"Myles had something urgent, but you can drop the laundry in his apartment," Brayden told the girl with a pretended genteel personality.

She was dressed roguishly yet in an upbeat way, her pointed stare was spine-chilling. She didn't unnerve my brother except for me.

"I will wait for him then." She boldly finalized like a queen's edict. It shouldn't bother me but it did.

What if Myles avoided her because he didn't want her here? God knows I don't. It grates me inside to see her with his possessions like they're already a family living together.

"Does it ever occur to you that maybe he wants to be alone when he gives a cue like this?" They broke off from my mouth before I could stop them and my eyes bulged in fright.

Her mood changes too. The idea made her uncomfortable.
"Alone? Nonsense." She ejected a short laugh and confidently assured, "We are getting married. Alone is the one thing I am sure he will never be."

"People need space, even married ones." I sternly fired back.

She fumed, glaring at me under her hypocritical eyelashes.
"Oh, suddenly you're spreading relationship advice? What would you know about it?" The last part ended with condescension.

What do I know about relationships, though? I was carried away by vexation, I forgot the fact that I never had anyone. I don't have any memory of an experience.

"I am just saying. I care about the two of you." I mumbled with weakness.

She notices the vulnerability she had dug into. It pleased her. I was drawing back. So she preys on me with predatory eyes and a wintry smile.
"Had you not poisoned me for some stupid optimistic delusions of yours over Myles, I would have believed your fake innocence."

What?

"What?" My brother borrowed my word, but unlike me, he was audible.

"Yes, she poisoned me with peaches when I made it clear to her not to add them to my smoothie, and then the other day at the studio, I asked her to let Myles know I was there but she and he disappeared instead." She sounded edgy and inhaled nasally when she was done accusing me of her allergy attack and so on.
I mean I might have done those consciously, but about the allergy, I didn't know it was going to bruise her health and quality.

And now Brayden had found out.

"You ordered her around?" He blamed Autumn instead when I was waiting for the fury of his disappointment to come.

My jaw slacked like Autumn's, but mine from pride and astonishment.

"What? That's what you picked from all I had said? Did you hear the part where she put my life in jeopardy?" Her voice was increasingly strident now.

"She didn't say peaches made her sick. She only said I shouldn't add them and she and her friend were so rude to me that evening... I was clouded with too many emotions. I added the peaches to aggravate her and make her get a cup for herself not to hurt her on purpose." I explained from behind my brother as she stared dagger at me.

Brayden looked at her with flinty eyes, his was tensed when he warned her, "Stay away from my sister."

"You believed this manipulative child over me? Wow!" She breathed out a laugh like she was abruptly going insane. Indeed, earlier I was right about her pretended personality. "Although I wouldn't say I am shocked. She's your sister, you will probably take her word over everyone else. But a little warning; remember you have a career. This little lying hypocrite might take you down with her."

"Go set down the laundry, and leave. I don't think Myles wants your company at the moment." Brayden spelled out the reality to her as I had earlier done and somewhere in my chest expands with admiration for him.

Autumn's face flushes, she yanks the trolleys and spitefully spats the word, "Asshole." before storming towards the elevator. It was then I faced Brayden and asked, "Why did you do that?"

"What?" He acted dumb.

"You had my back."

"Of course, you're my sister. I will always have your back. At least she's right about that." He grinned mischievously and pulled me into his side when he pecked my hair. I was able to relax and smile.

"Tell me that she is wrong about what she insinuated regarding Myles?"

Scratch the relaxation opportunity. My heart almost escaped its cage at what Brayden implied.

"Umm?" I swallowed repeatedly but my throat remained parched.

Brayden pulled me out of his arms and watched me with fear in his eyes as he investigated mine.
"You are just a fan of his, you admire him as a good point guard for your favorite team, and that's all you feel about him?"

Deep in his gaze, I saw the readiness to flare. He was never going to agree with us being together.

"I mean..."

"Myles is not the type you want to be with." He interjected straightforwardly with concern on his face. "Besides, he is my friend, he is off the list. And worse, I would never allow you to be around someone with demons like him. He looks cool and all but he's messed up and dipped in a lot of trouble you don't want to know. I know him, he's my teammate and you're my sister. I do not wish for you to have to share any burden like that."

"Slow down." I awkwardly laughed at the panic on my brother's countenance as though I wasn't bleeding inside. "There is nothing between us, I promise. Autumn is just overreacting. She's insecure because she's dating a popular man who most girls have eyes on."

"You don't, though, do you?" he narrowed his eyes. "Honestly, you've been too friendly the past few days."

Great! He suspects.

"Friendly, right? That's all, I am a fan. And he is engaged." I struggle to work down the lump in my throat, but it's hard when everything inside me hurts.

"Cali..." Brayden started and I quickly interrupted with what I had been meaning to discuss with him for a while now, "I just had a talk with Scarlett Maverick, the girl from my school that I told you about."

"Can we just..." He began again and I cut him off eagerly, "She promised to introduce me to her friends if I find her a famous athlete."

Brayden's brows snapped together and his eyes narrowed to slits while he took in the sight of me in front of him.

"Find her a famous athlete? What are those? Fish in the pond?"

I know it sounds stupid but that's what she thought.

"You don't have a girlfriend. Why not help me out." I slowly spoke, with expectancy of him agreeing, but he only gasped.

"I have a chance to have two good semesters for my final year of high school. I could be seen and heard. I could make Chloe proud." I desperately pleaded.

"You don't need Scarlett or anyone's approval for that."

He doesn't understand.
"She is the most popular girl in the neighborhood. She drives a Mercedes. All the jocks from school want her. Girls worship her."

"You do?" He confusedly questioned, judgment dripping in those two words.

Surely, he thinks that I am nonsensical and a coward like everyone from different perspectives has thought. But no one except Chloe knew how hard I had tried. Through the years that had passed, Scarlett had proven there is no comparison when it comes to her. She just stands outstanding. Everyone stopped attempting and embraced the fact that she was just undefeatable.

"I will buy you a vehicle of your choice then." He offered that, like a new car can just erase history. Like I didn't see Dalton Gardner, an eleventh grader forced to dismantle his new Audi after school hours were over and accused of disrespecting Scarlett and her jocks. Most importantly, had he forgotten my loss of trust in vehicles?

Exasperated, I shoved him but he didn't budge, so I sparked, maybe he might understand. "You don't know what it is like to have this body and to be ugly and distasteful. You do not know what it feels like to be lonely and voiceless and stupid."

"You think you're all those?" His eyes were wild and wide while he shook his head.

I know so.

"Who lied to you?" He confusedly asked when I didn't respond.

"Just say you will do it for me. I can give you her phone number. She can give me life. Do me a single favor for once. You've been away forever. I am only asking for one thing now."

"I talked with Natalie. She's coming to dinner tonight."

With that announcement, he murdered the hope of my life getting better when I returned home.

"You said you would do anything for me."

It's a low blow but he needs to remember his promise.

"Can you just be happy for me?" He asked flatly.

"Oh, then. Congratulations Brother, more straight paths and admirers, and joys in your way. Tell Natalie I said it was nice to hear about her but I couldn't make it to dinner. I need air to breathe." I snapped and turned around, racing away from him while he enunciated the infamous line, "Cali, don't be like that."