H I D D E N C H A P T E R F I V E

.:Jason:.

Jake. Emma liked Jake. And now, Jake liked Emma. Great.

I wasn't a mean older brother, I wasn't abusive or exceedingly bossy, but I was protective. And Emma, whether we were blood related or not, was my younger sister. In the months we had been living together, Emma had become one of my best friends. I would kill for her as I knew she would for me. I loved Emma as a sister, a best friend. At first I had thought I was attracted to her, but after that fateful day after school when we decided we wanted to spite our parents and date, starting with an attempt at kissing each other, we realized our relationship ran a different course. Now we were tighter than ever She was the one friend I told everything to.

On the other hand, Jake was a good friend of mine. I had grown, looking up to him as a big brother, a guide to life since we never had a stable father figure. Jake was my role model and confidant.

And now my two best friends wanted to date. DATE! How was I supposed to deal with that? Sure it may seem fine to any outsider, but I didn't want Jake to date my sister. I didn't want him to hurt her like I had seen him hurt other girls. He was never, good in relationships. I think it was because he was always secretly crushing on my mom, but still. He would date girls who would be head over heels for them, and he'd break up with them after a few weeks, sometimes days because they just 'weren't what he was looking for'. I didn't want Emma to have to go through the same fate as all those poor girls. I didn't want Jake to break Emma.

There was a knock on my door and I looked up to see Emma poking in. "Can I come in?" she asked softly. I nodded, leaning back against my head board. She came in and sat on the foot of my bed. She folded her hands and bit her lip. "Are you mad at me?" I thought about my answer a moment before speaking.

"Not mad at you. Frustrated, upset and worried but not mad." She frowned.

"Explain that." She asked, snuggling her feet under my thick navy blue duvet. I sighed.

"Well I'm frustrated because I don't know what to do. I'm stuck between two options. Upset because my two best friends want to date and worried because I don't want to see you get hurt." I confessed. Emma frowned.

"Why would I get hurt?" I bit my lip.

"Em, Jake doesn't have the best track record with girls…" she cut me off.

"I don't have the best track record with guys either, but you're not worried about him getting hurt." I shook my head.

"He's not my sister." She bit her lip and hugged her knees to her chest.

"Jason, are you worried he's going to replace you?" Emma asked after a moment. I hadn't looked at it that way but in a way it made sense.

"I guess. I'm just scared. You're my sister, I don't want to see you get hurt and I can't help but feel protective of you.

"But you're right. I am worried he'll replace me. Like maybe once you start dating you'll go to him with all your problems and concerns. You'll share all your random thoughts with him and be best friends with him. I feel like I'm getting cut out of the loop." I admitted. Emma's face dropped in sadness and she crawled up to my side, wrapping her tiny arms around me.

"Jase, I love you. You're the best friend a girl could have. The best brother anyone could ask for. There is no one in the world who could replace you in my heart. You have your own special spot and it's not for sale." She said softly. Unexplained tears welled in my eyes and I pushed them away. I pulled Emma in a tight hug and took a deep breath. I guess things would be okay. At least I knew the guy she was dating instead of him being a complete stranger.

Relief danced in my stomach as a single tear slipped down my cheek. "Thanks Em. I really am happy for you." I said softly. Emma smiled at me and squeezed me tighter.

"I know you are. And I hope you find the girl you've been looking for soon. You deserve someone special." She said softly. I smiled.

Yes, things would be alright.

.:Emma:.

"Emma?" I groaned and rolled over. "Em?" I felt a large hand poke my side. I squirmed away. I was insanely ticklish. I looked up to see Jason standing over my bed.

"What?" I whined, glancing at the clock. Jason smirked.

"I have a favor to ask of you." I blinked and sat up, yawning. He sat on my bed and grinned. I glanced at the clock and gasped.

"Oh my gosh it's today!" I cried jumping up. Jason nodded. "Oh my gosh I will so watch everyone while you and mom go to the DMV. Promise me you'll pass." Jason laughed and nodded.

"Sure thing." He said smiling. I grinned and hugged him tightly.

"Good luck!" I cried excitedly.

The morning passed by uneventfully until I went to go take out the kitchen trash. I walked t the side of the house and heard a small whimper. I frowned and glanced between the trash cans to see a small puppy stuck behind them. How he got back there was beyond me. I moved the trash can quickly and he bounded into my arms, licking me excitedly. "Hey little buddy. Where is your mommy?" I asked looking around. There was no sign of any other dog. I frowned and turned back to the puppy in my arms.

I heard the car pull into the drive way and grinned. I walked over to the deck in the back yard and sat down, setting the puppy on the floor. He barked a high pitched bark and licked my legs. I laughed and heard someone come outside behind me. I looked up to see Jodi, Clara and Luke. They glanced at the dog and their eyes grew wide. They instantly ran back inside, Jodi coming out with Jason and Simon and Clara and Luke coming out with mom.

As soon as mom picked up the puppy I knew we were keeping him. I was beyond excited. "I'm calling him Jack." I announced. Mom rolled her eyes. "Come on Jack! Let's go!" I said clapping my hands and running inside. Jack followed behind eagerly.

"Don't let him pee on anything!" Mom called as I slipped inside. I nodded in excitement. My life couldn't get any better.

.:Simon:.

I can't believe mom let us keep the dog. I can't believe dad said yes too. Of course Jodi and I were stuck with the rotten jobs, but we had only volunteered for those jobs so we could keep Jack. I could already tell we were going to have more than one dog. There were just too many kids to share him with. It was really only a matter of time before we went and got another dog. Or a cat, mom would like a cat. Heck, with this land, we could own horses and have enough room. Oh Clara would love that. Maybe I should make some suggestions to mom and dad…

.:Jodi:.

A puppy! A puppy! We have a puppy!

I wonder how hard it will be to convince mom and dad that another dog (or two) would be good to have.

I wonder if I could convince them to let me get a monkey… hm… maybe not.

Though if dad can keep mom happy through her pregnancy, then maybe they'll cave. I'll have to give it a try.

I felt something tug at my sock and looked down to see Jack wagging his tail at me, gnawing my sock. I smiled and picked him up. "Hey Jack. How is it going?" he licked my chin and I smiled. "How would you like some friends?" He barked an adorable high pitched bark and I grinned. "Thought so."