Page 14 of The Heavier The Chains…
That never worked out.
The minute a girl made any comment about talking to my sister when I knew they weren’t real friends of hers-because I knew all of Edie’s friends-I’d shut her down, but not before telling her to stay the fuck away from my sister.
Now, normally, when I invoked my don’t-fuck-with-me tone, people knew to back off. However, Edie wasn’t one of those people. She was the only girl not afraid of me. Well, sheusedto be the only girl. “So, then the rumor that Lars and Hunter warned Jason off her during gym is a lie? Or how about how you shared your desk with her during seventh period? Is that a lie, too?” Edie leaned closer to me and grinned. “Or how about the rumor that you had your hand wrapped around neck during class and Mr. Styles had to order you guys to pay attention?”
Motherfucker.
Didn’t people have better things to do than worry about what I was up to?
I grabbed my books to take them into the kitchen so I could do my homework and keep an eye on dinner. “Dinner will be ready in about twenty minutes,” I replied, ignoring her questions.
Edie hopped off my bed, her blue eyes wide. “Are you seriously not going to tell me?” She slapped her hands together in prayer. “Oh, come on, Talon,” she whined. “I just want to know if you like her.”
Did I like her?
Did I like Kenzlee Mitchell?
Hell fucking no, I didn’t like her. I didn’t like one goddamn thing about her.
I’ve liked girls before. I’ve been attracted to girls before. I could appreciate a good-looking female or one with a kick-ass personality.
ButlikeKenzlee Mitchell?
Nah.
What I felt for Kenzlee wasn’t like. I wasn’t going to call it love because that would be just fucking ridiculous since I’ve only known the girl for five minutes. But, whatever it was I felt for her, it was way past the level of liking her. Andthat’swhat I didn’t like about her.
And, although I wasn’t going to tell Edie all that, I still didn’t want her to be in the dark. She was everything to me, and I didn’t like her feeling stupid because she thought other people knew me better than she did. I didn’t like her being blindsided by gossip.
I walked over to my sister, placed one hand on the back of her head, and brought her in for a kiss on the forehead. I leaned back at looked down at her. “If anyone asks, what I do and who I like are none of their business,” I told her. She nodded, and she looked a little sad because I knew she believed I wasn’t going to tell her anything personal. “But as far as you, Lars, and Hunter are concerned, Kenzlee’s mine, Edie. She kind of doesn’t know it yet, but she is.”
Then my sister did something I’ve never seen her do. Her head fell downward, and she started wringing her hands in nervousness. “Do you think she’ll like me,” she whispered.
I stood there dumbfounded that my, usually, happy, positive, upbeat sister was nervous about a girl she didn’t know liking her. My voice came out harsher than I would have liked. “First, since when does anyonenotlike you, Edie?” I asked. “And, second, why do you care if she likes you?”
Edie’s head popped back up, and she rolled those blue eyes that matched mine and Mom’s. “I know I get along with everyone, but she’s not everyone, Tal,” she stressed as if I was slow in the head or something. “You’ve never liked a girl before, and…well, this is big.”
I sat down and patted the space next to me. Edie let out a dramatic huff but sat down, nonetheless. I turned my head, so we were looking at each other. “I need you to understand something, Edie, okay?”
“Okay,” she whispered.
“The day will come where I’ll have a wife, and God willing, a bunch of little girls-daughters,” I told her. “But, until that day comes, no female will ever come before you or Mom, Edie. I absolute adore you and if anyone has a problem with that, well, it won’t bemyproblem.” Her eyes glossed over, and she gave me a small nod of her head. “And even after I get that wife and those daughters, you’ll still always be my sister, Edie. I need you to understand that. I need you to understand that everything I’ve done, and everything I’m doing is for you. It’s for you and Mom. You two are the loves of my life, right now, and no one will ever come between that.No one.”
“I know that, Tal,” she murmured. “But that’s why it’s important to me that Kenzlee likes me. With everything you sacrifice for me and Mom…well, if she matters to you, I want her to like me.”
“If she doesn’t, Edie, then she’s gone,” I replied. “It’s simple as that.” Iwilledit to be that simple. “Your future is not worthanygirl.”
“It is if you love her,” Edie countered.
“Perhaps. However, I’m not in love with Kenzlee,” I said, hoping I wasn’t lying.
“Do you think you could be one day?” she asked, sounding like she was 6-years-old again and I was reading Snow White to her.
I smiled at her because I didn’t want my sister seeing just how dark her brother’s soul was. “Anything’s possible, Edie.”
After a few seconds of silence, Edie muttered, “I passed her a couple of times today at school. She’s awfully pretty, Tal. Like, really beautiful. It’s a good thing you got to her first.”
“Yeah, she is,” I agreed.
