You give me life

And lots of oxygen

Chapter 22 ~ Let It Out

     Jamie Myers

"No, a little bit more to the left!" I instructed in a mighty, authoritative voice, like I knew what I was doing. In reality, though, I couldn't have cared less about the position of the Christmas tree, but I did take pleasure in watching Scar's brow furrow in concentration as he tried to move the tree into the right spot. "Nah, you went too far. Go back to the right."

Scar sighed in frustration. "I didn't even move it yet!"

I rubbed my chin as I pretended to ponder the endless possibilities of the perfect Christmas tree position. "Hmm, something's off. I think you need to bring it to the back some more."

He threw his head back, groaning loudly as he wrapped his arms around the branches and tugged it further into the corner of the room. "Is it good now?"

"The leaves look uneven. Maybe you should turn it around."

He sent me an exasperated look. "Jamie."

That was when I burst into complete hysteria, doubling over and wheezing so hard that my stomach began to hurt. For the past week, it had been like this. Scar would take everything too seriously and I would take advantage of that fact. Even though he should've been aware of my tendency to joke around, he would fall for it every single time. "Sorry, I couldn't help myself."

He rolled his eyes at me and released the tree, cleaning his sap-stained hands on his jeans. "Asshole."

Snatching the plastic bag filled with nifty Christmas decorations that we had bought from the dollar store and rummaging my hand through its contents, I fished out a very cheap and very shitty mistletoe and grabbed onto Scar's waist, tugging him closer to me. "You can't stay mad at me." I held the mistletoe above our heads.

His gaze narrowed slightly. "Mistletoe kisses don't work unless it's Christmas."

I shrugged as I placed a quick peck on his lips. "Too bad."

Both Bryan and Ryan came storming into the living room with heavy steps and running around in circles from the excitement of celebrating their first Christmas. "Jamie, can we decorate the tree now?" Ryan asked me with big, pleading brown eyes.

"Yeah, can we?" Bryan chimed in with an equally desperate voice.

"Of course you can!" I exclaimed as I knelt down to their height. "All the stuff are in those bags over there. Make it as crazy and wacky as you want it."

Both twins wrapped their tiny arms around me. "Thanks Jamie. You're like the best big brother ever!" Bryan squealed with excitement before taking his brother's hand and pulling him towards the tree.

Initially, I was against having Bryan and Ryan move in. It wasn't that I didn't want them to, but I was scared that Janice might do something drastic if she found out all of her foster kids were practically running away from her. Everything seemed to work out perfectly, though, because when I told Janice about our impending departure, she responded with a dry laugh and a, "It's about time. I was getting tired of taking care of you rotten kids."

I refrained from retaliating by telling her that, in fact, she didn't really take care of us. But I figured if I wanted to have my face remain in one piece, then it was better if I kept silent.

I snapped out of my thoughts when I felt Scar's teeth nibbling on my ear. "You're the best big brother ever, Jamie," Scar purred into my ear in a raspy, seductive voice.

I laughed as I pushed him away. "That sounded so hot, yet so creepy at the same time."

Scar responded by moving closer to me again and trailing a finger up and down my chest. "Maybe you're rubbing off on me."

I was leaning in for another kiss when Jillian's voice interrupted us, making me momentarily hate sharing a house with so many people. "Hey, Jamie! Amy and I were planning to head out, so can we take Scar's car?"

My eyes nearly fell out of my sockets when I saw what Jillian was dressed in. She wore a loose crop top that not only exposed her stomach, but was transparent enough to show her pink bra. If that wasn't bad enough, then she also decided to pair it with cut off shorts. "Where are you going to? You guys have school tomorrow. And why the hell are you dressed like that? It's freezing outside!"

One corner of Jillian's mouth lifted into a sky smirk as she glanced down at her attire. "Everyone's wearing this, Jamie. You gotta admit, it makes my butt look cute and it shows my shape." She twirled in a circle to showcase her outfit and I nearly choked when I saw that her butt cheeks were practically hanging out of her shorts. "But seriously, can we borrow the car? Ake's car broke down and he needs a ride."

I twisted my face in confusion. "Ake?"

"Yeah, my boyfriend. His name is spelt like B - l - a - k - e, but the B and L are silent, so it's just Ake." She said it with such casualness, like what she was saying actually made sense.

My eyes widened in disbelief. "The B and L are silent?" I repeated, making sure I heard it correctly. When she nodded, I continued, "In what universe? And since when did you have a boyfriend?"

Jillian folded her arms across her chest and let out a long dramatic sigh. "Since two days ago, Jamie. But you wouldn't know because you've been too busy sucking Scar's dick to notice!"

I fell silent, not being able to think of any comebacks to respond with. She was right, partly, but I wasn't doing most of the sucking. It was Scar, who insisted that he needed the extra practice.

Amy came running down the steps. "What's all the commotion going on down here?" When she finally landed at the bottom step, I already expected Scar's reaction.

"Amy?!" He shouted in disbelief.

Her usually bouncy brown curls were nowhere to be seen because her hair was straightened. In addition to that, it was very evident that she was wearing makeup. Though I didn't see her as often as Scar did, I knew that she never wore makeup. I also knew that she always wore baggy clothes to hide her weight, but now she was dressed in a pair of jeans and a loose fitting black dress shirt.

I thought she looked amazing, but Scar had other opinions.

"What the hell are you wearing?" He asked her as he stalked towards her with large, priority-driven steps. "And what did you do to your hair? You never straighten your hair. What's going on?"

Jillian stepped in front of Amy and shoved Scar aside. "Leave the girl alone. Now can we borrow the Jeep or not? I don't have time to sit here and argue. I don't want to keep the boys waiting."

"Boys?" I questioned. "You mean, as in plural? Are you going to a party?"

She scoffed as if I had just suggested the lamest idea ever. "No, of course not. We're going to a rave, hence the sexy clothing."

Scar shook his head in disapproval. "Amy is not going to a rave."

Jillian narrowed her gaze and took a step closer to Scar, as if challenging him to say something else. "Oh, so you would rather her stay at home in her room, crying over the fact that her brother is a mean fuck? Yeah, didn't think so." In one swift movement, she dug her hand into his back pocket and retrieved his car keys, dangling them in her hands with a teasing grin on her face. "We'll be back before twelve."

Scar watched as Amy and Jillian walked out of the front door, letting the house fall silent with the exception of the twins who were quietly bickering over which ornament to put on the tree.

"Did that really just happen?" Scar asked me.

I shrugged. "Guess it did. I wouldn't worry about it, though. Jill's gonna look out for her."

He advanced towards me and jabbed an accusing finger into my chest. "You better be right, because if I find out that something happened to Amy, then-"

"Scarlet," I said in a stern, condescending voice. "Do I need to put you on time out?"

Scar rolled his eyes at my another attempt at a joke before snaking his arms around my waist and tugging me against him. A smile crept onto his face as he dove into the crook of my neck and began to kiss the skin there. "I hate you so, so, so much," he whispered in between kisses, making me smile from ear to ear.

I combed my fingers through his brown tufts of hair and threw my head back, trying to suppress a moan. "Keep doing that and I'm going to get hard."

He didn't stop at all. He trailed his kisses down the side of my neck, down to my collarbone and back up to my ear. "That was the intent," he rasped before colliding his soft lips on mine, capturing me in a passionate kiss.

I smiled against his lips. "Mhm, now I really need to put you on time out." I broke away from this kiss and stared into Scar's entrancing green eyes while lovingly tracing his facial features with my fingers. My fingers found his and soon enough, I was dragging him upstairs to our bedroom for a night filled with tons and tons of sucking.

**

Summer Hill's pep rallies were always the worst.

Then again, I couldn't give an accurate description because I've never been to one. That probably was due to the fact that I never really went to school either. In between Dante's demands and Janice's uproars, I finally accepted the fact that I wouldn't be going to college or having much of a bright future ahead of me.

But Scar insisted that we go since it was the last day before winter break.

As we sat in the midst of the gym's bleachers among the rest of the student body, I could practically feel the hairs on the back of my neck standing up. It wasn't because I was nervous for my own sake. I was scared for Scar, who had a the same blank, grim expression on his face ever since he sat down.

Ever since he "came out" to the school last week, everyone has pretty much been giving him the silent treatment. I never thought that people cared so much about a person's sexual orientation, but it made perfect sense because Scar was popular before I came along. He hung out with all the right people, he did all the right things, he said all the right words. He was what people wanted him to be.

Until, of course, he turned gay - which I guess was sort of a knife-in-the-back move.

What worried me, though, was that Scar didn't seem to care. No matter what anybody says, everyone cares about what people think of them. It's just a part of being human. We all want to feel accepted. So I didn't understand why Scar was being so nonchalant when he was used to getting his ass kissed.

"Are you guys, like, really gay?" A female voice directed at us asked. I lifted my gaze to see a small brunette with wide rimmed glasses and blue braces smiling at us.

A growl bubbled in the back of Scar's throat. "Yeah, you got a problem with it?"

The little girl's eyes widened like he had just accused her of doing something awful. "No! Of course not. I love gay people!"

Scar knitted his brows together and turned to face me with a questioning look on his face. I simply smiled at him, knowing I'd have to explain the gay boy fetish later on.

The girl whipped out a small digital camera from her backpack. "Would you guys mind if I took a picture for the yearbook?"

"Yes, I do mind," he seethed.

The girl stumbled backward at Scar's angry tone and blinked a few times, appearing to be on verge of tears. "Oh, um, I'm sorry."

She turned to leave, but I stopped her by calling out, "Wait!" She twirled around with a hopeful look on her face. "Yes, you can take a picture."

Scar shot his attention to me. "Dude."

"Shut up, Scar." He opened his mouth to protest but I silenced him by crashing my lips on his. He melted into the kiss almost immediately, his body softening and his eyes fluttering shut. I stroked the side of his face and carelessly placed my hand at the back of his neck, using it to pull him closer to me. He slipped his tongue past my lips and explored the realms of my mouth.

I took pride in knowing it only took one kiss for Scar to completely forget about our surroundings. His arms enclosed around my waist and his hands slipped past my shirt, climbing slowly up my back.

If we continued at the rate we were going, I knew we would end up doing some pretty naughty stuff in front of all of our peers. That wouldn't go over too well, though I'm sure the yearbook girl would love it.

I kissed him one last time and pulled away from the heated kiss, leaving Scar with darkened, lust-filled eyes. "Did you get it?" My question was directed at the brunette, but my eyes were still glued to Scar's.

"Yeah, I did," she said as she stuck the camera into a side pocket on her backpack. "You guys are such a cute couple, by the way."

"Thank you."

A loud voice came over the speaker, causing everyone to end their side conversations and direct their full attention to the principal who stood in the middle of the gymnasium. "Good afternoon, Summer Hill! I know you guys are excited to go home and spend the next two weeks away from school, but I'm going to need your attention for just a few minutes."

"As many of you know, our varsity football team did amazing this season. We were able to bring back the trophy this year, making us two-time-back-to-back champions! To celebrate, the team has taken it upon themselves to upgrade their uniforms and I couldn't be more thrilled to show them! Come on out, boys!"

Almost simultaneously, groups of large teenage boys ran into the center of the gym as everyone in the bleachers stood to their feet and hollered. The uniforms they wore were completely different from the previous mustard-colored ones. These uniforms were blue with gold sleeves and the personalized numbers and last names in white. Not only did they look nice, but they looked brand new too.

I looked over at Scar who was grinding his teeth together. "Asshole took my money. He took my money to buy my uniforms."

The principal handed the microphone to Trey, who had conveniently stepped in front of the team. "As the captain of the Falcons' football team, I'd like to thank everyone who came out to the games and supported us throughout this whole season. We'll be back next year and we're gonna win that championship again!"

Scar leaped to his feet. "Captain?!"

I tugged on his arm to pull him back down. "Calm down, Scar."

I already knew how much this meant to Scar, but if I let him have this way, then it would certainly ruin his future.

He stared at me with crazed eyes. "Calm down? He took my girlfriend. He took my uniforms. Now he's gonna take my captaincy?"

Once Trey handed the microphone back to the principal, the team started to walk towards the exit.

"You stay here," I ordered Scar as I rose to my feet and attempted to squeeze through the mass amount of people in the bleachers. Somehow, I managed to escape the bleachers in one piece and I followed the football team out of the gym. They were hollering and giving each other high fives when I interrupted, causing their eyes to snap to mine. "Hey!"

Trey let out a low, evil cackle as he nudged the person next to him. "Well, would you look at that? It's the fag who turned Patterson into a rainbow." Everyone snickered at his lame attempt at an insult.

I crossed my arms against my chest. "Why did you steal Scar's money?"

Trey laughed again, finding humor in my confrontation. "I didn't steal Scar's money. What the hell are you talking about?"

"How do you explain the new uniforms, then?"

He sent me a piercing look. "Scar gave the money to Francesca to give to me, faggot. He figured since he wasn't going to be on the team anymore, he might as well give us the money."

I wanted to laugh my insides out. Of course it was Francesca, because everything all came down to Francesca. Scar was a heartbroken mess because of her. I was able to get to know him because of her. The whole school knew about us because of her.

"Hate to break it to you, dude, but Scar didn't give Francesca that money. She stole it from him."

His brows caved in. "No, not possible. She told me he gave it to her."

"Scar tried to strangle Francesca," I reminded him. "I highly doubt that he would try to make peace with her that easily."

Trey looked back at his teammates who all had confused expressions on their faces. He glanced down at his uniform and stared at it with disgust. "I didn't know. I know that he's gay now, and I hate him for it, but I would never steal from him." Any remnants of his amused expression was completely gone by now. "God, I feel horrible."

"It's not your fault, Trey. It's Francesca. That's what she does, manipulate people. If she wasn't faithful to Scar, then what makes you think she'll be faithful to you?"

Trey glanced down to the floor, feeling ashamed. "Can you tell Scar that I'm sorry? I shouldn't have made fun of him for being gay, I mean, we've been friends since we were little."

I gave him a half-smile in response. "No, but you can tell him yourself." I was just about to leave when I remembered I had to give him his Secret Santa present. "Oh, before I forget, Merry Christmas!" I reached onto my back pocket and tossed him the ten dollar gift card to McDonalds that I had happened to stumble upon.

**

A/N: Guys, I hate this chapter. It's so sloppily thrown together that nothing makes sense anymore. But I really wanted to give you an update since I had no school today because we got snowed in. And also, this may have tons of mistakes because I typed it up on my phone (which is probably why I'm so unsatisfied with it). And I'm starting to realize that I'm running out of Ed Sheeran songs to name as titles. So I apologize if this chapter was a dread to read, I know, trust me.

The next chapter will be the Christmas chapter and I apologize in advance for having Christmas in the middle of January. That's just how the tables seem to turn.

If you liked this chapter, then don't hesitate to click the star button and leave a comment. Also, you can follow me if you really really want to. I don't mind, lol.

I don't know how many chapters are left, but I'm hoping to end this around chapter 30. We'll see how that goes.

Until next time,
Lara <3