Dude...Thats Not a Guy

33. I like impulsive

"You heard the emotional abuse, and she slapped him." Ashton finished for me.

"Yeah and then he clung to me when he had been trying to throw me out the window a few minutes before and... I understood she was a bitch, a controlling one, but that's something completely different and-"

"I know. I've talked to him about it before. Two or three years ago I told him he could move in with my family. My parents loved him. Mum still does and the offer is still open but he never took it." He explained. I shook my head as if it would make the information compute. The action didn't work, to say the least.

"Why? He's in pain-"

"Money, Zeke." Ashton answered. "I told my parents about it. They called social services but he acted fine and his parents pretended like it was okay. From then on Maer didn't like me too much, but she knows I would do it again so she let me see him still. Fact of the matter is, he's never been allowed to get a job. His life has been planned out since they conceived him. He's supposed to grow up, go to college, get his business degree and then work in the family's company until he takes it over from his parents."

"That's not-"

"He has no money of his own. His parents are supposed to pay for college. He's going to work part-time at the company after he finishes school while getting his degree. All he has to do is stay home until he gets through college, then he'll have to make do from there with the account they have ready for him when he turns 21 which I think has a couple million in it or something ridiculous like that." He said. I furrowed my brow and shook my head again.

"That's manipulation-"

"Yes, it is. He won't listen to me. The amount of times I've told him to leave has got to be in the hundreds. You can try talking to him about it. Might just need the same words told to him from a different person. I look at this way; I don't worry while the both of his parents are out of the country. When Maer is here, I'm on alert, but he can take care of himself, just might need some comfort. When his father is here... I never put my phone on silent, rarely sleep, just in case he needs me. If you can give him an out, a plan, it might help, but then again I have tried that so..."

"A plan?"

"Yeah, a plan of attack to get him out of there."

"Maer's gone for the moment, right?" I asked. He nodded. "I am going to make another huge mistake, but let's do it." I said, walking back towards the front door. "Thank you."

"I don't think you should thank me." He said.

"Why not?"

"I didn't help you."

"No, you didn't, but you helped me decide so you kind of did?" I responded.

"So I'm not getting the threatening brother talk?" He asked, which was something I had already forgotten about, so I walked back over to him. I pretended to be taking a pin out of an imaginary cork board.

"Alright, what the fuck are your intentions with my sister?" I asked him.

"I... I am mostly just confused. She... she said she likes me, and I didn't get to respond because you fucking interrupted us." He said, squeezing his hands into fists to release some tension before letting them relax again.

"You like her back?" I asked him, his eyes widened.

"I hadn't really thought..." his eyebrows furrowed as he looked away from me. God, this boy was lost. I put my hands on his shoulders and made him look at me.

"There is no threatening brother talk, okay? Not with me. I know she can take care of herself. However, I highly recommend you working your shit out before you go up those stairs because we both know she lacks patience. If you don't like her, you need to tell her, but I think we both know better than that."