Far From The Truth

Chapter 17

He scowled jokingly. "Hey, don't laugh! It hurts." He put a hand against his heart in fake hurt.

I made a mock sad face. "Aw, does my lil' bro have a booboo?"

He hit my shoulder jokingly and then we both collapsed in laughter. Suzie walked in and an amused expression covered her face. "What's happened here?"

"Brad here is now my 'foster' little brother." I grinned at her.

Suzie smiled back sweetly. "Okay, well, just let me put this gauze on your hand and then you two can leave and bond for the rest of the break."

She wrapped the gauze on Brad's hand and all the while I was behind her making funny faces so that he would laugh. When Suzie was finished with Brad's hand, he stood up and said, "Come on Avril, I want you to meet my friends!"

I laughed and started walking out of the tent with him. I turned back to see Suzie standing there with an amused expression back on her face. I smiled at her and kept following Brad. We walked out of the tent and immediately he ran over to a group of what I was guessing were friends, and they looked 14. I walked over and when I got there he was already talking animatedly to his friends. "...and here she is right now!" Brad grabbed my arm and pulled me into the midst of the small group of fourteen year old boys.

All of them were silent as I smiled and said, "Hello."

They were quiet a moment longer before they all looked at Brad and then back to me. Before I realized what happened, the crowd erupted in shouts and I stood there as they mauled Brad.

"Dude, you didn't mention that she was HOT!" One of them shouted. I blushed a bit at that remark.

"How old is she? She looks like she's a senior in high school!"

"She is a total babe!"

"Guys! Be quiet!" Brad yelled over all the noise. He turned to me. "Sorry Avril, my friends are hormone crazed."

I laughed. "It's fine. I remember being fourteen. I get it."

Brad smiled and turned back to his friends. "Guys, this is Avril, my new big sister. Avril, these are my friends Scott, Dillan, Cane, Eric, Jesse, Cole, and Matt." He pointed at all of the boys in turn and I said hello to all of them. They stood there with eyes like saucers, and after the introduction, I turned to Brad and put my hand on his shoulder.

"Listen, little bro. I've gotta go back to work, but do you have a cell?" He nodded, "Okay, give me your cell number and we can talk later, 'kay?"

Brad smiled and grabbed a marker out of his pocket and wrote his cell number on my hand. He already knew I didn't have a cellphone, so I was just going to either call him from my apartment, Jace's phone or from Jace's home number.

I ran off after giving him a smile and waving to all of his friends. I turned back to look in front of me and started towards my work space.

And guess who was already there.

Blaise.

And he had a girl draped on his arm.

I didn't know why, but I felt a little pang and I turned away from them and kept my eyes on my work when I got there. I dismissed the pang as an after-effect from earlier.

I grabbed my hard-hat from where I had left it next to the bedroom wall, which is what Blaise and I were working on, and then grabbed my hammer and some nails and started hammering the boards together. I tried keeping my eyes in front of me, on my work, but I just...couldn't. I couldn't concentrate with Blaise and that other girl getting cozy and making out.