Author's note: Short one! Please comment and give me your feedback!
Chapter 4
(April)
After my birthday, Zach went back to his old dick self. We didn't have another half assed friendly conversation, and my hate for him was growing deep once more. But I could tolerate it a lot better now that I was used to it. He was pretty much my brother, so I knew I had to learn how to deal with him, no matter how horrible it was...
It was Friday night, and everyone had gone to bed but me. I was allowed to stay up on the weekends as late as I wanted, and I used it to my advantage. I didn't know where Zach was. I think he went out with friends earlier in the day. I had a Nofx CD in the stereo of the living room, listening to it quietly so that no one would wake up and get annoyed. I was once again, looking at a magazine, when the front door suddenly opened. I glanced towards the hall, unable to see who it was. I knew it was Zach, I just didn't know if he'd brought any friends home with him.
I shrugged and looked at the clock. It was twelve o'clock already. I was just hoping that he wouldn't be too wasted. His footsteps sounded into the kitchen and the refrigerator opened. A couple seconds later, he was standing in the archway of the living room. "Hey," He greeted lightly and came over to sit down next to me. I frowned slightly and nodded. I heard the crack of a can open and looked to see that he was holding a can of Guinness. He took a long sip of it and placed it on the table when done. "What 're you reading?" He asked. I was confused and paused before answering.
"Oh, um..." I looked at my magazine, suddenly embarrassed. It was a dog magazine Claudia had picked up. She'd been talking about getting me a dog. I lifted it with a slight grin so he could see. He nodded.
"Hey, that is cool, man... I like pets," He said and picked his beer up again. I nodded again.
"Oh," I replied awkwardly, not sure what else to say.
"My Mutter wants to get you a dog now that you are fifteen... she thinks you need responsibility." He laughed a little and stood up. I snorted and shook my head, grinning. The music suddenly got louder. "Did not know you liked Nofx."
"Yeah." I glanced up at him and then back down. "I was reading about different dog breeds. I sort of wanted a great dane. Deron would probably flip out, though, because they're so big." Silence.
"You should get a German Shepherd," Zach suddenly said, startling me slightly. I looked up at him, frowning.
"Yeah?" I asked. He nodded while taking a sip of his drink.
"Superb creatures," He replied with a smile. I grinned slightly and nodded. He probably just thought that because of where they originated from. But that might be one to look into. "So! Dylan..." I groaned silently and let the magazine fall onto my lap, turning my head to look at him. He was giving me a hard look. "Do you drink?" He asked. I swallowed, unsure if it was a trick question.
"Well... I only drank when I lived with my old foster parents... like, twice...," I lied slowly and unsurely. He looked at me for a while.
"I am not asking you so that I can run and tell Claudia," He finally said. I paused and glanced at my hands, getting hot a little. He was making me extremely nervous.
"Uh, yeah. I drank a couple times since I've been living here. I don't really- uh... have friends that I drink with, so I don't do it much." I let out a small breath and looked up at him. He nodded, looking a little sympathetic. Why the fuck was he acting so weird?
"That is a shame. You sure are missing out!" He laughed. He had a very deep, strong laugh. "Would you like a beer?" He asked before taking a swig of his. It was almost empty. I shrugged one shoulder. I didn't know what to say.
"Uh, sure... but only one," I replied. He nodded with a smile and stood up. He left the room and I was confused as shit. I kept feeling like he was playing a prank on me. He soon returned with two Guinness beers and handed me one. I cracked it open, mist coming out of the hole.
I did a cautious sniff and then took a small sip. I grimaced and Zach laughed again at me. "Do you not like it?" He asked. I shrugged.
"Not really," I replied with a small smile. "But that's okay, I'll finish it."
"Hey, if you can not, I certainly will," He said with a shrug and finished his first beer. He was like a fucking tank with alcohol. He could drink so much. I took another sip, a bigger one this time, and tried to swallow it like you would a shot. "Not too much longer before school is out, huh?" He asked. I shrugged.
"I guess not..." I looked at him and frowned. "Um.. Why are you talking to me?" I asked and regretted saying it as soon as it was out of my mouth. He looked over at me and shrugged.
"Because I can," He replied without much expression. "I have been living here for almost two months, and I barely even know you." He snorted and shook his head. I nodded and looked back down at my magazine.
"Okay... I just didn't know if you were trying to trick me or something. You know, act nice just to make fun of me later," I admitted with a half smile. He shook his head with a frown.
"Not at all." He glanced at me but didn't say anything else.
Zach and I made small talk, I guess you could call it, for the rest of the night until I finished my beer. It was about one thirty when I decided to go to bed. He'd already had about five. "Well," I finally said. "I think I'm gonna go to bed." I looked over at him and he nodded.
"Alright. I will see you tomorrow, then... since it is the weekend and all," He said, slurring a little. I laughed quietly and nodded. "Good night, then." He smiled, and I noticed that his teeth were very straight and white. It was surprising seeing as how he smoked so much.
"Okay." I stood up. "Good night," I said, glancing at him one last time before heading down the small hallway and to the stairs. I made my way upstairs and entered my little wooden room. I let out a deep breath and started undressing down to my boxers. I laid heavily on my bed and stared up at my ceiling, my mind racing.
I disliked Zach so much, but when he was nice to me and talked to me, I wanted so bad to open up to him. I couldn't though, because I knew that tomorrow he would be the same dick he always was, and that's what made me remember that I really hated the guy. I sighed, the time spent with my foster brother replaying over and over in my head. Until, finally, I fell asleep.
<<>>
"Hey, babe!" I heard an excited female voice after the front door had opened.
"Hello." Zach's deep voice rung through my ears. I looked at the soda I was holding and shook my head. For some reason, I had a bitter feeling in my stomach at the sound of her voice.
"You okay?" I heard her ask.
"Yeah, I am. Just a bit hungover, I suppose," He replied before they both walked past the kitchen and into the living room. I was angry that she was here. I was hoping that I could have had a peaceful Saturday. Maybe Zach and I could have- no, what was I thinking? He would never want to hang out with me or anything of the sort.
"Oh, he's here?" I suddenly heard followed by light footsteps. Kara soon appeared in the kitchen archway. She was smiling, and I felt bad immediately for being so mad. "Hey! How are you?" She asked happily. I smiled.
"I'm good," I replied. "How are you?"
"I'm great thanks." She paused. "You know, you can come into the living room and hang out with us if you want," she suggested with a grin. "You look lonely in here." I shook my head with a small smile.
"No, I'm okay. I was actually about to go out and skate around a little," I said. Spur of the moment reply, but that actually did sound like something fun to do.
"Oh... okay, but if you get bored, feel free," she said and turned to go back to Zach. I heard him complaining about her invitation. I rolled my eyes. I felt like going in there and calling him out about how nice he was to me the night before. It was almost like he was trying to be cool around other people and pretend he didn't like me or something. I didn't know.
I stood up and grabbed my skateboard before exiting out the front door. I skated around the driveway, wishing I could destroy Zach's piece of shit car with my board. I was very angry for some reason. I was angry that Zach was being so difficult, I was angry that his girlfriend was there, and I was angry that I cared so much about it all.
I was so confused...