THE TENSION WAS so thick in here I could cut it with a knife. Speaking of knives, I couldn't remember where I left the steak knife during what I thought was a home intrusion. That was probably the least of Mom's concerns right now though. For the first time all evening, she finally spoke.
"When did this happen?"
Niko cleared his throat nervously. "A few days ago."
"And you're just telling me now?"
"We wanted to wait until we could tell you in person," Monica answered.
Mom looked at her with distaste. "I wasn't talking to you."
Monica slumped in her seat and Niko looked like he was biting his tongue to stop himself from saying something to Mom. Brenton, however, seemed to be enjoying this. He helped himself to another slice of pie as he watched eagerly, waiting for someone to lift a hand.
"Why are you home on a Thursday?" Mom continued.
"Monica doesn't have classes tomorrow, and my Friday lab was cancelled."
Mom glanced at her watch. "It's getting late. You should think about heading back now."
Niko looked confused and frankly, so was I. He just implied they'd be spending the night but I supposed Mom wanted no part in it. "We were going to stay for the weekend," he said.
Mom took a sip from her glass of red wine. "You didn't run this by me, Nikolas."
"We're going to sleep in my room."
She almost choked on her drink. "That's not happening under my roof. You can sleep in your bedroom, Nikolas."
He looked at her incredulously. "What about Monica?"
"She can sleep with Daniella."
"What?" Niko and I said in unison.
"This is none of your business," Mom said to me dismissively.
"If she's sleeping in my room then yeah, it kind of is!"
"Don't use that tone with me. I've already had one child disappoint me." Mom abruptly stood up and left with her glass of wine.
Brenton reached over and took her plate of uneaten pie. "Don't mind if I do."
Alex simply rolled his eyes at his moronic older brother. "Read the room, genius."
~*~
"Dani, please!"
"I don't see why you can't book a motel room or something."
I tried to shut my door but Niko pushed it open and came inside.
"Or why don't you wait until Mom's asleep and then sneak her into your room? We all know you've done that enough times in high school."
"When does Mom ever sleep?" he scoffed, ignoring my comment.
"Not my problem."
"Dan, I'm begging you."
Seeing his big brown eyes and sad puppy face made me groan in reply. "Fine."
Niko wrapped his arms around me and lifted me up. "You're my favourite sibling."
"Duh."
He put me down and planted a sloppy wet kiss on my cheek. "Try not to fight either."
"Don't push it."
He ruffled my hair and left to go bring Monica. They both entered my room and without my consent, Niko rummaged through my closet.
"Let Monica borrow some clothes to sleep in."
"Are you ordering me?"
He grinned cheekily in reply. "Please and thank you." He gave Monica one of my t-shirts and a pair of cotton shorts. "Goodnight, ladies." He ruffled my hair and kissed Monica's cheek before leaving.
I sat at my desk to finish the few pages I had left of chapter five. "I can set up your bed in a few minutes," I told Monica.
"I'll just sleep on the bed," she said in her pitchy voice.
"It's my bed."
"Don't you think Niko would be upset if you forced his girlfriend to sleep on the floor?"
"Truthfully, I don't think he'd care."
"You little bitch."
I rolled my eyes. "That's me." I continued reading, but that didn't last long when Monica walked over and slammed my book shut.
"You, your brothers, and your bitch of a mom ended us before, but I'm not going to let that happen again." She leaned in so close I could smell her vanilla-scented lipgloss. "If you dare try and break us up again, I swear I will end you, Daniella."
"I'm so scared," I said in a bored tone. I was about to open my book again, but Monica snatched it. "I don't have time for your nonsense, so give it back."
The bitch then did the unthinkable. She opened the book at the page I put my bookmark in and ripped out a chunk of pages. She then went over to my window and ripped them into smaller pieces before throwing the pages outside. It all happened so fast I didn't even have a chance to do something.
"You psychotic asshole!"
Her plump pink lips curved into a frown. "Oops."
"You're a goddamn lunatic!"
"How's Cade by the way?" she asked. "Mention any of this to Niko and I'll tell everyone why you and your lover broke up."
I stared at her, bewildered. "How did you even know?"
"I have my ways. Goodnight, roomie."
~*~
"Did you finish your readings?" James asked me as we regrouped in the library the next day.
"Sort of."
"It's either a yes or a no."
I took the book out of my backpack and handed it to him without a word.
"What the hell did you do?"
"It's a long story."
"Do you have a rabid dog at home or something?" he asked
"Try a brother with a rabid girlfriend."
"I knew Katy had questionable sanity being with your brother," he muttered.
I shook my head. "Not that brother."
"The little one with the staring problem?"
"Not him either."
He raised his eyebrows. "You have another brother?"
"A whole army of them."
"Wow." He flipped open his notebook. "I assembled a list of questions from the chapters you had to read. If you answer at least seventy-five percent correctly, then I'll help you with the test."
"Are you joking?"
He shot me an irritated look. "I don't joke."
"How many questions?" I asked.
He skimmed through his notebook. "Only forty-five."
I gawked at him. "Tell me this is a joke."
"Refer to what I said earlier." He paused. "Question one: was the plague a viral or bacterial infection?"
"Oh, I know this! Bacterial."
James nodded in approval. "Correct. Which bacteria caused the plague?"
"Uhh..." I recalled reading this last night. "Yersinia pestis?"
He raised his eyebrows. "Good job. Name three symptoms."
"Nausea, fever, and body aches."
"Not bad. What treatment methods are available for infected individuals?"
"Antibiotics."
"What was a cure used in the Middle Ages?"
"Letting leeches suck you dry."
"Too bad you weren't alive back then," he mumbled.
We continued like this for the next half hour. I got a few questions wrong here and there which had me kind of bummed. I was really hoping to get perfect to show James I was serious. After the last question, he calculated my score.
"Only five mistakes," he said. "Much better than I expected you to do."
"Gee thanks."
"Although I had my doubts of you succeeding, I prepared this just in case." He handed me a stack of papers bound together by a paperclip. "I made a review for you last night. I tried to use the simplest terminology possible because we both know you have trouble with words more than six letters long."
I took the stack and leafed through it. "These are really good notes."
"I know."
"What are you going to use to study?"
He shrugged. "I'll make another review."
"Are you sure you don't want this? I could take pictures of the pages and give them back," I offered.
"We made a deal. These are for you." He flipped open the booklet to the first page. "Let's get started."
~*~
"Isn't that the lytic cycle?"
"For the millionth time, this is the lysogenic cycle."
"Then where's the lytic cycle?"
"Hmm, maybe it's the one that's labelled the goddamn lytic cycle!"
"Don't raise your voice in a library."
"Don't be such an idiot then."
"Just to confirm," I looked over at him, "which is the lytic cycle?"
"You're the reason I can't ever become a teacher."
"You need to work on being more patient," I critiqued.
James was about to argue back, but he shut his mouth when his phone started beeping. He took it out of his pocket, cursed, and started packing his bag.
"Got somewhere to be?"
"I'm late," he said.
"Late to where?"
"Home."
"Do you have forced family dinners too?"
He didn't reply.
"Who do you live with?" I couldn't help but ask. "I only ever see you coming in and out of that house."
"It's none of your goddamn business."
"Sorry, I was just curious."
"Keep that curiosity to yourself, and don't ask me again."
"Want a ride home?" I asked after a moment of silence. He slung his backpack over his shoulder and pushed past me without uttering a word. "Okay then," I mumbled.
I packed up my things, including the review James made me, and I drove home. I made it home just in time because Niko and Monica were entering her car. I parked my jeep on the side of the road and ran towards them.
"Where are you going?"
"I don't want to stay here after last night," Niko said. "We both know Mom's only going to get worse."
"If it means I get my room back then I'm not complaining," I admitted earnestly.
He chuckled. "Thanks again for that, Dani."
I wrapped my arms around him. "Come back soon, okay?"
"I left some goodies for you in the freezer."
"This is why you're the best."
Niko mussed my hair affectionately before he got into Monica's car and left. I made sure to flip her off when he wasn't looking. I seriously hated her. Once they were gone, I reclaimed my spot on the driveway and went inside. Alex was sitting on the couch playing video games while eating ice cream. I plopped down beside him.
"Thanks for making plans after school."
I had begged him to hang out at a friend's house today. That way  I wouldn't have to pick him up and James and I would be able to go to the library.
"How's your boyfriend?"
"Not my boyfriend."
Hell, we weren't even friends yet. I swiped the spoon out of Alex's hand, and I dug into the ice cream tub.
"Why was Mommy so grumpy yesterday?"
"She doesn't like Monica."
Alex made a face. "Me neither."
"Join the club, kid."
The front door swung open and Brenton entered the house. "Honey, I'm home!"
"Living room," I called back.
Surprisingly, Alex actually paused his video game.
"Holden!"
Alex leapt over me and went to go hug him. Clearly, the bond they created over free desserts had my brother feeling another type of way.
"Hey, little man!" Holden threw Alex over his shoulder before chucking my little brother onto the couch like a sack of potatoes.
"Charming," I scoffed.
He grinned at me. "Wish you'd greet me like that too, Parker."
I threw a pillow at him. "In your dreams, Rollins."
"I have a proposal for you," Brenton said to me.
"I'm already disliking the sound of it."
He waved me off with his hand. "I know you didn't have much fun at the last party I took you to."
I looked at Holden with wide eyes. He shook his head, assuring me he didn't tell Brenton about my encounter with Cade.
"So," Brenton continued. "I want you to come with us to another party tonight."
"No thanks."
"Come on, Dan," he pleaded.
"Yeah, Dan," Holden mimicked.
"I came with you once, and I am not coming again."
"Please?" both boys begged.
"No," I said firmly.
"Buzzkill," Brenton grumbled.
"Tough luck. Now if you'll excuse me, I have some studying to do."
"Who are you and what have you done to Dani?" Holden said in disbelief.
"Goodbye, Holden." I took Alex's tub of ice cream and went upstairs to my room.
~*~
It was almost two in the morning, but I was still awake studying. I had gotten through a good bulk of James' review and I hoped to complete it all by tomorrow. My mind drifted back to our session at the library today. He got so defensive when I asked about his family. It prompted me to wonder what kinds of secrets he was hiding. It must have been something pretty bad if he couldn't even talk about his family.
Although I was beyond curious, I cleared my mind of James. Who cared about that asshole? Besides, this test was far more important than the jerk who lived beside me. Brenton told Mom he had a late lacrosse practice and then he was going to spend the night at Holden's. She confirmed with me and I saved my twin's ass yet again, so she let him go. I faintly remembered Amber saying something about going to a party tonight, but I had no interest. Especially not after the last time...
Some time had passed, so I decided to call it a night for studying. I changed into one of the many t-shirts I stole from Niko and a pair of cotton shorts. The weather was starting to get a little warmer but Mom still had the heat turned up so high our house felt like a sauna. I tied my hair into a ponytail and I plopped on top of my bed. It felt great not having to share my room with anyone.
I took out my laptop and searched for a movie to watch. I was scrolling through my library when I heard a noise outside. I ignored it, but the noise persisted. It sounded like something was hitting my window. I cautiously crept toward my window and pulled the curtain back. As soon as I did, something dark hit my window. I jumped back but slowly returned.
I peered outside and noticed the silhouette of a person. The only light shining was from a nearby streetlight so I couldn't decipher who it was. There was a possibility it could've been Brenton, so I opened my window. Due to my luck, just as I opened my window the person tossed another rock.
"Holy shit!" Thankfully it just hardly made contact with my shoulder, though it hit with enough force to hurt. To avoid injuring myself again I reached out to shut the window.
"Wait!"
Even in the dim lighting, I instantly recognized the person. "What do you want?"
"I got locked out. Can I crash?"
Every part of me was screaming no, yet something was holding me back. Perhaps I was too tired to think rationally, or maybe it was the desperation in his voice. Whatever it was, I told him to come to the front door. I tiptoed down the stairs, skipping the one step that creaked with any added pressure. I was hoping Mom was asleep, but I knew that was unlikely. My suspicions were confirmed when I saw a lamp on in the living room. Mom was sitting on the couch in her robe, a bottle of chardonnay in one hand and a few sheets of paper in the other. There was a plate on the coffee table with leftover pie on it. No matter how frustrated she got with Niko, she was a sucker for pecan pies.
In any other situation, I might have considered going up to Mom, taking away the wine and sending her to bed, but I knew it was no use. This was how she spent her typical Friday nights ever since Dad left five years ago. I shook my head at my choice of words. He didn't leave. She kicked him out. I glanced at her with scorn, watching as she drowned away her problems with each sip. She could drink all she wanted, but at the end of the day, we all knew what she did.
I walked over to the front door and I opened it as quietly as I could. Mom's hazy state prevented her from being so alert, but she was merely tipsy so there was still a risk of her catching me. I pressed my fingers against my lips to signal to James that he couldn't make a sound. Together we carefully walked up the stairs and I led him to my bedroom. It wasn't until I shut my door did I breathe a sigh of relief.
Seeing James in the bright lighting of my room made me gasp. He had a cut on the side of his head that was dripping blood all over his shirt, and his lip was busted.
"You're bleeding," I said dumbly.
He rolled his eyes. "Thanks, doc."
"I'll be right back." I went to the bathroom and grabbed the first aid kit out of the cabinet. When I came back, James had his shirt off and pressed against his cut.
"I didn't want to stain your floor," he said.
"Do you want clothes?" I offered, trying hard to not look at his shirtless body.
"Actually I'd prefer to sleep in this bloody shirt."
"No need to be sassy."
He snatched the first aid kit out of my hands and started tending to his wounds.
"You're welcome," I muttered. I went into my closet and took out one of Niko's t-shirts and sweatpants. I handed him the clothes. "What happened?"
"I got into a fight at home." Without a warning, he took off his pants and exchanged them for the sweatpants. I quickly turned my head the other way. "Relax, I'm not completely nude."
"You should finish cleaning your cut before you put the shirt on," I suggested. He already took one of my favourite comfy shirts, I didn't want him to ruin any others.
While James treated his wounds I couldn't help but stare at his upper body. How could someone with such an ugly personality be so beautiful? It was completely unfair.
"I don't appreciate being gawked at."
"Shut up." I paused. "Do these fights happen often?"
He gave me a steely look as his grey eyes bore into mine. "I'm going to say this once and only once. Don't ask me about my private life."
This was coming from the guy who intruded into my personal life at two in the morning. Still, I opted to nod instead of riling him more. He clearly wasn't much of a talker. "I'm going to have to charge you for your stay tonight."
"Only if I get the bed," he said.
"Never mind, enjoy your free night on my floor."
Just when I thought I had my room to myself tonight...