Both of her hands fly up, her claws ready to shred. But then just as quickly she’s suspended in the air and thrown ass up over Jordan’s shoulders.
“Brother, this seems to be turning into a thing with you,” Jordan points out while struggling to keep the little fireball on his shoulders at bay.
“Let me at him. I want his eyeballs,” she yells.
Brow perched high in amusement; Jordan looks to me. “This one’s certainly spirited.”
“Don’t talk about me like I’m some sort of wild mustang, asshole,” redhead shrieks.
Laughing, he tightens his hold on her. “You really need to learn the art of finesse, Dyl. I won’t always be around to prevent Armageddon.”
With Redhead still propped on his shoulder, Jordan turns to make his way inside but looks to me before walking through the doors. “Oh, hey, I almost forgot why I came out here. Chase sent me a text. He was trying to get a hold of you but said you weren’t answering; he’s spending the night at his girlfriends.”
Like hell!
I was no longer in the mood to be entertaining, so I cleared the house out shortly after one. It’s now two in the morning, and that little shit brother of mine is still not answering my calls.
I walk from the kitchen to the living room where Jordan’s quite comfortably seated on the couch with some chick, and when I round the corner, I see exactly who.
“What’s she still doing here?” Jordan looks up to me, his brows pinched in a way that tells me to shut it, but I was never one to listen. “Time to go home, redhead.”
“My name’s Ava.”
“Ava, Amber, Ashley...it’s irrelevant. What is relevant is that you’ve overstayed your welcome and need to leave.” I think that got my point across.
Jordan stands, taking a few short strides closer to me. “What the hell, Dylan. You need to check it, bro.
“And you need to stay in your lane, bro.”
Jordan’s a big boy, even larger than me and I’m huge. So, when he straightens his shoulders, pushing out his chest, he looks damn intimidating …at least to the average person, and we all know I’m not average.
“Whatever, Jordan. Are you gonna go toe-to-toe with me to defend the honor of tonight’s hook up?”
If the angered disappointment wasn’t evident by the crimson tinge growing in his face, it’s very apparent in the balled-up fists at his side.
“I don’t know what the hell’s up with you, and to be honest, I don’t know that I give a shit anymore. But you need to hear this—you’ve turned into a real dick lately. Dylan, this whole thing’s tired now, man. You need to get over yourself.”
He turns back to redhead—sorry Ava, and reaches out, offering her a hand. “How do you feel about early morning pancakes, gorgeous? There’s a twenty-four-hour breakfast house open on the other side of town.”
Taking his hand, she stands to her feet. “Sounds perfect.”
There are no ‘see you laters,’ or any other words exchanged for that matter. The two of them just make their way out, leaving me standing there.
“Did he just leave me for some one-time side piece?”
What the shit is happening around here?
It’s ten in the morning by the time my brother walks through the front door, which means I’ve been awake over twenty-four hours, making for a very agitated Dylan.
“Where in the hell have you been?” The boom of my voice startles Chase as he makes his way up.
“What the heck, Dylan? You almost scared me off the stairs.”
“You little shit, that would’ve been the least of your worries. Not once did I say you could stay over at your little whore’s place.”
Chase moves up the last of the steps squaring off with me. His height just inches to match mine, but his build nowhere near. I’m Hercules and he’s Mr. Bean—the poor bastard got his mother’s genes.
“That’s enough, Dylan. I’m seventeen, not ten. The only reason Dad gave you guardianship over me is that he no longer wanted the responsibility, not because he thought I needed any sort of guidance from the likes of you. Also, I’ve had enough of this shit attitude you have toward Velyn. She’s done nothing to you except for maybe putting you in your place a couple of times, which might I add; you needed the reality check. She’s a great person, which you would see if you gave her half a chance. And the last thing...I’m not sleeping with her. Believe what you will, but not every relationship between a guy and girl needs to lead to sex or to any other sort of intimate encounters your little imagination may conjure up.”
I open my mouth to let out the tirade of verbal beatdown I’ve been working out through his little dialogue, but he just turns and walks away. The only thing I get out is a bellowing, “You’re grounded.”
His response, “Eat shit and die, asshat.” That seems to be the running consensus around these parts lately.
Connie walks through the front door, and looking up, she catches sight of me. “What happened now?”
“Ungrateful people, that’s what happened…the whole lot of them—ungrateful. My best friend has appointed himself saint of all lost causes, and Chase thinks he’s miraculously invincible and is running his mouth off at me and has adopted an annoying self-righteous attitude.” Having finished saying what I needed too, Connie then lets out a hearty laugh. “You find this funny?”
She hangs her coat and makes her way up the stairs patting my shoulder. “Mi hijo, I think this is a ‘you problem,’ isn’t that what you always say to people.” I let out a groan as she walks by me through the living room and into the kitchen. She stops short, turning to me as
