Breakthrough

Chapter 7

happy new year, guys! i hope 2018 brings you nothing but happiness, good fortune, positivity, and love.

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Chapter 7

SEBASTIAN

The slamming of the front door of the apartment pulled me out of my nap, much to my annoyance. Although I tried to fall back asleep, Dad's aggravated and loud voice completely ripped me from sleep, his tone no doubt angry as he practically shouted to whomever was listening to him. My drowsy mind couldn't properly comprehend what he was ranting about as I reluctantly sat up from the bed, not bothering to put on a shirt as I pulled my sweatpants up and exited the room, squinting against the light in the apartment. Damn the several windows in this place.

Dad's voice got louder the closer I got to the living room, and when I entered he was saying, "Who the hell does that man think he is, reserving the entire pool?"

My brows furrowed, hand reaching up to ruffle my already messy hair as my eyes gazed at everyone else in the room; Mom, CJ, my aunt Lana with her husband Zeke and two year old daughter Paige, my grandparents, and my older brother Freddie. They all looked equally annoyed with my father's ranting—except CJ, who was sitting on the loveseat with an unreadable expression on his face.

Looking back at my family, I realized all of them were wearing bathing suits or cover-ups, towels alongside them. "What's going on, Dad?" I finally asked, standing in the entryway as all eyes flickered to me as I made my presence known.

Dad glowered as he recalled, "Somehow Trevor Sinclair got the idea that he had a right to reserve the whole damn pool for his family to use today. Leave it to him to be this forward and preposterous."

I pressed my lips together, holding in the laugh that was threatening to pass my lips at my dad's words. Reserving the pool? Harper's dad sure was going all out to piss off mine, not that that's the least bit surprising. Truthfully, the whole thing was petty beyond belief and I wanted to tell my dad to just take it in stride and let it go, but that would go against the belief I've established with my family that I was just as into this feud as the rest of them were. Really, it would be so much better if Dad and Mr. Sinclair just kept diminished the rivalries between the families and kept their professional one. The fact that both of them were two of the highest paid real estate agents in Florida from two different agencies yet were constantly butting heads just made their hatred for each other run all the more deeper. How exhausting.

My eyes met CJ's from across the room, and his brows lifted slightly, unimpressed, with hands clasped between his legs. Letting out a sigh, I rubbed my hands down my face, finding this whole thing just as dumb. First of all, I didn't even know this apartment building had its own pool; second, I also didn't know you could reserve it for yourself. I'm sure Trevor Sinclair had no objections to other people being in the pool the same time he and his family were enjoying their time there—he reserved it on the off chance my family would show up, which they did. Looks like it worked perfectly for him, and now we had to deal with my simmering father.

Just for the hell of it, I let my arms drop to my side and smirked, "You should reserve the pool for a whole week, Dad, just to piss him off."

Dad raised his eyebrows, bottom lip jutting out in contemplative thought as my brother, Freddie, scowled at me from where he sat on the couch. "The hell he should." Looking at my dad, he firmly said, "Don't let Sebastian's stupidity talk you into wasting a bunch of money, Dad."

My brows steepened into a glare directed at my brother, one he matched without reserve as my jaw clenched. He and I were never on the same page about anything, and it'd be an understatement to say that we didn't get along. For as long as I can remember, Freddie and I were always at each other's throats and there wasn't one conversation that we had that didn't include us insulting or pissing each other off. Kind of like my relationship with Harper, only this was within my family and one I was surrounded with constantly.