Forest Lake

Chapter 22

Mason POV

I am a terrible brother.

How could I have done this to her? How could I have believed my dad over her? Why didn’t I call her? Why didn’t I ask her if it was true? Why didn’t I do anything? I just accepted it and moved on. I turned all that pain into blinding hatred. I’ve never told my friends that I have a sister. I’ve repeatedly told Cassie that she was the only girl I considered my family. Every time I did that, I threw away a memory of Emma. Now I want to claw at my chest and rip myself apart. I am an idiot. A complete idiot.

I watched Emma as she wrote down notes in her notebook.

God, I love her. She is a part of me. The most important part of me. I don’t know how the fuck I managed to live without her. I don’t know how the pain of being separated from her didn’t make me search for her. How the hell did I survive that?

I have no fucking idea, but I’m never letting it happen again.

I need to talk to our parents. I need to yell at them and tell them how much I hate them. I need them to tell me why they thought it was a good idea. I need them to tell me something, anything, that would make me understand their decision.

Although I already knew that I would never understand. I would never accept their reasons. I would never forgive them.

“Will you stop staring at your sister and actually do some work?” Jax sighed as he rolled his eyes at me.

Emma looked up from her notebook and furrowed her eyebrows.

“Is everything okay, Mason?” she asked me softly.

“Of course.” I smiled, running my hand through her hair.

“Are you sleeping in Emma’s room again?” Jax asked me.

“Yes.” I nodded. “I’m not leaving her alone. I told you that already.”

“Elly could sleep in our room then.” Jax said, smirking at Hazel.

“Stop calling me that.” Hazel sighed. “And I’m not sleeping with you.”

“I didn’t say you should sleep with me.” Jax said, grinning like an idiot. “But I’m glad that’s where your mind went.”

He winked at her, and Hazel rolled her eyes. I shook my head. He really was an idiot sometimes.

I saw Chris glancing at Emma and a small smile spread across his face. I knew that look on his face. I recognized it immediately.

Fuck no.

Not on my watch.

Not my sister.

He needs to back the fuck off before I rip him apart.

His eyes found mine and his smile disappeared. That happy look on his face was replaced with a frightened one, and I almost smirked. Oh, what a joy. He is afraid of me. Good. He fucking should be. I will definitely be talking to him later, and I am telling him to stay the fuck away if he wants to keep his dick intact.

“Why are you sitting with that whore, Mase?” I heard a voice behind me.

I turned around to see Monica standing behind me, glaring at Emma.

Did she just call her a whore?

Oh, fuck no.

“What the fuck did you just say?” I said, turning around in my chair.

I heard Jax and Chris sigh.

“I asked you why you are sitting with this little whore.” the bitch repeated, looking Emma up and down with disgust. “I thought we were exclusive, Mason.”

I chuckled darkly. “I thought that our encounter in the hallway the other day made it clear that there would be no us even if you were the last woman on this planet.”

Jax and Chris laughed. The girls stayed silent. I glanced at Emma. She was looking at Monica with a confused expression on her face.

“Why so rude, Mason?” Monica asked, making me look back up at her.

“You just insulted the most important person in my life.” I said coldly. “You should be happy that I don’t hit girls. If you were a guy, you would be running out of here with a broken nose, crying like a little bitch.”

“The most important person in your life?” Monica repeated, her eyes widening as she looked at Emma.

“Yes.” I nodded. “Are you hard of hearing?”

Jax, Chris, and even Hazel laughed. Emma grabbed my hand.

Monica looked back at me. She was angry. Good.

“This little slut is the most important person in your life?!” Monica asked angrily.

Okay, now I’m done.

I started to get up, but Emma stopped me. I looked at her and she shook her hand, gripping my hand tightly.

“It’s okay, Mason.” Emma said softly. “Let it go.”

Let it go? Hell no.

“Yes, Mase.” Monica said. “Listen to your little slut.”

I saw red. I will beat the shit out of her. I don’t give a fuck that she is a girl.

“Listen to me carefully, Monica.” I said, turning to her. “This is now the fourth time you insulted my sister in front of me. I’ve given you plenty of chances to stop and fuck the hell off, but you insist on pissing me off.”

Monica’s eyes widened. “Sister?”

“I guess the news doesn’t travel to hell.” I said, narrowing my eyes at her. “Now, if you don’t stop and walk away immediately, I will draw a dick on you just so I can punch the living shit out of you.”

Jax and Chris burst out laughing. Hazel tried to stiffen her laugh, but she was failing badly. Emma just squeezed my hand tighter.

Monica’s eyes widened comically. She looked afraid of me, and it made me happy. No one insults my sister.

Monica turned around and ran out of the library, her heels making an annoying sound as they hit the floor.

“That was gold, man.” Jax said, shaking his head. “I imagined you drawing a dick on her. I really did.”

I turned back around and rolled my eyes. Jax was easily amused. I wrapped my arm around Emma.

“Are you okay?” I asked, kissing her temple. “I am so sorry about her.”

“I am fine.” Emma said, giving me a small smile. “So, all the rumors about you are true?”

I rolled my eyes again. I knew what people were talking about me, but it never bugged me. Not until now. What would Emma think? Would she be disgusted by me? I really hope not.

“They are.” Jax answered instead of me. “Your brother is a fuckboy. Although, I think he regrets dipping his dick into Monica.”

“Fuck, Jax, what the hell is wrong with you?” I sighed.

“I did not need to hear that.” Emma said at the same time, shaking her head and frowning.

I looked at her and ran my hand through her hair. I am going to kill Jax.

“I am sorry.” I said softly. “You shouldn’t have to hear stuff like that. Jax is an idiot.”

“Hey.” Jax complained, but I ignored him.

“Mason is right.” I heard Hazel mumble.

Jax glared at Hazel and she laughed.

“No, it’s okay.” Emma said, turning my attention back to her. “I am not judging you, Mason. I am not too happy that I heard “your brother” and “dipping his dick” in the same sentence, but I am not judging you for what you did.”

“You are right, Em.” Jax said, before I could speak. “I am sure that Mason wouldn’t want to know about your sex life either.”

I am really going to kill him. I grabbed the first thing in front of me and threw it at him. He laughed as he caught my notebook.

Chris was chuckling. Hazel and Emma were shaking their heads with a small smile on their faces.

She doesn’t have a sex life and she won’t have one until she is forty. I don’t give a fuck what anyone else says. I know what guys are like, and I am not letting any of them near her. I am going to fight them all off, starting with Chris. He is not getting her, and he is not taking her away from me.

“So, should I expect more of your ex-girlfriends calling me a slut?” Emma asked, taking her pen back into her hand.

“Don’t worry, Em.” Chris said. “We will draw dicks on them so that Mason can punch them.”

Jax and Hazel laughed. Emma smiled at Chris, making me frown.

“If anyone insults you, or even looks at you in the wrong way, you come to me immediately and I will deal with it.” I said, bending toward her. “Nobody insults you and gets away with it. Do you understand me?”

Emma looked up at me and smiled. My heartbeat quickened. Her smile makes me the happiest man on this planet.

“I understand Mason.” she said softly.

I kissed her forehead and went back to work on our project.