AllFreeNovel
Share Us
He put his arm around me and held me like he used to when we were little. I was afraid of storms. We had separate bedrooms, but I always found my way to Ty’s room because I knew he would protect me from the storm.
“I love you Tyson,” I whispered. I wasn’t sure that he had heard me.
“I love you too Abs,” he finally said. “We can talk at school.” He sounded resigned like it was the only thing he could possibly do.
I laughed and wiped my face on his shirt. He groaned.
“We need to finish these assignments,” I said to him.
He picked up his notebook. “We do,” he agreed.
We both wrote our stories sitting on my bed.
Then we exchanged notebooks. What I discovered about my brother is that he knew more about me than I realized. He didn’t change any names and what Tyson wrote was straight from the heart.
He wrote his story based in the future as if we were graduating, and I was valedictorian of the class and this was my speech.
Thank you everyone for attending the ceremony of White Oak Creek High School’s graduating class of seniors. I’m honored to have received the award for Valedictorian.
Over the years, I worked hard to achieve the academic excellence that has brought me here. I made it look easy to my brother, Tyson but he knows I worked really, hard.
I chuckled.
When we were younger my brother and I were like most twins, inseparable. Life changes you as you get older and your friends change too. We both wanted to be different and not compared to each other.
He was right. I had to agree about that.
I relied on Tyson to protect me when the monsters became real. When the kids at school would have made fun of me but didn’t because he was there to protect me. I gave Tyson a reason to love and not become a selfish prick.
“Ty, you can’t write that.”
“I did. It’s how I feel Abs. I learned a lot from the years of being your big brother. Dealing with your shyness. I don’t tease other kids like some guys do because I know how it hurt you when we were younger.”
I leaned my head on his shoulder and read more of the speech how Tyson had dealt with us being so close then not.
We haven’t been so close in years, but we mended our relationship. We’re going to the same college so that the next four years, we can take care of each other.
I stopped reading and looked at Ty.
“Ty what are you doing?”
“Abs, I don’t want you to go away. I want you close so I can keep an eye on you. I don’t want to worry about you.”
There was more but the bulk of his story in the beginning was getting his point across to me about how he felt. I could see it. He struggled with wanting to keep his own identity but worrying about me too.
“You never really turned your back on me,” I said the words softly.
“I didn’t Abs,” he replied with an equally sad tone. “I just missed a lot because I’m dense and because we weren’t talking as much as we used to. I’m sorry. I don’t want you going away without me.”
I sighed. “Maybe it would be good for me Ty.”
He grabbed me in his arms and held me tight. I wish I had known all these years that he really had my back. I just had to reach out to him when I needed him.
“Ty,” I whispered, “I need to learn to stand on my own two feet. I can’t hide behind you forever.”
My brother shifted uncomfortably. Then he looked at me. “I don’t know why you can’t.” I rolled my eyes at him which made him laugh. “All right just consider going to the same college as me.”
“I want to major in journalism. What if your college doesn’t have a strong journalism program?”
