booth by the window, and I tried my best to stop the ideas that were forming in her head.
“ I mean, we’re now unemployed adults who just finished college. Don’t you think we should thank ourselves with a trip to the club? Just this once, Brooke .” She raised her finger, and I shook my head.
“ My brother would kill me if he found me at a club.”
“ He can come with,” she suggested, and I laughed.
“ No .”
“ Come on, what if he’s my future husband?” she argued, and I shook my head.
“ He doesn’t want to get married,” I told her, and she gasped.
“ What ? Nobody will carry the Taylor name after you?”
“ Many other people are named Taylor ,” I said as I thanked the waiter who brought our drinks, and she told us that our food will be ready in a few minutes.
“ No , but I mean Brandon’s lineage, it ends with you?”
“ What if I have children?” I asked her, and she looked at me for a second before she burst out laughing.
“ Brooke , whew,” she breathed out, as she continued laughing. “ You hate children!”
“ No , I don’t; I dislike a few,” I shrugged, and it honestly was because of the trauma my brother and I had had to deal with at the foster home. Oh , it was so terrible!
“ Name a few characteristics kids have that you don’t like,” she said, and I rolled my eyes as I lifted my fingers, telling her all the things I hated about kids.
“ I can’t deal with snotty noses, constant crying, shouting, screaming, fighting, entitlement, disrespect, coughing, spitting, drool, among other things.”
“ Brooke , all children do that,” she looked surprised at my list as if she didn’t know.
“ No , teenagers don’t,” I shrugged, and she scoffed.
“ Have you ever met someone who gave birth to a teenager?”
“ No , but I’ve seen some raise children, and they became teenagers,” I shrugged, and she laughed as she rolled her eyes.
“ Well , if I marry your brother, then you and I could be sisters. I’ll raise the children and you can come around all the time,” she pouted, and I shook my head. So , this was what she was leading to this entire time?
“ I don’t want to be related to you in any kind of way.” She stuck her tongue out. Our food arrived, and we immediately dug in.
After our cafe date, we hugged and went our separate ways, and I rushed back home when I noticed the time.
My brother would kill me if I was late for our date; he hated eating alone.
When I arrived home, I found him in the kitchen and smiled as I greeted him.
“ Officer Brandon ,” I saluted, and he rolled his brown eyes as he leaned against the counter.
“ Go get ready for our date; you should’ve been back an hour ago,” he said as he looked at his watch, and I stuck my tongue out.
“ I went out for coffee with Marie ; she wants to meet you so badly,” I told him, and he rolled his eyes.
“ Which one of your friends doesn’t want to meet me?” he asked confidently, and it was my turn to roll my eyes.
“ Don’t remind me. The only reason why people were friends with me in high school was because they all wanted to meet my hot Marine brother,” I mocked, and he flexed his muscles.
“ I did you a favor being hot; nobody would want to be your friend with that personality,” he teased, and I gasped as I walked toward my bedroom.
“ Hey ! Marie approached me before she even knew someone like you existed.”
“ Sure ,” he scoffed, and I quickly got changed into an outfit appropriate for a sibling date.
I buttoned up my jeans and threw on one of my brother’s dress shirts as the final touch for the outfit. I met him in the living room of our small apartment, and he nodded, approving of my outfit.
“ You ready to go eat?” he asked me as he walked to the door, and I agreed as I followed after him.
He drove us to the restaurant, and as soon as we entered, we were welcomed by a warm ambience. My stomach immediately grumbled. It looked expensive.
“ I want steak; can you afford it Mr . Officer -boy-sir?” I asked him, and he clicked his tongue.
“ Young girl, I already have my Insignia for special operator.” Oh , here we go again. This was going to take a while. “ I have my marksman badges, for being a rifle expert, sharpshooter, and marksman, and a pistol qualification badge. I have multiple competition badges, tour badges and an identification badge. I am more than an officer-boy-sir.”
“ Yessir , I’m sorry, sir!” I hollered. He pushed my head playfully, and I laughed. There was nothing I enjoyed more than teasing my brother. “ Will you ever teach me how to fire a gun?”
“ Hell , no! Go to a firearm academy if you want to learn,” he immediately declined, and I groaned.
“ But I would have to pay for that. I mean, you’ve already taught me so much, what’s one more skill to you?” I begged, and he shook his head, profusely declining.
“ I’ll tell on you,” I bit out, and he laughed.
“ To who? Our parents are dead.” Our humor was terrible because I struggled to not laugh while he pretended as if he hadn’t just said the most deranged joke ever.
“ That was wrong,” I whispered, still struggling to keep my laughter. “ So wrong.”
“ Why are you laughing then?” He started laughing, and I lost it as I joined him. We both took a sip of water and smacked our lips as we looked at each other, a nostalgic smile on our faces.
The waiter arrived, and we both ordered our food, Brandon assuring me that I was free to order whatever I desired.
“ They would be proud of you,” I said as I took out my phone and quickly took a photo of him.
“ They would be proud of you, too. Congratulations on finishing college, you smarty pants.”
“ I figured I couldn’t let you take care of me forever; I have to work.” I rolled my eyes, and he laughed.
“ Good for you on bagging that job where you did your internship. That’s some queen level shit right there.” He clapped his hands, and I nodded.
“ Thank you, thank you. It wasn’t easy.” I grabbed the salt shaker and pretended it was a mic. “ There were some sleepless nights, but it was all worth it because my beloved brother will teach me how to fire a gun now.”
“ You’re out of your mind,” he said. The waiter brought our food, and I thanked him, smiling brightly, and he nodded.
“ You’re a cruel older brother, you know that?” I argued as I popped a fry into my mouth, and he cut into his steak, shrugging.
“ Being told no once in a while doesn’t hurt. You’ll get over it.”
“ Is that what they teach you in the Marines , young boy?” I scolded him, and he raised his wine glass, nodding.
“ Then I guess getting wine was a good choice, wasn’t it?”
“ Nobody will marry you with that attitude,” I said, cutting into my steak, and he laughed.
“ As if anyone would want you as a wife.”
“ Hey ! I am much more marriage material than you are,” I argued, and he made a noise similar to flatulence. This child!
“ Please . You are the most careless person I have ever met; you probably don’t even know where the pots are,” he teased, and I gasped.
“ Yes , I do!”
“ I don’t mean the frying pan, Brooke .”
“ It does cook other meals fairly well,” I told him, and he laughed, his shoulders shaking as he stared at me.
We continued arguing over whether or not I knew how to cook—which I did—and he told me stories about a few of the new recruits and a few of his colleagues. I was glad that he wasn’t alone whenever he left home, that he had other people to call family.
When we got home, after both deciding that ice cream was a great desert, I was exhausted. Today had been such a busy day, and I honestly enjoyed each and every moment I spent with Marie and my brother.
It was nice to finally catch up properly with my brother, and I couldn’t wait for tomorrow; we would probably fight about the laundry I left in the bathroom because today we only argued about the dishes, but still, I couldn’t wait to argue about it.
I enjoyed spending time with him, because I saw him so little, and I wanted to soak up every moment.
“ Let’s watch a movie,” he said as he switched on the TV while I put our food in the refrigerator. I shook my head, the subtle headache that had developed because I was laughing so hard during dinner had me exhausted.
“ Hmm -hmm, I’m tired. I just want to sleep. I promise we can have a movie marathon tomorrow.” I crossed my fingers, and he rolled his eyes and nodded.
“ Alright , sleepyhead, see you tomorrow.” He pressed a kiss on my forehead. “ I love you, Brooke .”
I looked at him suspiciously as I pointed an accusing finger at him.
“ You’re not going back tomorrow, are you?”
“ Nope , I’ll still be here when you wake up.”
‘ You better, or else,” I threatened, and he laughed as he pushed me to my bedroom.
“ Yeah , yeah, tough girl. I know!”
“ Good night, Brandon ,” I laughed, and he waved as he closed my door. I took some Ibuprofen to help reduce the headache, and after changing into my pajamas, I fell asleep immediately.
When I woke up the next morning, I decided to surprise my brother with some birthday breakfast. I was honestly going to use the leftovers from our dinner, but it wasn’t like he minded.
He had probably spent the night watching movies; I noticed his fleece blanket on the couch, and I rolled my eyes.
“ And he’s always scolding me about being messy,” I laughed as I folded his blanket. He hadn’t left the apartment yet, because whenever he went on a run in the morning, he would leave a note on the kitchen counter.
Somebody upstairs flushed their toilet, and my pipes began to creak. I heaved, disgusted. These annoying loud pipes were disgusting and rusting. I had talked to my landlord about it, but of course, he only knew how to make empty promises.
I finished making my brother some coffee and placed it on the tray; I walked toward his bedroom, excited to wake him up for the first time in my life. Ever since he had joined the Marines , he would always wake up extra early, and I would find everything settled in the apartment and a warm breakfast waiting for me.
Today was finally my chance to take on that role.
I knocked on his door gently, laughing softly. “ Come on, wake up, birthday boy.” I knocked once more before I gently nudged open his door so that I could peek inside.
The man who always slept like a dead man was on the floor, and I found it so funny that my brother had fallen off the bed when he was sleeping.
“ Brandon ,” I called, as I pushed open the door. “ It smells like booze in here.” That was when I noticed the empty bottles of alcohol and pills beside him.
“ Brandon ?” I whispered, my heart beating faster as I approached him shakily and put the tray down. What was happening? “ Are you playing a joke?” I choked out, then I realized that he wasn’t breathing.
I swallowed hard, my hands shaking as I knelt down beside him. “ Brandon ,” I spoke softly as my tears blinded me. “ Stop it.” I felt a tear roll down my cheek as I placed my hand on his neck, trying to feel his pulse, but there was nothing.
A gasp left my lips as I quickly removed my hand from his neck, feeling as if I had been shocked.
“ You said you’d be here when I woke up,” I cried, as I stared at his unmoving body. “ You lied to me.”