Chapter 10: VI

— QUENTIN —

"Ugh, where is he?" Annalise's loud voice successfully catches my attention.

"Who's he?" i ask, not bothering to look up from my work.

"Your twin," she explains, rolling her eyes. "I have to speak to him."

I turn to look at her, eyebrows furrowed in confusion.

"Aren't you still mad at him?" i ask her.

"When am i not mad at Seamus?" she points out, and i snicker under my breath.

"True," i say, remembering the countless grudges she has held against him in the past.

"...But if he 'accidentally' decided to spill water on your homework, you would understand how i feel!" she continues to complain about my brother.

Lucky me, getting stuck in a class with the two of them.

I mean, it's Seamus we're talking about. Everything that boy does is in bad taste!

"I know his game, Łabanowski! Trust me," she whisper-shouts, causing me to squint at her from my peripheral vision.

"You should be thankful that the only thing spilled was water and not blood," i retort in a monotone voice, barely paying attention to her.

"Mhm. Anyway, where is he?" she repeats, and i sigh, lifting my head to check the clock above the door.

"Well, it's two-fifteen, currently, which means he will be entering the classroom with Christian right about..." i pause in anticipation.

"Witam, pani Carmichael. Tęskniłaś za mną?"

"Now." i budge her elbow, smug.

Ever since the first day of semester, when Seamus got moved into our class, he has been speaking in Polish to confuse our elderly teacher into thinking he is a newly transferred immigrant.

Of course, considering that i refuse to go along with his childish antics, Seamus has denied his relation to me.

We're identical twins.

"The two of you can feel free to find yourselves a seat. I expect you to see me after class," she grumbles, sending both Christian and my brother a stern look of disapproval.

"Przepraszam nie rozumiem," he tells her, though already heading to sit down.

Stupidly, i decide to glance up from my work. Christian notices the free seats behind us and gestures to Seamus.

"Hey, Bro," Seamus says, kicking the back of my seat as he sits down. "Annalise," he then addresses her, his tone suggestive. "I heard you were looking for me."

"And how would you know that?" she shoots back with a raised eyebrow, clearly unimpressed.

"Because i'm me. I know everything," he answers, causing me to roll my eyes.

"Alright, Gretchen Weiner," she snorts. "I just need your help with something."

As i glance up, i notice Seamus's eyes widen momentarily before he hastily clears his throat.

"It's about Rori..." she trails off, sending him a meaningful glare.

Seamus immediately drops his flirtatious attitude.

"What about her?" he asks, hesitantly.

"I need you to convince her to come to Lindsay's party this Friday," she says. "I thought we could all go together, have some fun...You know, to make up for the fact you guys refuse to celebrate your birthday."

Seamus scoffs a humourless laugh, clearly displeased by her bringing it up.

"My sister wouldn't be caught dead at Lindsay Foster's house," he sneers.

"Seamus is right. Ri would never go for that," i add my two cents.

"Please. Just try your best to convince her," she whines, batting her eyelashes at my brother. "If you guys go, she'll be more likely to."

Seamus's eyes begin to wander as he contemplates her words, and i narrow my eyes in suspicion when i notice Christian lean in to whisper something in his ear.

My brother's lips tug upwards to form a devious smirk, and i shake my head in amusement.

"Fine," he complies. "We'll be there. Rori will come too — i'll make sure of it," he nonchalantly decides, and my eyes widen in protest due to his sudden change of heart.

"But Seamus, don't you think—" i attempt to intervene, only to be cut off by a squealing Annalise.

"Thank you guys so much! I promise you won't regret it!" she loudly exclaims, a grin of accomplishment on her face.

"Ms Kingston!" our teacher scolds her. "Would you perhaps like to join Mr Łabanowski and Mr Taylor in detention?"

"No, Mrs Carmichael, sorry Mrs Carmichael," she rushes out, her face red as my brother and his best friend snicker at her misfortune.

"Buttt..." Seamus continues, tauntingly dragging out his speech. "I do require a favour in return."

Of course there's a catch.

There's always a catch.

My brother — most of them, actually — never helps someone out from the kindness of his heart. He does so simply for his own benefit.

Annalise groans in response but reluctantly agrees, realising that it's the only way to get what she wants.

"Hit me with it." she rolls her eyes.

Seamus's smirk grows even wider.

"You know how i've always wanted a pet tarantula?"

— RORI —

Today must have been the first time i woke up and thought 'Thank God it's Monday.'

School was a welcome escape for me — having avoided my siblings throughout the entire weekend —though i'm feeling extremely on edge now that the day is over.

As always, i saw Christian in a few of my classes.

I guessed that Seamus had informed him of our brothers' return, as he did not once question my minimal conversation.

Instead, he helped me with my chemistry homework and offered me his last piece of chewing gum.

It's safe to say i was surprised by his consideration, but grateful nonetheless.

The thought of being friends with Christian...my brother's best friend...is strange to say the least.

I was used to it being them against me, growing up.

From the moment Seamus and Christian met, they were partners in crime and had such a bond which could only be compared to that of brothers. It was cute from a distance, sure, but not if you were on the receiving end of their bullying and pranks (which i frequently was).

Seeing them grow up and mature has been weird though. They're still just as close as they used to be, though Christian seems to want to be closer with me also.

I just hope Seamus doesn't mind.

"Hey, Bro," i am startled by said brother's voice, as he slings his arm over my shoulder.

I glance up at him, displaying an annoyed expression, and he flashes me a typical, boyish grin in response. I then feel a tap on my right shoulder and turn, to be met with the friendly  face of Quentin.

As we exit the building, i release an exasperated sigh and anticipate just how pissed off i will be after this conversation.

"What it is you two want?" i roll my eyes, my tone of voice bored.

I hear Seamus tsk in mock disapproval.

"Now, now, Rori, is that any way to talk to your older brothers?"

I scoff, displeased by how easy it is for Seamus to rile me up.

"Brother, singular," i am quick to correct him, "and only by seven minutes."

Not to brag or anything, but i am the ninth eldest.

"So we're told," Quentin joins in with his teasing. "Never actually seen the birth certificates, though, have we?"

They both exchange a high-five above my head and i scowl at the action. Quentin then attempts to mimic my petulance, which sends Seamus into a fit of laughter.

And i'm supposedly immature?

"Meanies," i grumble. "Are you going to continue bugging me, or is there something worth discussing?"

My brothers suddenly stop walking, and i turn to face them, my impatience already worsening.

"We're all gonna go to a party on Friday. You, me, Anna and Christian, that boy Mikey, and Seamus...Okay?"

I raise my eyebrows at Quentin, unimpressed by them making the decision for me.

"Yeah, i don't remember agreeing to that." i shake my head. "Especially if said party will be held at Lindsay's house."

I practically spit her name, feeling the need to emphasise my dislike for the girl who decided to make me her enemy in Freshman year.

I'm not the only one who feels such strong contempt towards her, however. That much is clear.

"Anna's counting on you to go and she'll be really upset if you don't," Seamus offers. "It's the first party of the year, Ri, and everyone will be there. You'll hardly run in to Lindsay."

I huff, crossing my arms to express my displeasure.

They're never usually this persistent!

"I'm sure she would come and beg me herself if it were that important," i point out.

"Yeah, but she knew you would turn her down," he reasons. "The two of us, however..." he gestures to Quentin, "...you have a hard time saying no to."

"Well i'm saying no now, aren't i?" i flash him a sarcastic smile. "And since when did you do favours for my best friend?"

Seamus smirks, clearly determined to win me over.

Only he won't.

"Think of it this way, you either go to the party and, God forbid, actually have fun, " he says. "Or, you stay at home, sulking over our eldest brother's existence."

Well, when you put it like that...

I begin to mumble incoherently, barely paying attention to what my own self is saying.

"What was that?"

"Fine," i mumble once more.

"Come again?"

"Stop messing with me!" i exclaim, displeased by the arrogant glint in their eyes. "I said fine. I'll go."

My brothers grin at me and, wordlessly, i turn on my heels, already regretting my decision.

— SUCKER PUNCH —

"C'mon, Ri. Concentrate."

After school, Teddy drove the two of us to Xavi's private gym (otherwise known as The Clubhouse) because, according to my third eldest brother, i need to get out of the house and do something productive.

That's why, for the last half hour, i've been standing in the middle of a boxing ring, sparring with my older brother.

"I wanna box," i say with a whine. "I'm sick of this."

"Rori." Xavi sighs, ever the grumpiest.

"It's fine, Xav. Let the little girl try," Teddy mocks, already positioning himself.

"Teddy," he continues.

"You can stop us at any point," i reassure him. "We won't take it too far."

Xavi sighs once more (i swear that's all he does) and approaches the ring.

"I'm sure you won't." he pins Teddy with a meaningful glare, before facing me once more. "Just be careful, and make sure you have your mouth guard in," he begrudgingly agrees.

We both position ourselves and, without hesitating, Teddy sends a straight punch which i barely manage to block. It leaves a slight impact on my wrist, considering his strength.

I try to send a hook punch to his jaw right after but he immediately blocks it with his right arm, shaking his head at my futile attempt.

As we circle around, i begin to predict his next move. But, while i go to extend my left arm, he is quick to return with a cross-punch that effectively causes me to stumble back.

Xavi kisses his teeth, leaning over the rope. He sends Teddy a glare of warning, as if to say 'Try not to kill her', and our brother simply rolls his eyes, a smug look plastered on his face.

While Teddy is distracted, i hit him with a jab punch. It wasn't the desired outcome, however, as he ends up turning at the wrong moment, only for my fist to collide with his nose.

I create distance between us as i hear him grunt in pain. Slowly, he raises his hand to his nose and, when he sees droplets of blood leaking from it, his eyes find mine.

"You punched me!" he exclaims.

"Well we're not fencing, Ted. Anyway, i'm no match for you, right?" i tease him, and he scoffs with a menacing smile spread across his face.

"You're really asking for it now, Shorty," he seethes, making his way towards me.

Before he can make a move, i scurry away and claim his side of the ring.

"What are you playing at?"

He fakes a swing at me, laughing when i recoil, before catching me off guard with a leading hook to my right. Because i already blocked him from the front, he is able to punch my jaw in a less than gentle way.

Ouch.

Ignoring Teddy's continuous taunts, i acknowledge a group of men entering the gym from my peripheral vision. And as my eyes linger on my eldest brothers, Teddy's soon follow, looking just as angered as i feel.

Wyatt instantly spots Xavi, greeting him with a curt wave as to alert him of their presence.

He then notices me and Teddy in the ring and gestures for Yakov to watch us, which of course grabs Zephaniah's attention also.

I notice Yakov's eyebrows furrow as they approach us, clearly not expecting to find us here. On the contrary, Zephaniah's expression is that of amusement.

Teddy and i share a look as Xavi approaches our brothers, greeting them in the polite form of a handshake before they begin to converse.

Wyatt seems to notice Yakov observing the two of us and so leads him over to the ringside.

Teddy continues to block each one of my punches, before delivering a rear-hook. Again, this catches me off guard and i am thrown off balance as i try to regain composure.

Fuck. I can't make a fool of myself in front of them.

Xavi was right to warn me beforehand, as i am beginning to find it difficult to keep up with my older brother.

Although Teddy is only two years older than i, he already stands at a similar height to Vinnie — who is around six-foot-three — and also trains at the gym daily.

Something which i should do.

Before more recently, he was an irresponsible teenager who cared more for late night partying and getting high with his friends than he did for himself. Though now his priorities seem much different.

A good kind of different, though.

Like all of us, he probably feels even more challenged to do his best and show off now that our eldest brothers are back in town. And he certainly isn't going to go easy on his little sister when she wants to do the same.

"Are you sure you wanna continue with this?" Teddy asks, feigning concern so well that i actually believe he cares for a moment. "I mean, it's just a bit of fun, Rori. I wouldn't want anyone to get hurt."

I spare a glance at Wyatt, who locks eyes with me, wiggling his eyebrows as he gives me a reassuring thumbs up.

I offer him a small nod and meek smile in return, before turning back to face Teddy.

"Victory is mine, Teddy Bear."

I've got this in the bag.

— SUCKER PUNCH —

"Well, i think that went rather well."

I hiss slightly as Xavi places an ice pack against my recently bruised cheek.

"Your face is three different shades of purple right now: i wouldn't sound so sure, Rori."

I glare at Wyatt, who offers me nothing but at a teasing smile to compensate.

"I knew it was a bad idea," Xavi mutters. "By the way, you owe me five bucks," he adds, glancing at Wyatt with a knowing smirk on his face.

"You bet on us?" i question them with a tone of disbelief.

"Of course." Wyatt nonchalantly nods. "I lost out because of you."

"Gee, thanks," i huff, unamused.

"I'm kidding," he sings. "You'll get there eventually, Kid."

"Sure. I'll take on Zeph and Yakov next time," i joke, and their faces drop at the mention of our brothers' names. "Why are they here, by the way?"

"In the gym?"

"No. In general," i mumble.

My brothers share a look of uncertainty, Xavi sighing as he applies more ointment on my bruises.

They don't want to be the ones to tell me.

Either that, or Zephaniah has ordered them not to.

He did tell me to find one of them the other day though, so perhaps it is my fault for not asking sooner.

I simply wasn't ready to face the truth then, but can they blame me?

My whole life has been nothing but lies, heartbreak, and disappointment,  so it's nice to pretend like my issues don't exist, rather than addressing them.

You know...ignorance is bliss.

"Let's get you home for now," Xavi changes the subject. "Dinner will be ready by the time we get back."

"But—"

"Ria," Wyatt admonishes me.

I sigh, begrudgingly silencing myself.

Ignorance no longer feels like bliss when it is being forced upon me.

(Edited)

A/N: Hi Nimmy.