13. Melody
Chapter thirteen
Melody
Dad has been yelling at Kaden since we got home.
He’s holed up in his office, his shouts ringing through the thick wooden door that’s meant to muffle sounds.
I keep pacing down the hall, waiting for it to be over, but it seems like every time there’s a pause, it’s only for Dad to catch his breath before he starts screaming again.
Jack is going to need surgery to reconstruct his jaw, and his parents were beyond livid to get the call from the school. They’re pressing charges against Kaden, and I don’t think Dad can save him from this. My brother has gone eighteen years without a record, and today has changed that.
Why did he do it?!
It doesn’t make any sense!
He can’t protect me from everything. I’m seventeen. I should get to experience teenage life without an overbearing, protective brother breathing down my neck and beating the shit out of anyone who shows a speck of interest in me.
“Jellybean,” Mom calls softly from the other side of my door.
I sniffle, angrily wiping at the tears tracking down my cheeks. “What?”
The door clicks open before she steps inside and closes it behind her. “Are you okay? What’s going on? Talk to me.”
She eases down onto the bed as I hiccup loudly. “Kaden beat up a boy who likes—liked—me.”
“Oh, Jellybean,” Mom breathes before wrapping her arms around me. “I’m sorry, Hun.”
I cry into her shoulder, my whole body wracking as I ball her nice shirt into my fist. “Why would he even do that?”
Mom rubs a gentle hand down my back. “Sometimes brothers can be protective of their little sisters. I’m sure he didn’t mean to put the poor boy in the hospital—”
“You didn’t see his eyes!” I exclaim, my words croaking and scratching. “He liked what he was doing! He enjoyed it—”
“Shhh,” Mom hushes as she squeezes me. “You don’t know that, Jellybean. Kaden was looking out for you the only way he knows how.”
I love my mom with everything in me, but sometimes she can be a little oblivious. She’s a bleeding heart, always trying to find the better in everyone. She wears those rose-colored glasses like they’re a prize, and I hate to admit it, but sometimes so do I.
I nod into her hair, swiping at my nose. “Okay, Mom.” My voice wobbles as fresh tears make the bridge of my nose sting.
“It’s all going to work out,” she promises before pulling away and holding my shoulders tightly. “He’s going to apologize eventually. Let him cool down first.”
I hiccup. “Okay…”
She soothes a hand down my hair, her touch gentle and doting. “Get some sleep.”
“Good night, Mom.”
She flicks the light off on her way out, but I can still hear Dad screaming through my closed door.
I sink lower under my covers, turning to face away from the source of the sound, which echoes like a haunting song.
As an hour trickles by, my eyes begin to grow heavy as the screaming finally stops.
I’m teetering between sleep and wakefulness when my door clicks open softly.
Warm light from the hall bathes me, casting a slanted glow across my wall. I don’t move as the door closes a few seconds later, and steps near me. The bedding rustles as Kaden slides under the covers with me. His body molds to mine as he wraps an arm around my chest tightly, squeezing me to him.
“I’m sorry, Sunny…”
His apologies have gotten better, at least when it comes to me. They no longer lack depth and are edged with sincerity. It almost makes me forget what he did…
I turn over, and he moves back to let me as I face him. “Why did you do it?”
I can’t see his face in the darkness, but I can tell he isn’t looking at me. There’s a pause before his whisper fills the space between us. “Don’t ask questions you won’t like the answers to.”
I frown, my brows drawing close. “What do you mean—”
“Can’t you just accept my apology and move on?” My brother bites.
I sit up a little, my hand tightening into a fist before I use it to push his chest. “You put a boy in the hospital, Kaden!”
He snatches my wrist quickly, leveling our noses. “And I would fucking do it again, Melody! I would do it a hundred times over if it meant keeping you safe—”
“Safe from my first kiss?!” I ask in outrage.
He shoves me back, leering over me. “No kissing.”
I scoff, shaking him off me, but it’s no use. “You can’t stop me!”
“You’ll eat those fucking words before I see another boy kissing you.”
I gasp, something sparking in my chest. It’s a small flame being fanned by whatever is happening between us. It’s completely familial. It has to be.
I shake myself out of my trance before shoving him back and turning to face the wall. “Go to bed, Kaden.”
He angrily slaps a hand over my extra pillow, the whole bed shaking as he sinks lower into it. We lay silent for a few minutes, both of us stewing in the argument that just ensued. An apology sits on the tip of my tongue, but I bite it back.
Why would I apologize to him?
Maybe it’s because I feel bad for yelling at him right after Dad. I kicked him while he was already down.
Or maybe it’s because hearing him say he doesn’t want another boy kissing me gave me butterflies.
No. That’s horrible.
I shouldn’t be thinking of things like that. He’s my brother.
Kaden caves first, he always does, as he wraps his arms around me for a second time. He squeezes me tightly, whispering in my ear. “I’m so sorry, Sunny.”
I don’t face him. “I’m sorry too…”
“Don’t apologize for something I did.” He mutters into my hair. For the first time, he kisses my cheek gently, his warmth spreading through me. “I’m sorry.”
I place my hand over his, intertwining our fingers. “It’s okay. Go to sleep.”
“Do you forgive me?” He asks.
I nod.
He settles behind me, pleased with my response, before sleep tugs us under.