Her big brothers

Chapter 77: solutions

"I'm home," I announced quietly, and he quickly spun his chair towards me, looking furious.
"Cheating? What were you thinking?!" Aiden scolds me, standing up.

"I'm sorry, okay?! It's not a big deal, I even got to rewrite it," I defend myself.
He chuckles darkly. "You think copying using AI 'isn't a big deal?' Your principal calling home because you misbehaved is a big deal."

"Is Alex mad at me?" I ask quietly.
"Mad? He's furious. He wants to talk to you, and after that, you're getting your phone taken away until they get back."

Come on, I just got it back!
"Did the principal call you?" I ask quietly.

"She called Alex first. After discussing the situation with him, and upon his confirmation that he wasn't home, she reached out to inform me that you'd be arriving home a few hours late due to working on the essay. You're really lucky she chose not to suspend you," he says sternly, shaking his head.

"I'm looking at three weeks of detention, Aiden. I don't consider that lucky," I snap at him angrily. I immediately regret it as he glares at me, taking a step closer and bending down to my eye level. "What was that?"

"Nothing," I mumbled, avoiding his gaze.

"I know you wouldn't talk to our older brothers in that manner, so don't try to use that tone with me, understood?" he threatened coldly, lifting my chin.

"Yes, sir," I mumble in response. He shook his head and continued rambling about how irresponsible I was, how much the situation could've escalated, how I needed to take my school work more responsibly, and how he was already stressed enough and I didn't need to add to it.

"I was at uni when I received the call from your principal. I might have had to leave and drive to your school just because you decided to be lazy and cheat," he says in a low, angry, tone, pointing his finger at me.

Until then, I was just silently listening to him scold me, but with that comment, I saw red. "Do you even know what happened? I wasn't being lazy! I didn't know when the due date was, so I didn't submit it, simple as that! And the only reason I wasn't suspended wasn't because I'm lucky, no, it's because the principal knows I'm a good student! But you don't care about that, do you? All you can think about is how I'm inconveniencing you!" Despite him just warming me about 'taking a tone with him', I snap. Tears well up in my eyes, and without waiting for his response, I bolt out of his room and rush into mine, slamming the door shut and locking it.

I jump in my bed and cover my head with a pillow. Aiden comes half a minute later and starts knocking on my door. He tries talking to me to get me to open it, but I completely ignore him. I know I'm digging myself into an even deeper hole, but frankly, I don't care. Fifteen long minutes later, he finally leaves me alone. Well, so I thought. I got a FaceTime from Alex soon after. Looks like Aiden tattled on me.

I slide my thumb across the screen in tears, answering the call.
"Emma, what's wrong baby?" Alex asks in a worried tone, probably after seeing my tear-stained face.
I sniff. "Aiden told on me, huh?"

"No- he didn't tell me anything. He's just worried because you locked yourself in your room. Mind telling me what happened, love?"

"I don't wanna talk about it," I mutter.
He nods. "That's understandable. Still, there's something we need to discuss, and it's not up for debate."
"About the essay?" I ask slowly.
"Yep..." Alex confirmed, raising a brow, as I sunk deeper into my pillow.

He sighed. "Sit up and talk to me, please,"
I did what he said, and he gave me a soft smile. "That's better,"
"Are you mad at me?" I ask. Honestly, he doesn't look furious like Aiden claimed.