Page 114 of I Blame the Rival

The first spark of anger hits and I take another step closer.

“You said you were going to get things under control before Taber’s home opener. You promisedme you were going to be better.”

“Fine. You want to do this tonight? We’ll do this tonight.” Vector throws his textbook to the side and sits up in bed. His broad shoulders are completely in shadow, the only light burning from the fire in his eyes.

“I’ve only made two promises in this life, Sky.” He glares at me, “Do you know what those are?”

I glare back at him, “You were going to kick out dad.”

“And that’s exactly what I did.”

“And you were going to stop hurting people.”

“No.” Vector snaps his teeth together, “I never once promised that. I told you I was going to try and get a handle on my temper and you took that to mean I would stop taking the drugs.”

Fury barrels through my body as the silence that kept me in the dark all these years comes crashing down.

“You couldn’t control your temper when we were kids. How the fuck were you going to control it when you’re injecting testosterone into your ass every week?”

“I wasn’t planning on controlling my temper.” Vector grinds out the words, his darkening expression locked on mine, “I was planning on keeping my promise.”

“Bullshit. Everything you’ve done has been for yourself.”

“You’re such a fucking idiot.” He snarls, pushing off the bed and striding towards me. I watch him with narrowed eyes, daring him to hit me.

Vector slows to a stop, his chest heaving as he stares down at me.

“I promised to protectyou, Sky. I promised I would do anything it takes to keep yousafe.”

“I don’t believe you.”

“Jesus Christ, Sky. Look at you.” He growls, the ugly truth reflecting in his eyes, “How many times did you get bullied in junior high? How many times did people make fun of your eyes and the sketchbook you were always carrying around?”

I can’t breathe as I stare back at him.

“Did you think it was a coincidence the taunts came to an end in high school? That the same day I injured the biggest player on the lacrosse field was the same day people stopped picking on you?”

He lets out a bitter laugh, “I didn’t mean to hurt him, but once I saw the way people started to treat me, the way people started to treatyou,I couldn’t go back.”

“I didn’t ask you to do that.”

“Of course you didn’t.” Vector shakes his head, tearing his eyes away from my face, “I was trying to be your fucking hero. Do you know what I got for my efforts?”

Tears burn my eyes as the consequence of my actions finally catch up to me.

“I got treated like a villain since the first day I kept my promise.”

The regret spills onto my cheeks, streaming down my face as I stare at the brother I’ve shamed and avoided for the last four years.

I should have talked to him. I should have questioned his decisions more, not fallen back on the assumption he’s just like our father.

I should have known better.

“I’ve missed you.” Choking out the words, there’s nothing I can say to fix the mistakes we’ve both made, “I’ve missed you, Vec.”

“Come on. Don’t cry.” He groans, wrapping those large arms around me, “This is exactly why you got bullied in the first place.”

“Fuck off.” My watery laugh is muffled against his chest, but it doesn’t stop Vector from squeezing me tighter.

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