=>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
A soft knock at my bedroom door diverted my attention from the harshly illuminated screen of my phone. I tapped off Chris' Snapchat story, flung my phone under my pillow and reassumed my 'hard at work' position which consisted of me thoughtfully chewing the end of my pen whilst flicking through my textbook.
My cautiousness had been all for nothing though as the door slowly opened to reveal Sam on the other side.
"Hi J." He muttered in greeting and clambered onto the empty part of the bed next to me. I ruffled his hair absent-mindedly as he surveyed the page of the textbook with a disapproving look.
"That looks hard." He wrinkled up his nose, sighed and let his head fall back on my pillow. I could only imagine the hardships he was going through as a 7th grader.
I took his silence as an opportunity to make a couple of notes in the margins of the book before sending him a sympathetic look.
"Rough day?"
"Hmm." He mumbled into the pillow. My big sister instincts were going practically berserk so I put down my work to give Sam my full and undivided attention.
"Hey, Sammie what's up?" I asked with a small smile.
"Nothing." He huffed, looking decidedly pissed off. My patronising tone probably hadn't helped things, it was just in my mind Sam was forever going to be 9 years old so I addressed him accordingly.
"I was only asking." I replied indignantly. "Guess I'll just get back to work-"
"No don't." He interjected quickly.
"What's the magic word Sam?" I teased.
"Sorry." Sam apologised grumpily.
"So do you want to tell me what's up then?" I shifted so I was lying parallel next to him. I noticed he was doing whatever possible to avoid making eye contact with me.
"I'll tell you in a minute. Let me just think for a second." He grumbled back.
"Yeah well, unlike you, I've got a shit-ton of work to do, so make it snappy Sam."
"You need to put a quarter in the swear jar!" He said in triumph.
"You need to put a quarter in the swear jar!" I mimicked in a high, nasal voice and Sam kicked me pointedly in the shin. "Ow!"
"You deserved it." He said with a gleeful smile.
The little shit.
I picked up my textbook and went back to noting down any useful quotations, hoping by ignoring him, Sam would say whatever he wanted to say in his own time.
Five minutes later: my theory had been proved correct.
"J?" His voice cracked and I tried to restrain the chuckle that rose in my throat. Sam was extremely volatile if I made fun of his voice cracks.
"Yeah?" I kept my eyes fixed steadily on the quotation I was reading.
"Is it true that you're going out with Peter?"
It was one of those spit out your coffee moments. You know what I'm talking about, the kind of moment when you're least expecting it and then someone says something that is so unexpected, so out of the blue, that if your brain had some kind of emergency alarm it would be blaring away at the highest volume possible.
I'm pretty sure if I could pinpoint my reaction it would go something like this; a weird throaty splutter, an abysmal attempt to cover up my shocked facial expression and a deathly tight grip on the textbook as I tried look as though I was reading as naturally as possible.
"Umm..." I laughed airily after recovering myself slightly, "why would you think that?"
"Well, I heard it from Owen, Peter's brother. We're in the same grade." Sam explained, a mixture of eagerness and embarrassment displayed by his pink-tinged cheeks. I could imagine for him asking his older sister about relationships wasn't his idea of a riveting Monday evening.
"Oh. Right." I'd completely forgotten that Owen even went to our school, let alone how old he was. It was just so like Peter to have gone and told his brother about it without even considering the consequences.
"So...is it true?" Sam asked tentatively.
Part of me wanted to fervently deny that I had anything to do with Peter, but it wasn't as if I could straight-up lie to my little brother's face, especially if the news of mine and Peter's 'relationship' was now common knowledge around school.
I braced myself.
"Yes Sam. It's true." I winced slightly in the pause after I had spoken.
It was starting to bug me how long this lie was spinning out. I mean Peter had met my dad, it doesn't get more 'relationship' than that? And now Sam? There had been a reason why I didn't want him to know, mainly because he of all people would be devasted when the 'relationship' comes to its inevitable end.
"Why didn't you say?" Sam exclaimed breathlessly, jolting upright, predictably excited by the news. "How long have you two been-no wait have you...kissed? No, wait I don't want to know that either-"
"I didn't know I was being held hostage for questioning?" I interrupted his bombardment of questions then added in a sterner tone, "Calm down Sam. It's nothing too serious yet."
"But you're going out. Boyfriend and girlfriend. That's pretty serious if you ask me."
Screw my little brother for being too clever for my white lies. I floundered for a response,
"Well, I guess yeah, uhh it's pretty serious. But it's not like we're getting married or anything."
I was saying anything right now to prevent Sam from being dropped off at school tomorrow and pronouncing me and Peter husband and wife in front of his entire class.
"JAMIE KAVINSKY!" Sam leapt ecstatically off the bed and ran back into his room, a distinct spring in his step.
Oh my god. This was worse than I'd ever imagined.
=>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
imessage:
SANTIAGO - jamie
PERALTA - peter
any last words - SANTIAGO
PERALTA - oh shit what did i do
have a guess - SANTIAGO
PERALTA - i dont like this
- was it the instagram post?
what instagram post??? - SANTIAGO
what have u done kavinsky -
PERALTA - nothing nothing
so would u care to tell me one tiny little thing - SANTIAGO
PERALTA - im sensing a lot of anger
- can i say sorry in advance
how come u told owen about us - SANTIAGO
because sam knows -
and if i recall correctly -
i said sam WAS NOT MEANT TO FIND OUT -
PERALTA - fuck fuck fuck
- when i say that i didnt mean to
- i genuinely mean it jamie
yh sure typical peter - SANTIAGO
PERALTA - jamie pls
- i think i must have mentioned u in passing
- to my mom or something
- dont be pissed j
i'll be pissed if i want to be pissed - SANTIAGO
he's my brother -
PERALTA - ok ok im sorry
- i didnt mean it like that
but its just i trusted u peter - SANTIAGO
ugh i sound like such a soppy bitch -
>> PERALTA tried to call SANTIAGO
PERALTA - hey j pick up
im having dinner in like one sec - SANTIAGO
PERALTA - no wait dont go im going to stress if u leave rn
- 2 more mins
i feel like this is some kind of joke to u peter - SANTIAGO
PERALTA - istg jamie i never wanted it to seem like that
- i say stuff without thinking sometimes
ur telling me - SANTIAGO
its just when it starts to involve my family -
PERALTA - i completely get it
- and im sorry again
ugh well i guess i forgiev u then - SANTIAGO
** forgive -
PERALTA - wait fr
well yh - SANTIAGO
cause ur driving me and sam in to sch tomorrow -
PERALTA - ok well as long as we're good
- are we good?
yes u idiot - SANTIAGO
PERALTA - yay xxxxxxxxxxxx
wait what was that about instagram - SANTIAGO
PERALTA - oh uhh nothing dw about it
ok gotta go have dinner - SANTIAGO
PERALTA - adios chica xx
=>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
"Mom?"
I'd reached the top of the stairs and nearly fallen all the way down the whole flight of them as my eyes landed on the blonde-haired woman silhouetted in the doorway.
"Mom!" I bounded down the staircase, three stairs at a time and balled straight into her, enveloping her in a warm hug that smelt of her perfume.
"I've missed you so much J." Her voice sounded muffled through my hair but I smiled into her shoulder all the same.
"How was France then?" I broke out of her hold and heard Sam topple down the stairs, summoned by my loud shouts.
"Mom!"
She chuckled as Sam threw himself at her,
"Getting taller again I see Sammie?" She turned back to me, "It was great thanks J, as always great food, great people, not so great having to work at all hours of the day."
Dad hauled in two huge suitcases through the door.
"That didn't take long did it?" He smiled broadly at the three of us.
"Need a hand?" I went forward to take one of the cases from him.
"Well well well, how kind." He winked and motioned for me to wheel it into the kitchen. "So did I imagine the excited shouts earlier or no?" He raised a curious eyebrow at me after depositing his case in the corner of the room.
"Oh that." Amidst Mom coming back I had briefly forgotten all about Sam finding out about Peter.
"That bad huh?" Dad grimaced as he took out four dinner plates from the dishwasher.
"Somehow Sam exposed the whole Peter situation." I told him half-heartedly and Dad looked at me with an irritating smirk.
"Well, at least it's all out in the open now." Dad said, glancing down the corridor as Mom and Sam emerged into the kitchen.
"What's all out in the open?" Mom enquired innocently.
Ahh yes. Just what I had been hoping for. A family meeting all about me and Peter.
"Jamie's got a boyfriend." Sam taunted smugly.
"J! You should have texted!" Mom clapped her hands in delight.
"I think J's been trying to keep it 'on the low' as the youngsters say." Dad commented, still smirking.
"I want to meet him. And as soon as possible please." Mom replied with conviction and a glint in her eye.
"Well, I think you might have already done so. The name 'Peter Kavinsky' ring any bells honey?" Dad was using that blasé tone of his in a conscious attempt to wind me up.
"No? The Peter Kavinsky!" Mom pressed a hand to her chest, executing a flawlessly scandalised expression.
As if answering my prayers for a distraction, my phone buzzed in my jeans' pocket. I swiped across to the notification bar.
larajcovey commented on a post you are tagged in.
p_kavinsky tagged you in a post.
=>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>