05. Skittle Smuggler

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E A S T O N

Out of my brothers, I clashed the most with Zach. Mostly because we were so similar, our competitive sides always battling each other, fighting each other for first place in 'Just Dance' and many other things that Damien has now banned us from doing together.

But we were still aloud to do some things.

"This too much for you, Weakling?" Zach grins and jogs, his legs working overtime to beat mine.

"Please," I scoff, sweat trickling down every part of my body. "You're the one struggling to breathe, Grandpa."

Zach and I often went jogging, because it was one of the only things that we could do to compete together without breaking something, to keep that adrenaline there at beating each other.

Despite the age difference, it was like we were just two kids. Well, I am a kid, he's a grown man who has this need to challenge kids to make himself feel better.

Most likely a self worth thing.

We continue off down the runners trail, both of us panting and breathing hard but making no attempt to stop and catch our breath.

The end of the trail is up ahead, and just the sight of it makes the both of us speed up, if that is even possible.

The other joggers are going at their own, normal pace while Zach and I bulldoze past them.

Just five more seconds...

We reached the large oak tree that was at the start of the trail when we left twenty minutes ago, finally coming to a stop.

"I...win..." Zach breathes out, one arm against the trunk of the tree, hunched over trying to catch his breath.

"What?" I wheeze, my hands on my hips as I try to calm my racing heart beat. "No, I won. I reached the tree before you."

"Nope, you didn't. I reached it like a millisecond before you."

"No you didn't!" I say, exasperated. A few joggers going past spares us a glance.

Zach shakes his head with a grin as he says, "when are you going to grow out of this sore loser thing. I won, East. Just admit it."

"No. You. Didn't." I'm glaring at him now, wanting to settle this. I perk up as an idea comes to mind. "Race you home?" I suggest, a gleam in my eye.

He eyes me suspiciously, and without another word, the both of us are sprinting away from the large oak tree and in the direction of our house.

~

Two weeks into the semester and my notes already look like they've been living in a gutter.

I'd planned to have a relaxing Sunday, with a movie or two and a face mask, along with a tub of Ben & Jerry's. But instead, I'm sat on my bedroom floor, surrounded by papers and loose pens as I try to figure out what I'm doing.

I grab a piece of paper I think is from English and try to decipher the words on the sheet, trying to make out what the actual assignment was, but the words all sort of blur together as my frustration grows.

Maybe a snack would help me concentrate better.

I leave all of my school notes scattered over my bedroom floor and head downstairs to the kitchen in search of some chocolate goodness.

Riffling through the kitchen cupboards I finally find Sebastian's stash of emergency junk food. 

Damien is a health freak, so the only chance of having chocolate and junk food in the house is if you buy it yourself and hide it, since Damien pays for the groceries he has the full say in what goes into the cart.

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