You Again ('Brothers' book three)

Chapter 22: Blood Is Thicker Than Water

Chapter 22

I winced, looking at Nicole's bloodshot eyes as she walked into AP Chem.

"You okay?" I asked softly, crossing my legs under the table.

Grace gave me a look, shaking her head.

Nicole silently sat down, pushing loose pieces of her hair back from her face.

"I practically had to pull her out of bed this morning." Grace said softly to me. "It's not good."

I sighed, feeling absolutely awful that it was my brother causing her so much pain.

Mrs. Greyson started class, which basically was just taking attendance and then sending us off to our lab groups.

It was Nicole, Grace and I, but we were working at the same lab table as Mark, Wesley, and Ryan.

"Do you want to move?" I asked Nicole quietly.

She just shook her head, keeping her head down on her papers.

Mark's eyes met mine. He looked extremely uncomfortable.

So I just decided to keep Nicole busy, and Wesley did the same thing with Mark.

"So we're working out today?" I asked Nicole.

She just nodded, her hands shaking as she filled out one of the data tables.

"And then we'll go get smoothies?" I offered. "My treat."

"You don't need to baby me." Nicole muttered. "We've broken up once, I can handle it."

"Just trying to be a good friend." I sighed, glancing up at Wesley again.

And the rest of class went on pretty much like that. Wesley and I did everything we possibly could to keep them otherwise occupied, but they kept making awkward eye contact across the lab table, plunging everyone into an extremely uncomfortable silence.

It wasn't the best mood to start the day, especially when all I wanted to do was talk about how happy Logan and I were.

~*~*~

"Look at him over there with his stupid ass tank top." Nicole mumbled, glaring across the weight room at my brother as we grabbed the bands from the bag.

"Calm down please." I laughed, sliding them up my legs.

"No he shouldn't be owning this damn weight room with his attractiveness." Nicole frowned. "He should look like shit like me. He loved me, he shouldn't be this fine after a breakup."

"We handle heartbreak well, what can I say?" I offered a joke, walking towards the wooden floor.

Nicole shot me a look. "Do not take his side."

"I'm not, I'm not." I said quickly as I started across the floor. "Trust me, he was a mess all night." I added.

That was a lie.

After Logan and I heard Nicole storm out with lots of swear words, we nervously went to check on Mark.

But he was just sitting on his couch, playing FIFA as if nothing had happened.

Even I thought that was a bit strange, but hey, whatever works for him.

"Well good. He deserves it." Nicole mumbled. "I don't get how Grace and Wesley do it. Dating a Ryder is hard damn work."

"Excuse me?" I laughed as I got to the other side of the floor.

"Well yea. You guys are moody and rude and have weird emotions and connections with each other and you walk all over other people like they're dirt." Nicole muttered, starting her squats next to me.