Sierra
Chapter twenty-three
Ithought after yesterday, the guys would follow my wishes when I messaged them last night and asked them to just stay away from me while I was at school.
But I was wrong.
I think it just encouraged them to seek me out more.
Every opportunity they had, they were with me.
When lunchtime hits, I try my hardest to eat by myself, but Zander and Braxton won’t have any part of it, walking arm-in-arm with me to the cafeteria.
When they direct me to the table where Wesley is, I panic and pull back on Zander’s arm.
“What's wrong?” he asks, stopping in his tracks.
“I can’t sit with them. You can sit there, but I’ll eat on my own like I always do,” I tell him, a little upset he’d think I’d want to sit at a table with people who’ve treated me like shit.
“Fuck that, Sierra. We’re eating with you, that’s what friends do. If you don’t want to sit there, then we can find a table somewhere else,” Zander tells me, a smile spreading across his face.
“Hey guys, over here!” Colt yells from where he sits at the table with Wesley and the others. Zander and Braxton glance back and forth between each other and Colton, a look of conflict crossing their face.
“Go eat with him. I’ll be okay.” I nod, letting them know it’s okay. There’s no way in hell I want to come between them or cause any animosity.
“No, it’s okay. We’ll see him at home,” Braxton says with a wink.
“Please, just eat with him. I have some studying to do anyway, and that book to read for our project, Zander. My company wouldn't be great, anyway.” I smile awkwardly. They don’t need to do some big display to prove their friendship to me.
“Sie…” Zander starts, but I lift my fingers and cover his mouth, cutting him off.
“Please go sit with your brother, for me, and I’ll agree to hang out with you on Saturday. No protests.” They both look back and forth between me and where their brother is now, standing at the table with an annoyed look on his face.
“Are you sure?” they both ask in unison.
“Absolutely. Now go, I’m heading outside to enjoy the day and read.” Turning, I head to the door, only looking back over my shoulder when I open it to head outside. Braxton stares at me from the spot I left him.
I’m truly not mad that they went to sit with their brother.
I wanted them to. It just - well it - it just proves, when it comes down to it, I’m alone at this school.
Making my way over to the tree, I drop my book bag on the ground and sit down, pulling the sandwich, chips, and water from it along with the book.
It was a sunny day, with just a slight bit of overcast. The cool breeze against my skin was invigorating.
I’d barely taken a bite of my peanut butter and jelly when a large shadow looms over me.
Looking up, Braxton is standing there, smiling.
“Didn’t think we were going to let you eat all alone now, did you?
I was the lucky winner today since Zan already had his opportunity to have lunch with you.
He wasn’t happy about it, but I’m an excellent debater and my reasoning is valid.
” He winks and sits down next to me, allowing his shoulder to bump against mine.
That little touch sends a ripple of electricity through me, and I cross my legs in front of me to ease the sensation.
“Huh?” I ask, more in shock than a question.
“It was my turn to eat lunch with you. You will never eat lunch alone if I’m around.
Now, this in no way voids you from saying yes to Saturday.
I’m looking forward to seeing Sam again.
She’s a little firecracker.” Braxton looks at me the same way he did the first day in the mall before he knew I was the pariah of the school.
“Yeah, she liked you too,” I admit, glancing down at my food.
Not sure what else to say, I busy myself eating and open my book to read. This one is by the same author we chose for our project. One she wrote with another author but is much darker and set in the supernatural world where lions and tigers and bears are real, and people can transform into them.
Glancing over as Braxton starts rifling through his bag, I’m shocked when I see him pull out the same book. He looks up just in time to see my confusion. “Zander told me and I thought I’d do some reading too.” He shrugs, opening it up.
After staring at him for a few seconds, I get back to mine. We sit there, eating and reading together. It feels right with him. Comfortable. There is no awkwardness or pressure to fill the silence. A few minutes pass when his chuckling pulls me from my thoughts, and I glance at him.
“Sorry,” he winces when he notices me watching him, “It’s just I’m in love with the way Wylla and Jude talk to each other. I can’t wait to see how it ends.”
“Zeke’s my favorite. Well, him and Hex.” I smile, happy to have someone to talk about this book with.
“Yeah, he’s pretty cool too,” he says with a wink and I laugh.
The two of them were slowly making me feel wanted, like I was important to someone again, but I knew I needed to tread lightly.
I had suffered two devastating losses in my life, first my best friend and then my mother.
I don't want to take any chances of losing the only person I have left. That’s why I haven’t let anyone get close to me.
But these two are slowly gaining my trust. I just have to be careful to keep my secret.
“So, I’m excited about this weekend. Ya know, to get to spend time with you. You can swim, right? We never asked. I mean, it’s cool if you can't, we can teach you,” he rambles nervously.
“Yeah, I can, and so can Sam. My mom… well, yeah, she taught us to swim as babies.” The memories of my mother make my heart hurt.
I miss her so much. If she were here, even with what’s happening at school, my life would be easier.
There wouldn’t be this constant fear of child services showing up at our door, ready to rip Sam away from me.
“Are you okay? Did I say something wrong?” He’s looking at me with his brows knitted together.
“No,” I shake my head, trying my damndest to hold back the tears. “Just thinking about my mom. She-um-she, well, she died two years ago from cancer.”
The color drains from his face, but then he quickly wraps me in his arms, whispering to me how sorry he is.
“Thank you.” I sigh as I pull away. “But you’re adopted, right? So I guess I should tell you the same thing.”
“Yeah, Colt and I didn’t know our father.
He wasn’t put on our birth certificates.
Our mom was a drug addict and when she overdosed for the millionth time and was rushed to the hospital, they took us from her and placed us in foster care.
We bounced from home to home and eventually met Zander and then he became our brother as well. ” My heart breaks for him.
“You didn’t have any other family to take you?” I ask, but look at me, I had family and you see where it got me.
“No, none they could find. Our mom was an only child, and her parents had died before we were born. So foster care it was. We turned out okay, and we got an amazing dad and brother out of it. Not everyone gets that. We’re one of the lucky ones.” He reaches out, takes my hand in his, and squeezes.
“And your mom?”
“She got clean. It lasted about a month before she relapsed. We got word about three months before we moved here that she overdosed yet again, but this time she didn’t make it.
Dad arranged for her to be buried, but it’s hard to mourn someone you already said goodbye to years before.
The woman I knew as my mother died when I was little, the person she became when using drugs, wasn’t her.
” He swipes his finger under his eye, catching the lone tear that escapes.
“But now let's get back to our book. I need to know what happens.”
And that’s what we do. We spend the rest of lunch reading, our hands entangled with each other, and peace in my heart.
If only it could last.
I make it through my last period of the day. Wesley glares at me the entire time but doesn’t say a word. When the bell rings, I rush out as fast as my legs can take me. I have work tonight, and I don’t need to go in there with all this shit on my mind.
Climbing on the bus, I take a seat and pull out my book, wanting to get another chapter or two in before getting home. I know once I am I’ll need to cook dinner, do homework, and most importantly, spend time with Sam before taking a nap.
“Sierra, sweetie, it’s your stop,” Julie, the bus driver, calls out sweetly to me.
“Oh, sorry.” Apologizing, I quickly stuff my book back into my bag and run off the bus toward my apartment building. I head straight upstairs to Mrs. Butler's apartment to grab Sam.
After knocking on the door twice, feet come running across the floor inside; Sam. She swings the door open without even asking who it is. “Sam, I’ve told you about answering the door.” It comes out harsher than I intended, but she knows better.
Mrs. Butler walks out of the kitchen, bowl in hand, as she mixes whatever is inside. “Now, now Sierra. I told her she could answer the door. She was watering the flowers in the living room and saw you walking up the sidewalk out of the window. We knew it was you.”
“I’m sorry, Sam. It’s just I worry about you.” Moving the hair out of her face, I stick it behind her ear and her pout turns into a smile. I don’t know what I would do if something ever happened to her.
“Now the two of you come back up here at about five-thirty for some dinner. It’ll be ready and sitting on the table.
Make sure to bring Sam’s stuff with her, too.
That way, when you’re done, you can go downstairs, take a short nap before heading to work, and not have to worry about getting her ready to come up here.
” I open my mouth to protest, but she stops me.
“None of that, you hear me? Now go do what you need to do and I’ll see you in a little while. ”
“Yes, ma’am. Sam, grab your things.” Mrs. Butler stands there smiling at me as Sam runs to grab her book bag before she heads out the door. Turning to leave, I stop, doorknob in hand, and look back at Mrs. Butler. “Thank you.”
“For what, my dear?” she asks.
“For being here for us. Not judging me for what I’m doing to keep us together. I just want you to know it means a lot and if we’re ever found out, I’ll never tell anyone you knew. Sam and I love you so much and I just wanted you to know that.”
“Oh, Sierra, darling, I love the two of you as well. I only wish I could do more for the both of you.” Her eyes tear up, and mine do too.
“You’ve done everything.” I step out the door, closing it behind me just as the tears break loose.
Walking down the stairs, I take my time, knowing Sam’s already downstairs in the apartment so I can calm down. I won’t enter our home until I know every tear is gone and my face is dry. It may still be blotchy, but there's not a lot I can do about that.
Thankfully, Sam is in her room, music playing as she lays across her bed flipping through a book.
I scoot past her room and head to the bathroom, throwing some cold water on my face.
Looking up in the mirror, I see the shell of the girl I used to be.
The face is the same, but the broken girl inside is so different.
Once I’m done, I head straight for my bedroom. Slipping off my shoes, I take a seat on my bed and set my book bag beside me. I pull my books out and find the phone that Zander refused to take back at the bottom.
Turning it on, I wait for it to power up.
The constant buzzing starts, catching me off guard, causing me to drop it on the bed.
Picking it back up, I see a bunch of messages and automatically know who they’re from. The two boys who won’t leave me alone.
Zanders#1: Can’t wait until Saturday.
Zanders#1: Tomorrow me and you for lunch and I’m bringing it. How’s leftover pizza sound?
I reply to him first.
Me: You don’t have to, but pizza is good.
Then I move on to the next. Programming the number because I know right away it’s Braxton.
Braxton: Thank you for giving me a chance, lunch was great ;)
Me: It was, please don’t make me regret it…
The phone vibrates with a response from one of them.
Braxton: I won’t, I promise.
I hope not. Powering the phone off, I sit it on my nightstand. Now time for homework, so it’s done before work.