Thank you again XxAniketosxX, Tinkies, Wynter Nytes for your reviews. They were awesome. Also thank you to callandra, xnightxtiger, Edwards-Cullen-bebe501, XOlovelyladybugXO, Cravedkid, and SunlitMercy for your reviews. Anyway this is a little shorter then the other chapters, but oh well.

Thank you again for reading. If you have any question or comment don't hesitate to ask and please review.

Chapter 4

I counted the many teeny-tiny bumps in the plaster on the ceiling, trying to get some sleep. I wanted sleep. I needed to sleep. I could feel the bags under my eyes. My leg muscles were still a little sore from walking, nearly running, the whole damn length of the Boardwalk. I gave up counting. I tossed to my side then turned to my other side. My light pink bed sheets became entwined with my legs making me feel constricted. I flipped over on my stomach and buried my head underneath my pillow. I heard the faint tick-tocking of my alarm clock from its place on my dresser. I suddenly sat up on to my knees, lifting my pillow over my head and slamming it back down on my mattress in frustration.

Damn her. Damn Him.

Stephanie Copper was a bitch with a Ralph Lauren handbag. How can that blond bitch trample on my brothers feelings like that? I could still see into my mind's eye the look on Jason's face. It was sad and pathetic, a cross between a bagging kitten and a teary eye look of Bambi deer about to be slaughtered. That was the only time I saw that look on his face. He must have deflated a lot of his pride as a man to ask me to help him. How could I say no to him? This chick had him wrapped around her well-manicure pinkie figure and all she to him were a couple of words. What he said to me was he met the 'girl of his dreams' in the school library. At the time, I didn't know who this chick was. I was imaging a quiet, geeky, bookworm type girl in glasses. The type of girl you bring home to meet the folks and your sister.

I told him to be himself. Cliché' advise, but it works wonders. No person should pretend to be something they're not to make a relationship work. I mean, if the guy your dating is an alien from planet Vulcan wouldn't you like to know. I told him to talk to the girl and have fun flirting because you don't know if the person you're talking to will backstab you later. Live in the moment and the romance.

Weeks went by and Jason was falling more. He changed in those weeks. He was literary walking on sunshine. He was the happiest I ever seen him. I was happy for him. He got self confidence that he never had in high school, being the nerdy guy everyone picked on. Gone were the holey shirts with grease stains from cooking and three-sizes- to-big jean and was replaced by dress shirts and tight, ripped jeans. His still wore his glasses and his hair was still a mess. He got a swagger in his step and a whistle on his lips. He was happy and I was happy for him. Till, I found out that the 'girl of his dreams' was The Stephanie Copper, Miss Queen Bee of Joel Schumacher High School.

Blondie is a bitch and known a two timer. Her first victim was Mark Hamilton. Mark Hamilton was the 'cool dude' on campus in sophomore year. He was fun and charming. Girls wanted to date him, guys wanted to be him. If I didn't have my sight set on Corey at the time, I could have easily dated him. Blondie transfers in from god-knows-where two months into the school year. Popularity wise, she had no hope to climb very high on the food chain. The first thing she did was hook up with the Head bitch's boyfriend, Mark. In just a few short weeks, she took the Queen Bee crown from Jessica Meyer and her boyfriend. Turning Jessica's once perfect image of being little miss perfect into one that belong to a Los Vegas whore. Back then, in the gladiatorial area known as Joel Schumacher High School time were tough and toughs were as viscous as ever. A lot of girl's reps were trashed and lifetimes of images were broken. It was a miracle I survived with my status in check, especially after the incident with Corey.

Life went on and Stephanie got bored with Mark. In the middle of sophomore year, Stephanie had a one night stand with a college frat-boy on a couch in the middle of a party. Mark dumped her ass on the spot. I thought for sure when Mark dumped her, she would lose her crown. When Monday rolled around, Blondie was smelling like a rose and held her statues, while Mark lost all his and he smelled like trash. Now, no girl in the school wants to date him for fear of the wrath of the Bitch Queen.

A lot of mystery and rumors surround Stephanie's next victim, Cesar Romero. The true facts of the case are this; at the start of this school year he and Blondie were dating publicly. Three months in the relationship, I found out Cesar was for a fact cheating on her with a quiet girl named Veronica and Blondie was also cheating on him in turn with another college frat boy. After five months of dating, Cesar Romero was found dead, mauled to death by some kind of dog, under the Boardwalk. There are a lot of rumors that Blondie got a hit on him or that she sicked her man-eating poodle on him, but as I said they are just rumors.

I found out Stephanie was dating Jason the hard way; at school using the grapevine. People were starting to suck up to me more than usually. Stephanie came out and said she had a new college boyfriend that she was going heavy with and that she met at the library. She started talking to me more and asking after my brother. I did the math. 2+2 = Oh God, Jason is dating Stephanie.

I could see why I was mad at Blondie and losing sleep because of her. Why was I losing sleep because of him? That David guy. So he pissed me off by dumping water on me. I should not be this mad at him. I shouldn't be mad that he tried flirting with me with fake yawning move or the time he caught me from falling when those head-bangers pushed me. I really didn't mind his arm being there or when I was pressed up against him when he caught me. It felt really nice with that comforting weight on my shoulders. It felt right. It's weird that the mix of Malboros cigs and whatever cologne he uses was comforting to me, made me calm. I regret bursting out with giggles and unnerving him a bit. I would have liked if his arm stayed around my shoulders a little while longer than it did. But why was I mad at him? Wait, was I misreading anger for….sexual frustration? Crap. I really need to clear my head. Something to drink might help.

I haphazardly got out of bed and dragged my pink pajama bottom self to my door. I dragged myself down the hallway. In my half-asleep state I was rudely awaken by noises coming from first floor of the house. I bolted up right and stopped all unnecessary movement. Growls and grunts and a faint ripping noise came from within the kitchen. Did some raccoons brake in again or was it bigger than a raccoon? It sounded bigger than a raccoon. It also sounded meaner than one and raccoons are really mean when they want to be. I slowly inched my way to the hall closet near the stairs. I reached in blindly grapping for my Dad's wooden Louisville Slugger. I didn't close the closet door in fear of creating too much noise. I creped down the stairs with the bat in my hand, gripping it like I would attack my own shadow. I slowly tip-toed my way to the kitchen. I stopped just before turning into the kitchen taking slow breaths to calm my nerves. The lights were off inside the kitchen I quickly turn into the kitchen with the bat high over my head, ready to strike. I turned on the light switch and I came face to face with …

Jason. Not Friday the 13th Jason, like I was expecting. But Jason, my weird older brother who was half naked and hunched over, devouring a raw pot roast. There was cow blood everywhere on the while tiled floor to his hands on his hands, arms, and mouth. There cow flesh under his finger nails and some spattered on the open fridge. He gurgles and grunted as he ripped off chunks of raw meat and ate them. I lowered the bat and I let it hang at my side. I stood there staring at him for a good 3 minutes. He didn't even notice me; his whole focus was on that piece of meat. I slowly walk around him and stood in front of him. All of a sudden He stopped eating the pound of meat and looked at it. He wore a disgusted look on his face and stood up. He dropped the roast onto the floor and without even noticing me made his way to the sink and threw up in it. I placed the baseball bake on the kitchen table in the center of the room and I stood behind him.

"Are you okay," I asked loudly breaking the silence.

"JAMIE," he jumped around and leaned back in the counter. He wore that surprise look on his face like I caught him doing something wrong. The only other time I was that look on his face is when I caught him masturbating for the first time.

"Jason, what are you doing to that pot roast," I asked causally.

"What? Me? Oh….ah…umm….Mom wanted me to seasons it," he lied through his teeth.

"She wanted you to season it with your saliva," I asked him with one eyebrow arched.

"Ah…Yeah. You know, I like to put myself in the cooking," he lied again wiping the blood his hand on his shirt, that he quickly realize that he wasn't wearing any. He dropped his hands and was swiftly walking to the kitchen's entrance.

"Remind me, never to eat anything you cook, Ok," I said as my one eyebrow arched more with each passing second.

"Ok, well, I'm off to take a bath and to clean this mess up. Oh by the way, Stephanie and a couple of my friends are coming over for dinner on Friday. Just giving you a heads up. Goodnight," he jabbered out as he swiftly exited the kitchen. He said it so quickly that I only really heard Blondie's name. What to do about that? Should I tell him about her? I would want the same said to me if I was in Jason's shoes.

"Wait, Jason, can I ask you something," I yelled after him. I caught up to him when he was at the top of the stairs and I was at the bottom.

"Sure, I guess, shoot," He said with a nervous grin on his face. What question would I ask make him this nervous?

"Well, you see, I saw…" I started. Ok Jamie, you can do this. You can tell him. You can break your poor brother's fragile heart.

"What is it," he spat out growing impatient at my stammering.

"Do you love her," I said quickly. Jamie, you are the biggest coward in the world.

"Huh," he said with a very confused look on his face.

"Stephanie! Do you love Stephanie," I said getting frustrated with my own words.

"Well, I guess. I never really thought about it," he said with a daze look on his face and a goofy grin. Oh fuck, he really is in love. Poor Jason. It took him awhile to get that look off his face and give me a serious answer. "I guess I do. I feel this need to be with her. I'm drawn to her, like it's built into me to be around her and protect her. I don't know."

"Alright. That's enough. I get it. Take your bath, 'night," I quickly stammered out all the while looking at my feet and not at Jason.

"'Night," I hear him say before he walked down the hallway on the second floor and into the bath room. I heard the faucet to the tub turn on and the sound of rushing water. I slowly backed away from the stairs and shuffled my feet into the living room. I lean on the back of the couch for a minute then slowly slid down it, crumbling to my knees. I wrapped by arm around my knees. What the fuck am I going to do? Do I tell him? I can't tell him it will break his heart, but wouldn't his heart break when he finds out for himself?