Fooboo24: Yay! Congratulations! I'll go to your wedding! :D

Ayara012: Is you fic up yet? Yes, I play LoZ, except I'm stuck on the very last stage of ST! Argh!

I realized the last time I updated was on one of my best friend's birthday...

Wow, finally, an update!

Chapter 5: Are You A Virgin?

Are you kidding me? Here I was, staring at my brother's unconscious body. For the first minute, I was frozen and unable to move. It couldn't be. It just couldn't. He was slumped in the sand, short dark brown hair sticking up in different directions. The grains tangled through his thick hair and framed his twisted body.

On his forehead sported a purple spot, a noticeable bruise that was as if hurting him. He slighty writhed in pain. Etched on his face was a dazed expression – and also a little confused.

Holy crap.

Poor guy. A bloody nose looked broken, bent to the side in a way that would leave a scar in my brain. Shuddering at the image, I finally knelt down and lightly brushed his cheek. Sand scattered to the sides, a few imprints of my feet appeared. I listened for his breathing, blocking out the frustrated noises behind. There it was, ragged and barely audible. How long would it take for him to recover?

I felt like crying.

I then groaned at the sight of his rectangular glasses. They broken right in half. Falling off his face, the lens was barely hanging out of the green frame. Great. Now I had to buy a new pair. Considering his expensive taste, it would be a two thousand gold kind of pair.

I don't have the money.

Leaning down, I muttered, "You idiot." I immediately took action. Inside, I was panicking. Oh my goddess, will he have a concussion? Using my arms to heave him up, I thought about how he could have been knocked unconscious. The only possible way was if he was hit by something...but what could have struck him? The beach was like empty except for one huge rock and... Denny's house...

Common sense led me to one answer: Denny – especially since he was lying outside of Denny's house, and because the rock was all the way on the other side of the beach.

I turned to glower at the man with the purple bandanna. I tried not to change my stare towards the helpless girl clutching his right arm. Denny must had done something. My brother was found outside his house, and he was looking pretty damn guilty. I growled, "Denny..."

As if he was expecting my outburst, he cut me off, "Okay, so I may have accidentally hit him when I opened the door!" Denny's big brown eyes lowered to the ground.

Shuddering at the thought of my brother being fully hit in the face by a door, I stopped trying to hold him in my arms. I was too weak, for Goddess' sake. All I bluntly said was, "Thanks."

Then squeezing his eyes tightly, he cried, "I'm so sorry, Chelsea!" Clenching his fists together, he winced and ran to my side. "Is he okay?"

Lanna whimpered the slightest, and then a low growl escaped from my throat. My brother's life is more important than allowing her to follow us around like a puppy dog.

"What do you think?" I snapped at him. Then I stood straight. Don't take your anger out on Denny. It's not going to help anyone. Pushing a strand of brown out of my eyes, I took a deep breath and spoke, trying to keep my voice calm. "He's unconscious. We have to bring him to my house."

Denny nodded, his curls bouncing. "Okay."

I bent with Denny to lay him in our arms. I carried his head and shoulders, while Denny carried his underside.

Together, we carried him down the rocky path. I struggled not to drop my brother's heavy frame, while Denny acted like he did this kind of thing every day. Stupid muscular men. If I dropped my brother, his skull would be skewered with sharp tiny rocks and we'd really have to rush him to the city. I didn't want to ride to the city; it would use too much money and I doubted I could even afford a doctor at the moment.

Then, to break the silence, Denny said, "Hey, okay, so I opened the door, right? Then, then I heard a thud and I was like, "Whoa!" And then I turned around and there he was, like there on the ground, knocked out! So like, Lanna came out and started screaming, and I was so scared, so I ran up to your farm and got you!" He smiled sheepishly. "Yeah, that's the story."

And I believed him. There wasn't proof that he was lying, and I was convinced that I was still totally in love with him. I said, "Oh, I see..." Then hesitated. Out of my mouth slipped out, "It's okay." For a moment, I had no idea what I just said. But after briefly thinking about it, I thought, I actually forgive him. It's okay!

We ran into Natalie along the way. "Hi Natalie," I jutted my chin towards her.

Natalie, who stared at him in horror and said, "Holy shit," paid no attention to my greeting. Her jaw hung open. I don't think she could even take a peek at the bloody nose either.

"Uh...yeah." I nodded grimly. She ran to get bandages from Chen. Apparently he had some. "I'll be back at your house in a little while!"

Worriedly, I wondered if everything would be okay. When we reached my house and I unlocked my door single-handed, Denny asked, "How old is this kid again?"

Pushing it open, I replied, "Fifteen." He was seven years younger than me, yet he was taller by an inch. It bothered me that my brother was shooting up so fast while I had already hit the stage of not growing anymore.

"Here, carry him by yourself," I ordered, rushing inside to run hot water in the tub. Maybe if he recovered in the next ten minutes or so, he could soak in that fiery feeling water.

Arms hooked under shoulders, Denny dragged my brother inside. After quickly glancing around, he laid him on the dull green couch without hesitation. Uncomfortably he was at his feet at my brother's side, not moving or saying anything.

"Does he look okay?" I asked him. He hadn't told me what he thought about the incident yet. From the drawers in the bathroom, I also grabbed some white cloths.

"I don't know Chels, he looks pretty beaten up…." His voice called from the other room. Frowning, I dipped a cloth in the steaming water. The frothy liquid was warm under my hand, and I was nearly tempted to jump in the tub. I could use a break. But I stood and wrung out the cloth.

When I walked over to my brother and Denny, I said, "No thanks to you." Laying the wet cloth on his head, I examined his bloody nose.

"Yo, I said I was sorry!" Denny threw his hands up in the air. He turned away and plopped down on my fluffy green duvet covered bed. Much to my discomfort, he lay down, sighing in aggravation. "I don't understand." Closing his eyes, for a moment, he looked peaceful. Denny was peaceful, and here I was, scared out of my wits because of my brother.

Bewildered, I considered asking him why. But instead I snapped, "You don't understand why you're lying on my bed? Wow. Okay." Personally, I thought he looked at place sitting on my bed. Like he...belonged there, and everything was natural. However, that was just me and my sick minded thoughts.

"No!" He shouted, and my hand paused. Then he sighed again and said, "I don't understand what's happening in my life so far."

You tell me this now? This is really not the time.

I resumed caring for my brother. With another cloth, I dabbed at his bloody nose. Unfortunately, I couldn't bring myself to look straight at it. Red dots of blood stained the white, bright and daunting. At the metallic smell, I gagged. It was fresh while at the same time, lingering and starting to dry up. "Good to know," I said sarcastically.

When I glanced over at him, he was wincing. "Sorry, I shouldn't really be talking right now," he apologized, his eyes opening. I could see the swirling emotion of regret, mixed in there, longing. I frowned.

Leaving my brother on that couch with the rag dumbly on his head, I say, "Mhm…" Walking over to the sink, I wondered what he was talking about. Why would he talk about whatever he was saying now, out of all times? My hands grabbed a glass from the sink. The smooth surface met my fingers. Picking up the water jug then tilting it so water poured in, I said, "It's okay, go ahead."

As if he were expecting my answer, he replied, "It's just that Lanna has been pushing me about sex since our wedding night, but I really don't want to…" His face barely flushed as he slid off the bed, into a sitting position. His large hands rested on his knees.

My hands scrambled to have a grip on my glass and the water jug once again. "W-what?" Cheeks burning, I raised the glass to my lips, and a mouthful of water flooded in my mouth. Swallowing it, I wiped my clammy hands against my yellow shirt. Then I choked, and coughed.

Truthfully, he said, "I mean, she's good in bed and all, but there's something about her…I don't know."

…I think my best friend has momentarily forgotten that I am a girl.

He continued on, oblivious to my expression. Eyes fixed on the orange carpet, "Like, she was wearing a sexy lingerie and-"

"HEY!" I yelled, suddenly jumped over to my brother and covered his ears. With a scowl, I said, "Don't say anymore! Tyler is a virgin!" At least, I thought my fifteen year old brother was a virgin… Teenagers these days, you never know about them.

But I'm a virgin too…

Denny, totally taking my statement in the wrong way, said to me, "Are you saying that you're not a virgin?" Suspiciously he glared at me, mouth pursed in a wondering expression. Arms crossed over his chest.

I stammered uncontrollably, words a jumble. "V-v-vir…g-g-gin…N-n-o-o…O-o-g-g-o-d-dess…" My whole body felt heated in embarrassment. To think Denny would even suggest such a thing! I couldn't say anything. This is humiliating.

"Is there something you're not telling me?" He demanded, rising from his seat. While his face had the image of a pissed off look, there was humour tied within it. Hands fell to the side. My heart was pounding, loud enough for the beat to reach my ears.

After taking another shaky sip of water, I yelled, "I'm a virgin, alright?" Shaking my head, I walked back to Tyler and muttered, "Why do you care, anyways?" The blood had returned to his cheeks a pale rosy colour. Breathing was growing steadier by the minute. I smiled. Maybe a little rest was all he needed. Except for his broken glasses and bruise on the forehead, maybe all would be well.

"Why do I care?" Denny asked. I froze. Did he actually hear that? Chuckling, Denny opened his mouth once again to answer.

Then Natalie barged in and said, "I got the bandages!" Thank you so much, Natalie, for interrupting us. In her hands were a medium-sized Ziploc, with sticky strips of peachy brown inside. She rushed over to me, opening the plastic bag.

Relief washed over me. I honestly didn't want Denny to answer that question.

As I smeared the cream on wherever I could see Tyler had been hurt in anyway, I failed to notice that Denny had left the building.

More reviews give me more inspirations!

Hey, by the way, me and my two friends HarvestMoonLuv and rongirl98 have published a story together! (Wizard x Molly) It's under the name LollipopHarvestGirl98. Be sure to check out our story! Please and thank you. :D

~diego