Shane and I laughed as we walked into the house. We had dropped our girlfriends off after a great night with them. We had gone to the drive-in and Nina and I had claimed the front seats while Shane and Luna got the back seats of the car.

                “Hi boys. How was it?” mom asked as we entered the living room.

                “It was great!” Shane said and blushed a little. I nodded eagerly in agreement. It had been great! Man, as much as I wanted to be alone with my girlfriend, I wouldn’t mind a double date every once in a while.

                “What did you guys end up doing?” dad asked. He and mom were sitting on the couch, watching a movie together. Dad had his arm around mom lovingly. It made me feel…better. I may not like my mom, but I hated it when she and my dad fought.

                “We went to Uncle Chris’s restaurant and then we saw a movie,” I said, leaving out that it had been at the drive-in. My dad would instantly know that drive-in movies basically meant making out in a car.

                Shane and I turned to go upstairs. “Boys!” dad called calmly, freezing us. Ah shit. Please, please, please don’t let him have noticed…

                “Now, boys, have I ever told you that if you smoked, I would kill you? Because I will. Just saying. Some of my cigarettes were missing today. Now, Chris could’ve taken them, I know he does that a lot, but I’m just making sure it wasn’t my twins. You’re only 16, and smoking will kill you. You don’t happen to know what happened to my cigarettes, do you?” he asked, still calm.

                Damn, he noticed.

                “No dad. We didn’t steal your cancer sticks,” I snapped. Well, I mean, of course we had. I kept my eyes locked on dad, and prayed that he wouldn’t ask Shane. Shane stuttered really bad when he lied, and dad knew it.

                “Shane?” dad asked, turning to Shane. “You didn’t steal any cigarettes off of me, did you?” he asked and I relaxed slightly. Maybe Shane could manage to lie us through this. He technically hadn’t stolen them; I had. He just smoked them.

                “I didn’t st-steal your c-cigarettes dad,” Shane said, looking dad in the eyes. Oh yea! Go little brother! We were safe.

                “Did you smoke them?” dad asked, grinning a little. He knew he had Shane now. Shane couldn’t lie, and he had smoked the cigarettes.

                “Stop it!” I snapped furiously. “Why can’t you let us just be in a good mood? We didn’t smoke your freaking cigarettes!” I lied, my voice fierce.

                I grabbed Shane’s hand and tugged him towards the stairs. I could hear dad snicker and spun around to glare at him. Shane grabbed the back of my shirt to keep me from jumping at dad.

                “Shawn, I’m not an idiot. I’ll catch you boys one of these days and when I have proof, I’ll kick your asses so hard you won’t sit until you’re 50. You’re not killing yourselves by smoking. Do as I say, not as I do,” he said simply.

                “Ben, stop it. But he’s right boys; if you’re smoking, we’ll make you sorry for it,” mom growled, glaring at us suspiciously.

                “Yea, yea, yea. Says the dumb bitch who had kids at 15,” I grumbled.

                Dad was off the couch and moving at me in a second. Shane tugged on my shirt desperately and the two of us fled up the stairs and into our bedrooms. We slammed the door and locked it. Dad started pounding on it and screaming at us.

                “You ungrateful shit! Let me in right now Shawn!” dad shrieked, his fists slamming on the door with such force I was temporarily afraid it would go flying off its hinges.

                Shane silently shoved a chair under the handle in case dad managed to unlock the door. I smiled at him gratefully.

                He came and sat next to me, shaking his head at me. “Shawn! You c-c-can’t say stuff like that to m-mom,” he cried.

                “Yea I can,” I growled.

                “No. You c-c-can’t. Please,” he whispered, giving me a desperate look. “I don’t l-like it. I know you d-don’t, but I love m-mom.”

                I sighed and pulled Shane in for a tight hug. “I’m sorry,” I said sincerely. We laid down on his bed together, my arms around him. We were incredibly close for brothers.

                Shane closed his eyes sleepily, a small smile on his face. “I had f-f-fun Shawn,” he mumbled. I smiled back at him and let out a yawn. “Me too Shane,” I mumbled back before the two of us fell asleep.

                                                                                ***Ben’s POV***

                “Ben, let it go. I don’t even think they’re awake anymore. They looked exhausted,” Ali said, coming up to me as I dug around our bedroom for something to unlock the damn door with.

                “He keeps insulting you and I’m going to kill him,” I growled. Did I love my son? Yes. Did I love the way he acted and the things he said? Not at all.

                “He can’t say things like that about you. I hope to god he knows he could’ve been aborted,” I said furiously.

                Ali placed a hand on my shoulder and kissed me gently. “Calm down Ben. He hates me, and that’s okay. He’s a teen boy, and I set rules for him. Of course he thinks I’m a bitch. No, I don’t like it when he calls me that. But killing him won’t solve anything,” she said.

                I rolled my eyes and kissed her before grabbing one of her bobby pins. She sighed and followed me as I went to the boys’ room and unlocked the door quietly. I gently pressed on the handle. Like I had guessed, they had shoved a chair under it. I pushed the door open a little and slowly pushed the chair out of the way until the door was open all the way.

                Ali and I stepped into the room and my eyes found the boys sleeping, Shawn’s arms wrapped around Shane lovingly and protectively.

                Ali smiled softly at them. “I love them. I hope to god they’re not the ones smoking. Please let it be Chris who stole the cigarettes. I don’t want my boys to do that shit. God I love them Ben,” she said softly.

                I wrapped my arm around her and sighed. “It might have been Chris. It wouldn’t be the first time he stole cigarettes off me. I love them too Ali. I really, really do,” I said and smiled lightly. I kissed Ali and we watched the boys, love for them potent in our eyes.

                I eyed Shawn carefully. Yes, I loved him and would die for him. But he was incredibly out of control, and I knew I had to change that. I had to find some way to fix my son before he did something that he would seriously regret.