Chapter 27

We sat on the cold, hard tiled floor, only to be greeted by Boomer. We both started to play with him for a while before either one of us spoke.

“All my years I’ve known Carter, I’ve never seen him like this, Alex. He punched a hole in the garage wall when we tried to calm him down.”

“He what? Are you serious!”

“Yup, what did you say to him? He wouldn’t tell any of us. Still won’t. I think I deserve to know what happened between my best friend and my sister.”

“I... Crap! Are you serious? Shit, I didn’t think he’d be angry. I just said that we should keep our distance from each other. It might sound wrong, but Kyle, you of all people should know I don’t like any kind of attention.

I freak out, and that’s what I did. When you get ignored in public, it doesn’t feel good. I think it would be best for him if we weren’t around each other, you know with all his fans, the girls, and the media after him.”

“You honestly think he cares about the girls and the media. I mean, he adores his fans, don’t get me wrong. He doesn’t try and he gets any girl he wants... lucky bastard.

I get where you’re coming from, Sis. I know you get under each other’s skin, and with the media putting you guys into a false relationship, plus the fresh break up, it’s not helping you right now.

I get that. But... is it going to be awkward between you two?”

“No, it won’t. I just won’t be there. I don’t want to be followed by cameras all the time. Wes and Andy have to put up with that too, and it’s not fair to depend on them every time I want to go out.

I just want it to die down. I don’t want to be linked with him. If I happen to see him, I’ll talk and be civil to him in the house.”

“Look, you know I will always have your back, Sis, but he really didn’t do anything wrong?

I know you’re not the biggest fans of each other, but it kind of seems like you’re punishing him although he can’t control what the media puts out there.”

“I know he can’t control the media, Kyle. I just don’t want to downgrade his status when he’s pictured with me.

That day, I felt like I was being knocked around, and he just watched it happen. I felt awful, Kyle. I felt like shit.

“It wasn’t his fault, but if I distance myself from him, we won’t be associated with each other. He’ll go back to the way things were, and I’ll be forgotten, which is what I want.”

“Alright, if that’s what you want to do, then I can’t stop you, Sis. But I just want to say, you can always talk to me about it. I don’t agree with it either, and I know he doesn’t too, but I’ll support you either way.”

“Thanks, Kyle!”

“Love you, Sis.”

“Love you too, Bro!”

“Now! Onto the more exciting topic, tell me what bags are good to get Andy? Also, what restaurants are good to eat at in Cali? I need your help planning the perfect date for her!”

“Hah! Wow, you really like her, don’t you? Well, if it means you’ll come to visit more often, then I’m alright with it! Just for future reference, if you two are going to bang each other, please don’t do it when I’m next door! I nearly vomited last time!”

“Yeah, I do! I’ve never felt this way about a girl. She’s perfect. A ball-buster, but perfect. I hope she feels the same way as I do. Alright, alright, we will! I can’t believe you heard us, that’s so embarrassing...”

We carried on the conversation. I spoke about what Andy really likes and how to impress her. He listened very attentively, and I was impressed by how much he retained in the half an hour we spoke in the foyer.

But our conversation was interrupted by the rest of my brothers and Sam coming out to sit with us in the foyer on the floor. We laughed and chatted about random things.

I knew they were trying to take my mind off recent events, but they successfully did. I don’t know how long we sat there for until my mom told us to all go upstairs and get into our Christmas attire.

Once we were all dressed, we met up in the living room, where the Christmas classics were on and the little ones were glued to it.

The Grinch was occupying the screen at the moment, one of my favorites, so of course, I sat down and joined them.

Sam came in glued to her phone, looking up from it to see me spread across the couch she asked, “Will you take a Christmas photo with me? For Instagram, I need to keep my followers updated.”

Raising an eyebrow at her, trying not to laugh.

“Followers? I didn’t realize you had any,” I teased her, gaining me a slap on my leg, “For that, I’m not taking one with you,” I declared while she ran over to me, dragging me up from the sofa.

“Kyle! Take a photo of me and Alex in the foyer? Pretty please,” hearing a grunt outside the doors it swung open and Kyle came in making a motion with his hand to hand over the phone.

Sam threw it over to him and we walked out to the foyer. Both of us posed by the stairs and only where there was ‘good lighting’ according to Sam, she got multiple options for her ‘followers’.

Walking back in to sit with my nieces and nephews, we crashed on the couch. Kyle sat on top of me, knocking the wind out of me.

“Get off me, you fat ass!” I yelped, causing him to laugh and twist around to put his arms around my neck and sit sideways.

“But I just love you, Sissy,” he squeezed my neck making Noah and Eden laugh. Hearing Sam’s phone beep and buzzing outrageously on her lap.

“Oh My GOD! Look at all the likes I’m getting because I tagged you in it, Alex! A few comments too, well, a few numbers haha.”

Kyle shot his eyes over Sam’s phone to have a look, “What? Let me see!”

“Andy... Wes... Tyler... Brett...Hannah... Tyson... Mom... Wait, Mom...Kn-” she stopped herself.

“Sam, he’s not Lord Voldemort, you can say his name,” I laughed at her trying to create an awkward situation.

“Loads of people are tagging him in the comments too, loads of the players in particular.”

“Ugh! Let me see.”

@knoxcarter you lucky guy 😩 #hottie

@knoxcarter swap girlfriends with you? 👌

damn @knoxcarter wish I came home to that every night!! 💦💦

fuck @knoxcarter you lucky son of a bitch 😳

@Alex.T @knoxcarter literally couple goals ❤️💙

@Alex.T slay girl!! 💋

“Hashtag couple goals,” Kyle teased me which makes me groan, why isn’t this going away.

“Dinner’s ready!” Mom called and it got a chorus of ‘yes’ from everyone dying to eat the food that mom and the cooks prepared.

My mom called in some help and sent them home the Eve before Christmas Eve. She hates when her staff don’t spend Christmas time with their families and makes sure Eric’s staff have gone home too for Christmas.

In case you can’t tell, my mom loves Christmas.

Sitting at the dining table, we laugh, mess around, and tell awful jokes that make the holidays worth coming home for.

There is so much food spread on the table. I go over to help Eden and Noah with their food by cutting it up into small portions for them.

“If you eat everything off your plate, you can have one of Delilah’s cupcakes, alright?” Bobbing their little heads in agreement, I couldn’t help but laugh at them.

Usually, the Carters would come around to ours or us to theirs for desserts, this year it was them coming to us.

We would all drink and hang out with each other, watch movies, pull the crackers, and be in the biggest food comas on the couch.

I found myself questioning, would they really come over, even after all the chaos that had unfolded? ~You’re not that special, Alex...~ I chided myself.