You Have Us... Always.

Chapter 43- Memory.

She gasped, titling her head up to an annoyed frown she saw almost every day. "Silas."

He didn't respond, keeping his hands where they were and moving her along with him, back to the main school building. Her jaw chattered from the cold wind hitting her face. "Wait- m-my backpack-"

Turning her head around as much as she could, she caught Zaiden and Zach following closely, her backpack hanging from Zaiden's fingertips. She also caught Aubrey and Penny's scrambling to get off the bench to follow as well.

Trying to wiggle out of Silas hold didn't do anything, he only tightened his hold. He guided her through the large school doors and into the cafeteria. A place where Brynn hardly ever went.

It felt like everyone was watching, her face was flaming as she was moved over to an empty table and forcefully placed into one of the seats.

Her backpack was dropped into the seat next to her and her view of everybody else on the cafeteria blocked when Silas leant down, "what do you think you're playing at? It's fucking freezing."

Brynn's lips twisted as she looked at him, face almost entirely red. Her fingers twisted into the slowly warming material of her skirt. "The library was full," she muttered.

Silas shook his head and exhaled. He brought his hand forward, "then you come here." He pointed his finger downward, tapping her left knee.

Brynn's face couldn't have felt any warmer, she crossed her ankles together, swinging them anxiously underneath the seat. "It's full in here too." It's loud.

Silas removed his finger, running his tongue over his teeth and standing back to his full height. "Then you call."

Brynn didn't think that that was a valid reason to call. She didn't want to disrupt their lunch time. And they still found a place to sit, winter weather regardless.

Asking about Carlo came to mind, but it didn't seem like now was the right time. Not when Zach was suddenly at her right and was pushing something over each of her hands.

She looked down. His own gloves.

The heat on her face got worse, equally as vicious as the cold that was there before.

He folded the wrists up and pulled the finger parts down to make them fit as much as possible. Despite the efforts, the gloves still didn't fit right, but they were so warm and cozy. Brynn tightened her fists up into balls, subtly revelling in it.

When they eventually left, she breathed out, stilling the swinging of her legs as Penny and Aubrey sat down, somewhat hesitantly. They placed their half eaten lunches down onto the table, their backpacks dropping next to their chairs.

"Normal indeed," Aubrey muttered, looking unsure in the direction Brynn's brothers left in.

Brynn furrowed her eyebrows, the apology she was about to give them hanging from her lips, and looked too.

Not normal.

——

By the time the school day had ended and the Christmas holidays started and Brynn was in the car driving home with her brothers, she hadn't acknowledged it again.

She didn't understand Penny and Aubrey's words. Her brothers owned a business, a successful one. And that was okay.

It wasn't anything bad.

That protective flair built up inside her again. The papers should leave them alone. Everyone should leave them alone- they were her brothers.