Melody
Chapter eleven
Three Years Later
Ivan is an inch taller than Kaden, with a lithe build as if he’s still growing into himself.
His skin is fair to a light-olive shade, and paired with his dark blonde wavy hair, he’s the heartthrob of Holy Hearts Academy.
Most of my friends swoon over him, gushing about his easy smile and natural charm like it’s kryptonite to teen girls.
But I know him better than any of my googly-eyed friends do. There’s a darkness to Ivan, like he’s seen far more than he should at the ripe age of eighteen. Kaden has warned me against asking questions, no matter how much it burns me to know more about his friend.
Kaden slams his locker, giving Ivan a glare from hell. “What the fuck did I tell you about calling her princess?”
My brother has filled out over the last couple of years.
He started using the gym in our home as his own personal stomping grounds, lifting weights and running on the treadmill until his heart almost bursts.
He says it feels nice to keep himself busy, and I’ve sat in on a few of his workouts.
While he lifts the heavy barbell loaded down with over one-fifty, I lean against the machine, offering no real help as I yap his ear off about ballet practice or any tests I have coming up.
It’s one thing about our ritual that’s never changed.
His features are now sharply edged and no longer hold the boyish charm they once did. He has a hint of stubble growing in that he has to shave regularly, and he no longer smells like sandalwood and musk. He now smells like leather with a hint of something smoky.
That could be attributed to the cigarettes he inhales anytime he thinks no one is watching. But I smell it on him every time I get close. Mom and Dad are onto him, too, considering the last family dinner we had, where Dad grilled Kaden about his habits before we set foot in the lavish restaurant.
“Did I strike a chord there?” Ivan muses with a smirk.
Kaden’s glare makes his hollow eyes darken. “Quit.” He warns.
My eyes ping pong between them with uncertainty. “Umm, are you okay?”
My brother shakes his head before tossing his backpack higher on his shoulder. “Never better.”
I take his arm, linking elbows with him. “I didn’t get to tell you about my news!”
Saint, my brother’s other friend, slides out of the room designated for detention.
His pale blue eyes snag on us as a mischievous smile tugs at his lips.
He’s shorter than Kaden, and his head has been buzzed short since we started high school.
He’s a major wild card, and everyone steers clear of him out of fear that they may set him off.
But he doesn’t scare me. Neither of my brother’s friends do.
“Hey,” Saint nods before tucking his hands into his pockets and pinning Kaden and Ivan with a smirk. “Ready to go?”
I stop, tugging at Kaden’s arm. “Go where?”
My brother’s jaw ticks as he deadpans at his friend. “You couldn’t wait for us to be alone, could you?”
Saint shakes his head, his chuckle condescending. “Nah, happy birthday, by the way.”
“Thanks…” I trail before tugging Kaden to the side. “Where are you going? We have Geography next.”
He sighs, looking away from me. “You weren’t supposed to hear that.”
“Answer me,” I demand lightly, jostling him.
His jaw works. “I’m not going to Geography.”
I blanch. “You’re skipping? Again? Come on, Kaden—”
He pulls his arm away from me, stepping back. “It’s for an hour, Sunny. Relax.”
I put my hands on my hips, ready to scold my brother to the high heavens. “And what’s so important you have to skip class, hmm?”
“Don’t worry about that.”
I fold my arms over my chest, tilting my head. “You’re going to smoke under the bleachers again, aren’t you?”
He points at me. “You aren’t supposed to know about that.”
I roll my eyes. “Everyone knows, Kaden. You haven’t been very subtle about your reputation.”
Getting into fights constantly, skipping class, and making our parents’ lives a living hell is where my brother excels.
With his maturity came the hot-headedness of an angsty teenager, and his friends are no help.
Instead of seeking further counseling, as the school therapist suggested, Kaden simply ignored the pleas before helping Saint track down some kid from fourth period who owed him money.
That turned into an expulsion for my brother, and Dad had to pay out the ass to get Kaden back into Holy Hearts and keep him out of juvenile detention.
While he doesn’t care what our parents think, he does care about what I think. And I think he’s being stupid.
“I’ll be back for the last hour,” he says with a shrug.
“What if you get expelled again?” I stress, stepping closer to him. “Dad is going to pop a blood vessel at this rate.”
My brother tilts his chin down, giving me an amused expression. “Sunny, the do-good, picture-perfect Wilder kid.”
“Don’t talk to me like that…” I mutter disheartenedly.
He sighs. “Look, I’m not arguing with you over this, Melody.”
I take his hand in mine, intertwining our fingers as I lay on some puppy dog eyes. “Then don’t go, and we won’t have to argue.”
He squeezes my hand in his. “I know what you’re doing, and it won’t work. Not this time.”
“Please,“ I bat my eyelashes.
My brother looks away from me quickly, his teeth grinding. “As hard as it is for me to say no to you, my answer is the same.”
I release his hand, huffing. “Jerk. It’s my birthday.”
“I know,” he says softly. “But Ivan wants to talk about something. He needs me right now.”
“Choosing your friends over your sister—”
“Don’t do that,” Kaden cuts me off sharply. “I’m not choosing them over you. No one is over you, do you understand?”
My heart slams in my chest as my stomach flutters. My reaction is completely platonic and normal for a sister, right?
I nod. “Okay…”
Kaden shakes his head as he scrubs a hand over his mouth. “I’ll see you later.” He turns on his heel in an easy dismissal, but I’m stuck staring at the spot he once resided in.
As if he’ll magically appear again and tell me he was only joking.
But he never does.