"Shhhhhhh," the voice says quietly into my ear. "Silence."
Voice was so familiar but so foreign. It was strained, different than the last time I heard it. It had a certain scratchiness to it but was deep and hollow, like the sound your heartbeat makes. My insides churned as I felt person's breath on the back of my neck.
His hand came up from over my mouth and I turned around immediately being reunited with the face that I once loved with all my heart. I had forgotten how he looked. I had lost the image of him in my head.
But the thing was: he had changed. He wasn't the boy I vaguely remembered but he was a man now. His eyes were red and his face was extremely pale. Only a few freckled covered the bridge of his nose covered in scars and scabs, his hair were stuck in peaks higher than Mount. Everest.
"Everest?!" I whisper scream. He puts a finger over my mouth. "Is that really you?"
"Yes, little sister, it is."
"But- what- when did ... how?" I stutter.
"Not very proud of me, huh? I wouldn't blame you."
"What are you talking about?"
He aggressively grabbed ahold of my shoulders and shook me, screaming quietly into my face, "Look at me, Pumpkin, look! I'm a mess."
Pumpkin... I've forgotten about that. How Everest always used to call me pumpkin. It almost sounds artificial.
"I'm not safe for you, anymore. I'm not safe for anyone anymore. That's why I haven't been back here lately- they're after me, Everly!" He looks everywhere and anywhere but my eyes.
"What? Who's after you?" I ask.
"The cops. Im a criminal, kid."
"A-a- a what?"
"I sell drugs, Everly. I was failing outta school and couldn't pay for anything! S-some guys came to my dorm one day and offered me a-a job. Drug dealing. I kept it on the low for a while but then, I couldn't help myself and I- I started..." Everest drifted off. "I need to stop. University expelled me. They kicked me out! I didn't want to come back here because I'm dangerous." He let go of my as soon as he said 'dangerous'. "I need help."
"Evie-"
"Listen to me, pumpkin, listen. I need twenty-five grand."
"What?!"
"Shhhh- that's it. Twenty five grand. Mom and dad would be so disappointed if I asked them. You've gotta understand the position I'm in, kid." Everest seems so, rushed and panicked.
"This seems wrong. I can't ask Mom and dad for twenty five grand-"
"I never said it had to come from them."
I stare into his eyes. I want to help him, I really do.
This is why he's been gone so long. Two years have gone by and this is what he comes back as. A high drug dealer who's probably wanted by the police for stealing drugs and shit. My brother- Everest- who had everything going for him. He could've been a professional boxer and made money doing what he enjoyed but instead, he turned into... this.
Suddenly, I heard Ryland from down stairs.
"Blondie! Is everything okay up there?"
"Who's that?" Everest questions.
"Just a friend- I'll try to get the money, I can't make any promises, though."
Everest lets go of my shoulders and heads for the window on the other side of room. He opens it and jumps out. My eyes widen in shock before running over to it but see him sliding down a rope.
I sigh in relief as he runs off down the street to who-knows-where. Every part of my body wants to know where he could possibly be running to. It feels like I don't even know my brother anymore. Should he be someone that I'm proud to call my brother, anymore? Is he safe to be around?
He did say he was dangerous...
How's about we stop think about this? Yeah, that sounds like a great idea.
I walk down stairs with a sick feeling in my stomach. Where Everest touched my shoulders, I can still feel something there. The thought of him make me feel uneasy.
I thought that maybe if I ever saw any of my family members again, I'd be happy, out of all three of them, Ev was the one I really wanted to see. If this is how we were reunited then how would it be with my parents? Will they even come home? Probably not.
I'm surprised my parents haven't disowned me and thrown me into the streets yet. I expect that out of them more than even coming home. That's sad.
"What's wrong?" Ryland questions as I absentmindedly sit down at the kitchen table across from him.
"Nothing's wrong."
"Don't make me tickle you for answers." Aries lifts his eyebrows looking a stupid kind of serious. Artificially serious... haha that makes no sense. "I will do it."
"Aries-"
"I will do it, blondie!"
"You're a dork." I scoff and laugh at the same time.
"I'm a gorgeous dork."
"No, just a dork."
"That's it!" Aries shoots up out of his chair and runs to me. "Tickle fight!!"
I was starting to question how much of a "bad boy" he claimed to be. Maybe he was more stupidity than bad boy.
Aries reaches where I sit at the table and slings my tiny body over his shoulders. I squeal and kick my feet as my hair blinds me, flying around and blocking my view from anything.
"Nice ass, blondie." Aries remarks and I laugh and roll my eyes.
"Aww thanks, you too." I say, hitting my hands effortlessly where his butt was supposed to be. His jeans sag a little revealing his plaid boxers. I grab his belt loop and pull them up. "You don't even have an ass."
"You're just jealous of it."
"What is there to be jealous of, though?"
"What? I can't hear you! I'm boutta tickle yooou!!"
Aries throws me- lightly- off of his shoulder and onto the leather couch. His fingers move around on my stomach as I squeal and squirm around nearly falling off of the couch.
"Sto-sto-stop!" I manage to say through uncontrollable laughing. "It-it-it hurts to la-la-laugh so much!"
"Then tell me why you're looking sad! Teeeeeeeeell meeeeeeee!" Aries straddles my small figure. "Teeeeeeeeell meeeeeee noooooow!" He jokes.
"Never!" I kick my knees into his back, hearing every hollow thump. "Now stop tickling meeee! I sound like a dying walrus!"
"You're laugh is adorable." He stops tickling me.
I remove my hair from my face and allow my smile to sink back down to its default straight line. Aries softly takes my chin in his fingertips and forces me to look up at him.
"Now, why are you sad?" He asks.
"Just a bad day."
"Frowns aren't healthy."
I smile bright and big. "Happy?"
"Thats what I'm wondering about you." Ryland leans slightly foreword towards me. "Are you happy, blondie?"
"I guess you could say that, Aries."
He nods slowly before looking at my face, his ocean eyes travel up and down my face. I probably look like an idiot, single strands of hair pinned to my forehead, smeared mascara, my glasses probably all jacked up.
I bring my hands over my face and cover it. "Omg, there's probably something on my face, right? Ew, I probably look like a toad."
Ryland grabs both my hands in one of his, the other still on my chin, and he leans all the way foreword, softly placing his lips on mine. He leaves his soft, rose lips there before lifting them away. I, soon missing his lips fixed on mine.
"More like the princess from princess and the frog, Everly." He smiles.
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Hello, there readers... didn't see ya there ;)
Here's another chapter... vote and comment what y'all think!
Btw, "The Tutor" reached 2k reads and is in the rankings. I'm so very happy with everything and I love you all so much! I'm speechless.
Buh-byeeeeee!
-BlackMidnights