CHAPTER SIX Change For the Better

[Novak]

"Bran?" It was Jayce. She hurried to me and hugged me.

"Oh Bran," she said, burrying her head in my chest.

"Jayce. Jayce, I'm so sorry." I sobbed, holding onto her.

"Bran, I forgive you! I forgave you a long time ago." she told me.

"I don't care that he does this to me, you're still the best big brother in the whole world! And I love you." I was silent now. I had always known she still loved me deep down, but, when she actually said it. It was different. It meant so much more. It really hit home.

[Jayce]

"I don't want you to stay here." he told me.

"W-What?" I asked, feeling like crying myself.

"I don't want you to live here anymore. I want you out of here." he said more clearly. I let that sink in.

"Bran, thank you so much." I said, "For what you did."

"You're, you're welcome." he responded, and we both lay there on the floor together at least.

[Bam]

I woke up and looked at my clock, noon. Perfect. I called Jayce.

"Hi this is Jayce's phone. Jayce doesn't have AT&T, which means she has no bars here. So even though you're probably going to leave a long, borning, message that only you seem to think is important, she wont get it. But that doesn't mean you can't try anyway!" I laughed out loud, litterally, and waited for the beep.

"Yo Jayce, it's Bam. We're shootin' the next season of Viva La Bam in two days so you can meet the crew sometime before that. Since you did land the 900, you basiclly won. So yeah, you're probably gonna have to move in whether you like or not so good luck. Peace." I hung up my phone and went to take a shower.

[Jayce]

I brushed my hair and examined my necklace. It wasn't anything special, just a heart-shaped pendant with zebra print under hard plastic. Nothing really, but I got it from my only friend, SJ. It was my only christmas present I got one year. My parents got me coal, go figure, and it was the year Brandon blew his money on drugs, spent some time in the hospital, and then went into rehab.

I looked at the scene behind me through the mirror, I could see my bags piled up on my bed. Which was nothing but a matress, frame, headboard, and footboard. The carpet was as clean as a rarely ever vaccumed carpet could get, the droors of the dressers were either opened or closed, but they were all emptied. I sighed.

This was it. I thought, I'm saved. I moving to a new home. I'll have a new family. But Brandon, my brother. I was leaving him here with dad... he'd be okay. He wouldn't let him do it again... would he? I exhaled in frstration this time. I'd figure that out later. I dropped my bags on the ground outside my window one by one, then climbed out myself. I headed for Bandon's window, but he was already on his way to mine.

"Hey," I said.

"Hey." he smiled at me. And we embraced in a hug, I held back my tears, which I had gotten especially good at over the tears. We walked together in the mid day sun light. He had his arm around my shoulder and I felt protected, sheltered, like for once in my life everything could only get better.