Chapter 14

The moment we stepped out of the car, the twins bolted toward their friends, leaving me with Henry and Elijah. Henry stretched his arms over his head, letting out a groan.

"Finally free," he muttered, cracking his neck. "One more day and I get my keys back." He shot a look at Elijah. "Right?"

Elijah sighed. "As long as you don't get into any more trouble."

Henry rolled his eyes, shoving his hands into his pockets. "I won't." Then, with a smirk, he turned to me. "You better not be grumpy all day, Baby Bunny. You're already pushing your luck."

I glared at him. "Don't call me that."

He just chuckled, ruffling my hair before jogging off to find Leon.

That left me and Elijah standing there in the parking lot. He didn't say anything at first, just gave me a look like he was trying to figure me out.

"You still owe me that talk later," he finally said.

I tightened my grip on my backpack. "I know."

Elijah didn't press any further. Instead, he clapped a hand on my shoulder and nodded toward the school. "Go on. You'll be fine."

I wasn't sure I believed that.

I found Lucas by the lockers, talking to Chloe and Sophia. As soon as he saw me, he grinned. "Hey! You look like you got out of the wrong side of the bed."

I scoffed, stuffing my hands in my hoodie pocket. "More like I never got out at all."

Chloe raised an eyebrow. "Trouble with the brothers?"

I shrugged. "When is there not?"

Sophia gave me a sympathetic look. "Well, at least you have us now. And besides, it's Tuesday. Maybe Tom fell into a black hole overnight."

I wanted to laugh, but my stomach twisted at the mention of his name. I hadn't seen him yet, and part of me hoped I wouldn't. But luck was never really on my side.

Math was already bad enough, but today, it felt even worse. My stomach twisted with nerves as I slid into my seat, barely able to focus. The numbers on the board blurred together, and no matter how hard I tried, they just didn't make sense. I tapped my pencil against the desk, staring down at my notebook, where I had given up on taking notes and had started doodling instead.

The clock seemed to be moving at half speed. Just let this class end already.

"Adrian."

I flinched at the sound of my name, looking up to see my teacher standing beside my desk, holding out a folded letter.

"Make sure this gets to your guardian," they said. "We need to discuss your progress."

My face burned as I took it without a word, shoving it deep into my bag. I already knew what it said. I was failing, and now I had to hand this over to Elijah, which was just fantastic. As if today couldn't get any worse.

The next couple of classes dragged by. English was boring, but at least it wasn't math. Science was a group project, so I let my classmates do most of the work while I nodded along, pretending to contribute. It was fine at least I didn't have to think too much. But history felt never-ending. By the time lunch rolled around, I was exhausted.

I followed Lucas into the cafeteria, spotting Chloe and Sophia at our usual table. Grabbing a tray, I barely put anything on it just an apple and a bottle of water. The thought of eating anything heavier made my stomach turn.

"You should eat more," Lucas said as we sat down.

"I'm not hungry," I muttered, turning the apple over in my hands but not actually taking a bite.

Chloe and Sophia exchanged a look, but neither of them pushed. They knew me well enough to drop it when I was in a mood.

The conversation drifted to school, weekend plans, and some ridiculous drama Chloe was caught up in, but I barely paid attention. My mind was too crowded with worry. I kept glancing around the cafeteria, half-expecting to see Tom lurking nearby. I hadn't seen him all day, but that didn't stop the uneasy feeling in my gut. It was like I could still hear his voice, still feel his words crawling under my skin.

Lunch ended too quickly, and the rest of the day was just as draining. PE was awful, as usual. I hated everything about it the changing room, the running, the fact that I was basically useless in every sport. My last class blurred by, and by the time the final bell rang, I was beyond ready to go home.

But first, I had to survive the car ride.

As soon as I slid into the car with my brothers, I knew I was doomed. Alex was smirking at me from the front seat, and Miles looked way too amused.

"Have a good day, baby bunny?" Alex teased, his voice dripping with mock sweetness.

I scowled. "Shut up."

"Aww, someone's grumpy," Miles added. "What happened? Did Lucas finally reject your undying love?"

My face burned hot. "I said shut up!"

"Wow," Henry chimed in, raising an eyebrow. "Someone's got an attitude today."

I crossed my arms, glaring out the window. "Maybe I wouldn't if you guys weren't so annoying."

"Maybe you wouldn't if you actually ate something at lunch," Miles shot back.

I stiffened but didn't respond. My grip tightened on my bag, and I kept my gaze locked on the window, refusing to let them see how much that got to me.

"Alright, enough," Elijah said from the driver's seat, his voice sharp. "No fighting, or I swear I'll make you all walk home tomorrow."

That shut them up for the most part. I could still hear Miles and Alex snickering under their breath, but at least they weren't talking to me anymore.

By the time we pulled into the driveway, I was completely drained. My head was pounding, my stomach churned, and I just wanted to go to bed and pretend today never happened.

As soon as the car stopped, I shoved the door open and climbed out, not waiting for the others. My legs felt heavy as I trudged toward the house, but I barely made it to the front door before Alex grabbed the back of my hoodie and yanked me backward.

"Hey, don't just walk away from us," he said, his usual teasing grin in place. "Where's our goodbye hug, baby bunny?"

"Get off," I grumbled, yanking myself free.

Miles snickered. "Wow, you're extra grumpy today. Seriously, what's your problem?"

"I don't have a problem," I muttered, pushing open the door and stepping inside.

I barely got two steps into the house before Easton poked his head out of the kitchen. His usually neat appearance was slightly off his hair was a mess, and there were dark circles under his eyes.

"You're home," he said, his voice hoarse. "How was school?"

"Terrible, " I muttered, kicking off my shoes.

Easton sighed. "Well, at least you're honest. I'm taking the day off tomorrow. I feel like hell."

That caught my attention. Easton never took days off. Ever. "Wait, you're actually staying home?"

"Yeah," he said, rubbing his temple. "Not that Father will be happy about it."

"Screw him," Elijah said, walking in behind us. "Mr. Scott's the one actually running everything anyway."

Easton just huffed, too tired to argue.

I barely paid attention after that, dragging myself upstairs. My head felt like it was stuffed with cotton, my body heavy with exhaustion. I collapsed onto my bed, pulling my blanket over me, and curled into a ball.

I was cold. My stomach hurt. My head ached.

I just wanted to sleep.

But of course, my brothers wouldn't let me.

Henry barged into my room an hour later, tossing a sweatshirt at my face. "Put this on. You're shivering."

"Go away," I mumbled, not moving.

Henry didn't listen. He sat on the edge of my bed, watching me for a moment before sighing. "Did you even eat today?"

I shut my eyes, pretending to be asleep.

"Thought so," he muttered.

I heard him stand up, but instead of leaving, he pulled my blanket higher over me before quietly stepping out of the room.

I didn't know why that made my throat feel tight.

I buried my face in my pillow, squeezing my eyes shut.

I just wanted this miserable day to be over.

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Word count: 1393

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 fourteenth chapter and please vote and leave a comment.

More chapters will be coming out soon.

*EMMA HETHRON*