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“I’m glad that that’s true,” he says, his eyes full of meaning. “And it’s admirable that you trust him so much. But I’d be doing you a great disservice if I didn’t tell you that it’s tricky with him. He’s loyal and hard-working, yes. He’s a good brother. But I don’t know if you could particularly trust him. I don’t know if you could particularly trust his unpredictable behavior. He does things that end up hurting him and people around him and I want you to be prepared for that. I want —”
“I know,” I tell him just so I can put a stop to what he’s saying. “I know what he’s capable of.”
He frowns. “And yet here you are saying that you trust him.”
“Yes, because I do,” I say proudly. “Because I know he’s flawed. I know he has his issues. I know that he’s made of things that are ugly. And I’m not afraid of them, those things. I’m not afraid to take them on and stare them down. Because I also know that he’s made of beautiful things too. Like the rest of us. Like you and like me. Like the rest of your family that shockingly didn’t include your own brother.”
I step closer to him then.
Fuck his height and fuck his intimidating aura.
I will stand by Ledger now and till the end of time.
He’s my family, our family.
“And let me tell you something else too, sometimes people who know us the most and the longest are the very people who don’t really see us. They are the ones who don’t really appreciate what we have to offer. They don’t really appreciate the subtle nuances in us. Actually, screw the subtle nuances. They’re the ones who are completely blind to everything that makes us us. I know you love your brother. I know you’ve made sacrifices for him. I know you care about him. But I wish that you understood him too. I wish you took the time to look closer and see for yourself how completely amazing he is. How every part of him, the good and the bad, the beautiful and the ugly, makes him him. And all he needs from you is for you to see him. Just once.”
I’m not sure if me saying these things would make a difference. Or if Ledger would even like that I talked to his brother and poked my nose in their business behind his back. But I’m glad that I did. Someone had to say it. Someone had to have his back and tell these people to stop perpetually judging him and judging him solely based on his mistakes and errors and…
Just then I hear a door slamming shut, reverberating all throughout the blue-painted hallway that we’re standing in. One side of it is lined with office doors and cases made of glass displaying trophies and years’ worth of photos. But the other is almost completely wall-to-wall windows and everything from trophy cases to photographs to windows shake with the impact.
And then I see him emerge from the corner, all sweaty and heated and well, angry.
Not at me though.
At his brother from the looks of it, because his dark eyes are pinned on him as he strides over.
“What the fuck?” he mutters as he gets closer.
And I try to run interference. “Ledger —”
“What’d you say to her?” Ledger asks his brother.
Who looks completely unaffected or bothered by Ledger’s sudden appearance and his aggressive demeanor. Shaking his head, he says in a calm voice, “I didn’t —”
“What the fuck did you say to her?” he asks again, now coming to a halt directly in front of Conrad.
I step between them and try to placate Ledger again. “Ledger, no. He didn’t say anything. He —”
His eyes are still on his brother. “Answer me. Are you fucking upsetting her?”
“You need to calm down, Ledger,” Conrad says from behind me.
And Ledger advances on him. But thankfully I’m here to stop him.
I’m here to put my hands on his body and push him back.
Even so, it’s hard to make him stand down as he growls, “Or what? You’re gonna kick me out? For good this time.” He leans forward. “Because let me tell you something, I don’t give a fuck. I don’t fucking give a fuck. You can take your soccer and shove it up your ass. If I find out that you’ve upset her, all bets are off. I don’t care about playing for you or for any other team. Now and always.”
“Ledger.” With a pounding heart, I go for his face and try to turn his focus on me. “Seriously. He didn’t say anything. He didn’t upset me, okay? We were just having a conversation, I swear. I’m fine.”
It takes him a couple of seconds to look away from his brother and finally focus on me.
