Hello! Sorry it took me a while to update again. But here is the last chapter for you all. This is the first one of all those stories that are close to their endings that I'm finishing.

I know this story was quite boring and nothing really happened. But it's also my first friends- story and this is an idea I came up with so I hope you liked it anyway.

And here we go. The last chapter. The one where Emma realizes.

On the last day of the first week back in school my dad drove me and Ethan to school. Right up to the doors. Ethan said goodbye to dad and held on to share some knowledge about math or science or whatever they talked about. I just got straight out of the car. And after not having said a word to them all morning. Without another word I stepped out of the car, threw the door closed after me and walked up to the school. Where Keena and Michelle waited right outside the doors.

"Isn't Lily here with you?"

Keena (Who was wearing another new dress today) only shrugged. Michelle shook her head. And I couldn't fail to notice the look on her face that she was better than anyone else in this school- not that she wasn't always wearing that look though.

"Haven't seen her no. But I can see that you're wearing your new sweater today."

I looked down on my sweater and nodded slightly. Then just as I walked into the school I turned and saw Ethan stepping out of dad's car.

At least he hadn't done it ten seconds ago. Keena and Michelle wouldn't know or be asking about why we had been riding to school together.

"Hey Lily." I finally saw my best friend in the hallway by her locker. "Lily?"

"Really? Am I good enough to talk to right now?"

It was only barely more than a mumble. But it punched right into my heart when I heard what my BFF said to me. I tried to say something but couldn't figure what. Lily took her stuff and walked away from me without turning back. And before I had figured what to do she was out of my sight.

"What's up with her?" Michelle snorted and turned to me. "Don't care about her Ella. We can do without that kind of people. And by the way. We need to go shopping again today. You need some bottoms to go with that sweater. Something different from those."

Michelle nodded towards the boyfriend- style jeans I was wearing with the sweater I had gotten yesterday. These were my favorites and I had always thought they looked pretty nice. But then of course. Michelle was more into fashion than I was and I was barely into fashion at all so I should probably trust her on this.

"Come on Ella. We've got French next and as you know, Mr. Beauvau is hot. We don't even have to do our work. We just have to talk about that and watch him during the whole class…"

Michelle laughed as she walked away with Keena. I didn't even care correcting her about my name- she had probably not gotten it by now and was only calling me by the wrong name to annoy me.

On the other side of the hallway I could see Keena's brother Troy by his locker. Our eyes met for a split second before I walked away towards the French classroom. And I could see how distressed he looked towards his little sister.

Keena was wearing a new dress today too.

I tried to ignore the way he looked while I followed Michelle and Keena.

To me it sounded like Michelle was still referring to Keena as "Kai"

Some time she would have to start calling us by our actual names. And I could hear Keena had given up on correcting her as well. In fact, Keena was quieter than I had ever experienced her before.

My second best friend who was usually full of spunk, talked back to everyone, came with jokes that she herself laughed at the most before she even finished telling them. And had pretended fights with her brother that could be heard all over the hallway until they were both laughing so hard they couldn't hold the mask anymore.

I barely heard her saying a single word before lunch.

"What are they doing?"

In the cafeteria at lunch Keena had bought a salad and drinking water. I had bought a sandwich. Michelle had spent the last fifteen minutes of science class explaining calories and how we'd get fat sooner or later if we kept on eating like we had before. When we came to the line for lunch none of us felt like buying French Fries or pizza.

I could see the football team walking by in the corner of my eye. But I was trying to look away. In the same direction Lily and Ethan sat by one table and refused to even look up and in my direction.

I didn't look up before Keena asked that one question. And what I did see then…

For every guy of the football team that passed Ethan, and they all did. Each one of them pushed him from the back and called out an insult.

"Nerd."

"Loser."

"Nerd."

"Nerd."

"Loser."

Most of them couldn't come up with very creative ones. That's why almost all of them used the same. But obviously there was one who remembered the shirt he'd been wearing earlier this week.

"Stupid little brother."

My little brother.

"SHUT UP."

The rest of the cafeteria went silent as a stone at my shout. Not that there were a lot of people here bit each and every one of them had silent and turned to me. Then, while I was still standing people started turning back to their meals and friends. But I had frozen and didn't know what to do or say.

"What are you doing Ella?" Michelle asked me, getting my name wrong as usual. "Just sit down again. Leave them be."

I glanced back towards the table where Lily and Ethan sat with their lunch. None of them were eating, only sitting leaned back in their chairs staring towards their trays on the table. When yet another jock pushed Ethan's chair so he almost fell I wanted to rip him into pieces.

"Why even care about them? They're only losers anyway."

In the same moment as Michelle commented again Lily looked up. I was still standing and as her eyes met mine I suddenly realized for real what it was that I had been doing.

And that was letting Michelle. Just another new girl, get in between me and everything that I loved.

"She's my best friend."

It was only barely more than a whisper while Lily and I were still looking into each other's eyes. Then she broke loose and looked down again. While memories of the last few days filled my head.

"Well not anymore."

Then who was my best friend would Michelle think?

Lily had been by my side when I broke my leg when we were ten and helped me with everything I needed. No matter how much I bossed her around she had kept on doing everything I needed help with.

Lily had helped me with every single piece of French homework. I hated French and was terrible at it. She never let me copy hers but she did help me.

Lily was the one who had stayed up the whole night for our sleepover when we watched a scary movie. That our parents had forbid us to watch. And then couldn't sleep.

Lily had protected me against bullies three times her size.

Lily and I had been friends since we were in diapers. We had laughed together, cried and dried each other's tears, we had complained about our own and the other's parents. We had ran away when we didn't get what we want and gone straight up to a police man half a block away when we couldn't find our way back. We watched our favorite movies and series, read our favorite books and drooled over the hot actors, listened to the same music and admired Pink and Simple Plan for every single thing they did and said.

We had literally done everything together- including going to the toilet during the stomach flu.

And now what did I do?

"And they're not doing anything to her. Only to that silly guy who is again wearing a dinosaur shirt. And why would you care about that? You don't even know him."

"YES I DO." I shouted at her. "He's my brother."

I think it were only Michelle and Keena, but it felt like the whole world had gone silent around me as soon as I had let it be heard. Keena didn't look too surprised or anything but Michelle couldn't look more surprised if I told her Bigfoot was my dad.

"Well, you haven't been a very good sister then lately. When you've been saying you don't even know him."

I looked back towards the table where Ethan and Lily had started eating again. Then I looked down on my own sandwich and cookie. And at last up at Keena and Michelle. Michelle still looking at me if I was stupid.

"You know what?" I took my tray. "You're right."

Without another word I turned around and left the chair empty. With my head held high I walked through the cafeteria, put the tray down with a bang in between Lily and Ethan's places and then sat down while the both of them stared at me.

"What?" I sat down. "Have you never seen a girl sitting down next to you to eat before?"

"Yes but…" Lily started. "But why?"

In the same moment as she asked I stood up again, pulled the sweater I had bought yesterday off and threw it on Keena.

"Here." I tried to ignore how much it hurt to know that Keena probably would choose her new friends in front of us. "You can have it. It's not exactly my style." I turned on my heel again and went to sit down by Lily and Ethan. "So. What are you up to?"

Lily and Ethan only stared back at me as if they had seen a ghost. Then all of a sudden Keena came sitting down on the opposite side of the table from me and they both sat turning from one side to another not sure what to look at.

"Hi. I'm Keena." Keena held out her hand to Ethan. "And you're Emma's brother. Who are you? Except for the guy in the shirt with the dinosaur print or little brother print?"

"I'm Ethan." Ethan's shook her hand. "Very nice to meet you."

He was smiling. But I noticed the hesitant look in his eyes as he looked towards me as if he was afraid I would suddenly start shouting at him that he was the worst brother ever and I hated him. I couldn't stand the thought of him believing that, which it actually made sense after what I'd been doing the past few days. So instead I turned to Keena.

"Why are you sitting here? You're not the type of person who would just leave a friend behind." I looked backwards and saw Michelle sitting there alone without eating anything. "Now, I kind of feel bad for her? She looks so alone over there?"

"Well, you guys are my best friends. And I can't believe I let her take over. She's rude. She won't accept me for who I am and she keeps on thinking my name is Kai. What type of friend is that? And now… What did I buy this salad for? I hate salad."

"Hey guys. Can I sit here with you?"

I and Lily half pushed half jumped with our chairs in each direction when Troy came around and pulled a chair from another table over to ours. He put his tray down on the table in between ours and sat.

"You guys looked like you had a good time here. I thought I could join you."

Well I certainly didn't have anything against Troy Capanee joining our table. When he gazed around the table and his eyes met mine my heart was beating so hard I could hear the blood streaming in my ears.

"Troy…" Keena started, it did sound like she wanted something. "Michelle kept on saying if I ate like I usually would I'd get fat. So then I bought a salad. But Michelle isn't here and I hate salad. But I have no more money. Can I have some of yours? I'm hungry."

"I have no money left."

Troy, chewing on his sandwich wasn't being serious. So I could see on the way he forced away a smirk while his eyes glittered.

"Oh puh- lease. We all know you always buy the cheapest possible to have money to save all you can. Please Troy. I hate salad. I want pizza and French Fries."

"You could eat like a horse sister. Now eat what you bought."

Keena sighed and looked down on the salad she had bought. I was way too curious about what any of the two siblings would say next to eat my own food. And the next Keena looked up on Troy with her best puppy-eyes.

"Please Troyie please? Pretty… pretty…"

"Oh come on." Keena smirked when Troy pulled up his wallet from his jeans pocket. Pulled out a few bills and reached them to his little sister. Keena didn't even thank him, but smirked back before she stood up, took the box with salad in one hand and then made her way back to buy whatever food that wasn't salad.

"None of us can tell her no when she's looking like that." Troy put the wallet back in his pockets. "And she's going to keep the change I bet you. Now… Lily I've met. And Emma… and you are?" He turned to Ethan.

"Ethan Geller- Green…" He hesitated for a bit. "Emma's brother."

"I didn't know you had a brother Emma… I'm Troy. Keena's youngest older brother."

I suppressed a moan. The only thing missing now was that what I had done and said the past few days would continue to interfere with the relationships in between me and my friends.

Hoping that Troy wouldn't care about it or mention it again. I remembered back to the first day of freshman year when he had been showing us around school. And how I hadn't remembered a thing afterwards since I'd only been watching Troy falling head over heels in love.

And so I had been since then for the last year. So many times I had wanted to ask him out. Every once in a while it did seem a tiny little bit as if he liked me too. But of course, I was only a sophomore and he a senior. I was only his little sister's best friend.

Then I hadn't dared to ask him out. If he liked me wouldn't he though? As a guy, shouldn't he be the first to take a step forward?

But as he right now sat right next to me and watched and laughed as Keena came back with a plate full of all kinds of junk food I was so close- so close to asking.

Then I hesitated again and turned to my food. I couldn't. I just couldn't.

Although…

If I had just stood up to Michelle the way I had I could probably do anything.

Plus, I was showing everybody I was big sister to the biggest nerd of the whole school. And if I had to stand up against bullies twice my size I couldn't say I cared about it.

"Hey Troy…" I was speaking so quietly almost nobody except for Troy heard me- then of course Ethan on my other side. "…I was wondering if you… some time… would want to go out with me… like have dinner or something? I think you're good at math but I am not so maybe you could help me."

I regretted it in the same second as I had said that last. If I was Troy in this moment I would run as fast as I could in the opposite direction. And for a moment it felt like what he should do. And I had destroyed every chance I would ever have of having a boyfriend and…

"Sure. I'd like that."

"What?"

"I said sure I'd like that. It's only math right? I can help you with it?"

At first I felt disappointed- no, of course it wasn't just about math. Then I saw the way he was smirking at me and couldn't help but to go with it.

"Yes of course. Only about math."

"Do you know what?" Suddenly Keena flew onto her feet at the other side of the table. "I hate wearing this dress. I hate it. I'm just going to my locker and change, I have some other clothes there."

She walked around the table, at first I wondered why she just didn't take the way closer to her then she leaned down and mumbled into my ear.

"Emma and Troy, sitting in a tree…"

"Come on Kee. Are you five years old?"

Troy had turned and started talking to Ethan about something…

I knew Troy liked dinosaurs so I could probably have guessed. I just couldn't bother to eavesdrop. These two were such geniuses I'd probably all lost within twenty seconds of their conversation. Instead I turned to Lily.

"….I'm sorry."

I would have wanted to say more, explained what I had done and give some lousy excuse of why. But I couldn't think of anything and just waited for what felt like hours before Lily answered.

Those million years were probably not even ten seconds.

"I'm sorry too. I shouldn't have left you alone like that. And maybe I should have told you how everything of what you did looked like from my point of view. Maybe I could have stopped… this. Instead of only being mad because you… well…"

"Acted like an asshole?"

We could probably keep saying sorry back and forth the both of us forever. And Lily seemed to sense that too because she took another bite of her sandwich and didn't say anything else. Few words have been exchanged in between us. But they were enough and I felt a million pounds lighter than I had ten minutes ago.

Even lighter when I saw that when Keena coming back she had let her hair out and was dressed in her usual clothes in forms of baggy camo pants, a black T-shirt with a logo of the band Ramones and sneakers.

And then that stupid song…

"KEENA IS… A PUNKROCKER KEE…"

"MISS CAPANEE…"

"Sorry Mrs. Lewis. I wasn't thinking about what I was doing." Keena shouted back at the cafeteria lady. "Finally…." She sat back down in her place and blinked at me. "You like…"

"That went very fast." Troy commented as if that wasn't already obvious for us all. "Keena. Please tell me you didn't…"

"Change my clothes and stripped in the middle of the hallway?" Keena interrupted. "Of course I did. What was I supposed to do? Lock myself in the bathroom to do it?" She raised an eyebrow. "God I love these clothes. The first thing I'm going to do coming home today is to throw all of those dresses in the trash."

"But if you hate dresses so much…" Lily tried- I didn't have to wonder. "Why did you buy them in the first place?"

I and Keena only looked back with a meaning look towards her.

She didn't have to ask again. We could both see her glance behind us and towards the dark, curly- haired girl sitting alone by the window.

"You are weird you know that." Troy commented as Keena took a handful of French Fries and put them all into her mouth at once. "All those things that would be so embarrassing for everybody else and they're just a part of who you are. You just don't care…" Keena shook her head and laughed still with her mouth full. "Disgusting… Sometimes I just can't understand how you are my favorite sister."

"I'm your only sister."

"And I'm your favorite brother. Aren't I?" For this Keena had to think for a minute- she had four brothers in total and Troy gasped pretending to be hurt and laid a hand over his heart. "I just gave you all my money for buying junk food."

"Yeah well… When Parker visits he always brings me…"

What her oldest brother might bring her when he came from Ohio to visit we never heard. Troy got up on his feet and started his favorite thing when he pretended to be angry with his little sister- tickling her.

"Well…" I looked to Ethan when I saw how great friends Troy and Keena were despite Keena trying to run away from him-. They both seemed to have forgotten all about that they were in the cafeteria that was full of people. "If I can say it after all of what I did… I do know for certain that you're my favorite brother."

"I'm also you're only brother… Well, only brother except for Ben who's only our half-brother then."

Ethan didn't seem to have let go of everything I had said lately. His voice was dry and dark. I could feel my throat closing up as if on my way to start crying. And I certainly didn't want that.

"Look Ethan. I'm sorry…"

"EMMA." Keena came screaming towards me and grabbed my chair as if to hide behind that. "No Troy… No…" She let go and ran away from Troy again to avoid being tickled. "I HATE YOU. YOU'RE DEFINITELY NOT MY FAVORITE BROTHER NOW."

I couldn't help but laugh watching them, I didn't say sorry again for what I had done but I could see a smile forming on Ethan's lip and when I turned back our eyes looking into each other's spoke more than words ever could.

"Oh dear…" Keena fell and accidentally pulled a chair over herself. "KEENA? Are you okay?"

"TAKE THAT BACK AND SAY THAT I'M YOUR FAVORITE BROTHER."

"NO. I LIKE DAWSON AND DRAKE AND PARKER BETTER THAN YOU. ALL OF THEM."

I guess she was fine!

While people in the whole cafeteria were turning around to spot who on earth was shouting Troy was letting all of those people go and tickling his sister so she screamed with laughter.

"Well. To say something about the Capanee's…" I started to Ethan and Lily while the two were going on. "They're certainly not shy."

"Not at all." Lily agreed. Then she turned slightly and looked towards Michelle. "I think that she thinks this is pretty embarrassing. And she regrets ever having been friends with that one." She nodded towards Keena who was just sitting up while Troy sat next to her on the floor. Both of them laughing so hard they couldn't go on.

Once again I and Ethan only looked to each other as the drama eased. Ethan held out his hand and I shook it. Then none of us could quite help it…

Fist bump, his fist on mine, mine on his, back of hands towards each other, front, high five.

"So upon everything." I heard Michelle commenting. "As if the rest wasn't enough you've got a stupid secret handshake. I'm so happy I'm not friends with you." She turned on her heel and went to sit down by some of the more popular girls a bit away.

And trying to ignore how childish I stuck my tongue out at her while she had her back turned against us.

Ethan snorted with laughter. Something that I hadn't heard in what felt like a million years.

"Come on now Ethan. We can't forget the big finale. Everybody knows that means I love you in dinosaur and I love you little brother."

With that we clawed our hands and went "rawr"

I suddenly remembered though. If I and Troy were ever going to meet up after school it might not happen for a while. After all, I still didn't know how long my parents wanted to keep me grounded for.

Well, first week of sophomore year in high school seem to have ended well at last. But here's the end. I hope you liked it.

Random fact

It's unlikely Keena or her brother's will ever return in any stories. The reason I added their names (except for Troy) is that I'm quite fascinated with names. And how different kinds of people likes different kinds of names. So I named them and figured who's the oldest and such. Never say never but they're probably not ever going to be a story again.

One more- I actually completely forgot about Ben and wrote that Ethan said that he is Emma's only brother. So then I added that he said that after all Ben is "only" their half-brother.

Oldest to youngest

-Parker
-Dawson (twin)
-Drake (twin)
-Troy
-Keena