“Honey,” Mom said, flattening his hairs in place. “You could do so much better than Amber.”
I felt the urge to defend Amber, despite the fact she’d ditched me as a friend and then secretly dated my brother. Mom didn’t mind her as my best friend, but she clearly thought she was beneath Brian. Really, any girl probably was.
“That’s not the point, Mom.” I stomped upstairs and slammed my bedroom door.
That weekend, Brian agreed to help Mom at some fundraiser downtown, leaving Dad and me alone for the night. I think we were both happy. We needed the occasional absence of Mom’s hysterics and Brian’s moodiness.
Dad sat beside me on the sofa. “Pizza?”
“You read my mind,” I said.
Mom and Brian were still running around the house when we left. We went to our favorite pizzeria. Dad even let me drive, although I wouldn’t officially get my license until I passed the test next month.
Dad and I talked about our usual topics. Music and movies and politics. As we were getting ready to leave, I brought up Brian.
“Do you know Brian has a bunch of knives in his room?” I asked, closing the lid of our takeout box. “Don’t you think it’s weird?”
Dad sipped his drink and cleared his throat before he responded. “Lots of people are interested in weaponry.”
“Out of all the hobbies he could pick up, he has a fascination with knives?”
Dad nodded again. “I think it started with some research assignment for his A.P. history class. He likes tracking weapons and learning the history behind them.”
“Yeah, he told me all about the history.” I folded my arms. “I just think it’s creepy.”
“This interest of his seems to have renewed his spark. I support him. You should, too.”
Me supporting Brian. How was I supposed to maintain a good relationship with someone whose intent was to destroy me? He either mocked my looks or my intelligence or my friends. I even thought he was dating Amber to get under my skin.
“You don’t see how mean he can be sometimes,” I said. “It’s like he’s always cutting me down.”
“He’s an older brother.” He looked at me with knowing eyes. Dad was the youngest of three boys. “That’s what they do.”
“It’s different with him. It’s… darker.” I looked away. I’d given up trying to talk about Brian a long time ago. Never seemed to do any good.
“I know he can be difficult.”
“It’s like no one else sees it,” I admitted. “How mean he can be.”
“I see how he is. But I also see what he’s been through, especially in the last year. Losing basketball was a big deal to him, even if he pretends it wasn’t,” Dad said. “But he shouldn’t take his frustrations out on you. That’s the hardest part of being a parent. You’re always trying to balance what each child needs.”
After dinner, Dad and I watched a movie at the theater. It was after ten when it ended. When we returned to the house, Brian and Mom were standing in the kitchen. They both jumped when we walked in. It looked like Mom had been crying.
“What’s going on?” Dad asked.
Mom looked at me, her face full of remorse. “Honey, we can’t find Pixie.”
I dropped the takeout box onto the counter. “What do you mean you can’t find Pixie?” I stomped up the stairs to my bedroom, then back down. “Pixie! Pixie!”
“She must have run off, honey,” Mom said.
“Pixie’s an inside dog!” I shouted. “She’s never gotten out of the house before.”
Mom looked at Dad, then me. “We were rushing around trying to get everything ready for the banquet. We must have left the back door open.”
“What?” I shimmied into the coat I’d just taken off. My pulse pounded and I started to cry. “Why would you leave the door open? That never happens.”
“Slow down, Della,” Dad said. “Where are you going?”
“I’m going to look for her,” I said.
“Honey, we’ve been looking for her. You don’t need to go outside this upset,” Mom said. “Maybe she’ll turn up in the morning.”
“I’ve been circling the neighborhood for an hour looking,” Brian said.
I hadn’t acknowledged him throughout the conversation, but now I did. I really saw him. That smug smile of his was about to break.
“You,” I said. “You did something to her, didn’t you?”
“Della, it’s not like that,” Mom said.
“It’s exactly like that. He’s done something to Pixie. She wouldn’t just run away.”
“What do you think I did to her?” he asked, almost like he was testing me.
“You’ve been dying to get rid of her since I got her. You probably killed her with one of your creepy little knives,” I said.
“Oh, come on,” Mom said. “You sound ridiculous.”
“I know about the squirrel,” I said, looking at all of them. I still didn’t know exactly what happened, but I knew enough. Whatever happened had worried Dad. “He’s hurt animals before.”
Brian stepped closer. He was angry now. “Maybe you should spend more time looking after your dog than following me.”
“This isn’t on me!” I shouted. “I wasn’t even freaking here!”
“Della!” Mom tried to calm me.
“Is that why you did this?” I asked Brian. “Because I outed you and your little girlfriend?”
“I didn’t do anything to your stupid dog. You’re just pissed your best friend would rather spend time with me than you.”
“Hey!” Dad tried to interject.
“She’s my best friend, but even I know she’s the most desperate girl at school. Great catch, Brian,” I said.
“Like I need dating advice from you,” Brian said.
“She’ll have nothing to do with you after I tell her you got rid of Pixie. I’m going to tell everyone at school you’re nothing but a freak,” I said.
Brian lunged at me. He moved quickly, like an animal acting on instinct and nothing else. He pushed me against the wall and tightened his hands around my throat. His pupils were almost entirely black.
Dad grabbed Brian’s shoulders and pulled him away. For a moment, I thought Dad might hit him.
