Chapter 25
Chapter Twenty-Five
Isla
I burst back into the house, roaring, “What the hell was that?”
Kraven was leaning against the sink, wiping the blood off his face.
“Bleeding over here and you’re riding my ass?”
I spat, “The only reason he hit you is because you baited him! What is up with you and baiting people to fight you?”
“Now I baited Justin?”
“You know what I mean.”
“Do you?”
“Ugh!” I exclaimed. “You’re impossible.”
“I’ve been called worse.”
“Enough!” I chimed in, my body tensing. “You had no right to treat him that way!”
“You don’t get to take sides when you don’t know both sides of the story, Kitty.”
“I know enough, and he sure as shit didn’t deserve any of that!” I jabbed my finger at him. “Especially from you!”
“What the fuck is that supposed to mean?”
“It means you’re so fucking lucky to have him!
” I couldn’t stop the tears from forming in my eyes.
“You have no idea how hard it is being on your own and not having anyone in this world give a shit about you! You have no idea what it’s like to have to fend for yourself!
You are so damn lucky to have a big brother like him who cares about you so much that he’s willing to put all his own hopes and dreams aside for you to make yours!
He’s only seventeen, and he treats you like you’re his son, you ungrateful asshole!
You take everything he does for you for granted, and you don’t even realize how blessed you are to have him in your life! ”
“I know what he’s doing, but it doesn’t give him the right to throw it in my face every chance he gets!”
“Why do you think he does that to begin with?”
“Oh, now this is all my fault?”
“Maybe before you start firing off at the mouth next time, look in the mirror first. It’ll show you why.”
He watched me with an inquisitive stare for a moment before he moved to grab the bag of peas out of the freezer to place on his lip, hissing upon contact.
“You need to rinse that cut with salt water to remove the bacteria.”
“You go from my lecturer to my doctor in a split second.”
“Yeah, don’t forget, nurse.” Reluctantly, I made my way to the sink and grabbed a clean cup.
Reaching for the salt next, Kraven beat me to it. He was hovering above me for a second, and the instant I realized how close he was, I backed away.
If my response hurt him, he didn’t show it one bit. He was back to being the boy with his guard up. Instead of beating a dead horse, I left and went into Julius’s room. Knowing there was no getting through to him anymore. He devoured what I was starving for.
I didn’t regret it.
Julius didn’t deserve any of it.
Starting with me…
Julius
By the time I walked back into the house, it was well past three in the morning the following night.
The amount of Red Bull I drank to stay awake needed to be studied, though I managed to work and make a shit ton more money.
I wasn’t ready to go back to that house and face all those demons that were adding up by the minute.
I quickly stepped inside, locking the door behind me. Isla wasn’t on the couch or on the back porch, but I did find small G.I. Joe figurines on the steps. I hesitated for a moment, like I always did when I unexpectedly found something out here.
In one quick swoop, I kicked the figurines off the porch and watched them scatter all over the ground. I searched the street to see if I could see anyone, but there was nothing but dead-silent air all around me.
When no one was there, I spun, making my way back inside, stopping dead in my tracks as soon as I saw Isla standing behind me.
“How long have you been there?” I asked, expecting an actual answer this time.
“Long enough, but that’s not the first time I’ve seen you do that.”
“What else have you seen, Isla? Or better yet, what else have you and Kraven talked about?”
In three strides, she was sitting on the porch step, patting next to her. I drew a steady breath to get my emotions in check, then joined her.
Once I was sitting, she openly shared, “I don’t know how to answer any of your questions without implicating your brother, and I don’t want to come between the two of you more than I already have.”
“How do you expect me to feel?”
She bowed her head. “I understand.”
“Do you?”
She glanced at me with sincerity. “I swear I do. I didn’t speak to Kraven first on purpose, I promise. I’d never hurt you like that.”
“Then what happened?”
She shrugged.
“So now you’re protecting him?”
“I just saw you beat his face in. Can you blame me?”
“Trust me,” I reassured. “This isn’t the first time Kraven has been punched in the face.”
“It is by you.”
Considering her remark, I changed the subject. “Since you’re avoiding my question, is it safe to assume Kraven’s in trouble again?”
“I don’t know.”
“You’re just a wealth of information,” I snapped. “What can you tell me?”
Without pause, she leaned her head on my shoulder. “That I’m so sorry.”
The sudden quiet comforted me, and I took shelter in that. My shoulders slumped, my chest loosened, and I leaned my head against hers. I accepted her apology, still uneasy with what Kraven did now.
Getting back to us, I asked, “Were you at least going to talk to me soon, or was the silent treatment going to continue with only me? If I hadn’t walked in on you two, were you going to approach me? Were you going to tell me the truth and just start talking to me? What was the plan here?”
“Julius…” she lured, holding my arm, placing it in her lap. “You know it’s not like that between us.”
“No,” I countered. “I don’t. This is the first time we’re having a discussion. I don’t know anything about you. At this point, Kraven knows more than I do.”
“It doesn’t matter.”
“It does to me.”
“Why?”
“Because I care about you.”
“I care about you, too,” she exclaimed, turning to face me.
“You’re the only reason I’m okay right now, and I’ve never been okay, Julius.
You mean more to me than anyone ever has.
I have absolutely no idea where I’d be if it weren’t for you and your kindness.
I’ll never be able to thank you enough for everything you’ve done for me and everything you continue to do.
” She grabbed my face, staring deep into my eyes.
As if on cue, Kraven cleared his throat. “I hate to interrupt this Hallmark moment, but I’d like to talk to my brother. In private.”
Isla’s hands fell away, and I immediately missed her touch.
“And you choose now?” I bit out, standing, bringing her with me.
“We’re like passing ships these days,” he reminded. “Gotta jump aboard when I can.”
She peered back and forth between us. “Please don’t kill each other.”
I watched her leave, and as soon as she was gone, I questioned, “How’s the lip?”
He scoffed. “You hit like a bitch.”
I chuckled. I couldn’t help it. “You put ice on it? We don’t need your teachers thinking—”
“That you didn’t sucker punch me.”
I let him have that, then requested, “What do you want?”
“I just wanted to make sure we’re good.”
“We will be if you tell me what mess you got yourself into?”
“It’s fine.”
“What is?”
“Nothing.”
“That’s not very reassuring.”
“Yeah.” He smiled, holding up two fingers. “Scout’s honor.”
“You’re the furthest thing from a Boy Scout, Kraven, and I’m done getting slapped in the face with your latest stunt.”
“Yeah, I get it.”
“Do you? Or are you just trying to blow off this conversation like you do everything else?”
“How about you stop digging my grave even deeper, and I’ll take care of anything that happens, okay?”
“So, no calls from your teachers? Parents? Principal? And definitely no calls from CPS, right?”
“Yeah, then we’re off to see the wizard,” he mocked.
“I’m serious. I’m exhausted and I can’t handle any more disappointment.”
Insulted, he spewed, “I’m a disappointment now?”
“You can be, Kraven. Sometimes you make it really hard in a situation that’s already hard enough on me.”
“And what?” he argued. “You think you’re the only one who this has been hard on? I lost them, too, Julius. She walked out on me just as much as she did you. I think you forgot that.”
Zeroing in on him, I placed my hand on my chest. “I forgot that? Why do you think I bust my ass for you? I’m trying to make things better for you because of all the trauma we went through.”
“I never asked you to do that!”
“You didn’t have to!”
I stepped away, trying to control my temper. My brother could always get the best and worst of me in a matter of seconds.
“I didn’t come out here to fight with you.”
I faced him. “Could’ve fooled me.”
His expression hardened as he stated, “Whatever, man. We’re good, right?”
“What about Isla?”
He shrugged. “What about her?”
“What happened there?”
“We hung out,” he simply stated when it wasn’t so simple.
“Is that it?”
“She told me the truth you’ve been too big of a pussy to ask her about. If that’s what you’re referring to.”
“And what truth is that?”
He shook his head. “I’m not going to play telephone. You want to know, grow some balls… and just ask her. It’s really that simple, Julius.”
My jaw clenched, and his hands shot to the air in surrender. “Don’t shoot the messenger, Prince Charming.”
He turned and left.
That night, I slept on the couch. I sat for only a minute before I passed the hell out and didn’t wake up until the smell of bacon and coffee the following morning. I quickly showered, then found Isla sitting at the table with my breakfast in front of her. We ate like this every morning.
Right when I sat down, she beamed.
Her hair was flowing across her face from the window being open, the wind softly blowing it through the room. The scent of her shampoo assaulted my senses, stirring my reaction to her. She was barely wearing any makeup, letting me see the real her.
I knew she did that on purpose for me.
This was where I surrendered, but only with her.
My brother was another story.
She was mine.
No matter how hard he tried.