Chapter Thirteen

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People who care

will always make it known

and will shout loud and clear

I'm here

I'll listen

whenever you need me

I'll be there


The waitress smiles and struts away with our order, leaving Austin and I alone. We sit at a local coffee shop called Henry's Cup. It's a small place, old, and has only a few seats in the store. The seats we are in faced the road, across from the highway to the city.

"Thanks for the coffee," I say, smiling at Austin when the waitress brings back our order, two coffee. To be honest, I hadn't expected that this is where we would end up.

"We all need coffee," Austin says, lifting up his cup.

"True that. Cheers," I say, and hold up my cup, bumping it against Austin's. 

The sweetness of the coffee is just right for me. I love it.

"Do you come here a lot?" I ask Austin, trying to discover the reason he brought me here. Austin shrugs, leaning back in the booth.

"My Grandfather owned it when I was little, and it helps me feel close to him. Its my thinking spot," Austin says, smiling. 

I can relate to that. The Cliff is my thinking spot, even though it's hard to be there, it helps me feel closer with my little brother, Tyler.

"So, after Grandfather died, my Mom sold it. But the owner now, Beverly, lets me hang out."

"Why didn't you just keep it in business?" I ask.

"My family couldn't afford it, we could barely afford a roof over our heads, but my Dad pulled out his life savings and bought the place."

Austin stops for a minute, as if considering whether he should go on. I'm about to change the subject but Austin interrupts my thoughts.

"A few short months later, he died of cancer, and my Mom sold it to cover bills," Austin says, his eyes sad. 

My heart sinks for him as I remember his Dad, Mark. He was good friend to my dad, and would come over all the time. But after he passed away, Austin's Mom started working two jobs and we rarely saw them.

Not knowing what to say, I blurt out the first thing.

"Do you miss him?" I ask.  Austin smiles sadly.

"Yeah, a lot. But being here makes it seem like he's right over there," he says, and nods over to the counter, and looks back at me, grinning. "And with you here, if makes it all the better."

I roll my eyes at his flirting. Austin catches my hand, and the rubs the back of it. His green eyes burn into mine, serious.

"I want you to know that if you ever want to talk, about anything, I'm here," Austin says, and my heart flutters.

"Anything?" I smile.

"Anything."

We sit in a peaceful moment of silence, before I chuckle.

"Did you know Joey and Bella are having a small disagreement with each other?"

Austin grins. "Tinkerbell or Peter Pan?"

I laugh, nodding. "I think its cute," I say, and rest my elbows on the table. "Who do you think is better?" I ask.

"Definitely Peter Pan, I mean he's the original lost boy," Austin says, shrugging a shoulder.

"Nah, Tinkerbell is way better. I mean, she can fly," I argue, smiling.

"So can Peter Pan," Austin retorts, sticking out his tongue. 

I shake my head. "Only because Tinkerbell gives him fairy dust," I say.

"Fine, you're totally right," Austin says, smirking. "Tinkerbell owns Peter Pan." 

I narrow my eyes. "You're just agreeing with me to be nice." 

"That, and this discussion can go on forever," he says, laughing. 


"See you tomorrow." Austin kisses my forehead before I get out of his truck. I back away towards my house.

I wave bye as he pulls away. Today with Austin had been great. We talked and I felt closer with him than I ever had.

Inside, Mom is just setting the table and Dad is at the table, reading the newspaper. None of my brother's are in sight.

"Hi Honey, how was your day?" Mom asks, smiling.

"Good. Did you get the stuff I asked for?" I ask.

My mom was supposed to pick me up the costumes for Austin and I at Walmart. She laughs, pointing to the bag on the counter behind her.

"I hope it's what you wanted. You two are going to look so adorable," my mom gushes. She pinches my cheeks. 

I slap her hands away, taking the bag in my hand.

"Don't you dare make a big deal about this," I say, narrowing my eyes. 

She sighs. "Your my only daughter, it's not like I can put any of your brothers in tutus and dresses." 

Joey screams for her in the basement, and she goes to see what he wants. My dad clears his throat and lowers the paper.

"So, you got the boy huh? You didn't wait too long," he says, chuckling. 

He winks, and my cheeks heat up.

"We aren't dating or anything," I huff, and he laughs.

"I know, kiddo. I'm just teasing," he says, but his eyes turn serious. "But he better treat you good." 

Quinn comes down the stairs, texting on his phone. He glances up, and see me. 

Great, just who I want to see. 

"So, you and Austin huh?" he asks, smirking.

I shrug, and wonder what he's getting at. 

"I have the perfect song for you guys. Want to hear it?"

"No-"

"Austin and Emma sitting I a tree, K-I-S-S-I-N-G-," he begins singing, at the top of his lungs.

"Shut up," I say, but he keeps going. I, having being tired of listening to Quinn run at him. Quinn's eyes widen, and he turns on his heel.

"Hey, behave!" My Dad yells from where he sits. 

Quinn races up the stairs, me just inches behind, grasping the back of his shirt. I stumble on the top stair, letting Quinn get away. He runs into his room, leaving the door open.

"Alright. You're mad, but I have a plan," Quinn says, his hands in front of him when I get into his room.

"That doesn't make me want to kill you any less," I say, ready to fight him. Quinn nods in an understanding way, and grabs his laptop from his desk.

"Look," he says, pointing to the screen. I look at it, which has a split screen on it. I recognize them as Aidan and Ben's room and the other is Owen's room. "I have cameras hidden in their room."

"Great, so you turned into a stalker," I say deadpanned.

 Quinn sighs, exasperated. "No, you loser. I rigged cameras in their room and under their beds there are tape recorders set to go off at two in the morning with an evil laugh," he says, a grin on his face.

 I let the idea sink in my head before I turn to my brother and high five him.

"Revenge prank. I like it. What about Jude and Logan though? Don't they deserve a little justice?" I ask, raising my eye brow.

 My little brother smirks, reaching in his pocket, and pulls out a bottle of Italian hot sauce.

"They're coming over for supper tonight. We are having hamburgers and fries. We can replace it for the ketchup. Owen isn't going to be here tonight, he has a date but we can get the twins too."

"Double whammy. Awesome. Have to hide the video camera though, wouldn't want them to think something is up," I say, smiling.

 Quinn hands me the bottle of hot sauce.

"Here, you can do the deeds. I'm at the end of the table, so I'll have a better shot."

"All finished," I mutter, wiping my hands on the paper towel. My mom calls everyone to eat and after convincing her to help me with the plan, all the ketchup that needs to be mixed with the weapon of choice is good to go.

I sit beside Jude and Aidan like I always do, and try not to smile. My brothers like to dose their fries, so even though they will catch on quickly, Quinn and I will have payback for the last prank.

"So, Emma," My mom begins to say but she's cut off by Logan's curses.

"Holy shit ma, what did you put on the fries?" He asks, rubbing his tongue as trying to the spicy sauce off. 

I glance at Quinn and he gives me thumbs up.

"I don't know what your talking about son," my mom says with a straight face, hiding all traces of a smile. "It might be that new spicy ketchup I bought the other day." 

She winks at me, and I give her a small nod.

"Your such a wuss," Jude and Aidan say together while shoveling fries into their mouths. It takes only a second before I notice Jude's eyes widen and he struggles to find his water glass.

Beside me, Aidan's eyes are watering, and his cheeks are flaming red.

"Hell, I'm not eating it," Ben announces, and finally I can't hold it in any longer. I burst into laughter at Jude's expression and Aidan who is crying.

Logan glares at me from across the table, probably figuring out that it's me who set them up.

"Why are you crying like a baby Aidan?" Joey asks through the laughter of Quinn, our parents and I.

"I'm not crying. But I do know who is going to be when I get finished with them," Aidan says, eyeing Quinn and I.

"I highly doubt that," Quinn says, grinning as he takes out his camera from under the table."Say Cheese!" 

Quinn grins, snapping pictures of our brothers.

"You guys are so done for," Jude mutters, wiping his mouth with paper towel.


***

"Emma. Open the door," Aidan calls from outside my bedroom, his tone sweet and innocent. "I promise nothing will happen." 

Like hell, it isn't. They had experienced difficulty sleeping last night, and want revenge.

"Don't do it Emma!" Quinn yells from his room, where he's also locked in his room from our brooding brothers. Owen isn't at all happy, wanting to murder us both. I hear them outside my bedroom door, talking strategy but my mom interrupts them.

"Go get breakfast. Go," I hear her say. I open my door to let her in and she a smile forms on her lips. "I don't even want to know," she says, hugging me.

"Thanks for saving us," I say, and head downstairs where Ben, Aidan, Joey and Owen hover over a phone. 

Everyone except Joey looks angry.

"What are you looking at?" I ask, nudging my way in to see what they are looking at. Aidan gives me a menacing glare and I see what they are watching. It's from the cameras Quinn had set up in their rooms.

One second it's quiet, then there is loud evil cackling. The laugh sounds like its from a horror movie. Ben jumps up, grabbing a baseball bat and swing it around. Aidan is swearing awfully, scared for a second until the laugh stops.

Owen, however, screams like a girl when the beeps first go off until he finds the recorder under his bed and smashed it against the wall.

I have tears rolling down my cheeks from laughing so hard when the video is finished.

"That was so cool!" Joey laughs, fist bumping me.

"I know. Did you see the views?" I ask, taunting my brothers. "There's like over a thousand already." 

I smirk when Ben flips me off. Mom comes down the stairs, Quinn following behind her.

"Have a good day at school," my mom says, pinching each of our cheeks before she leaves with Joey.

"Man, I hate it when she does that," Owen mutters, rubbing his cheeks. 

"Well, I hope you guys sleep with one eye open because karma's a bitch," Owen says, giving Quinn and I death glares before leaving the room.

I will forever be sleeping with my door locked, a paintball gun attached to my hands.

My brothers and I leave for school and I meet Andrea at the school entrance, relaying everything that happened yesterday. 


***






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