Chapter 9: Your the brother right?

Glenoak Mall

Walking through the mall after eating, Martin lagged behind, letting Ruthie and Mac walk ahead of him.'I have to tell her how I feel. Even though I know she dosen't feel the same way, ... she still needs to know,... I need her to know. ... '

Ruthie glanced back at Martin, she was getting worried that something was wrong, becasue he haden't said much sence they left the house. 'I knew I shouldn't have come, what guy want's their "sister" tagging along ... even if I'm not his real sister, that's what he think's of me as. I shouldn't be here.'

"Is he OK?" Asked Ruthie, while looking at Mac.

" Martin?I don't know, when I got to your house this morning, everything was fine, and then well ..."

"I woke-up.?" She looked down to the ground. And felt the tears start to fill her eye's, which scared her. 'Why would I cry over Martin. We're just friend's ... I mean that's what his letter said right.?' Mac who had been watching the girls a few feet ahead of him, quickly looked at her, and saw how hurt she looked.

"What? No. Ruthie that's not what I ment." He said quickly. Only to be cut off once again, by Ruthie's quiet voice.

"It's OK really. I mean I knew I shouldn't have came ... I guess I just thought, we were passed the whole "little sister" thing. ... I thought we were friend's. Guess I was wrong huh.?" She let out a nervous tearful laugh.

"Ruthie you don't understand ..." he stopp3ed, wondering if he should tell her how Martin felt. Martin was far enough behind them to not hear. 'I can't, he trusted me. And asked me ... begged me not to say anything to her. ...' He glanced over at Ruthie who was walking with her head slightly hung. 'But look at her, she looks so sad. I have to say something.' "Ruthie, ..." She looked up at him, obvously hoping he would say something to comfort her. " Martin dosen't think of you as a little sister ... h-"
"Excuse me?" Came a voice from in front of them, cutting Mac off. 'I guess that's a sign that I shouldn't tell her." Thought mac.

When they suddenly stopped, Martin ran right into Ruthie.

"Sorry." He said. She looked at him and he saw tear's in her eye's. "Are you OK?" Concern filled his voice.

"Yea, I'm fine." She took a few step's back,and looked away.

"Oh ... OK." He looked down at the ground, stuffing his hands in his pockets.

Mac who had been watching the two of them, just laughed and shooke his head. 'I really have to do something about those two, it's starting to get kind of irritating.' Seeing the look's the two of them were giving him, he stopped laughing.

"Excuse me. ..." They all turned and saw a boy about15 or 16 standing there looking a little nervous."Ruthie, right?."

"Yea." She smiled at him and shook his hand.

"Hi I'm Vincent. We uh, go to school together." It was obvious to both boy's, that this guy liked Ruthie, Martin of course took an instant disliking to him.

"Oh, yea, of course. Hi." They all stood there for a few second's, Martin looking at the ground, Mac looking at Vincent, Vincent looking at Ruthie, and Ruthie looking at all of them nervously.She just smiled until she herd Mac clear his throat. "Oh sorry uhm, Vincent this is Mac,and Martin.Guy's this is Vincent." She watched as Vincent shook both boy's hand's.

"Hey." Said Vincent coolie, but politely.

"Hey." Said Mac, the exact same way.

"Hey." Martin on the other hand let the fact that he didn't like Vincent be shown. He had an edge to his voice that neither Mac or Ruthie had ever herd, from him.

"Martin ... your the brother right?" Vincent sencing that Martin wasen't really into him talking to Ruthie, became nervous. But tried to stay polite.

"Yea that's me ... the brother." He said this in a sarcastic tone that everyone and Mac just looked at him. "What?" He asked harshly. Mac looked away shaking his head and pressing his lip's together, trying to hold back the laughter.

"Anyway's." Ruthie gave him one last look, warning him to be nice, and turned to Vincent. "So ... what's up?" She gave him a little smile.

"Well uh ..." He glaced at Martin, who haden't stopped staring at him. "Well actually, can we go over there for a second?" He pointed to a bench, a few feet away.

"No." Said Martin instantly.Everyone looked at him again.

"Yea." Ruthie said, while looking at Martin, wondering why he was acting that way. She looked at Vincent who looked like his was seriously regreting ever walking over to her. Then she looked back at Martin who haden't taken his eye's off Vincent, then looked to Mac. "I'll be right back." She directed her comment at Mac.

"OK, we're going to go get something to drink." Mac replied. Sensing that he should seperate Martin, Ruthie, and this guy Vincent as soon as possible. If not to keep Vincent safe from Martin, then to keep Martin safe from Ruthie, and himself safe from having one of his parent's called by Mall security yet again.

"I'm not thirsty." Martin replied quickly.He had a threatening tone to his voice.

"Well I am." Replied Mac, calmly. Martin finally looked at him, warning him to let it go."Come on." He said instead.

"Whatever." Martin turned to ruthie. "We'll be right back." He then turned and walked away, leaving Mac behind.

"Please do hurry." Ruthie said sarcastically.
"Well ... Vincent ... nice to meet you." Mac said a little uncomfortable.

"Yea, you to." Replied Vincent, feeling the exact same way.With that Mac took off after Martin.

Ruthie and Vincent walked over to a bench and sat down.

"Sorry about that, I don't know what got into him." Said Ruthie, feeling embarrassed.

"No, it's OK. Don't worry about it. ... So is that your boyfriend?" Vincent asked hesatintly.

"Who, Martin?" Ruthie laughed a little at the idea. But she wasen't sure if it was becasue of the absurdity of the idea, or becasue of the sudden fluttering in her stomach that came with the words 'Martin, her, and Boyfriend'.

"Well either of them." He laughed nervously.

"Do you think if one them were my boyfriend, they would have left me here with you?" 'Stupid STUPID question Ruthie!' She yelled to herself in her head.

"Guess not. But then again that Martin guy didn't seem like he wanted to." He said looking at her like she was a little off.

"No, we're just ... well friend's I guess." She answered honestly.

"You guess?" Now he looked at her like she was really off. And he raised an eyebrow questioningly.

"It's a long complicated story, you do not want to know." She said, while smiling at him.

"How do know that?" Vincent asked flirtaiously.

"Because it might take a while to tell ... and we don't know how long Mac will be able to keep Martin away." She replied mater-of-factly.

"Right. So ... do you have a boyfriend?" He asked her in a voice that told her, he was nervous, and that made her smile and laugh softly.

"No, I don't." She said sweetly, all the while thinking in her head ... 'Becasue I'm the little sister!' Her thought's starteled her, and her eye's slightly widened.

"Good, because I was wondering if maybe I could call you some time, and maybe get to know you a little better." Vincent asked. He became a little worried when she looked so frightened, he wondered if he had done something wrong.

"Oh, well, yea, sure." She said, still a bit dazed.

"OK cool." He smiled brightly.

"Here let me give you my number, before they get back." Vincent gave her a confused look. "You know, because by the time they get back, they might be ready to leave." She quickly lied. She seemed to have been doing a lot of that lately.

"Oh, ... yea, no problem." Buying her explaination, he pulled out a paper and pen.

"Yea." She quickly wrote down her phone number on the small piece of paper, and handed it to him.

"Thank's ... I better get going, my friend's are wating for me." He said pointing over to a group of boy's who were standing in front of a clothing store that Ruthie was to distracted to read the name of.

"Oh OK." They both got up off of the bench.

"OK, ... so uh I'll talk to you soon.?" Said Vincent.It came out as more of a question, then a statment.

"Yea." She smiled at him one last time, as he backed away slowly.

"Bye Ruthie." He smiled at her.

"Bye." She watched as he turned and walked away, then sat back down on to the bench, and waited for Martin and Mac to return. Vincent quickly dissapperaing from her mind and the thought 'Little Sister.' quickly taking it's place.

When Mac found Martin he was standing in a store watching Ruthie and Vincent from the window.

"What are you doing in here?" The answer was evident as soon as he saw the object of Martin's attention.

"Making sure this guy dosen't try anything." Martin said with an edge to his voice.

" What's with you today?" Mac asked pulling his gaze off of Ruthie, and setteling it on Martin.

"What do you mean?" Martin's response came quick. Like most of his responses had all day.

"You've been ignoring me and Ruthie all day." Mac was starting to get irritated.

"No I haven't." Said Martin.

"Yea you have. And she think's it's because you didn't want her to come." Now Mac's voice was becoming harsh.

"I told her it was fine." Martin's anger was quickly replaced with regret, and sadness.

"Yea ... and then you stopped talking to us. She said she thought you were passed the whole "little sister" thing ... she thought you were friend's." Mac sensed Martin had calmed down, and his voice softened.

"I am ... and we are. I just ..." He watched as Ruthie wrote down what he guessed was her phone number, and handed it to Vincent. Mac looked out the window and saw what Martin had seen. Martin looked away from the window and turned to face Mac."Forget it ... You ready to go?"

"Yea." Mac said quietly.He felt sorry for his friend.

"Good. You go get Ruthie, and I'll go get the car." And again he walked away leaving Mac behind.

When Ruthie saw Mac walking towards her, alone, she got nervous and jumped up.

"Where's Martin! Did he leave!" She asked nervously.

"Calm down ... he just went to go get the car." Mac knew Martin was in Love with Ruthie. And he knew Ruthie felt exactaly the same way, she just didn't realize it yet.

"We're leaving?" She asked couriously, after calming down a little.

"Yea. ... Oh were you waiting for that guy to come back?" 'That guy' For some reason he felt like he was betraying Martin somehow, by saying the guy's name.

"No ... I'm ready.Let's go." They started walking towards the front entrance. "Did you ask him what was wrong?Why he hasen't been talking to us?"

"Yea." He replied simply.

"And?" Ruthie snapped playfuly.

"He didn't answer me." He was being honest.

"Oh." They walked in silence for a few second's, until Mac started laughing. "What?"

"It's funny." He said, while turning to her with a smile spread across his face.

"What is?" She asked coutiously.

"Well you were worried that we would be here picking up on girls. And then -" Ruthie cut him off before he could finish.

"I was not picking up on Vincent ... he came up to me!" Ruthie shouted, her cheeks turning a light shade of pink. He just shook his head and kept laughing. Ruthie felt her cheeks begin to heat up, and a small smile appeared on her face.She laughed an embarrassed laugh as Mac continued to tease her, and they walked out of the mall.