Everyone burst out laughing, even Ricky.
"Crap, that hurt." He said, rubbing his leg.
Nate being the ever-caring boyfriend followed me over to my brother who was still 'dramatically' laid on the ground, whilst Matt paid no mind to any of us and sat at the table and began eating.
"This is good." He said with his mouth half full.
"Thanks." Nate grinned, taking credit.
I didn't say anything; I just gave Nate a look that made him pout.
I turned back to my brother and held out my hand and said, "You going to stay down all day?"
He looked up to me and smiled, before reaching for my hand.
But Nate batted it away.
Before I could say anything he interrupted me. "He is heavy.” Ricky glared at Nate.
But Nate continued. “I don’t want you hurting yourself”
I gush over him.
Nate turned to Ricky and helped him up.
Ricky reluctantly thanked Nate, whilst Matt continued to eat.
We all sat at the table and started to eat.
“This is really good Hop." Ricky said stuffing the food into his mouth.
"I helped." Nate chimed.
"Did you?" I asked my face and voice full of amusement.
Nate nodded cautiously.
Ricky and Matt both looked at each other and shook their heads.
"Not likely. He is one of the reasons we aren't allowed to cook in the dorm anymore." Matt smirk and Nate shook his head.
"That wasn't only me!" He tried to defend himself.
"No but you were meant to be watching it." Ricky added.
"I did."
"Yeah right." Ricky and Matt both laugh.
"What happened?" I asked curiously.
"Well..." Matt smirks looking at me and then to Nate and back.
"...We were cooking ourselves a frozen pizza. Ricky and I decided to head to the local store around the corner quickly to get some beer. We knew Nate here was rubbish at cooking, but we thought it's only a frozen pizza! I mean who can mess that up...I guess we were wrong. Because when we got back only fifteen minutes later, the dorm we full of smoke and the fire alarm was going off," Matt couldn't help but laugh at the memory.
Ricky continued. "In the end the Fire station was called and Nate was found in the dorm trying to put out the pizza. What he told the firemen was apparently 'He was getting impatient with waiting and so decided to turn the oven up, but then he started play on 'Bad Piggies' on his phone and forgot about it until the alarm went off"
I turned to look at Nate who had his head down still eating.
"Bad Piggies?" I laugh.
He looked at me and pouts.
I am sat next to him, so I leaned in closer. "I love that game." I say in a husky voice and lick the sauce off his lip, then go back to eating as if nothing happened.
I heard the others laugh at Nate's shocked expression.
"Such a tease." I heard him mumble under his breath.
This just makes me grin more.
Once we finished eating, I make the boys wash and dry the dishes.
I mean we have a dishwasher, but I don't like it, so I made them do it the old way.
"Fancy watching a movie?" Ricky asks washing the last dish.
We all agree and head to the sitting room to choose once the dishes are finished.
"How about this?" Nate holds up Gladiator.
"Yes that's ok with me" I agree, much to Matt and Ricky's surprise.
"What? It's a good movie."
We all agree and sit down while Nate puts the disk in and turns on the screen.
"Oh yeah. Do any of you know where Hev is today?" I ask casually.
"I think she has a boyfriend" Matt smirks.
"Really?"
'I'll have to call her later' I thought to myself.
Nate sits next to me and hand me the remote to control the movie.
"Whipped." I hear Matt whisper.
Nate doesn’t care.
He moves in closer to me and pulls me into him, so my back is resting against his chest.
I happily sink into him and he places a kiss on the top of my hair and then we watch the movie.
Matt
We were only an hour into the movie when I noticed that not only had Hope but also Nate had fallen asleep together.
I looked to Ricky who wasn't far behind them.
"Oi." I elbow him to wake him.
He jumps. "What the hell man?" He almost yells, but I hush him and point to the pair.
Ricky looks at them and nods.
Early today we both agree that it would be better if he and I only went to chat with Dean.
We both slowly get up, so not to wake them.
Ricky grabs the remote from the arm of the sofa and turns off the movie.
"Ok let's go." Ricky says place a blanket over the two.
As much of a player and stuff Ricky, but he really does care for his little sister.
We head out of the door and to my parked car and get in.
The drive there is quiet.
When we arrive there were no cars parked outside, but that wasn’t surprising as Dean doesn't own one and we already knew Heather had already headed out, the same with my mom and dad.
I unlock the front door and head in.
We are greeted to the sound of gunfire.
It was obvious where Dean was.
"Halo again I think." Hearing the familiar cries of the Grunts.
"Yep think so."
We make our way through the house until we reach the correct room.
I look at Ricky and then open the door.
As we thought, Dean is sat in the dark playing another game of Halo.
We walk in and over to Dean.
"Hey Dean." I say, trying to get his attention.
Much to my surprise he actually pauses his game and speaks to me.
An unusual occurrence recently.
"Oh hey, what's up? I thought you were out?"
"We were, but I just wanted to come, but and have a word with you" I say sitting down on the couch near him.
Ricky stays back and sat on a wooden chair in the corner.
"Ok. What did you want to talk about?" Dean asks sitting his controller down.
I wasn't sure how to start the questions, so I just jumped straight to the point.
"Did you speak to Nate this morning?"
"Yes, why?"
"And you told him Hope wasn't interested in him?"
"Yes." He says normally.
"Why?" I ask.
"What do you mean?" He asks confused by the question.
"I mean, why do you think Hope isn't interested in him?" I ask more clearly.
"Because I know." He says flatly.
I gave him an 'are you serious look?'
Dean gives me a twisted grin and continues, "Nate’s trying to brainwash her! She is mine and she knows it!" He says to so normally it was creepy.
Ricky and I both look at each other and I can tell he is thinking the same as me 'what the heck'.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
Crazy?
Matt
Ricky stood up and walked over to me.
“Brother or not, you need to talk to him. I’m going to wait outside before I do something I regret.” Ricky said slowly into my ear.
I silently agree with my eyes and watch him exit the room.
“What’s the matter with him?” I hear Dean say, still with his game paused.
I look at him with a shocked expression. “What do you think is wrong Dean?” I try to stay calm, but it comes out as more of a growl.
Dean shrugs it off.
“Anyway, what did you come to talk to me about?”
To say I am shocked and scared of my little brother’s nonchalant attitude would be an understatement.
“Why do you think Nate is brainwashing her?”
“I just know alright?” Dean snapped.
‘I don’t think this is going to be as
easy as I thought it would be.’ I thought to myself.
“Did she say that to you?” I try again.
He shook his head “No she doesn’t need too. I can tell by the why she looks at me and smiles that it must be forced.” He looks almost as if he is dreaming and thinking back as he speaks.
Dean seems to be in a daydream state even once he had finished speaking.
Lucky this gave me a moment to plan or at least think of what I can do or say next.
‘There is no way around it, I just have to tell him bluntly.’ I told myself.
“Dean there is no easy way of saying this, so I am just going to say it out right.”
I pause taking a deep breath “There is nothing between you and Hope but friendship and at this moment I think you are lucky even to have that still…”
Dean tries to cut I off but I put my hand up and stop him.
“I am not finished... There is none and has never been any force, brainwashing, tricking, magic or whatever you want to say, between the pair. The truth is pure and simple; they both have liked each other for a long time. They were both just too stupid to say anything about it.”
I thought about adding that they didn’t get together sooner because my idiot brother Nathan and I messed it up.
But I thought better of it, not wanting to give Dean any more ammo.
I am happy that looks couldn’t kill because by the way Dean was looking at me I think I would have been obliterated.
Dean
I stood up and glared at Matt, my jaw and hands clench tightly.
I couldn’t believe Nathan had tricked everyone like this.
I couldn’t even stand to be in the same room as Matt anymore.
Without muttering a word, I exited the room and then the house, passing Hope’s brother Ricky along the way.
Surely he could tell the truth.
I looked back at him, to see Matt work over to him and by Ricky’s reaction I think he has been tricked too.
I turn back and continue out of the house, taking a set of car keys off the table just inside the door.
No I don’t have a car and neither do I have a license, but I do know how to drive.
Once outside I press the button on the set of keys, I hear a click and notice the keys belong to Matt’s Black Lamborghini.
A smirk takes over my face as I get in and drive away.
Before I even know what I am doing I arrive at my future bride’s house.
I park the car and get out, walking straight into the house with a knock or a second thought.
I haven’t even seen him yet, but I know he is here somewhere.
I search the whole house but don’t find them.
‘One last look.’ I tell myself walking into the living room.
I can’t see anything, but the back of the sofa, which looks empty.
I ran my hand through my hair frustrated, but just as I turn to leave I hear a cute mumble, which I have heard several times before when watching her sleep.
I turn back and hear more mumbles.
‘The sofa.’ I grin to myself.
I happily walk over to where she was, with a big smile on my face.
But that smile is soon crushed and turned into a sneer once I reach the other side.
I could feel my blood boil as I looked over at not only Hope, but with Nathan, asleep together.
Hope was curled up against my so-called brother’s chest and he was holding her tight.
Nathan
The last time I remember is watching a movie with the guys and Hope.
Hope agreed to be my girlfriend and we started dating.
“Oh God.” I begged in my sleep state. “Please don’t let it of all been a dream.”
I went to move my arms and noticed they were around something or someone.
I moved my arm slightly move to return the blood flow.
That’s when I heard the mumbles.
I quickly opened my eyes and saw I was still on the same sofa as before.
But now I had Hope cuddled up to my chest and mumbling with a pout when I try to remove my arm.
I can’t help but be pleased at this.
I quickly put my arm back, which now had a flow again and closed my eyes, whilst pulling Hope tighter into my chest.
‘I think I could lie like this forever and never regret it.’ I think to myself as I fall back to sleep.
Hope
I love feeling Nate’s arms around me.
It makes me feel so safe and secure.
When I felt him try to move his arm, I try to ask him to put it back, but my words just came out as mumbles.
But lucky he seemed to understand what I wanted because he soon put it back and pulled me in closer.
I sighed contently.
I feel myself starting to fall back to sleep, but suddenly get an intense feeling of being watched.
I know it couldn’t be Nate, because I could not only hear but also feel him snoring quietly.
I slowly crack my eyes open and look around while still laying down.
I didn’t really want to move, unless I had too.
My eyes soon fell on the person I least expected.
“Um, Hello.” I manage to say without my voice breaking.
I would be lying if I said I wasn’t scared.
Especially the dark intense glare he was sending at Nate.
But when he heard me speak, it seemed to soften slightly, but quickly returned when I tried to sit up, but Nate’s arms restricted me.
I didn’t give Dean a chance to speak.
“Are you ok Dean? What you doing here?” I ask slowly, trying not to wake Nate.
He walked closer to me and grabbed my arm in his tight grip.
I couldn’t help but let my fear show in my face.
“What are you doi ... Dean you’re hurting me, please let me go...” I cried.
Nathan
I felt Hope try to move out of my arms.
‘No way’ I tell myself ‘Not going to happen.’
Luckily she gets the idea and stops moving.
I start falling asleep again, but hear something, like Hope was speaking to someone.
But I was not listening properly, so I had no idea what was said.
I decide to listen more closely.
I feel her jerk, quick followed by,
“What are you doi ... Dean you’re hurting me, please let me go...” I heard her cry.
Without a second thought I shoot up and open my eyes.
“Let her the F go now!” I growl at Dean who is trying to pull a now crying Hope away.
He glares at me, but continues his actions.
I wiggle from under Hope and stand up in front of him.
“Let go or I will make you.” I growl into his face, with just inches between us.
Again nothing.
“Don’t say I didn’t warn you.” I say pulling my hand back before connecting it hard with his face.
He immediately falls to the ground, letting go of Hope.
I still was shocked at the way Dean was acting.
I quickly pull her into my arms and kiss the top of her head.
“I’m sorry.” I kept repeating into her hair, as she cried into my chest.
Ricky
Matt and I were both beyond angry with Dean, especially when Matt heard his car start up.
We both ran outside and saw Dean driving away in it.