—

Melanie had gotten home just minutes before her brother did.

Two minutes, to be exact.

The girl didn't bother to waste time parking her car properly before she was jumping out and running through the front door, making sure to lock it so Zach had a bit of a struggle getting in.

"Mattias?" She called out into the house as she placed her bag on the couch.

The boy in question didn't respond, only furthering her worry.

She ran upstairs, throwing open her bedroom door, the knob smacking the wall behind it. She'd be surprised if there wasn't a small dent made from the force.

While she thought the sight before her was amusing, she couldn't stop herself from asking, "Why the hell didn't you answer me?"

Mattias barely looked up from the concentration of wrapping his arm. "I'm a little busy."

She shut the door behind her, "I thought you got caught."

"Nope." He shrugged, allowing her to finish the ridiculously dreadful task of bandaging his wound, "Just caught up in this dumbass wrap."

The aggression in his tone didn't faze her. She couldn't imagine how frustrated he had been staying in a house he didn't know, with his body aching all over.

Just as she finished helping him bandage up, the sound of the front door opening startled them.

"Mel?"

"It's Zach." Mel knew that, Mattias knew that.

She wasn't sure why she said it.Her eyes rolled at her inner thoughts, pushing Matti behind her door before swinging it open to reveal her twin.

"What do you want?"

Zach's brow twitched before he attempted to look past her, frowning when she tried to block him.

"What are you hiding?" The question was forward. Blunt.

Melanie wasn't the worst liar in the world but Zach, he knew his sister better than anyone. So when she shook her head and simply states "Nothing", he knew she was lying.

"Your nose twitched." Her tell.

She didn't even try to keep the lie going. "Please don't tell mom."

"What'd you do?"

She cleared her throat awkwardly before a voice that Zach knew a little too well rang out,

"You're a terrible liar."

•••

"He can't stay here."

Even after hearing the story of why Melanie was harboring Monty's little brother in her bedroom, Zach was still dead set on sending him out.

"Zach—"

"No, Melanie. What are you gonna do when mom finds out?"

"She's not going to find out unless you tell her." The girl scoffed, "He's been here for days—"

"Days?!"

"It's not a big deal. He doesn't have anywhere else to go." Her voice cracked as she's spoke.

"It's a huge deal, Melanie." Zach snapped, "Don't you think his parents are worried about where he is?"

Her eyes narrowed into a glare, "You know they aren't." Her voice was low, a sign she was growing more and more irritated the longer she argued with him.

"Does Monty know he's here?"

"Yeah. He practically begged me to watch out for him."

"Watching out for him is one thing, but he's living in our house."

"He's living in my room." She corrected him, "He's not bothering anybody."

"He's bothering me."

Melanie's voice grew louder, catching Mattias' attention from where he sat on the couch, "You didn't even know he was here up until a few minutes ago!"

"You think I didn't notice the extra food you were putting on your plate when we ate dinner? Or how quickly you've been leaving school?"

"You're not that smart, Zach." She shrugged, "If you hadn't rushed to follow me home, I could've kept him a secret for at least another month."

He didn't bother to hide how her words offended him.

"Come on, Zach. I didn't tell anyone about you and Hannah."

His face fell, "That was different."

"Not really. The only difference is that i'm hiding him for a valid reason, you were just being an asshole."

When Melanie found out that Zach and Hannah had a summer fling and the Baker girl wanted nothing more than to continue the relationship and Zach refused because of her "reputation", the Dempsey girl was pissed.

She and Hannah were no longer friends during that time, but she couldn't imagine how she felt finding out she was nothing more than a fling. She could only assume that Hannah's self worth banished the second Zach uttered that he couldn't be seen with her.

"I can just leave." Matti's voice broken the tension between the siblings, "I'm sure my dad's over it by now."

"Good—"

"And if he isn't?" Melanie cut her brother off. Her brows creased in worry, not wanting to see him walk out the front door and either, never return, or return in worse condition than the first time.

"Then that's for me to deal with." He stood up, wiping his hands on his jeans, forcing back a wince as he accidentally pressed against a bruise on his leg.

Melanie noticed.

"You're not going back there." She turned to her bother, "He's not going back there."

"He can't stay here, Melanie."

"Who are you to say what we can and can't do?"

"Melanie—"

"If he's not staying here, then neither am I."

She wouldn't dare leave her home. But Zach didn't have to know that.

If she really wanted, she could tell her mom she was staying at a friends house, knowing her mom wouldn't bother to tell Zach as she would assume he already knew but Zach would be brewing in worry at the thought of his twin sister actually running away.

As she said before, her bother wasn't the smartest.

And since she wasn't facing him, he didn't see the way her nose twitched at the lie, so worry sank in.

"You're not running away with a stranger, Melanie."

The girl gripped Mattias' hand, tugging the De La Cruz teen up the stairs with her. He didn't bother to argue.

"He's not a stranger, Zachary. I've known him since elementary school."

It wasn't a total lie. They have been attending the same school since elementary, but they didn't start speaking full sentences to each other until a few weeks ago.

But again, Melanie was almost certain that Zach is an idiot.

As she pretended to pack a bag, Zach watched from the doorway, eyeing the way Mattias looked.

The bruises on his face were slowing fading away, but still prominent. The shorter teen was also hunched a bit, like it hurt to stand straight. In simpler terms, he looked a mess.

Zach sighed. If he wanted to make his sister happy, and not lose the hair on his head dealing with the attitude she would have if he kept pushing the matter of Mattias leaving, he could keep the secret of Mattias staying here for a little while.

"He stays until he heals."

Melanie froze before she perked up.

"Really?"

"No longer than that." He spoke sternly, fighting to hold back the smile that began to form when she rushed over to give him a hug.

Mattias stepped forward when the twins pulled away, holding his hand out for an awkward handshake, "Thanks, man."

Zach accepted his hand, as he looked between the two with hardened eyes, "Door stays open when you're alone."

—