Happy Friday. I hope everyone has a good weekend. I will see you all Monday with a new chapter.

Enjoy!

"What was wrong with hanging out in Bluebell?" Aurora asked her brother, annoyed that she was stuck in the car with her brother for four hours all because he decided he wanted to have a brother/sister bonding day before she heads off to Maryland for school next month.

"Because there are more things to do in Tuscaloosa," Will replied in a very duh tone. "You won't be disappointed in what I have planned today," he assured her.

The part that made it horrible is that her brother was at the house at 6 in the morning ready to go, despite him needing to be on the road at 2 in the morning to make it to Bluebell, when he did. She had to wonder when he slept if he did at all. Because one look at him, tells her that yeah he's tired, but he's wide awake. She did question if he was taking any drugs. His reply had been just caffeine, holding up his cup of coffee, having refilled at their parents place and an hour ago at a gas station.

"I can drive if you need a break," she told him, finding she doesn't want to keep arguing over things as she can't control when she's stuck in the car with him.

"I'm fine," he told her, finishing off the last of his coffee. "We do have to stop by my place for a bit, I have to get things in order," he told her, changing lanes.

"If it's for you to get a quick nap in, I am all for it," she told her brother. The very last thing she wants is for something to happen to her brother, because he thinks he doesn't need any sleep because he wants to spend it with her. She'd rather he be safe than in the hospital injured or worse yet, dead.

"I don't need sleep, Aurora, I will be fine, I slept most of the day yesterday," he assured his sister. Having yesterday off of work, with the weekend, he spent a good chunk of his day yesterday sleeping. With Maggie helping her sister move and Isaac with his grandparents, he was left alone for the day and catching up on sleep was the only thing he wanted to accomplish on his day off.

"You look like you could use some sleep," she retorted, holding back her own yawn.

"Nah, I'm fine," he assured his sister, effortlessly weaving through the last bit of morning traffic, to reach his apartment complex. They remained quiet, as he parked, and they got out of the car, stretching from being in the car so long. "You can make yourself comfortable and help yourself to whatever," he told her, leading her to the second floor, and unlocking his door for her. "I need to make a few calls, and I'll have a better set of plans for the day," he informed her, letting her go into the apartment, while he walked back outside to make his phone calls.

Aurora sighed, looking around the place. With one glance she can see that Maggie is living with him, if she didn't know it beforehand, she'd know it now. Not hungry or thirsty as she had eaten plenty when they had stopped at the gas station, she headed straight to the bathroom, as that's all she needed. Finishing up in the bathroom she headed back to the living room to see that her brother still wasn't back in yet. She sat on the couch, her eyes drifting shut as she waited for her brother to return to his apartment.

"We're headed to the laser tag course," Will announced entering his apartment, waking his sister in the process.

"We?" She asked, with a yawn, stretching her muscles out, as she stood up.

"A group of friends," he told her. "I know I sold you on this being a sibling bonding thing and I swear we'll do that before you leave tomorrow, but I figured it be a bit more fun with a group of people as well," he sheepishly explained to her.

"I feel like you're up to something, and I will figure it out, William," she stated, eying him up.

"I have no idea what you're going on about," Will laughed, ushering his sister out of the apartment. "After laser tag, we're gonna hit a burger joint up for a bit of a late lunch and figure out what to do while we eat," he informed her, as they walked down the hall to the flight of stairs.

"Can I not be on your team, so I can kick your butt?" She asked with a smirk, rushing down the stairs. There's nothing quite like sibling rivalry to get her in the mood to have a fun filled day with her brother.

"I think we can work with that," Will laughed, following his sister down the stairs and back outside. "But you have one thing wrong," he stated in a very serious tone.

"What's that?" She asked him cautiously, looking at him as they walked across the parking lot to where he parked his car. With the smug smirk he wore, she's going to go out on a limb and guess that she shouldn't have even asked him.

"That you're going down," he smirked, unlocking his car doors. "Though if we do get put on the same team, it'll be a battle to see who gets the top score," he told her.

"That will be me," she easily said, climbing into the car. "You're forgetting that you have yet to beat me when it comes to laser tag," she smugly told him.

"You're forgetting that we were little, and I didn't want to hurt your feelings," he said, giving her arm a gentle pat. "I loved you too much to hurt your feelings, so I let you win, because I am the best brother you could ever ask for," he told her, keeping a very straight face the whole time.

"You're such a horrible liar," she snorted, rolling her eyes at him.

"What part am I lying about?" Will asked, buckling his seat belt and getting the car started, the heat starting to become too much for him. "I do love you, and I am the best brother you could have asked for," he smirked, backing out of his parking spot.

"Some days I could use a different brother, one that wouldn't have ruined every Barbie doll I ever owned," she dramatically sighed. "I love you too, Will, but I am the better sibling out of the two of us," she stated with a smirk to match the one that fell off his face as he laughed.

"I was only doing as you asked, you wanted to play, so I played with you," he laughed. "It's just what big brothers did, they annoyed their little sisters," he smirked.

"And here I thought it was the little sister that was supposed to annoy the big brother?" She asked with a chuckle.

"I think we just call it a sibling thing," he softly chuckled. "But behind the torment, was my love for you. I was there to stick up for you when Callum started that stupid rumor in 7th grade," he pointed out.

"Yeah it also resulted in you being suspended from school for two days, but it was nice to know that my brother had my back," she smiled softly. "Thank you, Will. I never did tell you when we were growing up. But all those things that you didn't want me to know, I knew, and it annoyed me back then, but thank you," she told him.

"You're welcome. No one gets to pick on my little sister, but me. We may fight, but I will always have your back even when you're states away," he told her. "Just like I know all the things that you had done for me, when it came to a few exes along the way. So ya know thanks," he told her.

"Anything for the best brother I could possibly have," she teased him. "Seriously, you're welcome, though. Someone needs to have my brother's back, who better for the part than his sister?"

"Because who has the best sister?" Will asked cheekily, checking his mirrors to change lanes.

"You said it," she smirked.

The last of the car ride was filled with friendly banter as they made their way to the play laser tag. Despite the hours spent in the car so far today, she's glad that her brother made the effort to spend the day with her along with tomorrow, as she's going to miss just getting up and having a day to be with her brother when she's away at college. Makes her think she should have picked a school closer to home. She's going to miss her family and having crazy days with them. Not only that but she's not going to know anyone there, and she's not thrilled about being in a different state where she knows no one.

"How many people did you invite?" She asked, seeing the group of people waiting, needing to be out of her mind.

"Six," he told her.

She frowned seeing only one girl in the group. She doesn't mind hanging out with a group of boys, she feels more comfortable because they're not going to spread stupid rumors or gossip over stupid things. With guys, they just chill and have fun. She does like hanging out with a select few girls, but she's known them since she was in 1st grade. So depending on how she gelled with her brother's friends, it'd still be an interesting day, whether it be a good day or a bad day.

It didn't take long after being introduced to the group that she learned her brother's true motives. Holland and Hudson, who are twins and the younger siblings to Franklin, Will's best friend, they're going to the same school as her. For the first few minutes of meeting them she was standoffish, but quickly found that she enjoys being with them and by the end of the day they were pretty much best friends. Turns out heading off to school next month won't be so hard, not with Holland and Hudson there. And if she finds herself thinking that Hudson is cute, so be it. He was flirting with her as well. Turns out she can count on her brother to look out for her, even when she doesn't know she needs his help. Who knew?

"What do you think mom and dad are doing?" Aurora asked Will as they got suited up for their round of laser tag.

"Who knows. My guess is they're sitting around bored. It's not like they're going to have a party," Will joked, waiting on everyone to be ready to see who is going to be on whose team.