His Mission

Spiteful Words.

"Tobias! Stop!" I yell at him, but it's too late. His fist connects with Jake's face and Jake reacts instantly. He wraps his arms around Tobias waist before wrestling him to the floor. Both of them begin throwing punches, each one more forceful than the last. Their bodies become a blurry tangle of limbs. I release a scream at them to stop, but my cries fall on deaf ears. The rubber band of tension between them has finally snapped and they're breaking loose. "I'm going to fucking kill you!" Jake yells while throwing punches at Tobias' face. Tobias manages to dodge them before taking a firm punch to the eye. He hisses in pain, but his discomfort doesn't last long because he manages to hit Jake square in the jaw. Jake stumbles back before regaining his composure and lunging for Tobias a second time.

"Ivory!" I call out for her. I'm going to need an extra pair of hands if I have any hope of breaking them apart. Her bedroom door swings open, and she comes tumbling down the stairs looking like she's just woken up. Her eyes grow wide with panic at the sight of her cousin and brother fighting like animals.

"Not again! Can you take a break from fighting?!" Ivory yells before charging between them. I grab hold of Jake before using all of my strength to pull him off Tobias. Ivory does the same until we're both standing in between them. I keep my hands against Jake's chest while Ivory pins Tobias up against the wall as best as she can. Her five foot frame isn't enough to keep him contained and he makes another lunge at Jake.

"Stop fighting!" I scream at Tobias. His dark eyes snap over to me, and he pauses for a brief second when he notices the desperation in my eyes. It's enough time for me to grab Jake's hand before pulling him in the direction of the kitchen. I need to create space between them both before they kill each other. While I'm dragging Jake away, I hear Ivory shouting at Tobias with frustration.

"What the hell is wrong with you, Tobias? Why do you keep pushing until he explodes? You're supposed to be family!" Ivory yells at him. I feel the same way about their broken relationship. Jake remains silent the entire time. His chest rises and falls heavily as he attempts to catch his breath. His jaw is bright red and the cut on his lip from the other day has now been aggravated. It's bleeding and he reaches up to wipe it away with a swipe of his arm.

"Was that necessary?" I ask him quietly while guiding him over to the sink. Jake's eyes fixate on my face and his jaw twitches with frustration. He doesn't respond, and I can sense the adrenaline radiating from him. I silently take a damp cloth before pressing it against his jaw. He leans back against the kitchen counter while allowing me to clean him up. "You need to learn to ignore him, Jake." I say quietly.

"There's only so much I can ignore," Jake mutters in monotone. I release a sigh of defeat and I know their relationship is going to take more than a few words of advice to fix. I hear Tobias and Ivory arguing outside the kitchen door. The sound of heavy footsteps approaches the kitchen and the door swings open. Tobias storms in with anger blazing through his eyes.

"Don't come any closer, Tobias! Your feud is ridiculous! This has to end." I say to him before meeting him halfway across the kitchen. I block his pathway to Jake, especially since I doubt I would be able to break them apart for a second time. Tobias' features twist with spite and he turns to look at me with fresh anger brewing in his eyes. "Stay out of this, Emily. It has nothing to do with you," Tobias hits back at me harshly. I hear Jake drop the bloodied rag in the sink behind me before releasing a deep breath.

"Don't speak to her like that unless you want me to give you two black eyes. Walking around looking like death will match your personality." Jake's voice is cold, emotionless and filled with spite for his cousin.

"Are you threatening me?" Tobias hisses at him. I glance over Tobias' shoulder to look at Ivory with desperation in my expression. She's hanging her head in her hands, seemingly giving up on trying to bring peace to the boys.