I'm sitting on the bed inside the room of Logan Wolfe.
I'm shaking out of my wits here. Just a few minutes ago I was bawling in front of four brothers who heard and seen everything that has been going on with my miserable life, and that is something I shouldn't be revealed in front of others.
My brain is always searching around the room making myself aware of the inside chamber of a boy. I've been inside Ares room once when I was looking for my iPhone because apparently, he broke his during a fight with some guy at the bar and destroyed his phone in the process, so Athena and I had to take turns letting him use our phones until he received the replacement.
Ares room was different than Logan - entirely different. But, the one thing that separates my brother and Logan's room is that his place is surrounded by clothes. It's a total mess because he goes to work early, then comes home late or the next day, so he doesn't have time to organize. Athena would have to pick up his dirty clothes and scold Ares the next time to clean his stuff up, or he is gone.
My brother didn't take our older sister too lightly and changed his ways by doing laundry on his days off. However, Logan's room is not a boy's room. I don't think he has barely any stuff he owns in this big ass room. He has a large flat screen TV hooked on the wall, a king size bed for gods know why he needed a large bed, not because of his massive body frame, two large mirror that slides to the side inside is his closet.
How do I know?
When he wanted to change from soaking his shirt. I watched him open his mirror door and went inside to grab a dry shirt. I knew the previous owners had their house renovated adding more rooms and adding another story to the home; they did everything to make the house look more Beverly Hills.
Logan's room is on the second floor and after me crying and wailing on him for being the asshole. He leads me into his house, up the stairs and then into his room which I am already waiting for him to bring some ice for my swollen ankle.
I look down and saw how bumpy and red after I sprained it from the fall. I inhaled and exhaled, repeating my breathing as I wait. My whole body stiffened when I didn't hear the door open, and Logan came inside holding an ice pack. I shrink myself as he walks towards me, bent down on one knee and placed the ice pack next to my ankle I wince from the cold touch.
"Sorry," he muttered, carefully held the ice pack, pull a roll up bandages to wrap it around my ankle until he creates a knot to prevent it from falling.
There was such movement from him after wrapping my ankle. His face was down, and all I could see was the top of his hair. I tilt my head to see what is he looking at; I saw that he was staring at the visible scars on my legs. I have them all over my body, only the deep cuts that the window shard that was able to pierce through my skin. Some were just scratches, but most were buried wounds. I need to say something before it gets more awkward becomes a problem between us.
"Um..." clearing my throat. "Logan, can I go now? My sister might be home already." That is a lie. Athena doesn't get out for another hour today. Tuesday at the Senior homes is an easy day.
He didn't say a word kept his head down.
I sighed. "Look, I'm sorry I can be a bitch to you, and I appreciate that you ice my ankle I need to go," I began to shift my leg only to stop by Logan's hand. I tried nudging it away, but he wouldn't let me go.
"Did these scars..." I paused when he finally spoke. "You got these scars when you were in the accident with your parents?"
I sat back down when he raised his head locking our eyes. He's so eager to know why I have so many scars on my body and at first, I didn't want anyone to know they exist which is the reason why I wear dark clothes to hide my ugly body. I hated my body for having so many to repent of my sin. Each of these nasty scars represents the guilt I hidden within myself.
"Yes," I said breathlessly as I confess. "I was the one who causes my dad to pay attention to me because I was a stupid kid who can't wait to play on her iPad. Then when the stupid truck driver drove on the other side of the road, had rampage towards our car causing it to tip over and roll down the street." Just saying all these was making my eyes watery and lips quiver thinking of my parents. "I woke up after a short period coma and learned that my parents didn't survive the crash, but I did, and these scars - the doctor said I was covered in broken window shards. Some were just minor cuts, while others dig deeper into my skin that had almost broken a blood vessel and I would have died of a blood loss. Luckily, I'm alive," I chuckled nervously, I didn't realize that Logan was now sitting next to me on the bed, my hands were with his larger ones as he massages them with his thumb. An electric wave hit my nervous system that I didn't pay much attention to it, but I felt calmer.
"After my parents' death, social service separated my older siblings and I with a different foster family until my older sister, Athena was old enough to take us back and be responsible. Two years later, she turned eighteen, got a stable job working at the senior center like my mom and took custody of me and my brother Ares. Then when Ares turned eighteen, he took a job working in a construction job just heavy lifting and all that, making minimum wages to support the three of us. I wanted to work, but there are two things that are holding me back. My sister and brother didn't allow me to find a job and because of these scars."
I sighed, looking straight. "Once, I turned eighteen and finish high school; I planned to take a job if I have the confidence. I never thought of college, not one bit once I started high school. My mind drift of all the possibilities of working in a stable job. You must think how selfish of me not thinking about myself but my older siblings had done enough for me and it's my fault that they didn't go to college. Athena wanted to be a teacher but that shift switch to taking care of the elderly. She was unsure of her choice in career but she loves her job.
As for Ares wanted to be a cop. I took their dreams and replaced it with my burden because I had our parents killed. Getting a job and paying them back is the only way to repay them for all the things they had done for me."
Letting all that I've feeling never felt so much better-telling someone other than my family. If I were to tell Athena and Ares this, then they would say to me it's not my fault that they are working their butts off to pay bills and everything, and that I shouldn't worry. But, I am worried. I'm so afraid that I'm starting to have white hair underneath my natural hair color, and that is bad.
"Aphrodite," he whispers slowly, prolonging each letter of my name on his tongue just made me shiver there for a second. His voice felt strong and husky. "You can not put yourself down like this. Your siblings, they chose to work. They decided because your parents are no longer here it's their job as the eldest to work hard and support the family. Don't blame yourself for your parents' death because they don't. They are glad you stayed alive or else they would have lost both you and your parents in the crash."
"That's what Athena said to me," I sniffle wiping my eyes.
"See," he chuckles softly, tightening his grip on my hands to reassure that the whole guilt over my parents' death wasn't my fault. "Now, show me a smile."
I looked down embarrassed shaking my head.
"Baby girl, if you don't smile. I will kiss you, and I mean it." I flinched my body making him laugh. "Please, show me a smile."
I shook my head again, and when I did, Logan pushed me back on the bed with him hover me making my heart beat fast.
The room became quiet once he had me lay on my back. The only noise that I could hear is downstairs where Logan's brother is playing Xbox on their smart tv, and I could tell this must be a lively home compare to my haunted house next door. I felt his stare on me and as I turned a part of my hair fell over my face. With a free hand brushed back that hair behind my ear, and I could feel his fingers on my cheeks made me tingle from his touch which turned into heat waves traveling like a river all over my body until the sensation went straight down in between my legs.
Oh boy, that is not good.
I land my eyes on him, and we keep it there, looking at one another. I began to get a reading on him. What is it with this guy that makes me feel like this that I never thought I could have? Yesterday he was a jerk to me and now...I don't know. This whole thing that is going on is new to me. I mean I never had any close guy friends let alone a boyfriend, but I have a brother. Just this between Logan and me is not easy to obtain.
I never wanted the attention from someone who I think won't be a perfect match for me, but yesterday, Logan with his twin brother has every single class with me and stuck for the rest of my senior year, and I feel doomed.
Every day, I expect my life to be the way it is; a teenage outcast girl who the whole school calls her Sadako because of the way she acts and dresses lives in fear that if I become with anyone they will be cursed and die from it. The Wolfe twins, they didn't catch the message and still sat next to me. I expect them to sit somewhere else, but they didn't.
My attention was entirely focusing on Logan right now, and I could feel some electrical waves running through my body.
Logan moves his head closer to mine, and I could feel my heart hammering to each beat against my rib cage that something is going to happen and this isn't just something - Logan is about to kiss me.
What should I do? Do I wait? Do I lift my head to make the first move?
I never kissed a guy before, I don't know how to kiss, and Ares is an exception because I remember I was three and to get my doll back I attacked him with my sloppy kisses to return the toy to me. And it worked. Anyways, that is not important, right now at this very moment, I'm going to be kissed by the hottest guy currently at the school.
The closer he got, the more I body and mind became stiff underneath him. My heart was the only one rampaging against my chest of fear and excitement. I lay frozen, from both anxiety and nervousness that my heart won't stop pounding, and I bet he could hear it because it's so damn quiet in the room.
I closed my eyes shut just waiting then flashbacks from yesterday when I spot him zipping up his pants, and the girl with the brunette hair said she enjoyed her lunch means she didn't eat food, but something else made me realize the mistake. I'm about to make that would regret me for the rest of my life.
"Wait!" I jolted my head up colliding with his.
"Shit!" He hissed, as he got off the bed and rubbed his forehead. "What the hell?"
"I'm sorry, I shouldn't be doing this. Don't you have a girlfriend or someone you have benefits with because I'm not that type of girl to be played with," I freaked out and limped my way off his bed heading towards the door when he caught me by the wrist stopping me from leaving.
"Wait, Aphrodite, just listen-" he was cut off when I heard voices downstairs. A man and woman and I recognize the female voice anywhere.
I let my wrist go from Logan's gripped, head out his door and made my way down the stairs when I slowly hear my sister's voice coming from the family room. I head over there and saw Thea sitting on a guys lap who looks are similar to Logan's and his brother, but his head was shaved off but has a roughly mustache and beard with the same pair of blue eyes. I'm guessing this is the guy Don mention calling. Rex has the same matching tribal tattoo on his right arm. Looking at how macho and older he is than Don and Seth, he's the eldest brother or father?
I watched Athena laugh and smile sweetly towards Rex that I crossed my arms over my chest and tapped my shoe. She seems to be enjoying sitting on a guys lap because I never saw her with any guys because she was too focused on working. I didn't know she had a boyfriend. Wait, don't tell me...
I didn't notice Logan behind me as I stood there as I called her name. "Athena?"
The conversations between my sister and the Wolfe brother, Athena turned her head towards my voice and was surprised that she jumped off of Rex's lap which made him frowned.
"Effie, what are you doing here?" Her voice stammered as she tries to collect her words. "I thought you would be home."
"Effie? What kind of nickname is that?" Seth laughs, his brother all groaned.
"Hush!" Athena told Seth off to keep his mouth shut at the same time made him sit back down quietly. All his brothers laughed at him, and Seth snarled at each one of them.
I narrowed my eyes at her seeing how innocent she looked. "I should be asking you the same thing."
"Hey, don't get fussy with me young lady," she had her hands on her hips, glaring at me turning into mom mode. I call it that because as I said she is the replica of our mother. "I thought you weren't feeling well to go to school today, but I see you were faking it to come here meeting the boy next door," Athena nodded her head to the boy behind me.
I groaned. "I'm not meeting him, and we aren't that thing. I thought you would be home not for another hour. What are you doing here in their home with him?" Pointing my eyes at Rex who was sitting on a single chair.
"He gave me a ride home," Athena said cheekily. "And since we live next door what is there to refuse."
"Just because we are neighbors doesn't mean you can sit on his lap for payment." I heard snickers in the room, and I ignored.
"Effie, don't make it sound I'm a slut because I'm not. I don't know why you are making a big out of it."
"I'm making a deal out of it because his idiot little brother is the reason I stayed home from school and fell off a ladder with a sprang ankle."
"You have what?!" Her voice rose into a high pitch tone the same time Rex said those words in shock. My sister looked down at the ankle wrapped in bandages, then she glares her eyes on Logan, and I felt him wince behind me.
In Greek Mythology, Athena was the favorite daughter of Zeus, with no mother and born from Zeus's armor from his forehead describes her to be fierce and brave in battle. Which she is known to be the Goddess of many things including war. My sister cannot take on Logan who is practically half her size, but she isn't afraid to hit him for hurting her baby sister.
"Logan, what did you do?" The older Wolfe brother asked his younger brother.
"I didn't do anything," he yelled in defense, and whimper seeing my sister's glare. "I didn't push her or anything. I just scared her."
"Then it is your fault, asshole," Athena growled.
"Forget, can we go home," I pleaded to tug her arm, snapping her attention away from attacking Logan. "And please don't tell Ares about me in a boys house."
"As long as you don't tell him about Rex and me then we are good to go." She told me once her eyes soften, holding my hand.
"Hold on," Seth rose from his seat off the couch. "You have a brother name, Ares?"
"Yes."
"Name after the God of War?"
"Yes..."
"And that's your brother's real name?"
"Yes, our mother named us after Greek Gods and Goddesses because she thinks we would live a prospective life," Athena explained with a grunt. I inwardly laugh. She's annoyed. But, I don't get what is Seth is saying all this about our brother.
"Dude, what are you blabbering about?" Logan groaned in annoyance. "Just get to the point."
"Little bro, did you not clean your ears this morning? They said, Ares." Seth was trying to give hints and clues got me, and Athena confused as to why he seems to know our brother.
I heard a gasp coming from Liam as he snapped his fingers. "The Grand Prix - Eight-Man Tournament at the Honolulu Blaisdell Arena three years ago. Ares 'Titan' Reid. I didn't know he's your girls' brother."
"Babe, you didn't tell me your brother is Titan," Rex says to Athena with beaming eyes. "He's an awesome fighter. We were all there front row seats."
"What a coincidence," Don grins. "Never would expect to meet the World Title champion sisters. You two must be proud of your brother."
"Dude is a beast. Hey, can one of you ask for an autograph or maybe invite him to the house one time. We would all love to meet him."
After Logan praised my brother along with the rest of the Wolfe brothers, my mouth is agape open, and I felt the tension in the air like invisible black mist spreading around the room. I feel it coming off of Athena as I took a glimpse of her face, afraid and saw she looked stunned. More than shocked - pissed.
The ticking Athena bomb is about to be explode.
Because this whole time she had her arm around mine and felt the tight anaconda squeeze feeling my arm going numb.
"I'll gladly ask my little brother and tell him he has fans," she laughs sarcastically through her gritted teeth.
Oh, boy, someone is going to get a good scolding tonight.
"Come on, Effie," Athena tugging my arm with a devious smile and I'm afraid when she smiles like that. "Let's go home. Rex, I'll call you later and you -" pointing at Logan. "Stay away from my sister, or I'll stick your head up your ass you will be eating your own shit."
"Yes, ma'am," Logan whimpered at my sister's threat. As of right now, she is full on in rage that she dragged me out the Wolfe brothers' home and walked next door to our place stomping her feet then pause when we saw the motorcycle parked in the driveway.
"Ooh, this bastard," Athena rolled up her sleeves and stomped her way up the steps. I stop her before she could start a war.
"Wait, Athena, before you go in and give Ares a good earful. Tell me how you and Rex met?" Trying to make herself calm by mentioning Rex.
That was the whole idea because I'm interested in how a hot-headed woman like my sister get a guy like Rex. I mean, men my sister use to date are scared of her when she is angry and sometimes blind dates they see her as a beautiful woman with a great body, then the next she shows her real face the men would run away in terror.
I love my sister, I do, and hope one day she can settle down with a man who can put up with her. She's twenty-eight for crying out loud and is not married yet. So, I'm worried that if Rex sees the real her...I don't know if the world is going to collapse any second.
"Not now, Effie," she snarled, yanking her arm away. "Your brother and I are going to have a little talk." She started cracking her knuckles, then her head.
When she says little means I-going-to-kill-that-bastard-until-he-talks, yeah, that should solve the problem.
"Just don't kill him," I say with little faith that she would definitely kill him. "Give him time to explain." I'm upset too, but there is a reason why Ares had to hide a secret that he never wanted to tell his family.
"Explain my ass; this asshole lied to us. Keep this from his own family. I'm going to give him a piece of my mind before he starts to cry like a bitch," she ruffed. "Stay here," she demanded.
I watched her as she stepped into the house casually and closed the door behind her leaving me outside.
"He is so screwed," I muttered, brushing my hair back as my bangs flopped in front of my face.
It's scary because the house is quiet and as I stayed outside waiting for the ultimate scolding. That is until my ears heard Athena yelled "ARES CARMICHAEL REID YOU FUCKING SON OF A BITCH!!!" her low voice boomed the inside of the house like an explode has been triggered. The things inside were making so much noise that I know she is throwing things at Ares trying to kill him.
Not literally.
She just pissed that my brother kept this from us. No wonder he's never home. Sometimes, he would come back home after three days, and we thought he's went fishing with his buddies or with a girl he met at the bar. Once in a while, he would bring home gifts. That explains the new things for the house he buys with his 'promotion,' now that we learned the truth that Ares has been involved in a fighting tournament when Athena hates when our brother fights she would tell him to stay away from anything that requires hardcore fighting.
When we were kids, something changed in him, and he would compete with the other boys. In his teen years, he would get into fights and get suspended. After he turns eighteen, has a job, he would still get into fights at the bar he and his friends would go and get arrested, then get fired. So, our big sister worries about Ares behavior would get him hurt, and she didn't want that.
Judging that my sister has a hot temper.
My brother can be a violent guy and easy to get a temper not as much as Athena, but he would never hit us. Because beating us means he can beat any women and that includes our mom. My dad taught him not to hit a woman. Never. The only people he's afraid of is our mom and Athena. He wouldn't dare go up against our sister, and right now he is in a weak state of mind.
As Hurricane Athena destruct the inside of our home, neighbor dogs are barking, the neighbors from a block away could hear. Then I found the Wolfe brothers all outside of their homes watching our house with a confused look on their faces and could see that they do not dare to go inside.
I saw Logan; he gave me a questioning look, I stare back as I shook my head don't even want to bring up the thing we were close to doing just minutes ago. That he was about to kiss me, things were getting heated up in his room. I reject him. I dismissed him because it still didn't feel right for me to be alone with him and take advantage of my weak side. Also, he has a girlfriend already - well I think he does but that doesn't matter to me at all. I have to avoid him at all cost.
I blew a sigh and had myself sit on the steps. As the chaos continues, I carefully, limping my way down, pulled out my phone when I saw the large spiderweb crack on the screen I groaned. Even more when my phone won't turn on. My phone broke from the fall, not once, but twice.
Just fucking great.
Not just the neighborhood but the town itself could hear everything the chaos inside my so-called active home I rest my chin on my hand while I wait for the house to die down. And it will take the whole day.