Chapter 12

By the time I finished scrubbing the last plate, my hands were wrinkled from the water, and I was beyond done with today. The twins had finished mopping up their mess and were sulking in the living room, probably still fuming about their punishment. Henry had put my clothes in the laundry though I was pretty sure he just dumped them in without sorting anything but at least he had done it.

Elijah stood in the kitchen doorway, arms crossed as he surveyed all of us like a general making sure his soldiers weren't slacking. "Alright," he finally said. "Since everything is cleaned up, I don't want any more trouble tonight. Got it?"

A chorus of half-hearted, "Got it," echoed back.

"Good." He rubbed the back of his neck, clearly exhausted. "You've all been enough of a headache today."

I rolled my eyes but kept my mouth shut.

Elijah sighed. "I'm going to my room. Try not to burn the house down."

With that, he left, finally giving us some space.

I collapsed onto the couch, sighing heavily as I curled into the cushions. My body ached from gym class earlier, and my side was still sore from when Tom tackled me. Not to mention, I was still embarrassed from everything that had happened. The pranks, the wedgie, the egg everywhere. My life was a mess.

"You okay, baby bunny?" Alex teased, plopping onto the couch beside me.

I groaned. "Don't call me that."

"Aw, don't be like that," Miles chimed in, flopping onto the other side of me. "You love the nickname."

I shoved at both of them weakly. "I hate you guys."

They both laughed, completely unfazed.

"Lighten up," Alex grinned. "You survived another day in this house of chaos. That's gotta count for something."

"Barely," I muttered.

The teasing continued for a bit, but it wasn't too bad. They knew when to really push my buttons and when to ease up, and thankfully, tonight, they weren't pushing too hard.

Eventually, the exhaustion got the better of me, and I yawned, stretching out against the couch. Miles nudged me with his elbow. "You're gonna pass out on the couch, huh?"

I mumbled something incoherent in response.

Alex chuckled. "Alright, come on, let's get you to bed before Easton gets home and yells at us for letting you sleep out here."

I grumbled but didn't resist as they hauled me to my feet. Henry was passing by, scrolling through his phone, and smirked. "Need me to carry you, baby bunny?"

I shot him a glare. "I swear—"

"Alright, alright," Miles laughed, guiding me toward the stairs before I could actually start fighting Henry.

We passed Elijah's room, and he poked his head out, looking suspicious. "What are you three doing?"

"Putting Adrian to bed before he collapses," Alex said.

Elijah raised an eyebrow. "Not another prank?"

I groaned. "Can we not talk about pranks for one night?"

Elijah smirked but let us go.

When we got to my room, the twins helped me onto my bed, and for once, they didn't immediately mess with me.

"Night, loser," Miles said, ruffling my hair before walking off.

Alex smirked. "Try not to dream about Lucas too much."

My face burned. "Shut up!"

He cackled all the way down the hall.

I buried my face in my pillow, so ready for sleep to take me.

A few minutes later, just as I was starting to drift off, my door opened quietly, and I felt the mattress dip slightly as someone sat beside me.

"Hey," Easton's voice was soft. "You awake?"

I mumbled something that was probably not actual words.

Easton chuckled. "Just wanted to check on you. Heard you had a rough day."

I didn't answer, but I didn't need to. He already knew.

He brushed a hand over my hair, the same way he had done since we were little. "Don't worry about tomorrow, alright? If anything happens, you can always call me or Elijah."

I nodded sleepily, comforted by the fact that even if my life was chaos I wasn't alone in it.

"Night, Adrian," he said.

"Night," I mumbled.

As he left the room, I finally let myself relax. No matter what happened tomorrow, at least I had them.

The darkness of my room felt suffocating.

At first, I was just uncomfortable, twisting and turning, my bruises aching from earlier. But as I started to drift, my mind betrayed me, pulling me into something worse.

I was back in the schoolyard. The sky was gray, the air thick with the scent of sweat and grass. I could hear the echoes of laughter, but not the kind that felt warm or safe.

It was him.

Tom.

His sneer. His voice. His hands shoving me down.

"Come on, Adrian, move faster! Oh wait you can't. Too fat, right? No wonder no one wants you."

"You think you're special? You're pathetic."

"You think Lucas would ever like you? No one would. You're disgusting."

The words felt like knives carving into me, each one digging deeper until I could feel the shame settling into my bones. The grass beneath me melted away, replaced by an empty, endless void, and I was falling. Drowning in his voice.

"You're nothing."

I gasped awake, my heart hammering so hard it felt like it might burst. My throat was tight, and my body was shaking. The room was too dark, too silent, the shadows stretching out like they wanted to swallow me whole.

I couldn't breathe.

I sat up, trying to force air into my lungs, but it wasn't working. My fingers dug into my blankets as I struggled against the panic crawling up my throat.

I needed to get out.

Without thinking, I threw the covers off and slipped out of bed, my feet barely making a sound as I crept into the hallway. The house was quiet, everyone was asleep. I should have just stayed in bed, but my chest was aching, my skin felt wrong, and I knew I knew there was only one person who could calm me down.

I made my way down the hall, my breath still unsteady, until I reached Elijah's door. It was slightly open, like always, just enough that I could push it the rest of the way without making noise.

He was asleep, sprawled out on his stomach, his blankets half on the floor.

I hesitated.

Should I wake him?

Easton was usually the one who worried about me, the one who hovered like some overprotective mother hen. But Easton's fussing sometimes made things worse. He'd get too panicked, too focused on fixing things, which just made me feel even more broken.

Elijah was different. He understood without making a big deal about it.

Swallowing my nerves, I took a step closer and lightly shook his shoulder. "Elijah?"

He groaned, shifting slightly but not waking up.

I swallowed, my throat still too tight. "Eli..." My voice was small. "Can I can I sleep here?"

That did it.

His eyes cracked open, groggy but instantly alert as he looked at me. His brows furrowed when he saw my face. "Hey." His voice was still thick with sleep, but softer now. "What's wrong?"

I hesitated, my fingers twisting into the hem of my shirt. "I just... had a bad dream."

Elijah blinked a few times, processing, and then wordlessly scooted over, lifting the blanket. "C'mere."

I didn't need to be told twice.

I climbed into bed, curling into myself as Elijah pulled the blanket over both of us. The second I settled in, I felt him shift so that he was lying on his side, his hand resting lightly on my back. Not too much pressure just enough to ground me.

"You good?" he murmured.

I nodded against the pillow.

For a few minutes, neither of us spoke. The room was quiet except for the faint sound of his breathing, steady and even. I focused on it, letting it pull me away from the echoes of Tom's voice still lingering in my head.

After a while, Elijah sighed. "That bad, huh?"

I nodded again.

He exhaled through his nose. "Was it about..." He hesitated. "Never mind."

I stiffened slightly but stayed silent.

Elijah let out a low hum, like he was thinking. "You've been kinda weird all day," he muttered. "And now you're in here shaking like a wet puppy. You sure you don't wanna tell me what's up?"

I bit my lip. "It's nothing," I mumbled.

He didn't look convinced, but he didn't push. Instead, he shifted, getting more comfortable. "Alright," he said, voice quiet. "Just try to sleep, okay?"

I nodded again, even though I wasn't sure I could sleep. My heart was still racing, my mind still too full of Tom's words, but at least here, in Elijah's room, it didn't feel as loud.

Elijah's breathing evened out again, but he kept his hand on my back, his warmth steady and familiar. I focused on that.

I was still scared. I still felt small. But with Elijah next to me, I wasn't alone.

And for tonight, that was enough.

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Word count: 1481

Hey Guys Thanks for reading this story so please be nice and kind. I am sorry if there are any spelling mistakes or bad grammar.

Thanks for reading my twelfth chapter and please vote and leave a comment.

More chapters will be coming out soon.

*EMMA HETHRON*