Twenty-five.

"Ludwig, meet Madeline; Madeline, meet Ludwig, my brother." Bruder introduces the young blonde woman; his hand rests on her waist, and something is really pissing me off.

"Nice to meet you." Bullshit, what the fuck is he thinking?!

"As it is to you." She whispers; who knew that he'd 'like' a shy woman.

"Anyhow, let's go." He kisses her forehead. "Oh, I put your laundry in your room, Ludwig."

"Danke," what the hell is wrong with you.

"See you 'round." They leave, and I've never felt so alone.

"Ja." Since when do you do laundry? Since when did I mean nothing to you? Since when did you care what Mutti said to you? Since when did you want to grow up? Since when did any of these matter to me?

"Madeline's a nice girl; now, we all have to hope you'll find one as nice as her." Mutti remarks from the entrance to the kitchen. "She sure fixed his attitude."

"Why?"I stare at her.

"Because he needed to be broken, Elizaveta let him do whatever he wanted, so he never learned what a real commitment requires."

"'Broken?' Do I need to be 'broken' too?" I hiss.

"Since when do you care? You always wanted him to be just like you."

"I'm going to study." I stomp my way up to my room; how could he? Why would he? Does he really like her? I pick up my textbook and begin mindlessly reading, but nothing makes it past my eyes into my brain. I can't focus, and it's not fair. How could he leave me?

– –

The exam was easy; multiple choice is easy. Recollection of facts is easy; pacing yourself is easy. Why isn't life like this? My hand holds the test towards Dr. Swartz, and he takes it, nodding to acknowledge that I may leave. On my silent way to the car, I realize that I have no desire to go home; no initiative to do anything. How could I let myself be so consumed by him? What did I used to do all this excess time? Right, I read books and kept to myself. Why? How? What the hell?!

Nonchalantly, I make my way to my room to leave my stuff on the floor and flop onto the bed. I've wasted my life for my idiot brother, and this is the wake up call. When I open the door, my eyes meet those stupid, captivating eyes. He's here, and I'm happy. He's here, and I'm pissed off. He's here, and I don't want him to leave.

"Get out of my room." I hiss; he just sits on my bed.

"She's nice, Madeline that is." He states flatly.

"That's great." My brain blocks him out; he doesn't matter or even exist to me for that matter. He's going on a tangent about something, and I can't find the reasons to listen. My hands grab my laptop, and I begin to type a list of things that frustrate me, all of which had to do with Bruder and Madeline.

"You're not listening."

"I don't care."

"Stop being a child!" That broke my patience. I wasn't the child; he is the child. My hand grabbed his wrist, and I pushed him against the wall. It wasn't fair, but I wouldn't stand to be called a child.

"Take. It. Back. Now."

"What's your issue?"

"What's my issue?!" How could he do this? How? That's just not humanly possible.

"You're not listening to me."

"I don't need to. Stop being a kid and make up your fucking mind! First, you were all into Elizaveta. Then, it was you and me. Now, it's you and Madeline. You tell me why?! Why would you do something so hypocritical? You hate being used, so you wouldn't do it." My hands are twisted in his shirt, and tears are tempting the ledges of my eyelids.

"She knows. Mutti." He sighs.

"About what?"

"Us, that's why. I'm the sick bastard who wants to fuck my younger brother! Maybe, I wanted her to accept me for once and save your ass from her! Ever thought of that?!" His voice drops down low. "I'm sick and tired of this, so let me go."

"Who was I kidding? We're nothing alike." I force a laugh, and he walks away.

A/N: Really short chapter, which I apologize for. I hope you at least somewhat liked it, but I just took a little break from college shenanigans. Please review.

~FromPrussiaWithLove.