Page 22 of Sparks Fly

“I’m good.”

“Connie–”

“I’m good, Mum. Seriously, I’m not in the mood to put up with them ragging on me. I’ve got enough going on at the moment.”

She presses her lips together, a pained expression on her face, but she doesn’t say anything else. Sometimes I wonder why she lets them get away with it, but I’m a big boy. I don’t need my mum or my baby sister fighting my battles for me.

Dad and I have never been close–he’s never really liked me. The hostility from my brothers, however, that’s only come about since shit went down with Jasper. I know I’m a fuck up. I’m the only one who can change that, but that doesn’t mean it doesn’t hurt.

A crashing sound followed by my sister’s curses pull me out of my self-pity. I rush into the entryway to find one of her suitcases lying at the bottom of the stairs while she struggles at the top with two more, plus an overnight bag slung over her shoulder.

“Christ, Jelly,” I chuckle, bending over to right the fallen case. “You’re only going for four weeks. How much shit do you need?”

She rolls her eyes, carefully making her way down with the rest of her luggage. “I’ve got some of my old books and things to donate.”

“Goody two shoes.” The fake cough turns into a laugh as she punches me in the shoulder. I ruffle her hair. “Aww, I’m going to miss you little sister.”

“Uh huh, sure you are.” She shoves me away, scowling as she fixes her hair. After making sure we’re alone, she drops her voice low. “Hey, I have a huge favour to ask.”

I snort. “Of course you do.”

“You know how your mate’s cousin is playing at the Byron Bay Music Festival?”

I grimace. Rupert Palmer may be my teammate, but he’s definitely not a mate. He’s more of a pain in my ass. “Yeah?”

“I was kind of wondering if you could get us some tickets…” She trails off nervously.

“Who’s us?” Although, asking is pointless–I already know the answer.

“Well… Eight? Nine if you want to come with? I’m sure the others won’t mind.”

“Yeah right, I’m sure they’d love me tagging along.” Even though she’s made it very clear to stay away, the thought of spending a weekend with Ivy is very tempting. Maybe I can convince one of the boys on the team to come along with me so it doesn’t look so obvious. I let out a deep breath. “Ellie, that’s a lot of tickets.”

“Could you at least ask? Pretty please.” She pokes out her lip and bats her lashes at me.

I groan. She didn’t need to up the act–I’d do it simply because she asked. “I’ll call Rupert. But no promises.”

She throws her arms around me so fast it makes me stumble. “Thank you, Connie. You’re the best!”

I laugh as I return the hug. “Pretty sure you’re the only one who thinks that.”

Almost as if on cue, Dad walks in,eyes narrowing on us. “Conrad, make yourself useful and go put your sister’s bags in the car. Ellie, go make sure you haven’t forgotten anything.”

“Yes, sir,” I say with a mock salute before slipping the overnight back onto my shoulder and picking up two of the suitcases.

The second Ellie’s out of sight, Dad grabs my arm rough enough to make me drop one of the cases. “What have I told you about that smart mouth of yours, boy?”

I wordlessly twist out of his grip, shamelessly shoulder checking him on my way past. It’s a small act, but I take a small amount of pride in seeing him stumble. Fuck him.

When I return to grab Ellie’s last suitcase, I’m thankful he’s not waiting to catch me off guard. I catch my name coming from the kitchen and I creep closer to hear what’s going on.

“Enough is enough, Bill. I don’t want him feeling like he’s not a part of this family. He hasn’t done anything wrong. You need to stop taking my mistakes out on him.” Mum sounds tired, resigned. My stomach twists. What the hell is she talking about? What does it have to do with me?

Dad makes a dismissive sound. “I’m just teaching the boy some respect. Wouldn’t want him ending up like–”

“Stop,” she hisses. “Just stop it. You got what you wanted, but you need to lay off Conrad. You’re dancing dangerously close to breaching the contract and you know what will happen if you do that. I will not let you continue with these sick games where you make him feel any less than his siblings. He’s innocent in all of this.”

I’m about to burst into the kitchen when the sound of Ellie’s feet on the stairs has me rushing back to the entryway. The last thing I need is to get caught listening to a conversation that wasn’t meant for my ears.

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