Mixed up families, huh?

Chapter Twenty Five: Tyson's POV

It's been a week since the whole deal with Griffin. He hasn't come back, and I think we all figured he's been recovering from the fight with Noah. I think Noah truly felt guilty about it, but he didn't regret it. In Noah's eyes, Griffin was threatening Reagan's safety.

And you just didn't threaten one of Noah's younger siblings.

Flashback to 1 week ago

My eyebrows were furrowed as I walked to Noah's room. I had been coming to say goodnight, hoping he was okay after the long day with Griffin. I hadn't guessed that he would sad. I had hoped he would just be okay, but Noah just wasn't like that. If anything, I would've thought Noah would be angry still.

I was prepared for anger. There were many times that Noah had taken his anger out on me, especially after our parents died. I think that's just a contrast to our personalities. Noah reverts to anger, I revert to crying. We've both adjusted to what the other needs in those times.

We've both learned how to comfort the other. Because for a long time we were all the other had.

So, I was in no way prepared to hear Noah sobbing in his room.

That's just so not fair. Suddenly Noah stole my go-to? Without even telling me?

Jeez.

I opened the door slowly, not sure if Noah wanted me there.

I wanted to help him no matter what, but this seemed like a private moment.

"Noah?" I whispered. I waited a moment as Noah looked up from where he sat on the floor next to his bed. His face was puffy and splotchy. He had snot coming down his face, mixing with his tears. I guess he was an ugly crier.

Can't relate.

He stared at me for a second as I closed the door behind me. I didn't want Reagan to walk in on Noah in this state. Noah would think it made him look weak, even though everyone cries. He waved me over.

I sat next to him carefully, crossing my legs. He put an arm around my shoulder and pulled me tight to his side. Even when he was vulnerable and upset, he was still trying to make me feel better. This was foreign to me.

I had never seen Noah cry. It just wasn't like him. He was my strong older brother, and crying didn't change that, but it shook something in me. Seeing my brother, my provider, my supporter like this? It was hard for me. I didn't ever want to see Noah like this again.

"What's wrong Noah?" I realized how childish my voice sounded, but I couldn't find it in me to care.

He just shook his head and leaned his head on my shoulder, his whole body trembling as tears came down his face. I rubbed his shoulder and tried to calm him down, but this wasn't my usual gig.

We sat like that for a while. Reagan never bothered to come in, but I could hear her footsteps stop outside the door once, and I felt bad about how things had gone down.

Reagan hadn't known any better, but she shouldn't have made Noah feel guilty about our parents. She had no right to even bring it up, honestly. She was my sister, and I love her, but she didn't know our parents. She never even met them.

Maybe that wasn't fair. Reagan never got the chance to meet our parents, and that was terrible, but we had known them our entire lives, and then we had to lose them.

Both situations aren't fair.

But, not for the first time, I felt a disconnect between us and our sister.