My brother balled his fists as he shook his head at me. The sound of his heavy sneakers hitting the floor caused both Amanda and I to take a step back as he made his way towards us. The muscles in his neck strained with every step he took.
Amanda was smart and quickly ran towards the stairs, probably heading to my room and therefore, escaping. Great! Just leave me alone with my crazy brother, why don't you?
"H-Hey John! How c-come you're here—I-I mean it's not like I don't want you here! I was just wondering wh—!" I let out a yelp as my brother marched in front of me, grabbed my hand with an iron grip, and dragged me towards the staircase.
"W-what are you doing?" I demanded, as I tried to struggle out of his hold. Unlike me, he was very athletic and way stronger than me. So, as much as I wanted to run away, I couldn't. "John, where are we going?" I asked, as we continued heading up the stairs.
"Up to my room," he said, shortly. Once we reached his room, he pulled me inside, shutting the door behind him. He let go of my hand and looked directly at me. "Now, we're going to talk."
"You seriously didn't have to pull me up here though. I could have followed you if you wanted to talk," I said as I glanced down at the ground.
"No. If I didn't, you would've bolted like Amanda did," he said, his voice softening.
"Okay fine . . . I probably would have." I fidgeted with my fingers. "So . . . um, why are you here?" I asked, finally meeting his eyes.
He frowned. "Bell, you know exactly why I'm here." He wrapped an arm around my shoulder and continued, "Mom called. She said she was worried about you. Said some kids were torturing you. I know how those kids are Bell, and I'm not letting them hurt you again," he said, smiling slightly at me before he pulled his lips into a thin line. "First thing tomorrow, I'm going to pay them a visit."
I moved out of his hold. "John, you can't beat up the entire school."
"I can try," he offered.
"Seriously?" I sighed. Sometimes, he can be so dramatic. "And besides, they weren't torturing me, just pulling a stupid prank. How'd you get here anyway?" I asked.
He shrugged with a silly grin on his face. "Oh, I don't know, perhaps by technology they invented years ago . . . hmm, oh yeah cars?"
I laughed. John had always been the spur of the moment kind of guy, so I wasn't all that surprised that he'd shown up. Honestly though, I was happy he was here.
"Right, but you didn't have to come here, you know. I'm fine."
He rolled his eyes at me and gave my shoulder a squeeze. "No, you're not. You were crying, and don't give me any of that crap saying you weren't. Mom told me everything already."
"Fine, I was crying," I admitted, "but I'm okay now, alright? And you can't expect to pop up every time I cry, otherwise you'll never finish school."
"Yeah, sure."
"Sarcasm noted." I smiled.
He returned one of his own after letting go of his scowl. "I'm serious, Bell, I don't want to worry about you constantly being bullied," he said into my hair as we hugged.
"John, I'll be fine, okay?"
"Okay." He sighed, running his hand through his blonde locks. "I still can't believe Thomas would do something like that. He was always so nice to me, and so was Rachel. I had no idea they were like this," he trailed off as he couldn't find the words to describe his old classmates.
"Of course they were nice to you. They all worshipped the ground you walked on," I replied.
"Yeah, but you're my sister, they should've known better."
"Not really, when you weren't around, they picked on me all the time," I said, recounting all the mean things those insensitive jerks did to me.
"They did? Why didn't you tell me? I would have kick their asses!" he shouted.
"That's exactly why I didn't tell you." I sighed. "I knew you were going to make a big deal out of it, and you would've just gotten yourself in trouble."
"It is a big deal! You're my little sister, I have to protect you."
I scoffed. "John, you're only two and a half years older than me. You don't have to protect me anymore."
He rolled his eyes. "Yes, I do. You're still my little sister," he said, obviously not listening.
"So if Lily was being picked on, you would kick those little kids' butts too?" I asked, as I tried to get his attention away from me.
"Of course!"
"John, they're like three." I laughed.
"That's an exaggeration, they're eight." He crossed his arms. "And besides, Lily is home schooled, and she can take care of herself. You on the other hand? You can't. Now stop trying to change the subject."
"And why can't I?" I asked, huffing.
"Well, for one, you're a pushover. And two, you're too nice, even when you shouldn't be. Lily on the other hand isn't afraid of standing up for herself, but then again she's never been bullied."
"Yeah, well . . . that's because she's pretty," I muttered.
I watched as he rolled his eyes and scooted closer. "You're pretty too," he said, and brushed the loose hair from my face.
"No, I'm not. Stop saying that," I said, and turned away from him.
"But you are."
I whipped around. "Then how come everyone who isn't my family, finds me to be nothing more than a fat, ugly cow?"
"Because they're too stupid to realize how great of a girl you are, and if they can't see that, you don't need them in your life anyway."
"Yeah well, I've decided to go on a diet anyway, so no more crude nicknames."
His eyebrows furrowed. "You are?"
"Yes, didn't Mom tell you? I thought she told you everything?"
"Apparently she didn't," he grumbled.
"Well, I am. And I'm dropping out of school as well."
"What? Why do you need to do that?"
"Because I'm going to lose weight," I emphasized. "I need to focus without worrying about everyone else."
"You're serious about this then?" he asked, with one raised eyebrow.
"Yeah. I want to change for the better."
He took a deep breath. "Alright," he said, while my eyes widened. "If that's what you want, I'll help."
"How? You can't stay. You have school."
He shifted away from me as he turned his head. "I was going to come home for a bit anyway."
My eyes narrowed as I watched him. What was he hiding? "No really, why are you here?"
He sighed. "Look, I'm here for you, okay? The timing is already perfect, so don't worry about me."
"Will our parents let you, you know, just stay home?" I asked.
"Of course they will. I'm the perfect son remember? Plus, it's not like I'm dropping out of college, I'm just taking a break this semester," he said, smiling. "I'll catch up next semester, and take extra classes in the summer."
"What about your school?" Surely they would realize he was missing.
"What about them? I'm their star athlete, I have straight A's, and I've only missed a few classes. Besides, Mom and Dad's bank account has its benefits too." He winked, as I laughed.
"Right, cheat your way out of college by paying your professors off."
He laughed. "That's not what I'm doing at all." I frowned, when I didn't see the crinkle in his eyes. Something major was bothering him, and it wasn't sitting well with me. But, I decided not to push it, not wanting to mess up this atmosphere.
"Well, either way, thanks for being here." With my brother here, things would be a bit easier.
"No problem, sis. When do you plan on developing this healthier lifestyle of yours?"
"Soon."
He nodded. "Just tell me when and I'll be there."
"Thanks, John." I smiled, while he gave me a wide grin. "I'll see you later."
When I left my brother's room, I made my way towards the stairs. As I reached my door, I saw the door to the bathroom closed. Hearing the shower running and Amanda's voice singing, I quietly tiptoed inside my room. The mirror that hung on my wall shone back at me.
I glanced at my body a few times, and frowned at the way I looked. The magic that Amanda placed on me was completely wiped away. In its place was a total disaster. My face was a blotchy mess, with makeup running down my cheeks. The once perfect dress only made my hips wider, and my stomach bigger. It looked totally unflattering on me now.
No wonder why people tease you so much. Just look at you.
I sighed. The voice in my head never ceased to taunt and antagonize me over everything I did. There was no getting away from it. The voice was always there, always pulling me down under into a never ending stream of self-pity. It was always whispering what an utter and complete failure I was.
Did you really think you stood a chance with Jason, looking like that? Honey, it's going to take much more to get his attention. Thomas was right, you are pathetic.
I couldn't take it anymore, I couldn't get away from it. If I wasn't safe inside of my own head, how could I ever find happiness? I decided that it was time to stop listening to that sadistic voice upstairs once and for all. I couldn't let it control me like it always did in the past.
I was going to change, and today would be the last day that anyone called me Isacow.