silence

twenty six

Athena

"Yes I'm still fucking mad about it! Literally what the hell was that?! You can't be filming or acting out shit like that Athena. You're sixteen for fucks sake!"

Yeah so the call with Jas isn't going well. Archie tried to brush it off so I know he's getting over it. Jasiel on the other hand...

"I don't trust any of those boys. I don't even know them! Raeden shouldn't have let them touch you at all. He's the only one I can even accept and he goes and lets you smoke? Is he out of his mind?!"

"Jas! That's not fair, you can't blame it all on Raeden! You can't even blame the other guys either. I chose to touch them! It was my decision where and how I put my hands on them. I even directed Cassian at one point to touch me more. I had full control over what they were doing to me!" I explain.

I hear him sigh on the other end of the phone. "Athena you don't even know them! Why would you let them touch you like that? I don't trust them in the slightest."

"They never did anything wrong! You can't assume everyone is out to hurt me. I can handle myself now too, you don't need to be that protective," I calm down slightly.

"I've always been that protective. It's not going to decrease now...not after Karson. I'm not letting anything like that happen ever again." He quietly mumbles.

"Raeden looked after me as much as he could. Kept asking me if it was okay and if I was fine with it all. You don't need to worry, I had him by my side the whole time. I've always got one of you to help me when I need it Jas."

He lets out another sigh. "Yeah that's true. Just don't even think about doing anything like that again. I will personally kick your fucking ass. And Ill show your brothers the video."

His threat makes me cringe. "Don't even think about it. If they see it, I'm as good as dead within the first five seconds of the video. Just for showing skin at all." I joke and I hear Jas laugh.

"You've got a point. I'm serious though. Hey you busy today?"

"Nah it's a Saturday why would I be?" I answer sarcastically, "Got any ideas though?"

"Yeah I'll pick you up soon."

I hang up and walk downstairs to my brothers. They're sitting in the living room, Atticus on his laptop as always, the others playing a video game.

"Jas is picking me up soon. That all good?" I announce.

"Where are you going?"

"I have no clue. He didn't tell me anything." I admit.

Isaiah lets out a laugh, "Yeah, right. Ask him or you're not going."

I roll my eyes mentally and chuck him a text. Not even a minute later my phone chimes.

"For a drive. He said we can get ice cream if I want it," I read the text out to them.

Isaiah nods and Atticus looks up from his laptop. Phoenix interrupts the conversation.

"That just means they're going to fuck. I bet."

I glare at him and he goes back to his game. Atticus and Isaiah widen their eyes.

"No it doesn't. We argued yesterday and he's making up for it I think. That's all." I quickly confess.

"What did you argue about?" Atticus questions with a raised eyebrow. He knows my friends and I rarely argue at all.

"Nothing. Just school stuff."

Phoenix and Khai pause their game to look at me pointedly and confusedly.