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"I'm telling you. It doesn't hurt, Teresa!"

"Oh come on, Ryan! I've been punching you for like 10 minutes! How does that not hurt?"

"Well, my arms numb."

"Hah!" Teresa cheered.

"No, I mean my arm fell asleep."

Teresa groaned, playfully slapping me in the face. We both laughed. "What if you flexed?" Teresa asked, hopefully.

"That would hurt your hand!" I teased, flexing my arms.

"Eey, the boy's got pipes now, girl!" Trey clapped me on the back. He had just come out of the backyard of Teresa's house with her brother, Arturo.

"And for the record I'm glad she ain't hurtin' ya, man!" Arturo snickered.

"Yeah, 'cause that would mean we'd have to save your ass from a girl. But we might as well. Damn, Ry, last night was brutal! I gotta teach ya how to fight sometime, bro!" Trey spat at the ground, taking out a cigarette.

"Oh yeah? well it wasn't my drunk ass flashing knives at those stoners, outside the club. Or the one who let his brother take on three 40 year olds while he went to find a light!" I said angrily, getting up off the curb.

"It was for your own good, kid. That's how I learned to fight!" Arturo shrugged.

"Good to know", Teresa waved, letting us know she was still there. Arturo laughed wrapping his arm around his sister and whispering something in her ear. She rolled her eyes in response.

"You weren't takin' 'em on! Stop tryina act all macho for your lil' girlfriend here! It's your big mouth getting us into these things half the time, kid." Trey dusted ashes off his cigarette, and smirked at me.

I felt my face turning red. "Yeah you're right it is all my fault. Tell you what, maybe next time I'll stay home and play cards with mom and AJ instead. Then you can cover your own back. Sound Good?" I growled.

"That's great kid. But we gotta go home now. See ya man!" he turned to Arturo, winked at Teresa and smacked me in the back of the head. He walked ahead of me and I followed hanging my head and muttering.

It was at these times I found my brother to be the biggest bastard ever. Of course he didn't hear a word I said, nor cared. Just happy to have some fun tormenting his little brother.

_____________________________________________________________________________________Later that night, I was sprawled across the couch half asleep, when Trey came in the front door. He smiled to see that mom wasn't home, neither were any of her loser boyfriends.

"Hey bitch! What's for dinner?" He said throwing his jacket on top of me and crashing on the recliner next to the couch. I threw his jacket on the floor, coughing from the reek of smoke and who knew what else.

"Ah Shit man!" I rolled my eyes. "There's Mac n' cheese in the oven."

"That-a-girl!" he praised, and reached for the remote on my chest. I grabbed his hand and twisted it. "AHH FUCK! What the hell, Ryan?!?"

I threw the remote at him and stormed from the room. "I'm going to bed!" I growled.

"Wait a sec, Ry!"

I turned on my heels. "What?"

"What the hell's your problem, kid?"

"Don't have one. But hey if you stick around maybe you could be!"

"What's the back talkin' for?" Mom had just stepped in the door, a case of beer in her arms and 3 cases in AJ's. "Did you boys eat?"

"Yeah," Trey answered without taking his eyes off me.

"Then get to bed. NOW!"

"Gladly! Wouldn't wanna impose on your party!" I replied as rudely as I could.

"What did you say you little punk?" AJ had dropped the beer on the floor and was coming at me, cracking his knuckles.

Trey shoved me in our bedroom and slammed the door behind us. "Help me put this dresser in front of it!"