CHAPTER 05

Interrupted bro time.

Three days had passed already and Rob and I barely left the house. We had many things to do, busy with school enrolling and project making. It was our third night at the house, and I was still doing my best to try and get used to its light sway. Rob had been gone for a while and I didn't know when he was going to be back. That's why the noises coming from our porch started to scare me.

I lived on a boat, for Christ's sake! There should be no noises around here.

Thanking a higher power for my brother's old baseball bat still being around, I slowly tiptoed to the living room. Everything was dark, we were still to manage the lights of the house, so I was relying on the good old moonlight. As I walked I could see a couple of silhouettes sitting on the chairs in the porch.

"What the fuck?" I whispered to myself. What kind of thief sits around, enjoying the late night breeze?

Ignoring my Yoda pajamas and tussled hair, I slowly crept behind the two figures. They were laughing and being so noisy that the creeks of the wood weren't noticed. In the dim light I managed to distinguish the figures into two boys. Their laughs gave out the possibility of them being drunk, slurred words coming out of their mouths.

"Who are you?" I said raising the bat.

Both of them jumped and fell of the chair, the glass bottles clicking as they got kicked over. They seemed to be there for far more time than I though, seeing that there was a lot of empty beers.

"What the fuck?!" One of them shouted, trying to get up.

The sway of the river plus the many beers made him almost fall onto the sea, but the other one held him and sat him down again. As I fumbled with my phone trying to find the flashlight I saw the one standing trying to reach something in his pockets. The baseball bat was useful for the first time as I hit his arm away. Finally the light flashed on his face and I almost jumped.

"Max?"

"Holy shit, take that light of my eyes, please." I did as he asked and I heard him gasp. "Chipmunk?"

"Oh, come on! The swell is almost gone!" I shouted making him flinch. "Who's that?" I pointed to the passed out boy.

"Oh, that's Ryan." Max said. "Poor guy just broke up with his girlfriend and needed some bro time."

"In my house?" I shrieked.

"We didn't know it was your house!" He laughed. "There were no lights on and since we were born no one has lived here."

"How old are you again?" I asked.

"Eighteen." He said and walked over to his friend. "Yo dude, wake up."

"Eighteen years and no one lived in this house?" I asked surprised. It was a good house.

"The owners used it as a summer house." Max said putting his friend's arm around his shoulder and trying to bring him up. Trying being the keyword.

"Hold up." I said sighing and putting the bat down. "Here, let me help."

As we walked his friend inside and laid him on the sofa, I noticed how Max didn't seem drunk. At all. But there were too many beers outside for only one person, no way Passed Out Guy drank it all.

"My car is a few blocks from here." Max said smiling. "I just need to get it, it's alright if I leave him here for fifteen minutes?"

"You are not driving." I said.

"What?"

"Did you see all of those empty beers out there?" My voice came out low, serious.

"Maya, I'll be okay." He said reassuringly. "I drank one or two, the rest is all on Ryan."

"No way. I am not letting you drive." I knew it wasn't much. But it was something and that's all that mattered. "I am calling you cab."

"Maya..."

"No."

He sighed and laid back on the couch. I picked up my phone and I was about to press the number, but then I remembered. I knew no taxi contact in here.

"Hm, can you call one? I don't know the number."

He laughed and I couldn't help but wonder. Since I met him in that airplane, I'd never seen him frowning. When I drooled on his sweatshirt, he laughed. When I found him drinking with his friend after breaking into my house, he laughed. What else can this boy laugh about?

His blonde hair fell on his forehead as he talked on the phone and guess what? He laughed. To be truthful, it was starting to get on my nerves. He couldn't be happy all the time. No one could. It just... wrong. You need sadness to be happy. To be lighter. I am serious, just watch Inside Out. That movie is amazing.

"The cab it's on its way." He said. "Thanks for being so cool with all of this. I promise there will be no more surprises from now on."

We laughed together and it was nice. I liked laughing like that, like I had no worried in the world except a passed out boy in my couch. We talked a bit more and soon enough I heard a noise. A very unpleasant noise at that. It sounded way to much like footsteps. And by the way those steps got louder I would take a not so wild guess and say it was my brother.

Usually, in movies, the door would swing open and there would be a very angry Rob. But this felt like everything was in slow motion. Firstly, we heard a creak and our heads snapped  in the direction. Then, we saw his foot. I guess that's when I knew I was screwed.

"Maya, I'm home." He shouted looking down, messing on his phone.

I didn't respond. I was in shock. Rob would be mad. Or not. I didn't actually know how he would react because this had never happened before. I never snuck up a boy into my house... even though I didn't snuck up Max, he did it himself.

"May, are yo-" He looked at us. I mean, really looked at us.

My eyes must've been bigger than a fish's. I was sitting with a boy, which I assume he would recognize after the little stunt he put me through on the airplane. There was another guy sleeping on our couch, and if he looked through the porch window, he would see many empty beers.

"Oh, we have visitors?" He asked frowning. "Aren't you that boy from the plane?"

"Yeah, it's me." Max said and got up to shake my brother's hand. "Maximilian Tucker, nice to meet you."

"Robert Reed."

A faint horn came from outside and Max walked to Ryan, picking him up and throwing him across his shoulder. "And by the way, those beers outside are ours. Maya had nothing to do with it." And with that he left.

Rob looked at me and walked to the porch.

"MAYA REED!"

Maximilian Tucker, you owe me.

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I woke up to a full house. I was Monday, first day of school and all that shit. Usually Mom would be cooking me her famous strawberry pancakes and Dad would be already on his way to work. Rob would be, as always, eating his beagles. But his morning, something was strange. Or should I say familiar?

I could smell them pancakes yo. I heard laughter coming from my kitchen and this delicious smell of a well done coffee. My steps were slow and careful, not wanting to scare whomever is the good soul gracing me that morning.

"Robert, you stop this mess right this instant." Said a woman. Wait... A woman?

"Sorry, ma'am." Rob said and another voice laughed.

"So the pancakes are ready... what else does your sister likes in the morning?" The woman spoke again.

"Coffee, but that's done too. Now we just wait her."

I waited a few minutes and than practically ran into the kitchen. My stomach was growling, and it was so hard to pretend that I'd just woken up.

The woman's face was finally visible and damn, was she beautiful. He long brown hair was secure into a ponytail, and I felt like her smile lit up the room. Especially the part where my brother was. Could they be... Nah, he would've told me.

"Good morning." I said quietly, shy all of sudden.

"Oh, good morning, sweetie!" The woman said smiling form ear to ear. "It's so good to finally meet you, Rob told me a lot about his little sister!"

"Oh." I was taken aback by her happiness. It was so... loud. "Well, in this case, I'm Maya."

And I gave out my best smile. Which was nothing compared to hers, but who cares, right?

"Where are my manners?" She suddenly threw her arms up, making me jump a little. "My name is Tatiana, but please, call me Ana."

I nodded, still smiling and walked to the man sitting in the table. "Hey, nice to meet you too."

"Oh, sorry." He rose his blue eyes from the book and looked at me. "I am Brent. Lovely to meet you, Maya."

I sat besides him and we all talked. They were Rob's new research team. It was my first time meeting someone from my brother's work, usually he kept everything separated. It was nice knowing that side of him, I felt more like family, somehow.

Tatiana - Ana - was an amazing woman. She told me a lot. She was a researcher of the marine life here Sausalito and when she heard about Rob's work, she thought it would be an amazing opportunity. All of this while still being the happiest person I've ever met with only twenty two years old, who happened to cook like a master chef. Her real wish was to open a patisserie.

Brent was more reserved to himself. I didn't understand why, for a twenty two years old, he was quite attractive, with his boyish looks and glasses. He kept his eyes glued to that book of his, but every time he opened his mouth t speak, it was a granted laugh for the table.

They were all great company, and with them time flew. If it wasn't Ana remembering me about school, I would've missed it. Soon enough I was dressed to impress, and running to Brent's car along with my brother and Ana.

What impressed me the most was how chilly that morning appeared to be. I thought it would be only sun and steaming hot weather and I've never been so glad to be wrong. This was the perfect weather, sun and cold.

"So," Tatiana asked as she sat besides me on the backseat. "Ready for your first day?"

"Not really, no." I said sighing.

"Oh, come on May." Rob said smirking. "You love school."

"Yeah, I guess I do." I said laughing. "But I am just nervous, normal stuff."

"Relax, I know some people in Tamalpais. It's a nice place." Brent said looking at me, and I couldn't help but blush. Oh, come on! He's handsome.

The car stopped in front a huge building. It was beautiful. It had a lot of trees and it was in a yellowish color. I liked it already.

"You can do this, kiddo." Rob whispered to me, squeezing my head. "It's a change, remember?"

"Yeah." I said smiling. "Let's change."

"Atta girl." He laughed and kissed me goodbye.

Here we go.