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Other boys like Tony Bass, for instance.
I recalled one day when Tobias and I had been walking through the school cafeteria during our lunch hour, and accidentally heard Tony Bass talking to a group of his friends.
“But what is she—a freshman?” a friend of his had asked.
“She won’t be for long,” Tony had responded.
“What’s her name again?”
“Joanna Gentry. She might be small and kind of awkward, but that’s all right. Just wait until I’m done with her,” Tony had said with laughed. “I’m thinking about asking her to homecoming and helping her come out of her shell, if you know what I mean. She’s actually kind of hot, when you see her without her glasses.”
“Maybe you have a point there. Besides, you know what they say about the quiet girls…” his friend had said, his voice trailing off suggestively, causing Tony and the rest of the group to burst out laughing.
Tobias, on the other hand, hadn’t found it at all funny. I imagined he must have started seeing red. Before I knew it, and before I could stop him, Tobias had made a beeline straight for Tony, slapping him hard across the back of his head.
“Hey!” Tony had yelled, leaping up from his seat.
“I don’t know who the hell you think you are, but don’t you ever let me hear you talking about my sister like that again.”
“Man, calm down! I didn’t do anything to your sister!”
“And you better not, or I swear, I will end you. Got it?”
“Whatever!” Tony had said, and then turned his back on Tobias.
“All right, come on,” I’d said, gripping Tobias’ shoulder and steering him away until we found our own table to occupy. Tobias had kept glaring at Tony the whole time though.
“Relax, man. Let it go,” I’d urged him.
But Tobias had rubbed his head as if he had a headache. “I just can’t believe he said that. Joanna is only fourteen years old, and hell—she looks like she’s twelve! What are guys doing even looking at her that way?”
“Beats me,” I’d said in return, also unable to fathom how a guy like Tony could be attracted to her. “I guess it’s bound to happen eventually though. You aren’t going to be able to fight guys away from her forever.”
“You wanna bet?” Tobias had responded. “I swear, I’ll kill anyone who touches her.”
“Don’t be so dramatic,” I had said, biting into my ham sandwich.
Looking back on it now though, I realized Tobias wasn’t just being dramatic. He probably would kill anyone who touched his sister—including me.
I shuddered, feeling profoundly disappointed with myself for winding up in such a predicament when I had clearly known better. It was no secret that I was a sucker for a pretty face, but I had never anticipated one getting me into so much trouble.
Yet I knew that after the previous night, it was going to be impossible to keep Joanna out of my head. I kept recalling the feel and scent of her skin, stirring feelings of desire within me so strong that I could hardly stand it.
Which begged the question, how the hell was I going to be able to keep f
acing Tobias?
Although he had always been protective of Joanna, ever since her return to Chicago he seemed to be even more protective than usual. He had practically been catering to her from the moment she arrived. It was like he was extra-focused on her well-being for some reason.
As I sat there thinking about it, I contemplated whether it would be wise of me to bring this up to him, to ask if there was any particular reason he was being so overly attentive to her. It may not have been my place, but I wanted to point out to him that she was no longer his baby sister; she was a grown woman, fully capable of looking out for herself. She didn’t need to be coddled. And after last night, I got the feeling she wasn’t fond of being coddled by him in the first place…
Yet I knew it simply wasn’t my place to say any of this to him.
I tried putting myself in Tobias’s shoes, wondering if I had a sister, whether I would be just as protective. How would I feel if I thought a man was disrespecting her? Would I ever feel that anyone was good enough for her?
Most importantly, what would I think if someone I’d grown up with, trusted, and considered a brother had suddenly developed an inappropriate interest in her? Would I be happy that she was with someone I trusted, or would I feel betrayed?
I sighed, knowing I couldn’t fathom the answers to those questions because I simply had never been in such a position before. It was impossible for me to know how I would feel under those circumstances.
