I couldn't find the actual name for my face claim so if you type in what I've got into Instagram it'll show you lmao

CONSIDERING IT WAS NEARING THE END OF JANUARY AND THE SNOW HAD ONLY MELTED TWO WEEKS AGO, IT WAS WARM OUT. Only a few clouds dotted the sky, the trees were budding, and the grass no longer crunched with frost when you stepped on it in the morning. In simple terms, it was almost the end of hoodie season for Beacon Hills. Key word being almost. Even so, Bianca Geyer was dressed it a pair of long blue skinny jeans and a white top that accentuated her slim 6'0 figure and dark skin perfectly. Though she was already tall, her heels made her closer to 6'4, and were the same colour as her top. Her curly hair was styled back into boxer braids that she'd done the night before so she could sleep in.

She sat in the drivers seat of her second-hand Toyota Camry with a travel mug of coffee in the centre consul and her backpack on the floor at her brothers feet. Her dad and Liam's mom had married when she was just nine years old and him seven, and the two had grown up living in the same house. He'd suffered through her Backstreet Boys phase, she'd somehow survived his Lego Ninjago phase, and because of it, the term step-sibling didn't mean much anymore.

He was her brother, and that was that.

She'd sat with him under the kitchen table just two weeks earlier after he'd been expelled from their high school after his IED got the better of him, and he'd demolished the lacrosse coach's car for benching him. Bianca knew just how disappointed he was in himself, which was exactly why she'd wanted to be the one to drive him to school for his first morning at Beacon Hills High.

"Dude, when was the last time you cleaned your car?" Liam frowned, looming around them.

Bianca narrowed her eyes at him and pushed a pair of white sunglasses up on her nose with the knuckle of her pointer finger.

She didn't actually need them, they just matched her outfit.

Sure, the interior of her car was an absolute disaster — several take-out bags were shoved on the floor behind the front seats, blankets and sweaters and a bra or two were on the back seat from where she'd had to change in a hurry for work or swim practice or basketball practice, and all her textbooks were stacked carefully on top of them — but her bedroom was clean and she'd decided in tenth grade when she'd gotten the car that that was the important thing.

"When was the last time you used deodorant?" She countered rhetorically, and watched him not-so-discretely sniff his right armpit.

"This morning, I think," he murmured thoughtfully.

"If you have to think about it then that's probably not a good sign, just a concept," she offered, then sighed out loud.

"Okay, you've got all of your belongings in your bag, right?" She asked through a yawn.

Liam squinted at her, though she knew he was nervous. "I mean, my underwear is still at home, but other than that yeah I've got everything."

Bianca kissed her teeth and rolled her eyes, reaching over to ruffle his hair. "Smartass," she muttered under her breath, though she couldn't help but smile. "I tought you well, didn't I?"

"Hell yeah you did."

After sitting there for a moment to let him get ready for his first day, she noticed that the little clock said it was now 7:38 km the morning. Then she clapped her hands and rubbed her palms together, and looked over at him. "You ready for this, dude?"

After a moment, Liam just shrugged his shoulders and slumped slightly in his seat. "I don't really have a choice, do I? If I screw this up, we either have to move houses or I need to start waking up at 5:30 to catch the 6:30 bus out to—"

"—so don't screw this up, then," Bianca cut him off, holding her hand out for a high-five.

His worried expression faded briefly, knowing what he wanted.

First he slapped his palm to hers, then they fist bumped and made explosion noises before ending their eight year old secret handshake in an elbow bump. "I'll call you at lunch, okay?" He grinned, grabbing his bag from the floor at his feet. "I'll tell you if I'm staying late."

"Sounds good to me," Bianca modded, her neutrally painted lips parting to reveal a set of white teeth as she grinned. "I'll tell Dad and Jenna." Jenna was his mum. "Now remember what I told you, Liam; no matter how bad it gets..."

He blinked at her uncertainly. "I'm always rich at the dollar store?"

For fucks sake child—

"Yes, but not that one the other one," Bianca rolled her eyes, snickering slightly to herself because she could remember telling him that when he was eleven.

Liam's arms fell limp over his bag as he thought about all the other little wisdoms she'd given him over the years. "If I see someone crying, ask if it's because of their haircut?"

"No, the other other one."

"If I want to skip class I can call you for a ride and we'll go to McDonald's?" He asked slowly, his brows furrowing as if he weren't quite sure of his answer.

"Ding ding ding, we have a winner," Bianca muttered with a dramatic roll of her eyes with he just huffed at. "Finally he gets a correct answer."

"Shut up, you tell me lots of stupid crap," Liam grumbled as he opened the car door and listened to the repetitive warning dings fill the air. "Anyways, I'm gonna go, I think I see some guys playing lacrosse out there and there's still twenty minutes before class starts...think Mason might've mentioned something about tryouts after school, but I'll text you about it."

"Sounds good," she nodded and undid the window as he shoved the door closed. "Love you, you loser!"

"You too, freakoid!"

🌊🎼🏀

She'd talked to him at lunch that afternoon, and told her about a couple of weird Juniors who'd come up to him in the change room that morning and asked him how he'd managed to catch every ball in goal, to which he'd then asked if they'd ever played lacrosse before because that's what goalies were supposed to do. He'd then texted her that afternoon saying he was participating in tryouts for the schools team after classes, and then said that he'd be home around 5 o'clock.

Then two hours after the initial text, she'd gotten another saying he'd broken his ankle and that he was unbelievably bored, though their dad was his doctor. So they'd texted back and forth for about an hour until he had to go for X-Rays.

After that, it was radio silence.

Bianca absolutely adored her little brother, and the idea of him being hurt already stressed her out. But the fact that he ignored her texts from 9PM and onward left her truly concerned. If didn't matter if they were in class, in the middle of an argument, watching a movie, or out on a date, they always texted each other back.

The only exception to that was sports practices.

So she'd stayed up in her room, the only lighting she'd provided herself with was Christmas lights she left up year round to make her feel calm and cozy. As she waited she painted her nails a soft blushy pink to match her outfit for the next day and she worked on her AP Biology homework that was due at the end of the week.

She'd figured he was still at the hospital because emergency rooms were a pain in the ass when it came to wait times, so she was rightfully confused to see Liam running up the driveway to the front door at 2 in the morning.

What was even weirder was the fact that his supposed broken ankle didn't even have a cast on it, he wasn't using crutches, and he was full out sprinting on it.

After hearing the front door open, Bianca silently made her way out of her room and sat on the top staircase that led to the hall with all their bedrooms. He was visibly shaken up by something, and froze when he saw her sitting there. "Must be painful," she commented softly, her arms folded over her chest as she moved down the stairs to sit on the one that would leave them the same eye level. "Running on that broken ankle."

Liam blinked at the realization, his hands trembling at his sides. "I—" he closed his eyes. "Guess it was just sprained," he uttered finally, looking down at the floor. Then he rubbed a hand over his mouth. "Could we sneak out and go get some ice cream? Please, Bumble Bee?"

She felt her brows rise up in surprise.

The childhood nickname he'd given her when they'd first been introduced to each other the year before their parents married was Bumble Bee for various reasons; one of them being he called you bee? like bumble bee? and the other being she's had on a pair of black and yellow gum boots that rainy afternoon.

Liam hasn't called her that since he was twelve.

So Bianca reigned in her surprise quickly and replaced it with a mask of calmness, though she was secretly shitting herself with worry. Whatever had happened must've been back if he was using that nickname. "Did something happen?" She asked carefully, rising to stand with her bare feet on the cold hardwood landing at the bottom of the stairs. "You don't have to tell me what it was if you don't want to, I just..."

She trailed off as he nodded, his entire body still shaking. "I think so, but um...I don't really want to talk about it. Not yet..."

"Do you need a hug?" She asked calmly, and her worry only grew when he nodded.

As it had for the last two years, his head tucked itself under her chin as she pulled him to her and splayed her large hands protectively over his back. He didn't cry at all, or even sniffle, he just trembled in her grasp for a few minutes before pulling away and shaking his hands out at his sides. "Ice cream?"

"Fuck yeah," Bianca promised with a comforting smile. "Just let me put a bra on and grab my keys."