Chapter 3: Tessa

An alarm clock rang within the confines of one room in the second floor of the Yeager's household. It was still a quarter till five but the owner of that clock had gotten up no matter how sluggish she was in getting ready for yet another day. The one and only female of the family, Tessa Maxine Yeager yawned as she smoothed and tucked her blonde locks out of her face. Then, she fixed her dishevelled pajamas before deeming herself appropriate enough to do the first activity she had made a routine ever since she was small.

Tessa walked through the morning cold hallways of the house in a slow trudge. Her destination was not that far but time seems to stretch so it had felt like forever before she got there. Just a couple of steps from her own door, she now stood in front of another with initials carved from wood, hanging from it. 'RJY', the sign said and she couldn't help revel on the fact that her little brother had still kept it in display till present no matter how ugly it had looked because it was her first try in wood carving from her class. Jagged edges and unrefined surfaces decorated its entirety but Reese had been sure that he wanted it there for as long as he could fix it.

Gripping the door's silver knob for the nth time since the boy had wanted to have his own room, expecting that her little brother was still tucked in his bed and sleeping, she was mistaken. Because no… The sight that welcomed her was a barren and well cluttered room with his work still splayed out and all his tools were left to be pushed into one corner. With all of that mess… still, there was no boy to be seen. Her brother had upped again and banished…

Tessa knew better than to think that her little brother had run away again. Reese hasn't been talking to their father for the past week to erupt into something stressful that warranted the boy to flee. For the life of her, she had been both glad and pained that it had been like that after observing that it would be better for the boy to just not talk to the old man. Tessa knew so well of the hatred Reese had harboured for their father despite the man's awkward advances in trying to weave his way to Reese's good side. She can't exactly point a finger on who to blame for that because from her point of view, both had been understandable in the way they had behaved with one another.

The 14-year-old just wasn't satisfied with their father's on and off fatherly side since he had come and realized things about the other two years ago. While Cade was too ignorant or more absorbed with all of his inventions. Tessa will not say it but they both need to do something… maybe talk it out… to clear the problem, really!

When Reese had realized that their father had never been that attentive and considerate as a father towards them to the extent of he saw from other fathers, he wasn't the same… Even if her little brother tried to hide it for her sake, it just pained her more that she could not help him the way she can anymore. The further she pushes to ask what is wrong has now made the boy curve into his self and hide behind that smile that was truly warped if she compared it to the smiles she had received from him before. It pains her both emotionally and psychologically to be met with such a reaction from her little brother.

Communication was the key in understanding these things. She knew that. But she could not open it to him no matter how worried she was because she was a coward to lose what they still have as time changes and as her college years were nearing.

For now, she focused on what she has at present and continued on pushing forward to where she plans on dragging her little brother and father. That is only if they both straighten up, she would be able to do so. Looking from this point of her present, she could already feel the tense muscles under her skin, the mild throb of her head that was signalling a head ache, and the urge to just bash both the boy and their father's heads together, leaving them to solve the problems together. But that won't really work how she hoped it would, something tells her that.

Bringing herself back to the present, Tessa knew that searching Reese's room was going to be fruitless but there was only one other place that he would likely have gone to in order to disappear. She knew him all too well… but deep inside of her, she has doubted that. Does she really know her little brother that well like before?

Maybe… Maybe yes, maybe no… all she could say is that she has no definite answer but she tries to bridge that gap no matter how wide it was now. But for now…

"Reese! Where the hell are you this freaking ungodly hour in the morning?! Don't tell me you're out on the roof again or so help me, I'll ask dad to give you a bed up there!" Tessa shouted as the house was overpowered by her voice. It actually managed to make the said teen jerk up from the position he had settled on, almost falling off his perch.

Sweeping off the grogginess residing under his eyes as he rubbed his face with his free hand (seeing that the other was still preoccupied in balancing him), his mind soon clicked and realized that the loud thuds coming from the interior of the house was coming from his ever so worried sister. She was angry like a dragon again (there was nothing really new about that)… and he knew that it was going to be a bad start in the morning if she ever catches him in his situation.

He was still so sleepy but he pinched himself awake. Groggily observing his surrounding for a little over five seconds, he took the initiative to fix his clothes and get down as fast as he can. He could tell that it was still dark as the sun hasn't risen up yet but with his sister terrorizing him that early, there was no doubt that everything would light up like the 4th of July. That is how things actually come to go now ever since he had snapped (a little while back) and talked back.

Heaving his body hastily back to his room, he dropped in quietly from the window sill to the comfortable sitting area he had near the window. The splendid small reading area gave him peace… and now, it gave him protection. Yawning widely, he soon heard his sister's yell outside the building. He was just in time… His sister hadn't caught him which was just to his luck.

As he heard her yell again from the outside of the house now, he thanked God that their neighbours were quite a distance away from them, or else, they were so going to have numerous complaints on how loud mouthed she was when it comes to his self being in trouble.

"REESE! Damn it…" He heard her scream in strain that made him twitch uncomfortably. He didn't like straining his sister and that was his given oath which he actually follows the most. With a sigh of gathering courage, he pulled one of his covers over his frame, putting on a still sleepy act as he soon walked over the window and let the other see him with a yawn that was bordering on not acting. He was really yawning.

"Waaa~ht?" He could not help it as he yawned, piling some tears in his eyes as they tried to remedy the fact that he still needs more sleep.

When the girl saw the other figure came into her view from the same window of the room she had just checked, she squinted her eyes at him in disbelief and accusation. The fact that she had missed spotting the kid in his room was gnawing her alerted nerves. She was sure that her little brother was not in his room when she had checked!

"Where the hell were you? Don't you lie to me, brat. You weren't in your room when I had checked earlier!" Tessa fumed as she stared up at her little brother through his window with hands on her waist and a stance that was rigid. For the most part of Reese's awoken brain, he couldn't help think of something humorous as snigger came out of his amusement.

"You know, sis… I don't like Shakespeare but this awfully looks like Romeo and Juliet." A grin spread over his features as he leaned his body on the window sill, (sleep going in 2nd in his mind) elbows on the edge and hands supporting his head. He batted his eyes at her as she puckered his lips. Clutching the large blanket over him, he use it as his fine feminine addition in portraying Juliet. Seeing this, Tessa had to stare at the horror on what was about to come out of her little brother.

"We don't have vines or a castle tower, but you can take a ladder and spew art thou... Just don't think of me as Shane when you romance me… But it would be a good start at practicing your zero romantic skills; loving the other right, sis… Aren't I?" Reese bit back the urge to laugh at the reddening face of his sister as she stared up at him in dread. For countless of times now, he had made her days a little bit colourful when mentioning her not-so-secret-boyfriend but still, their father's rule still overcomes the odds of her having one from the start. That is why Tessa was contradicted in actually telling the older man about her relationship with the racer.

If she were lucky, their father would find out himself and would suck it up that his daughter was not a kid anymore. If not, then there is that Law that they all knew too well, Texas Statutes Section 22.011: "Romeo and Juliet Law" which Reese had actually been the one to dig up when he was in still in 5th Grade (and was just dying to not break moral rules).

"Shut up before dad hears! It's too early for this…" Tessa hissed back as her nostrils flared and her lips pressed in a thin line. Reese let her see his forming smirk at successfully teasing his sister again, starting their day up with a little thrill for the other. He knew that his sister was going to make his day a little bit more challenging than ever but that is what he gets for playing with fire.

But on Reese's part, it can be called his silent vengeance as he was often found in the middle of the two lovers ever since and before they even got together. The racer would show off his romantic side; giving the older girl some little trinkets from his racing journeys, some bouquet of flowers when he could, and dates! Oh, don't get Reese started on those dates as Shane even reasoned that in taking him, he would have some future reference in his own quest of romanticizing! Reese had plenty of moments when he wanted to barf from pure disgust of seeing the two flirt while he gets to be dragged along like the third wheel.

Shane actually knows that he has a crush on someone in his class but that was a forbidden topic to be bluffed out. No one knows about it in his family and he will keep it that way. All he has to do is keep up with whatever nasty thing the older two would drag him along to.

Reese deemed the racer as a nasty older brother model but if his sister was so happy with him and Shane would be happy with her, they had to work something out together to get his full approval even if Cade doesn't have a clue of the relationships forming between them. Even if their father doesn't know, Reese wasn't about to let some guy just take his sister as his and suddenly break her heart for being an asshole. Oh, no… Reese had a sole mission to torture any would be suitors of the older girl and make it known to them that if they want to court her they would have to go through him.

Since he had let Shane pass, that means he is a decent guy that he could hit in the balls if he ever makes her cry (even if it risk his secret in liking someone). For the most part of their relationship, Reese can say that the guy is meeting all his expectations as he was meeting the other's expectations in terms of being an in-law… way too soon if you ask Reese. Tessa had only become 18 and Shane is 20. Reese wasn't about to send his sister off without a proper talk. If their father still can't pull out his shit, he would take the pants.

From his window, Reese saw their father come out from his work barn again making his teasing smirk disappear. The teasing air around the pair came to a halt as he frowned. He waited away for the older man to reach Tessa as his sister took notice of his silence and met gazes with the upcoming man. There was already a scowl on her face, her irritation turning to the man while she tried to grill the other yet again.

"Morning, dad… What did we tell you about sleeping in the barn, again, after pulling an all-nighter for the past few days?" Tessa hissed as she narrowed her eyes on Cade. Reese didn't care about the man as he ignored the other's habit but he did notice how she used 'we' instead of 'I' since she also wanted him to be part of the worrying. The joy of being not left out… Reese hissed at what his sister was trying to accomplish.

"To not to…" Their father said as he yawned widely, stretching in front of Tessa who gave him a blank stare. Apparently, she needs to remind the man 24/7 to live and that part bothers her before she leaves for college. It had always been her predicament as she knows all too well that if she could not get Reese to care enough for the man; their family would splinter and split apart without her knowing.

And Reese, knows this all too well too. So he tries to reassure his sister to just get on with her life and see to it that she keeps striving to get a brighter future out. Even though it was hard to keep the act, he tries…

"I think that is where my hard-headedness comes from, Sis…" He told the other as she scowled even more.

"I am living with a bunch of kids…" Tessa said loudly with a hint of exasperation in her voice, not really convinced with the act but she made it so so that Reese wouldn't have to feel so guilty anymore of the condition she was in. She soon stomped into the house again to continue her daily routine of getting everyone prepared for the day with some breakfast.

"I love you, too!" A smile just spread over her face when she heard Reese's comeback but she did told him to shut up. She will never ever tell the kid to shut up at rare times like this.

Ignoring their father, the young boy laughed silently, giving the girl a smile before going off to do his fair share of getting prepared for the day. It was a great thought for him to be able to actually still tease his sister without caring of what their father had thought of it. It lifts up his mood for another day… that is what matters. Another day, another opportunity as he claims it…

A little later when breakfast was served, they ate together. Most of the conversation, Tessa tried to create while their dad would gladly reply. On the other hand, Reese would only plaster that fake smile and answer with few brief words that their father didn't notice as a way for him to be not that disrespectful for her sister while evading an open conversation with the man. The young boy could only clap mentally for the effort that his sister was giving in keeping up with the man and trying to keep everything as ok as possible between all of them.

That at least, he won't deny… but what-ifs still plague his mind.

Thank you for the reviews!

-Till next time.

~dreamer