Music resounded through my rather large house, a house that most would probably refer to as mansion, but I wasn't an expert in that kind of shit so I just called it a house. I gritted my teeth and gripped the marble counter top of the sink to the bathroom that was connected to my bedroom. The party had started about an hour ago, but I had been finishing getting ready for most that time, considering I hadn't actually had the time to earlier.

After school, I swung by my father's work to drop off a file for him. Then I had stopped by the diner, just to check in on the boys who were working there, only to be shocked by the fact that they were attending a party that night: my brothers' party. When I finally arrived at the house, Knox and Micah dragged me into helping them prep. Then, an hour and a half before the party was to begin, Marie stomped in and demanded that she take me so she could get me ready. I didn't protest, knowing there was no use, and neither did the boys.

Marie had finished with me a good twenty minutes earlier, but I had needed time to mentally prepare myself. My phone sat beside the sink, vibrating nonstop. All of the messages were from my siblings, the boys, and prep school acquaintances. Most of the messages consisted of "where are you" or "are you okay". I stared at the annoying object for a long moment before turning it over, hiding the screen from sight, and forcing my eyes up to the mirror.

I looked pretty, at least, according to Marie I did. My blonde hair was straightened to perfection, falling over my shoulders in a silky waterfall. My makeup was heavier than what it usually was, consisting of a smokey eye that incorporated pink and a winged eyeliner. I had insisted on wearing my own strawberry pink lip gloss, and Marie had reluctantly obliged.

Seeing as I no longer felt like myself, it was fitting that the clothes I wore didn't belong to me either. Marie had found me clothes from her closet, and when I squinted my eyes and asked if they even belonged to her, she only shrugged and told me she couldn't remember. I didn't question her further on the matter, deciding it better to just remain silent for the entire tortuous process.

The outfit was nice enough, though. The top was a pale pink and covered in lace, and only the portion that covered my bust was solid cloth, beyond that was all lace. The top covered to past my belly button, and had been paired with a white flowey skirt. Marie had suggested I wear heels with the ensemble, but having to wear heels often enough for dinner parties, I turned her down and went with a simple pair of black ballet flats.

I narrowed my eyes at my reflection. "Dumbass," I hissed. "Your pride really thought this was the best way to show Zain that he was wrong? Dumb. Ass."

A knock at my door startled me, and I straightened up, tearing my eyes away from my mirror. The door was locked, preventing anyone from coming in unless they picked the lock. And if they dare picked the lock, they were going to have a fist waiting for them on the other side. My eyebrows furrowed together at the fact that anyone was on the other side of the door at all; the boys had deemed the upstairs as off limits to the party guests and had threatened bodily harm if anybody even tried to venture upstairs.

"Sang," Micah's voice carried through the door, and I relaxed considerably. "Are you okay in there?"

I reached over and unlocked the door, then yanked it open. Micah stood on the other side, his hands shoved into his pockets. He seemed to be both sheepish and worried at the same time, and my heart softened, hating that I was constantly a pain in his ass. He was only seventeen, and yet he shouldered more responsibility than he should have to, and part of that was because of me.

"Hey, Micah," I said, forcing my lips to spread into a convincing smile. It was harder to use the Trust Fund Baby smile on my siblings because they had their own version of the smile, but I had learned to do it convincingly enough that they no longer questioned it. "Sorry for hiding out in here. I'm ready now, though."

His eyebrows shot up, and disbelief swam in his brown eyes that were identical to Marie's. "Are you sure? We can go to Zain's place and hang out there, if you want."

His words only strengthened my resolve and a scowl formed on my face. The more that they doubted me, the more I wanted to go out and enjoy the party. I didn't bother to respond to Micah, and instead, pushed past him and marched down the stairs into chaos. The lights were dimmed so low, that all I could really make out was the outlines of bodies and faces. The music was louder down here than it had been upstairs, and I winced, tempted to cover my ears to block out the noise.

I carefully maneuvered my way through the bodies, and stepped into the kitchen. The kitchen was lighted better than the rest of the house was, but there was a good amount of people in here as well. I figured that it was because this was the location that the boys had chose for the booze. My face instantly lit up at the sight of Knox, leaning against the fridge, conversing with someone. I flounced over and wound my an arm around my brother's waist, drawing his attention down to me.

"Knox!" I sang. "There you are!"

He raised his eyebrows at me, amusement flickering across his face. "You've been hiding upstairs. You would have known I was here if you bothered to come downstairs."

I scoffed at his words, though I was just as amused as him. I shrugged and pried his bottle of beer from his hands, taking a sip from it. I made a face and shoved it at his chest, glaring at it in disgust. "How can you drink that shit? You got me strawberry vodka, right? Or did Zain dictate what booze you got too?"

"Sang?"

I turned to face the person that Knox had been talking to, and if I'd had beer in my mouth, I probably would have spat it all out onto the floor and not just because of the taste. I made a mental note to check who people were talking to before I interrupted, just for future reference, as I eyed Sean Green up. He looked to be around Knox's age, in a purple V-neck shirt and dark wash jeans, young just like I had initially thought about him.

"Uhh, hi, Sean," I managed to sputter out, leaning against the counter for support. Due to my anxious thoughts, I had completely forgotten about the fact that the boys would be attending, and as my fingers flexed, itching to yank out my phone, I remembered that I had left it in the bathroom.

"You two know each other?" Knox asked, though his green eyes were narrowed on Sean. He had never fancied any guys getting close to his sisters, and it seemed like the sentiment was the same for Sean, even if they might have been friends.

"Yeah, I guess you could say that," Sean replied with a smirk that had a blush rising on my cheeks. I had the urge to stick my tongue out at him, but refrained from doing so, and turned to face Knox.

"Where's Zain?" I asked, crossing my arms beneath my bust, turning very serious for the moment. I was going to do everything in my power to avoid my oldest brother the entire night. I wasn't at all in the mood for a fight.

Knox's green eyes grew dark from heavy emotions, most likely understanding why I was asking. "You don't need to worry about him. He won't bother you tonight. Just... have fun with your friends, okay?" His eyes drifted over to Sean. "Since you two know each other, do you mind watching out for her?"

Sean shook his head, smiling softly. "No, not at all. It would be my pleasure to be in Sang's presence for the night."

In sync, Knox and I said, "Watch it."

"That was creepy," Sean declared in a low voice, though his eyes held fascination at the bond Knox and I shared. I smirked, and shook my head, as most people found our connection strange but interesting.

My brother's eyes drifted to somewhere over my shoulder and his face lit up, indicating that he had caught sight of one of his friends. "I just saw Marc, so I'm going to say hi. Be good, okay?"

I turned to watch him walk away, knowing that what I was about to say was going to piss him off. "First of all, I'm always good. Second of all, tell Marc I say hi and that I miss him."

"I will not!" Knox called over his shoulder, irritation clear in his voice. A grin formed on my face, because it was just too easy to push his buttons.

"Jeez," I exclaimed. "A childhood crush and a kiss on the cheek, and you still won't let it go or let me see him!"

Knox flipped me off as he neared Marc, and I burst into a fit of laughter. He may have been my favorite sibling, but I sure as hell loved riling him up by constantly informing him that I thought his friends were cute. It was a shocker that he hadn't locked me in a closet every time they came over, though I'm certain he considered it. Knox said something to Marc that had them both looking over, and I waved to Marc, grinning. Marc, who loved to play along with this game I had going, sent me a wink, causing Knox to slug him in the shoulder.

Laughter erupted inside me again.

"Do I even want to know?" Sean asked, his eyes shifting between Knox and I, alight with amusement and curiosity.

I shrugged, grinning and leaning against the counter once again. "I don't know. Do you?"

He shook his head at me, a grin of his own forming. "You truly are something else, Sang."

I shrugged once again, and turned to face the alcohol that lined the counters. It didn't surprise me that we had so many kinds. We had been taught from a young age to take good care of our guests, and I guess that still applied, even for house parties. My eyes narrowed at the fact that there was not a strawberry vodka in sight. It was probably Zain's doing, his lame attempt at being an overprotective brother, his even more lame attempt to keep me from drinking.

"Do you want anything?" I asked Sean as I observed what my limited options were.

I had drank hard liquor before, all of my siblings and I had. It was somewhat of a necessity to get through the dreadful dinner parties we were forced to attend. The thought of dinner parties had me twitching, as well as reminding me that getting wasted was not an option for the night, considering I had a dinner party to attend the next day. The only silver lining about it was that Zain would not be attending it.

"I'm fine, sweetie," Sean replied, and I faced him, smiling. "I believe the boys are all outside by the pool if you would like to go see them."

I lit up at the mention of the boys, glad that they were there for the shitty party I had insisted on being at. "Lead the way," I exclaimed, bouncing on my toes slightly, excited to see them, even if I had seen them a few hours previously.

Sean chuckled at my apparent excitement, but did as instructed. I followed him through the throngs of people, and since most knew who I was, everyone was eager to move out of my way unless they wanted to deal with the wrath of one of my siblings. When I caught sight of one of my siblings' friends, I would smile and wave, but for the most part, I just followed behind Sean, one finger hooked in a belt loop so I wouldn't lose him.

Finally, we made it outside, and I was able to breathe fresh air again. It wasn't that busy in the backyard, but that was probably because no one had gotten drunk enough to want swim in the pool or lounge in the hot tub just yet. There was a few people lounging about, but my eyes immediately found the boys who were at the side of the pool, some with their feet in it, and others resting in the chairs at the side of it.

I skipped over, dragging Sean along with me. Silas grinned, and opened his arms for me. I still wasn't sure how to feel about the touching thing with them, but I had decided I really enjoyed Silas' hugs. I threw myself into his arms, nuzzling my face against his chest, a big smile on my face. I felt my anxiety and fears melting away as I inhaled his ocean sent and listened to the boys' laughter.

I pulled away from Silas and planted a kiss on his cheek, before settling beside Luke, who was sitting at the edge of the pool, his feet in the water. I slid my shoes off then slid my feet into the cool water as well. Luke shot me a grin, and in response I shot him a warning look, knowing there was something mischievous going through his head. I hadn't known Luke for a long while, but I did know that he tended to be a trouble maker, which is why I was still so bothered by the fact that Gabriel called me Trouble instead of him.

He reached out as if to take my hand, but instead, brought it into the water, then splashed at me. I squeaked and ducked away, but still got coated in a good amount of it. I pouted at him, kicking my feet in the water, causing some ripples and splashes.

"Luke!" I whined.

"Oy, Luke, what the fuck are you doing to Trouble?" Gabriel called out as he crouched down on the other side of me.

Luke pretended to look offended, blinking his melted chocolate eyes at us. "Why would you accuse of me doing something to Sang? Why, I would never."

Victor had joined the conversation now too, walking over and noticing the dampness of my skirt where Luke had splashed me. "Princess, what happened?"

"Luke is what happened," I grumbled, shooting a playful glare at Luke, who smiled innocently at me. I rolled my eyes at him, though a smile was tugging the corners of my lips up. "Don't give me that look, Lucian. I could have North on your ass right now, and you know it."

Gabriel cracked up at that, throwing his head back. "You hear that, Luke? She's threatening to tattle on you. To North, of all people."

Luke reached out and shoved Gabriel, and after that it was as if everything happened in slow motion. Gabriel grabbed onto me, trying to regain his balance, but he still tumbled into the pool, consequently dragging me with him. In a desperate attempt to remain dry, I caught Victor's arm, but this only resulted in him stumbling. He stumbled straight into Luke, and the two of them joined Gabriel and I in the pool.

Once we had all caught our breath, we exchanged looks, then promptly burst into laughter at the event that had occurred. Even though I had no intentions of falling into the pool that night, I somehow didn't mind it since three of the boys had joined me for it. I giggled and reached out for Victor, intertwining fingers with him.

"Sorry," I whispered, using my free hand to hang onto the wall so I didn't have to work as hard to stay afloat.

He shook his head, his fire eyes blazing. "Don't be. It's Luke's fault, anyways."

"What the hell happened?" North asked as he and Nathan walked over. North didn't seem that pleased as all four of us stared up at him, our mouths sealed shut, silently reassuring each other that we would not tattle. Nathan only seemed amused, his arms crossed as he observed the situation.

Luke sent me a pleading look, and I decided that I had to do something to help the situation. Though, I'm not sure I handled it correctly, I sure as hell handled it.

"We fell," I told North, straight faced. I held out a hand, flashing my puppy dog eyes. "Help me out, please?"

North softened at the sight of the puppy dog eyes, and he happily took my hand. Quickly and precisely, I yanked North into the pool, then swam to the other end as fast as I could. It was a practiced move that my siblings and I had done to each other several times over our years, and it was just as easy to do to North as it was to do to them. Though, a little guilt rested on my shoulders for doing it to North. If it came down to it, I would just blame it on Luke, I supposed.

"Sang!" I heard North boom.

My only response was to shrug, and shoot him an innocent smile, just as Luke had done to me a few minutes earlier. Luke and Gabriel came to my side, as if to guard me, the two smiling just as wide as I was. Kota stood off to the side of the pool, shaking his head, yet smiling in amusement. Nathan and Sean leant against each other, laughing. North was scowling and yelling at Silas to help him out, but Silas was laughing too hard. Victor and I met eyes, and he just smiled at me.

The moment seemed magical to me, and I didn't want it to end. I wanted to continue to be surrounded by people I considered friends, people who made me happy. I wanted to live like this forever, and continue to laugh as hard as I did when with them.

But all good things came to an end, of course.

"Sang, what the hell are you doing in there? Wait, correction, what the hell are you doing in there with a bunch of boys?"

My blood stream turned to ice and my heart froze, tears forming in my eyes. I recognized that voice, and most of all, I recognized the slur to them, the slur that always meant a fight was about to occur. That slur always indicated tears, bruises, shouting, and lot's of apologies later on. I was angry, and I was sad. Knox had promised me I would be okay tonight; Zain had promised me he would never treat me like our mother did. Those were both lies.

I forced myself to get out of the pool and face my oldest brother, even though all I wanted was to duck beneath the water and block out the sound of his voice. I didn't want to see the boys' faces either, I was sure that they would think of me differently once they saw this interaction between my brother and I. As soon as I stepped out of the pool, I began to shiver, my wet clothes clinging to my skin, the cool night breeze making it worse.

Zain's green eyes were alight with irritation that was always present, but more pronounced when he was drinking. His fists were clenched, and he looked ready to start a fight. Part of me wanted to cling to his leg like I used to as a little girl and plead with him to go to rehab, to clean himself up, to become my brother again. I wouldn't though. I had stopped trying a long time ago, and now the only way I knew how to respond was to yell back at him.

"Zain," I whispered, wondering if this time it could end differently, if this time maybe I could escort him to bed and he would just sleep it off. I hated that I still had hope; hope was what was slowly killing me. "They're my friends." I paused then forced the words out. "You're drunk."

"Don't tell me what I am," he spat at me and I flinched, wrapping my arms around myself tightly. I silently pleaded with myself that one of my brotheres or even Marie or Axel, another one of the boys friends, would find us and end this before it got out of hand. "God damn it, Sang. You're so young, and yet you're here trying to take all this responsibility. Why won't you just listen to me?"

My eyes burned from unshed tears, but I was prepared to stand my ground. My voice was stern when it came out, even though I was shaking. "Zain," I hissed. "Stop it. That's not what we're discussing. We're discussing the fact that you are drunk, and you should not be speaking to me right now. If Knox finds out, he'll be mad."

Zain scoffed at the mention of Knox. "Well, I don't see Knox out here preventing it! He doesn't do anything to prevent what happens to you! I'm the only one who's ever tried to help you!"

My temper and my patience snapped, and I took a step forward, nearly growling at his words. I hated fighting with him, but when he said shit like that, he made it easy to forget that he wasn't the older brother I once worshipped.

"Shut up!" I shouted at him, shoving at his chest. "You haven't done anything for me in the past year except make my life more difficult. You walk around like you're a fucking god and like you deserve my love still. But you're selfish, Zain. If you once cared about me, you sure as hell don't anymore. So shut up and leave me the fuck alone. I am happy with how my life is right now."

"I just want to help you!" He screamed, shoving me back. I could tell that this wouldn't sit well with the boys, as out of my peripheral vision I saw several of them step closer. I didn't need their help, though. I knew how to handle my own brother.

"I don't want your help, Zain!" I shot right back at him, trembling from both anger and fear. My heart screamed at me that I loved him, but my brain cried out that he was no longer worthy of that love. "Now, please just leave me alone!"

I didn't wait for a response, I just turned, beginning to walk away, back towards the boys. I hadn't taken more than two steps, before I was shoved so roughly that I fell to the concrete, my knees scraping against the concrete. Shouts rose around me, and arms were around me, helping me to my feet. Above all the shouts, I could hear Zain, protesting, insisting that he was only trying to help me and that he loved me.

I shook off whoever had their arms around me and turned to look at Zain. His eyes met mine, wide and pleading for forgiveness. I knew better than to give that forgiveness, and I was sick of his shit. He wasn't well, and I knew he could never be the brother I loved again until he got help. Knox and Marc were both holding him back, and North and Nathan had stepped up to him.

"Sang! Please!" Zain called out to me.

"Just fuck off, Zain," I said loud enough for him to hear me.

At my words, my brother crumbled, and everyone backed up, except for Knox. Knox knelt beside his brother, and helped him to his feet. I watched the two walk back inside, the tears finally falling now that they were gone and couldn't witness my weakness. The others noticed, and I was pulled into a hug. I gripped at Kota's shirt tightly, taking deep breaths, trying to calm my heart rate.

"It's okay," Kota whispered to me. "You're okay, sweetie."

I nodded, trying my best to believe what Kota was telling me but it was hard. My mind and heart felt shattered, as it always did after an argument with my brother. I hated that my new friends had to witness this event in particular, and hid my face in Kota's chest, trying to bury my guilt about the event. It was fairly quiet for a few moments, but then shouts erupted again, causing me to look up.

Marc was trying to come over by me, but North and Nathan weren't allowing it, both glaring and yelling. I pulled away from Kota, and came up behind the two boys, resting my hand on their backs. I sent them both a look, letting them know it was okay.

North was reluctant but nodded. "Don't you dare upset her, Weiland."

I was shocked that they knew who Marc was, but I didn't let it show. I motioned for them to give Marc and I some space, and they did exactly that. The boys stood far enough away that they couldn't listen, but close enough that they could watch me. My heart warmed at their gesture, but I had something more important to address at the moment, and that something was Marc.

"Are you okay?" Marc asked softly, his blue and green eyes portraying concern for me. I had known Marc ever since I was little, and we truly cared for each other, but we didn't see each other often anymore. I couldn't decide if his presence was soothing or not at the moment.

"I'm fine," I sighed out, though it was far from the truth. I was too tired to actually discuss my emotions, and at this point, all I truly cared about was falling into a warm bed and getting some sleep.

Marc didn't seem to believe me, as he shouldn't, but continued anyways. "Knox said that you can stay at his at apartment for the night. Or you can stay at mine. Wherever you feel most comfortable, sweetie."

A small smile worked it's way onto on my face. "Thank you, Marc, but I think I'll just stay at Knox's or with one of my friends. I hope to see you again sometime soon."

"Me too," Marc said, smiling softly at me. "Feel better, Sang."

I waved bye to him, then walked over to the boys, my feet dragging. Their attention was on me almost immediately, concern evident in all their features. I felt like collapsing into one of their arms, but I stayed standing tall. My arms were still wrapped around me, and I still couldn't believe that my night had turned into a disaster in the matter of minutes.

"I need a place to crash," I announced. "It's either one of you guys places, or Knox's."

"I know the way to Knox's," Sean said, his eyebrows furrowed together and his eyes dimmer than I was used to. "I can drive you, and if you want, I'll stay with you."

I was too tired to care that he worked at my school, I was too tired to even cry anymore. All I truly cared about was getting into bed and getting to sleep, and I hadn't realized it until Sean offered to stay with me, but I didn't want to be alone either. Without thinking it through at all, I nodded.

I said my goodbyes to each of the boys, ignoring the looks on their faces. I hated that I was the one to have put that concern on their faces, and I decided I would talk to them as soon as my mind was in the right place. Sean didn't try to talk to me on the walk to his car, nor did he try to talk to me during the car ride. I must have crashed at some point, because when I woke again, it was on the couch in Knox's living room.

It was dark, but I was able to make out Sean passed out on the floor next to the couch, holding my hand tightly in his own. My heart clenched, and tears formed in my eyes at the simple but caring gesture.

I leaned down and pressed a kiss to the back of his hand. "Thank you." 

a/n: Hello hello, everyone. Look at that, I updated two days in a row, are you proud? Anyways, I put in a cute/fun scene with the guys, but also you get to see more of the dynamic between Sang and her brothers.

ALSO I INCLUDED MARC, EVERYONE SAY HI TO MARC.

Oh, also if you didn't know: I have a new fic and it's about the Toma boys. Check it out if you want.

ALSO ALSO: in case you were wondering who those cuties up above, those would be the Sorenson siblings. Okay I think that's all.

Song: Broken Home by 5 Seconds of Summer

xoxo,

ry