CHAPTER 17

Golden Boy

The three siblings watched the screen without much enjoyment.

Ahmir laid looking at the ceiling, his head resting in Mars' lap as she mindlessly played with his curls, like a mother with her son.

Mary was the only one in the house who didn't skip school, none of them wanted to deal with people. Mary came home around three, slamming the door behind her and storming up the stairs. None cared enough to go up.

"Mom's home." Ineas noted, Ahmir and Mars looked at their sister. "It's my turn, isn't it?"

Both Mars and Aje nodded even though it was really Ahmir's turn. If Ineas didn't go check on her, no one would. With a scowl on her face, Ineas followed Mary's path to her room.

Mars waited to hear the door shut upstairs before nudging her brother back into the real world. "You want to go smoke some spliff?" She asked, her brother sat up.

"You know I don't do that." He reminded her.

"Just an offer." She shrugged, pulling the joint out of her bag and a pack of Marlboro's, too. "I have some ciggies." She tried, knowing that he'd never been opposed to them- though he probably should've been. Then again, everyone they knew back in England smoked, this whole anti-tobacco thing was very American to them.

Aje nodded, took the pack from her hands and grabbed the lighter from her bag. Mars grabbed a couple of blankets off the ottoman, one with a plaid print and the other fuzzy and brown. Silently, the pair went out to the back lawn near the fire pit, it was far enough away from the house Mary wouldn't smell it.

Each took a seat in separate wooden chairs, Mars taking the furry blanket and Aje taking the plaid. Mars lit up first, Aje scrunched up his nose at the smell before putting a cigarette between his teeth and lighting the end.

"I gotta get outta here." Mars broke the silence and shifted in her seat. She'd been looking over the back yard and into the woods where she could see no end. She was trapped, completely confined under her parent's roof.

Ahmir put out his cigarette on the arm of the chair and chucked it, holding out his hand for Mars' spliff, which she handed over gladly. "I don't want you to go." He announced. "I know the only reason you're still here is because of me."

It was true enough. Mars would've been gone a long time ago if it hadn't been for the love of Ahmir. She felt protective over him even though she was younger. Which in a way didn't make much sense, but on the other hand- it really did. She wanted him happy and if that meant taking the fall when he fucked up that was what she was going to do.

"Don't flatter yourself, Aje."

"Okay." They fell back into silence for a few minutes. "I wouldn't blame you." Ahmir contradicted himself, "I… I'd understand."

Mars scanned his face and took the joint from his hands to take a hit before handing it back to him. "Mixed signals much?" She lit a cigarette of her own, deciding to let him get high by himself. She thought hard on his statement, maybe it was better for him to know. "Aje. You know I love you, right? More than anybody. I won't leave as long as you're here."

"Not anybody." He laughed, though she didn't deny it. "What about when I go to Uni?" He asked and regretted when he looked over at her. She smiled, yes, but her eyes bore a glassy film and were focused on him.

As always, Mars took the time to carefully choose her words. "As long as you're here, I'm here." She blew smoke out through her nose, she looked like a dragon. "Let's not talk about that, okay?" Mars turned away from the subject.

Mars looked at him, joint in his mouth and giggled. "The golden boy is smoking." She laughed. "Aren't you scared mum will smell it." It was highly unlikely that Mary would considering the distance from the house, but she just wanted to psych him out a little.

Her attempt was unsuccessful; "I'll just blame it on you."

"Yeah, sounds about right. I'll accept my fate."

"Did you tell anyone yet?"

"No, they all just think it's a normal day." She shrugged. "Well, Sheriff knows, but I don't think that counts." Ahmir nodded. "You should go talk to him once and a while. He is your godfather."

"I talk to him plenty." He glared. "But you hog Stiles, so I don't really have a reason to physically go over."

"I do not hog Stiles you twat." Mars glared, her phone went off in her pocket alerting them both that the outside world still existed. "This proves nothing. It's an incoming text."

"It's Stiles, isn't it?" Aje smirked, his point was proven with A+ timing on Stiles' part.

"He wants me to go over. You want to come?" Mars tried to brush it off, reminded that Scott and Allison were out on their double date with Lydia and Jackson. She was SO grateful to have not been roped into that one, especially because Lydia had set it up so she'd have to go with Don, who, by the way, she wasn't speaking to.

"Nah. I don't want to have to put on a brave face because you won't tell him." Ahmir hinted that maybe talking with people didn't always have to be a bad thing.

"Fair enough" She agreed and folded the blanket, she shoved the phone back in her pocket and kissed her brother on the cheek. "I'll be back, enjoy your joint." She stomped out her cigarette before heading off in the direction of the house.

"Can do! Don't get pregnant!" He shouted back at her. She gave him the finger, not justifying him with words.

Ahmir felt for some time there with her and Stiles. Pretty much since she'd been born- but especially in the last year. They were magnets to each other, always needing to touch, everyone thought they'd grow out of it.

It never happened.

After 16 years, it probably wouldn't.

When Mars turned 10 and their parents thought they were too old for sleepovers, Mars begged to move her bedroom to the guest room. Within 2 days of them agreeing, they'd found out why. Mars and Stiles' tiny forms were curled up together on the floor, asleep with the brand-new and still open Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince in Mars' hand, a dead flashlight in Stiles' and the window wide open.

It didn't seem like there was much room for anyone else. Ahmir couldn't even count how many mornings he'd woken up and seen the Jeep parked on the street, and the only times it wasn't, his sister wasn't home either.

At the end of the day, if he had to choose someone for her, he would've always chosen Scott. Scott calmed her down where Stiles only encouraged her. Mars and Stiles had the strongest link he'd ever seen between 2 people… but, to him, they would be a disaster for that very reason.