Disclaimer: Don't own it.
You're a rose, and you're laughing now.
Everything that I own
Starts to pile up like bones
To make the walls of a prison.
Laid her on the bed.
Laid her on the bed.
I don't ever wanna go to bed.
Please stay up for the fight.
Bed- Brand New
Chapter Six (Justin)
He doesn't sleep. He lies still in bed, exaggerating his breathing, his eyes closed and he stays as far from her as possible on the bed. She joins him eventually, curling into herself and falling asleep after the sun's come up.
He turns to her then, when her breath is deep and steady and the sight of her tightens his chest. Makes it ache with something that he's been trying to deny.
He scoots toward her, tracing the curve of her cheek lightly with his fingers before tucking her hair behind her ear. It's longer than it's been in quite some time, hangs just above the hem of her shirt. It's curlier too, hasn't been straightened in days.
He smiles at her sadly. She looks like a little girl.
*****
Justin doesn't like Harper. And it's not because she's weird and makes him macaroni necklaces and picture frames out of popsicles sticks that she's meticulously colored with her new Crayola markers. Yeah, that's annoying. But what really bothers him is the fact that she took his sister away.
He knows that as her big brother he should be happy for Alex. She's always been special. And she's always had difficulty making friends. Sometimes because she's too bossy but Justin thinks it's because the other kids don't get her.
Part of him wishes they did. And another part (a much bigger part that often feels guilty) is glad that they don't. He understands her. She doesn't need anyone else to. Does she?
He glares petulantly at the pair of nine year old girls as they dance around the Sub Station. Alex never plays with him anymore. She only talks to him when she has something nasty to say. And he knows that he's eleven and he's getting older and most older siblings would be thankful that their younger siblings don't feel the need to be attached to their hip, but he isn't.
Maybe he isn't normal. Well, he knows he isn't. He's a wizard. He's extremely smart. He doesn't play sports (which a lot of boys in the neighborhood still tease him about). And well, he still wishes he and his sister were best friends.
Sometimes she'll look at him at dinner, and he knows that she wants the same thing.
He wishes she would realize that they aren't normal people.
*****
She's silent in the car.
He doesn't know whether to be thankful for this or not. He tightens his grip on the steering wheel until his knuckles are white when he sees her open her mouth. But she shakes her head and looks out the window instead.
He relaxes.
They've been in the car for over two hours and it's a miracle that she hasn't said anything, hasn't tried to coerce an answer out of him. If she stays silent the rest of the trip it will be the longest that she's gone without talking to him.
The idea makes him stomach churn.
She's either still mad at him (and he definitely doesn't blame her, he's been a complete dick lately, ignoring her calls and then dumping all of this on her) or she's planning something. Or both. And that's even worse. Alex's plans lead to very, very bad things.
"Justin?" She asks hesitantly, breaking the silence.
He lets out a quiet sigh of relief, glad that the tension in the car has been momentarily disrupted, it was beginning to stifle him, "Yeah?"
"Are you going to stay at the loft tonight? I mean, I know you haven't slept. It can't be very safe for you to drive back to Ithaca without any sleep."
He shrugs, trying to feign indifference.
She sighs impatiently and stares down at her hands, playing with the silver band on her right ring finger, a gift from their parents when she was confirmed. She only twirls it when she's aggravated, it's became a habit over the last five years.
He follows the movement for a moment, knowing he's the reason that it's spinning. He looks away quickly, before she can see him and before he ends up crashing the car.
"You should stay, Justin," she says twenty minutes later. "You need sleep. You need what, that, RAM sleep, right?"
He grins, "It's REM, you know, R E M, like that band dad really likes. And yeah, you do need it."
"Oh," she says lightly, her cheeks reddening slightly. She always tries to play off her mistakes, but he knows that it embarrasses her when she makes them, especially when she makes them in front of him.
They're quite again. She watches the world pass by and he focuses on the road, wanting to get her home safely and as soon as possible. He called their mom a few minutes after Alex woke up, telling his parents that he found Alex and that they would be home in a few hours. He glances at the clock. That was almost three hours ago. They should be back in the city soon.
"Mom would want you stay," she mutters, he isn't sure if she intended for him to answer but he replies.
"I know, Alex," he looks at her briefly and turns away when she tries to make eye contact.
She's louder the next time she talks and he knows he's meant to hear her words, "I want you stay."
He sighs heavily, "I'll stay, okay? Just for a few hours and then I have to get back to school. I can't always drop everything to come after you, okay? It's not fair to expect that from me, Alex."
She narrows her eyes at him, a new habit that he's grown used to the past few hours, "You can't come after me? You can't be around me? But you can waste your time slipping me potions?"
"Alex," he warns, gritting his teeth.
She sighs and plays with the ends of her hair, "Whatever," she huffs.
The rest of the trip passes in silence.
He carries her bag, watches her from the door of the Sub Station as she briefly accepts hugs from their mom and dad and barely listens as they reprimand her for running away. But he knows their disciplining is half hearted. The relief of having her home and safe outweighs any wrongdoing.
She rushes up the stairs to the loft.
He can't do this.
He won't be coming here anymore.
Happy Valentine's Day! The story will now be in Alex's POV unless otherwise indicated that the beginning of the chapter. Thank you so much for your reviews. Leave some more and let me know what you think! :)
