Ok so this chapter isn't the best, but... it had to be. Thanks to the people who did review... but where are all my other reviewers: (

Chapter 35

Reggie's POV

I sat home alone flipping through a magazine I had received in the mail a few days ago while eating a bowl of cereal. When I had woke up nobody else was home. I assumed Ray was at the Shack, Noelani was probably running errands, Ryan and Hailey were thankfully off visiting other friends… and I didn't care where Otto was.

Otto never did try talking to me after the day he knocked on my door, and that was about a week ago.

"Hey Noelani -" Otto froze in the doorway.

After recovering from shock I looked up at Otto blankly. He looked as if he had just gotten up, I had thought he left… but I guess I was wrong.

"Sorry Reg." Otto walked over to the cabinet grabbing a box of cereal.

I went back to eating and reading while Otto prepared a bowl of cereal for himself. Otto walked over to the table and sat at the opposite end from me. I could feel Otto watching me, I looked up glaring at him.

Otto shrugged and looked down at his cereal as if nothing was wrong. I sighed and looked back down at my magazine. But a few minutes later I felt Otto watching me - again.

I looked up angrily staring Otto in the eye, "What?!"

"Nothing." Otto said calmly.

"Then quit staring at me!" I took my empty bowl to the sink then returned to my magazine.

"Reggie…?" Otto asked slowly.

I sighed angrily. "What?" I closed my magazine and looked at Otto. I wasn't going to get any reading done with him around. But after looking at Otto I felt that stupid sisterly compassion kick in. Something looked like it was bothering him, and he was acting very calm.

Otto looked down, "Never mind… You won't care." His words weren't cutting like usual.

"No, tell me." I couldn't believe I was being nice to him.

Otto looked back up at me, like he wasn't sure if he wanted to talk about whatever was on his mind. After a few minutes he spoke, "You ever feel like… suddenly your whole life has gone wrong? When you've tried so hard to make it right?"

I was… shocked at what Otto said. He always seemed so sure of himself. It never occurred to me that he'd think something like that. "Wh-what do you mean?" I asked slowly.

"You've tried hard to have a good life, but it seems like after so much trying, everything's falling apart…" Otto replied.

I couldn't believe this was coming from my brother, the one who always had to be best at everything. "Otto what are you talking about?"

"Everything's changing Reg. You can't see it, cause you don't care. You're probably gonna marry Lars and forget about me. Nothing's the same anymore; it hasn't been these last few years. I tried being on the football team and having a perfect girlfriend. But that seemed to make you guys hate me. Now all I have is an old title, whiny girlfriend, and friends who don't like me. Twister's to busy with Melissa, Squid doesn't like me cause I kissed Hailey… I know I shouldn't have… But nobody understands and nobody listens. Then you're caught up in Lars, you don't even care what I think anymore Reg." Otto stated.

Had things changed that much? Did I not care?

"You don't Reg." Otto said as if he could read my thoughts. "Why do you think I get so mad? Cause you go around with Lars all the time and you don't even think about your brother anymore."

Guilt panged me. I had kind of started ignoring Otto. I was spending most of my free time with Lars. But Otto had been being such a jerk I couldn't stand him.

"You don't get it Reg." Otto continued. "You've always been the one there and now you're leaving and I can't do a damn thing to stop you."

"Dad's been there too." My hole was getting deep.

"No, Raymundo's been busy with the shack, then he got remarried. You were always the one there." Otto stated.

I thought back about how I had helped Otto when he started school. Then nobody understood us when Ray got remarried. Sure, Noelani was nice and all, but it just wasn't the same.

"Sorry…" I mumbled.

"Doesn't matter… don't bother with it." Otto dumped his bowl in the sink, not bothering to rise it out. Then went upstairs.

I sat there dumbfounded. What was I suppose to do? I wanted to call Lars, have him make it better. But then I would be doing what Otto said, I would be to caught up in Lars.

I closed my magazine and walked upstairs slowly. I stopped at Otto's door and knocked softly. "Otto…"

"Yeah…" Otto's voice was hoarse, almost like he was trying not to cry.

I felt horrible. I opened the door cautiously; Otto sat on his bed with his back facing me. I picked my way across the room, careful not to step on anything that looked as if it would swallow me.

I stood on the other side of the bed, still not facing Otto. "You ok Rocket Boy?" I asked, using Otto's old nickname.

"Yeah." Otto replied not looking up.

I walked over and sat next to Otto. He held in his hands an old picture. Otto was only 4 at the time, I had my arms around him hugging him. While Mom was behind us, Ray with one arm around her.

"It's not fair Reg." Otto said.

"I know Otto." I agreed softly.

My cell phone started ringing in my pocket. I pulled it out looking at the caller ID - Lars. I silenced the phone and put it back.

"Not gonna answer?" Otto asked, sounding a bit surprised.

"He can wait." I said. I sighed taking a deep breath, "Look Otto… I'm sorry I haven't exactly been there lately. I know I've been caught up in stuff. But it's like you ditched us, you started football and got a girlfriend… It was like you weren't part of the gang anymore."

"I wish I never made those choices." Otto stated.

I wasn't feeling any better than when I had first walked in.

"Just… don't forget about me ok?" Otto asked looking up at me.

I was taken aback by what he said, "What do you mean? You're my pain in the butt brother how could I forget you?" I felt a slight grin on my face.

Otto smiled back, "Thanks Reg."

"No problem, that's what older, smarter sisters are for." I teased. I hugged Otto and he hugged me back, it was the first sibling bonding we had had in a long time. I did kinda miss my little brother.

Lars POV

I laid in my bed, only half awake. I had awoken and looked at my clock which read 10:05am and after trying to call Reg, I laid back down trying to catch up on those few minutes that always seemed to matter so much.

"Friends forever right?" Reggie asked as we sat in our club house. Reggie was now 9 years old. We had been best friends for a while now. I liked her a lot, she always listened to me really well, she was a lot of fun and not afraid to try new things.

"Friends forever." I agreed.

Reggie took my hand and looked up at me, "You're the bestest friend I've ever had Lars."

I felt like the biggest man in the world at the time, even if I was only 11.

"You got your pocket knife?" Reggie asked.

I nodded and pulled it out of my pocket handing it to her.

I watched carefully as she opened it, sure she was going to cut herself even if she had opened it a million times.

She craved her name, then handed me the knife, "Now put your name."

I did as she told me. Afterwards she took the knife back.

Circling our names she smiled, "There. Circles go on forever, they never get broken."

At the time I believed every word she spoke. I always hung on every word as if waiting for another drop on honey. If only I had knew what the next week held…

"Lars!" I heard my door fling open loudly and Twister came storming into my room. "Lars! Lars!" He sounded upset.

I lazily opened my eyes peering at a frantic Twister who was sitting at my bedside. "What is it Twister?" I asked trying to fully open my eyes after almost falling asleep again.

"LarsIhadahorribledreamandandand!" Twister started spilling words out.

I lifted my head, "Twister!" I waited for Twister to relax a little. "Now, calmly tell me what happened."

"I had a horrible dream that I was driving and Melissa was with me. And then we crashed, but I was ok. But Melissa wasn't, they had to take her to the hospital and…and…" Twister's lips started quivering. "Melissa had the baby early and they were having a hard time keeping it alive and Melissa was about too… about too…" Twister looked as if it had all really happened.

"Twister." I said firmly. "It was just a dream. Melissa and the nino are fine."

Twister stopped, looking as if that could be a possibility. Sometimes I wondered about him.

"I hope nothing bad happens…" Twister finally said.

"Did you pray about it?" I questioned.

"Well… no." Twister replied slowly.

"Then pray." I closed my eyes again, laying my head down.

"Lars…" Twister started.

I opened my eyes slightly again.

"Do you really think mi hijo is going to be ok?" Twister asked. "I mean, Melissa can get sick so easy. What if something happens?"

I sighed and propped my pillow up. Twister never did quit until he was fully satisfied everything was going to be ok. "It's going to be fine Twister, quit worrying about it. Just pray about it and everything will be fine."

Twister was silent, I could tell he was thinking about what I said. "Thanks Lars, you always were good at being there for me." Twister got up and left.

My head dropped down into my pillow as Twister closed the door.