Chapter 34

The walk back to my house was quiet, but not in an awkward way. The night air was crisp, making me pull Lucas' hoodie tighter around myself as we walked side by side. Every once in a while, our shoulders brushed, and I tried not to think too much about it.

Lucas had his hands stuffed into his pockets, eyes flickering up toward the sky. "You good?" he asked after a moment.

I hesitated. "Yeah... I mean, no. But I'll survive."

Lucas glanced at me, and even in the dim streetlights, I could see the concern in his blue eyes. "If they start making you feel like crap over the holidays, you know where to go, right?"

I nodded. "Yeah. I know."

We walked in comfortable silence the rest of the way until we reached my house. The living room lights were still on, which meant my brothers were still up.

Lucas stopped at the front steps, shoving his hands deeper into his pockets. "Well, guess this is goodnight."

I turned to face him, the porch light casting a soft glow over him. His golden hair looked lighter in the artificial light, and his blue eyes were steady as they met mine.

For a second, neither of us moved.

Then Lucas stepped forward, wrapping his arms around me in a warm, firm hug.

I exhaled, sinking into it without thinking. My hands curled into the fabric of his hoodie, gripping it lightly as I let myself enjoy the warmth of him.

When he pulled back slightly, we were still close, and for a moment, it felt like something was hanging in the air between us.

I swallowed, forcing myself to look away. "Goodnight, Lucas."

Lucas smirked. "Goodnight, Shorty."

I rolled my eyes, stepping back before turning toward the door.

As soon as I stepped inside, I was hit with the familiar warmth of home and the sound of the TV playing in the background.

All of my brothers were sprawled across the couches, watching some random show, but as soon as I walked in, Elijah's head snapped up.

"Where were you?" he asked, his voice calm but firm.

I sighed and walked over to him, wrapping my arms around him in a quick hug. "Sorry for just walking out."

Elijah tensed slightly, caught off guard, before relaxing and hugging me back. "It's fine. Just... tell me next time, alright?"

I nodded.

When I pulled away, Easton spoke up. "So? You gonna tell us what's up, or are we supposed to guess?"

I hesitated, glancing at all of them before finally sighing. "I overheard your conversation. About... them coming back."

The mood in the room shifted instantly.

Elijah sat up straighter. "Adrian—"

"I don't want to see them," I blurted out, my voice tight.

Easton exhaled sharply. "Yeah. That's fair."

Henry frowned, looking between us. "Wait. What are we talking about?"

Easton sighed, rubbing his temples. "Mom and Dad."

Henry's eyebrows furrowed. "What about them?"

"They're coming back for Christmas," I muttered.

Henry blinked. "Oh."

I looked at all of them, my chest tightening. "Do I really have to see them?"

Elijah ran a hand through his hair. "We're not going to make you do anything you don't want to, Adrian. But avoiding them completely might be hard."

I swallowed, shifting uncomfortably.

Easton leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees. "Look, we'll deal with them, okay? You're not alone in this."

I bit the inside of my cheek. "I just... don't want her to act like I don't exist again."

Elijah's jaw tightened, and he reached over, squeezing my shoulder. "You do exist. And you matter. No matter what they say or do, they don't get to take that from you."

I nodded slowly, not trusting myself to speak.

There was a long pause before Henry clapped his hands together. "Alright. Enough depressing talk. TV time."

I rolled my eyes, but I was grateful for the distraction.

I curled up on the couch, letting myself sink into the cushions as my brothers kept up their usual bickering over what to watch.

By the time the second episode of whatever show we were watching ended, my eyelids were getting heavy.

Elijah nudged my foot with his. "Bed."

I groaned. "But I'm comfortable."

"Bed," he repeated.

I sighed dramatically before standing up. "Fine. Night, guys."

"Night night, baby Bunny," Henry teased.

I shot him a glare. "You're all the worst."

They just laughed as I trudged upstairs.

I shuffled into my room, kicking off my shoes and pulling off Lucus' hoodie before collapsing onto my bed. The day had been exhausting, and my body ached from just existing. I sighed, staring up at the ceiling, letting my mind wander.

It drifted to Lucas. To the way he had looked at me earlier, teasing but warm. The way he had called me Shorty like it was the most natural thing in the world. The way he had hugged me when I had shown up at his house last night, breaking apart in his arms.

My face burned, and I groaned, rolling over and burying my head in my pillow. Stop thinking about him, stop thinking about him, stop thinking about him.

Eventually, my eyes grew heavy, and the sound of the house settling around me lulled me into sleep.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

A heavy weight pressed on my side, shaking me roughly.

"Bunny, wake up."

I groaned, burrowing further under my blankets.

"No."

Elijah sighed dramatically. "Yes."

"Leave me alone."

"Can't. You have school."

"No, I don't." I tightened my grip on the covers.

Elijah yanked them off in one swift motion, and the cold air hit me like a slap. I curled into a ball, scowling. "You're evil."

"Uh-huh." Elijah nudged me again. "Up. Now."

I stubbornly clung to the mattress like my life depended on it. "I was suspended. Suspended kids don't have to go to school."

"You're done with suspension. It's over."

I groaned. "I think I should get an extra day for mental recovery."

Elijah smirked. "Nice try, but no. You're going."

I tried another approach, pressing a hand to my forehead. "I think I have a fever."

Elijah raised an eyebrow, unimpressed. "Oh, really?"

I coughed weakly. "Yeah. I feel terrible. So weak."

Elijah rolled his eyes, then before I could react, he grabbed me by the waist and threw me over his shoulder.

"Elijah!" I yelped, thrashing. "Put me down!"

"Nope."

I clung onto him so I wouldn't fall, my face burning in embarrassment. "I hate you."

Elijah laughed, carrying me out of my room with zero effort. "Love you too, Bunny."

"This is so unfair," I groaned, banging my fists lightly against his back.

"You brought this on yourself," he said as he carried me down the stairs.

When we reached the kitchen, he finally set me down, and I immediately fixed my hoodie and glared at him.

Miles and Alex were already sitting at the table, looking far too awake for this time of the morning.

"You really fought that hard to avoid school?" Miles asked, smirking.

"He always does," Alex added, taking a sip of juice.

I ignored them and slumped into my chair, still half-asleep.

Elijah sat down with his coffee, eyeing us all. "Are you boys looking forward to the football game tonight?"

Miles and Alex immediately perked up.

"Cannot wait". Alex said with a large grin on his face

"The match starts at five so you have to be there before to get seats," Miles said.

I groaned. "Do I have to go?"

Elijah gave me a look. "Yes. We're supporting your brothers."

I sighed dramatically. "But it's football."

Alex rolled his eyes. "You'll survive."

After breakfast, we all grabbed our bags and headed out.

As I slumped in the passenger seat, I pulled at the collar of my uniform. "I hate wearing this."

Elijah smirked. "Yeah? Well, at least you don't have to pay rent."

I scowled. "That has nothing to do with anything."

Elijah just chuckled as he pulled out of the driveway.

Today was going to be long.

By the time we pulled into the car park, I was already sick of hearing Miles and Alex debate over which team had the best lineup this season.

The second Elijah put the car in park, I unbuckled my seatbelt and bolted.

"Later, losers!" I called over my shoulder.

"ADRIAN, DON'T RUN IN THE CAR PARK—" Elijah started, but I had already spotted Lucas.

He was leaning against the fence, scrolling on his phone, looking effortlessly cool as usual. His golden hair caught the early morning sunlight, making it look even more unfairly nice.

I slowed my pace as I reached him, trying to act casual and not like I had practically sprinted out of the car just to see him.

Lucas looked up, and a slow smirk spread across his face. "Wow. That was fast."

I scoffed. "I had to get away from my brothers before I lost my mind."

Lucas chuckled, shoving his phone into his pocket. "I feel honored to be your escape."

I rolled my eyes but smiled anyway.

Just as I opened my mouth to say something, a familiar voice called out from behind me.

"There you are!"

I turned to see Chloe and Sophia heading toward us, both looking slightly exasperated.

"We've been waiting for ages," Chloe said dramatically.

"You literally just got here," I pointed out.

Sophia grinned. "Details."

Lucas draped an arm over my shoulder, steering me toward them. "Come on, Shorty, let's get this over with."

I groaned but let him pull me along as we all headed inside.

It was time to face the school day.

We slipped into the classroom just before the bell rang, taking our usual seats. The second I sat down, I knew something was wrong. Our teacher, Mr. Harris, had that look on his face. The one that always meant bad news.

"Alright, settle down," he said, shutting the door behind him. "I hope you all have been keeping up with the material because on Monday, you'll be having a maths test."

A collective groan filled the room, mine being the loudest.

"You've got to be kidding me," I muttered under my breath.

Mr. Harris shot me a look. "Something to say, Mr. Scott?"

I sank lower in my seat. "No."

Chloe leaned over, whispering, "We should study together. Maybe Sunday?"

Sophia shook her head. "I can't Sunday. What about Saturday?"

I sighed. "We can do it at my place."

Chloe's eyebrows shot up. "Really? You never volunteer your house."

"Yeah, well, I clearly have a death wish," I mumbled.

Sophia grinned. "Perfect. Saturday afternoon it is."

Before we could discuss further, Mr. Harris cleared his throat loudly. "Are we done with the conversation, or should I wait for a formal invitation?"

Chloe and Sophia immediately turned back to their notes, and I forced myself to focus as well, though all I could think about was how much I hated maths.

English was bearable. Mostly because I actually liked the book we were studying, and the teacher wasn't completelyawful. Chloe and I spent most of the lesson whispering about the main character's bad life choices, while Sophia occasionally shushed us, even though she was just as involved in the conversation.

History was better. It was my best subject, which meant Lucas spent most of the class groaning dramatically while I actually did the work.

"Remind me again why we have to learn about dead people?" Lucas muttered, resting his head on his desk.

I smirked. "Because some of us actually want to pass this class."

Lucas shot me a glare. "Rude."

"You'd know that if you actually read the chapter."

"I did read it," he insisted.

I raised an eyebrow. "Oh yeah? Then tell me, what year was the Treaty of Versailles signed?"

Lucas blinked. "Uh... like... the 1800s?"

I smacked my forehead. "I hate you."

Lucas snickered. "See? This is why I have you, Shorty."

I groaned, ignoring him for the rest of the class.

By the time lunch rolled around, I actually felt okay. For the first time in a long time, I didn't feel that usual dread sitting in my stomach as I walked into the cafeteria.

It helped that Tom wasn't in school.

I grabbed my tray, not really thinking too hard about what I picked, and sat down with the others. It wasn't until I was already eating that I realized—I wasn't thinking about eating.

It wasn't consuming my thoughts.

I wasn't panicking about the carbs or wondering if someone was watching me.

I was just... eating.

The realization made me pause for a second.

Maybe I really was getting better.

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Word count: 2023

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.

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More chapters will be coming out soon.

*EMMA HETHRON*