Chapter 8

After the incident in the locker room, once again there was a new incident involving Justice.

I was sitting on me bed ripping pages from my diary and tearing them up. My eye was still swollen, but my busted lip was healing. Justice entered the room and got on his knees near his bed.

"What are you looking for?" I asked.

He was starled by my presence.

"What are you doing in here?!"

"Uh...half this room is mine."

He ignored me and went back to what he was doing.

"Justice...what are you looking for?"

"Uh...nothing...nothing."

He got to his feet and looked around again. I got up and met him halfway.

"You must be looking for something."

"I'm not."

Suddenly he touched the side of my face and grabbed my chin. He stared at my lip.

"Looks like Josh beat you up pretty bad."

"Yeah..."

"But not hard enough."

I glared at him and pulled his hand away from my face.

"Screw you Justice, I'm tired of this act of yours."

"I'm not acting this is who I am...deal with it...I have to put up with you; so surely you can put up with me. I haven't had this much fun in a long time...or been this happy. I think my life would have been a lot better off without you in it."

"Stop. I know I quit playing soccer with you...I know I wanted to become a writer and do my own thing...I know it broke your heart; but is that really bad enough to wish that I didnt exist."

"It's not just that anymore, I think I would have been better off as an only child."

"Jokes on you, cause we have an older sister that you and I will never part ways with. She loves us too much."

"Our sister's a bitch...she sucks up to Dad all the time."

Out of anger I jumped on him. We scuffled about the floor. He pinned me down. He was always the stronger one, but this time he seemed even stronger. It was so unreal.

"Take it back, Harmione's the best big sister ever!"

"And you're what? The best big brother ever, being 3 minutes older don't make you right...the two of you don't even know how selfish you are...to put all your problems on other people!"

"Do you even hear what you're saying you've been acting like a jerk for weeks!"

I pushed him. His back hit the bed. I broke the zipper from his jacket. I slowly sat up. He had a strange suit on under the jacket.

"What's that?"

"It's nothing...shut up and leave me alone."

He reached under his bed for a bottle of whiskey. That was what he was looking for. He began to drink it in front of me. I watched as he gulped down the bottle's contents. That man was not my brother. He was a monster.

"Jesse!" Mom yelled. "Justice! What was all that noise?"

As she entered the room Justice hid the bottle.

"What's going on in here?!"

"Ask Jesse...he just wanted to pick a fight with me like he did with Josh...you and Dad ought to do something about him Mom."

I sat in disbelief at his words. I desperately wanted to rat him out but I knew if I did he'd tell Mom and Dad my little secret. He once again had the advantage.

"Jesse get up and go sit in the living room...you know your Dad is going to have a fit when I tell him you fought with Justice...you swore to him there would be no more fighting that night Harmione brought you home. You promised."

"I know Mom...I'n sorry."

Mom sighed.

"What has gotten into you these past few months huh, you're normally my quiet baby."

I sighed and left the room with her. As we entered the living room, right on schedule Dad came through the door. He was actually on the phone with Harmione.

Due to Bellwood's weather my sister and Charlie got sick. They had sore throats and runny noses for a little while there. Once they got to feeling better it seemed like my nephew started feeling worse. He was taken to Bellwood Pediatrics. Then released to go to Bellwood South Hospital. Mom and I thought the news might be about Bryan; but it was about Charlie. Apparently, after spending the night with Bryan; in the hospital Charlie's sugar got out of whack. He had an episode in the middle of my sister's kitchen floor. He spiraled into a seizure right before her eyes.

"Okay baby...okay...and hey listen things are gonna be alright...okay I love you too Princess...bye."

Dad hung up and sighed heavily.

"First Bryan and now Charlie...God she's got a lot on her plate."

"What happened with Charlie?" Mom asked.

"His sugar dropped really bad...it hit him pretty hard and fast this time. The paramedics just left from there. They got him steady and regulated. He's in bed right now, but my poor baby girl is in the middle of all this stuff."

"Well I hate to add more fuel to the flame but Jesse...he has something he wants to tell you." Mom piped in.

Dad looked at me sternly.

"Yeah...I...I got in another fight...this time with Justice."

"Jesse Benjamin you promised me you wouldn't get into another fight unless you absolutely had too. What's with this tough act huh, you want to try to take on every guy you come across just to prove something to yourself?!"

"Dad I-"

"And worse, why pick a fight with Justice. He's your brother, for crying out loud Jesse! Think!"

"I...I'm sorry..."

"Go to your room. I just don't get it with you Jess...You're normally so kind and polite...and soft...you're a lot like your beautiful mother that way. I didn't raise two boys to try pass their strength onto other people...You're not Cash or Kevin. We didn't want Harmione fighting and we certainly don't want you to do it either. You got one black eye already...and blindly fighting out of anger leads to nothing but you getting hurt."

"I...I know Dad."

"Oh you know, so you do know better, and that's the worst part about it...go on go to your room."

I just sighed and entered my room. No suprise that Justice was gone when I got back. He went out every other night. I never knew where he went or when he would be back. It worried me so much.