didn’t like me very much but I hadn’t expected him to be so direct about it.
“Or what?” Xander smirked, still relaxed in his seat and barely glancing up at Jake.
“I don’t give a shit who you are to Ian, you don’t get to talk to Jelly like that,” Jake fumed.
I had to bite back a smile because Jake and his friends had called me much worse over the years and now, all of a sudden, he was jumping to my defence.
“You barely know her. If you did, you wouldn’t be calling her that. I’m not going to warn you again.”
“Not going to fight you, kid,” Xander smirked. “Be no point.”
“What the fuck do you mean by that?” Jake took a step closer.
Xander shrugged nonchalantly, looking Jake up and down.
“Jake, it’s okay. Sit down, please,” I pleaded.
“I’m not gonna sit here and listen to him talk to you like that,” Jake said, his shoulders still tensed and his hands still balled into tight fists at his sides.
“Jake, he was probably right,” I said guiltily. “I haven’t exactly been nice to Xander.”
I knew Jake didn’t care about the fact that Xander outweighed him by a good forty pounds and was probably much better trained in martial arts than he was. Jake had probably taken more beatings than any of us because he never stepped down from a fight. He didn’t care if he lost as long as he got a few good blows in. In his mind, that made it worth it.
“What?” Jake’s eyes focussed on me instead.
“Jason and I had just fallen out the first time we met and I was a little…”
“Bit of a bitch?” Xander offered.
“I was going to say rude,” I mumbled. “But yeah, whatever.” I pulled my knees up to my chest and looked determinedly at the TV once more.
“That’s not like you, Jelly,” Jake frowned, giving up on his dispute with Xander and plopping down onto the sofa to put his arm around my shoulder.
I shrugged and kept my gaze on the television.
“Talk to me,” Jake demanded.
I frowned and didn’t meet his eyes. Jake and I had never had that sort of relationship. I’d never been able to confide in him like a friend. I knew I’d asked him to do the very same in his room earlier and I felt guilty that I’d asked him to do something when I didn’t feel comfortable doing the same.
Jake and I were only two years apart. We’d had alm ost the exact same upbringing and put up with the same crap from our big brothers. We had different ways of handling it but we’d still lived similar lives. Everyone saw Jake and I as the youngest and we were treated as such, even though we’d both moved out.
“What do you want to know?” I mumbled awkwardly.
“Why you weren’t yourself with Xander.”
“Jake,” I whined. I didn’t want to go into this with an audience.
Jake reacted by being Jake and pinching my arm.
“Ow!” I protested, rubbing the sore spot.
“Out with it,” he grinned.
I sighed and resolved myself to answer the question, but I pinched him back first because I was going to take a leaf from his book and stop letting them all push me around now I knew none of them would really hurt me anymore.
Jake looked surprised but didn’t move to reciprocate, squeezing my shoulder gently to urge me to continue.
“I’d just fallen out with Jason before Xander arrived and Ian and Jason decided not to tell me about it until last minute,” I sighed. “I was pissed off that they did it behind my back and even more pissed off that Jason stormed out. I wasn’t very good company.”
“Why didn’t they tell you?” Jake frowned.
“Guess they didn’t think they needed to,” I shrugged, a twinge of irritation resurfacing as I remembered it.
“Sounds about right,” Jake nodded.
I shrugged. “I was just upset at the time.”
Jake gave me a hug and I relaxed and let him hold me, glad for the comfort. I knew he understood how annoying it could be when our brothers decided for us. He’d wanted to become a footballer, not go to university, but Ian had
“Or what?” Xander smirked, still relaxed in his seat and barely glancing up at Jake.
“I don’t give a shit who you are to Ian, you don’t get to talk to Jelly like that,” Jake fumed.
I had to bite back a smile because Jake and his friends had called me much worse over the years and now, all of a sudden, he was jumping to my defence.
“You barely know her. If you did, you wouldn’t be calling her that. I’m not going to warn you again.”
“Not going to fight you, kid,” Xander smirked. “Be no point.”
“What the fuck do you mean by that?” Jake took a step closer.
Xander shrugged nonchalantly, looking Jake up and down.
“Jake, it’s okay. Sit down, please,” I pleaded.
“I’m not gonna sit here and listen to him talk to you like that,” Jake said, his shoulders still tensed and his hands still balled into tight fists at his sides.
“Jake, he was probably right,” I said guiltily. “I haven’t exactly been nice to Xander.”
I knew Jake didn’t care about the fact that Xander outweighed him by a good forty pounds and was probably much better trained in martial arts than he was. Jake had probably taken more beatings than any of us because he never stepped down from a fight. He didn’t care if he lost as long as he got a few good blows in. In his mind, that made it worth it.
“What?” Jake’s eyes focussed on me instead.
“Jason and I had just fallen out the first time we met and I was a little…”
“Bit of a bitch?” Xander offered.
“I was going to say rude,” I mumbled. “But yeah, whatever.” I pulled my knees up to my chest and looked determinedly at the TV once more.
“That’s not like you, Jelly,” Jake frowned, giving up on his dispute with Xander and plopping down onto the sofa to put his arm around my shoulder.
I shrugged and kept my gaze on the television.
“Talk to me,” Jake demanded.
I frowned and didn’t meet his eyes. Jake and I had never had that sort of relationship. I’d never been able to confide in him like a friend. I knew I’d asked him to do the very same in his room earlier and I felt guilty that I’d asked him to do something when I didn’t feel comfortable doing the same.
Jake and I were only two years apart. We’d had alm ost the exact same upbringing and put up with the same crap from our big brothers. We had different ways of handling it but we’d still lived similar lives. Everyone saw Jake and I as the youngest and we were treated as such, even though we’d both moved out.
“What do you want to know?” I mumbled awkwardly.
“Why you weren’t yourself with Xander.”
“Jake,” I whined. I didn’t want to go into this with an audience.
Jake reacted by being Jake and pinching my arm.
“Ow!” I protested, rubbing the sore spot.
“Out with it,” he grinned.
I sighed and resolved myself to answer the question, but I pinched him back first because I was going to take a leaf from his book and stop letting them all push me around now I knew none of them would really hurt me anymore.
Jake looked surprised but didn’t move to reciprocate, squeezing my shoulder gently to urge me to continue.
“I’d just fallen out with Jason before Xander arrived and Ian and Jason decided not to tell me about it until last minute,” I sighed. “I was pissed off that they did it behind my back and even more pissed off that Jason stormed out. I wasn’t very good company.”
“Why didn’t they tell you?” Jake frowned.
“Guess they didn’t think they needed to,” I shrugged, a twinge of irritation resurfacing as I remembered it.
“Sounds about right,” Jake nodded.
I shrugged. “I was just upset at the time.”
Jake gave me a hug and I relaxed and let him hold me, glad for the comfort. I knew he understood how annoying it could be when our brothers decided for us. He’d wanted to become a footballer, not go to university, but Ian had
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