Splinters: Part One

Part One | 19

Andrew gave him a head nod. "Hey, Caleb."

I narrowed my eyes at him. How did they know each other?

"What are you doin' here?"

Andrew sighed, slapping a hand on my shoulder. "Actually, Brayden here came to see your sis."

The boy smirked. "Oh, so this is the boy she's been hiding from everyone."

This was Collie's brother. I was petrified. He didn't seem the slightest friendly.

"Um..."

"Alright, kid," he began, leaning against the doorway. "I don't know you, I don't really care to know you, but listen. Collie's my baby sister. I'm a state champion wrestler, won my twenty-seventh medal back in '09, so I won't have any problem kicking your ass if you hurt her. Clear?"

I nodded vigorously, not daring to let my voice speak. Andrew let out a muffled laugh behind his hand. I looked at him and swiftly punched him in the stomach. I don't know where it came from, but it just did. He doubled over as I glared at him.

"Caleb, shut up and let him in!"

Collie's voice filled me with relief and I jerked my head toward the doorway. I could tell by Andrew's face that he wasn't the only one shocked at Caleb's words. He could also be shocked of my violent gesture, too. I don't know.

Caleb sighed and stepped aside, narrowing his eyes at me as I entered with Andrew behind me after he was able to stand straight. To begin, the entrance led to a long hallway, but the living room was to your right and there was Collie and that's all I needed to look for. She was lying on a sofa directly diagonal from the door, giving her a perfect view of the back of her brother as he threatened me.

"I really wish you didn't have to see me like this," she smiled sadly.

Her hair was pulled up messily in a pony tail and she wore no makeup. She looked fine, really, but you could tell she was sick. The bottom half of her body was covered with a blue blanket and her top half was exposed with a pink tank top. I tried not to look at her chest as the tank top was a little low.

"You don't look bad."

Collie's mouth opened, but she looked to my side and saw Andrew just a few steps behind me.

"What's going on?" she asked. "What are you doing here? Actually, what are you both doing here?"

She pulled her legs toward her and covered herself with the blanket entirely.

"Brayden said you were sick so we decided to visit you," Andrew grinned.

Collie just stared at him. "I can assume that was your idea."

He shook his head and slapped his right hand on my left shoulder. "Nope. It was all Brayden's."

Collie's eyes looked back towards me. She smiled, because I knew she could tell it wasn't my idea at all.

"Sit down," she offered.

"Collie, kick your boys out. We're watching a movie," Caleb ordered, dropping onto another couch across the room.

"No!" she bit back. "Go watch in your room if you don't want to be around them."

Caleb sighed. "Press play."

Collie did as he said and she scooted over so we could watch the show with her. After ten minutes of watching some weird show with starships and lazer swords - I've never seen Star Wars, but I'm pretty sure this is it - Andrew gave me a knowing look.

"Hey, Caleb," he spoke up. "You got COD here?"

Caleb nodded without looking away from the plasma screen TV that had to be a ninety inch. "Yeah."