~ Chapter 2 • Start Of A New Year ~

{ January 2013 }

§Justin’s POV:§

“Stop smacking me,” I scoffed, sighing in annoyance as I followed behind my best friend.

“Would you quit complaining like a shithead and just hurry up?” he called after me, and I could just picture the smirk on his face. I rolled my eyes and rubbed my hands together, trying to keep myself warm as I struggled through the snow.

“Remind me why we’re taking my car again?” I said. “Wouldn’t she recognize it?”

Dylan turned around, giving me a look. “Are you doubting me, mister?”

My eyes widened and I shook my head. “No?” I let out a sheepish smile before he sighed, running back to where I stood. He grabbed my arm rather violently and pulled me so close, our noses were at the verge of touching.

“You want to walk all the way to the park? Be my guest, but you’d freeze before you get there,” he whispered. I narrowed my eyes at him and raised one hand before slapping him hard across the cheek. He spat at the ground and regained his composure, looking up at me again. “Love you too.”

When Dylan turned around and resumed walking to my car, I couldn’t help but laugh. If anyone saw us right now, they would think we were rivals but, in reality, that’s just how Dylan and I’s relationship works. We hit each other out of guy love.

Does that make sense? No? Ah well.

“Would you hurry up! JESUS!” Dylan shouted, already inside the car. Damn, I shouldn’t have given him my keys.

“Okay, why are we doing this?” I whined, taking a seat on the passenger side.

“Because I said so,” he grinned. “Plus, you know you wanna.”

“I don’t know such things,” I mumbled, looking down at my hands and trying to move my fingers to check if they’re frozen.

“Justin, listen to me,” he stopped, turning to face me. “Your little sister Jazmyn is on a date. Do you know what that means?” I shook my head. “It means that some douche is trying to get inside her pants. Now how does that make you feel, huh?”

My stomach churned and I glared at him. “Disgusted…” I murmured.

“Exactly. Now let’s go before we’re too late.”

Dylan revved up the car and surprisingly got onto the road effortlessly through the thick layers of snow on the ground. It might not be the safest thing to drive around casually in possibly slippery roads…

I let out a deep breath and tapped my fingers on my lap rhythmically, to the beat of some unknown song.

“So there’s a party Friday…” Dylan began, causing me to look at him.

“Wait, today’s Friday,” I pointed out in confusion.

“So there’s a party today…” Dylan corrected himself, a smirk on his face.

“Stop trying to convert me into the party animal type, you know that’s not me,” I sighed, annoyed at his many attempts to get me to be more of a womanizer like him.

“Oh come on, when was the last time you’ve had a girlfriend?” he asked.

“When was the last time you’ve ever kept a girl longer than 3 weeks? Actually 3 weeks is way too long, let’s change that to 2 max,” I pointed accusingly at him.

“Whoa tiger, slow down there,” Dylan chuckled. “You’re a good looking man, Justin. You’re making it hard for women to get under you if you keep up with this whole I’m a good boy crap.”

“Being a good boy is far better than sleeping around with different girls every night. That’s disrespectful, Dylan. Their bodies are not toys for men to play with whenever they please,” I scoffed, crossing my arms and looking out the window.

“I gotta hand it to you—that was deep. But it still doesn’t change my mind,” he let out a shaky sigh, his cold fingers tapping the wheel. “Come to the party with me.”

“No,” I mumbled, keeping my gaze locked on the moving objects.

“Please, Justin,” Dylan begged, and I could feel his eyes burning holes in my back.

“Dylan, I said no,” I spoke up more confidently.

“Please?” he asked like an innocent puppy, “What do I have to do to get you to come with me? Name it.”

“Why would I go to the party to watch you hit on 20 different girls all at the same time? The reason you really want me there is so that you can have someone sober to look after you.”

“Alright, you know that’s not true. I would never use you like that, Justin, you’re my best friend, for god’s sake! I’m asking you as a friend to come to a damn party with me. Why are you resisting otherwise?”

“I told you, I’m not the partying type.” I uncrossed my arms and rested them on my lap, slowly turning to face him.

“What if I promised I won’t drink? I’ll stay sober as long as you want me to, which only proves I only want to go to a party with you because you’re my best friend.”

I didn’t respond. There was an awkward silence that swayed within the car ride and I cleared my throat.

“Okay,” I whispered.

“Okay?” Dylan asked, shocked that I had agreed.

“I’ll go. If you promise to stay sober,” I said.

“Fine,” a grin formed across Dylan’s face. “I promise.”

Before I knew it, Dylan and I arrived at the park where Jazzy was supposedly having her date. Snow covered the grass and the minute I opened the car door, I shivered from the cold wind.

“Let’s go see what these damn teens are up to,” Dylan teased, and I could tell he was enjoying every minute of this.

I quietly followed behind Dylan as we circled the park and reached the entrance. We snuck to the side and were careful stepping quietly through the snow. Far in the distance, we could see Jazzy with her camera raised up, snapping pictures of a boy I’ve never seen before. Her date, that is. The boy did several different poses and they laughed together before Jazzy handed her camera to the boy and he began to take pictures of her, also doing different poses.

“Looks like they bond over photography,” Dylan whispered as we peeked behind a tree. My body had become more accustomed to the cold air and I breathed out, quietly watching Jazzy and her date. I felt terrible for spying on her, but I also had this overprotective-brother side and I haven’t learned to control it yet. I know very well that Jazzy’s old enough to take care of herself, but I can’t help but make sure she’s safe anyway.

As we kept on watching, we saw Jazzy’s date direct her to stand in front of a huge tree covered in snow.

“It’s a beautiful scenery for a beautiful girl,” he said, giving Jazzy a smile I bet all the girls her age fall for. I cringed.

“Like this?” Jazzy asked, posing a few feet in front of the tree.

“Hmm.. It’s not quite centered,” he looked through his camera before lowering it. “Try moving a bit to the right.”

Jazzy shifted.

“No, no, to my right.” They both laughed and Jazzy moved the opposite direction while holding her pose. “It’s still not quite right.”

He let the camera fall around his neck, secured by the strap-necklace he wore. He walked close to Jazmyn, placing his hands on her hips and guiding her to the center of the shot.

“Right there,” he said quietly, although we could still hear him. “That’s perfect.”

He lifted his hand to cup her cheek and moved even closer. Before I knew it, the bastard was kissing my baby sister.

I heard myself let out a low growl as I tightened my grip against the tree we hid behind.

“Easy now,” Dylan whispered, grabbing my arm. He knew very well how much I wanted to run out there and teach that boy a lesson. But the thought of them together was eating at me, and I broke from Dylan’s grip and stomped into the open, glaring at the boy.

“Hey!” I shouted, sprinting towards them and shoving the boy away from Jazzy, pushing him towards the ground.

“Justin?!” Jazzy yelled in surprise, anger tinting at her voice. “What are you doing here?!”

“Getting you away from this jerk,” I said, grabbing her arm. “Come on, we’re going home.”

“NO!” she shoved me away and ran towards the boy, who was still on the floor in the snow. “Max, I’m so sorry.” She lent him a hand and offered to help him up, but he just sat there and stared at Jazzy.

“Who is that?” he glanced at me. “Is that your brother?”

Jazzy’s face flushed. “Uh.. Y-Yes, but—”

“Fantastic,” he muttered with sarcasm, getting up by himself despite Jazzy’s offer. He dusted himself off and adjusted his hat. “Look, I don’t want any problems, so… I’m leaving.”

“Max, wait—”

“See you around, Jaz.” He waved her off as he walked away to find an exit from the park. Jazzy watched in regret as he walked away from us, and she slowly turned to look at me.

“What the hell, Justin?!” she yelled. “What’s your problem?”

“You’re too young to be leaving the house alone with boys,” I lectured her.

“I’m fifteen!”

“Exactly!”

Jazzy let out a frustrated sigh. “When you were fifteen, Mother and Father let you out with your friends, even if it was alone with a girl.”

“That’s different, Jazzy.”

“Why?” she challenged.

“Because—… Er.. Because it is,” I mumbled.

“Enlighten me with your reasons,” she said, eyeing me with a glare.

“I told you, already.”

“Just say it,” she scoffed. “I know you want to say it.”

“It just is!”

“WHY?”

“Jazzy—”

“Tell me!”

“Because I’m a boy!” I blurted out.

Jazzy’s angered face shot daggers at me, and the cold air filled the silence.

“That’s what’s unfair,” she whispered. “You get to do things because you’re a boy, and I get to not do them because I’m not. Because it’s my fault I wasn’t born a guy. I don’t even want to be a guy.”

She turned around and began walking off the same direction her date Max did.

“Hey! Where are you going?” I called out.

“Home,” she called back.

I ran to her and grabbed her hand. “I’ll take you there.”

“No,” she distanced herself from me. “I want to walk alone.”

“You can’t.”

“Leave her,” Dylan’s voice came up behind me, and I turned around to see him walking towards us. “She’s smart enough to get there safely.”

“But—”

Dylan raised a hand to silence me before looking at my sister. “I trust you, alright? Just be careful.”

Jazzy nodded quietly and gave him a small smile before turning around and resuming her journey. I watched as she slowly disappeared through the depths of the park.

“That didn’t go well, did it?” I sighed, stuffing my hands inside my coat pockets.

“You just don’t get girls like I do,” Dylan half-smirked. “Not even your own sister, man.”

I crunched a piece of snow that rested beside my boots and let out a bitter chuckle.

“Guess not..”

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Hey guys!

I’ll try to update this book more, since IOH is ending. I just felt like I had to upload this to let you know it’ll probably be updated more frequently as well as IGHL.

So what’d you guys think of it so far?

See you soon :)

- Nina xx