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He’s always been the most level-headed of the three of us, but right now I don’t want level-headed. I want him to fight for Sienna. I want him to care like I do, dammit!
With a withering glare, I push my plate away from me. “It’s your fault, Bas,” I mutter. “You never moved on from Emily, so you’re taking all your pissed-off, pent-up rage out on Sienna. Do I need to spell it out for you, bro? Sienna isnotEmily.”
“Shut the fuck up,” Bastian growls, standing up so fast his chair falls over. “You don’t know anything. Just shut up.”
“Emily is gone,” I say through clenched teeth. “Whatever happened, it’s over. You can’t get your head around that fact, so you want to make it Sienna’s problem. You were the one who brought her into our lives in the first place. You were the one who suggested the arrangement. If it wasn’t for you, she’d still be here!”
“Shut up!” Bastian bellows. Dominic snaps his head around to stare at him, his eyes wide with shock.
I shake my head, a sneer on my face. I’m sick of Bastian making all the decisions around here and trying to act like he speaks for all of us.
“Sienna never should have gotten tangled up with us in the first place. She’s too naive, too innocent, and soft. She doesn’tneed delinquents like us hanging around corrupting her,” I tell him.
“Fucking shut up!” Bastian lunges for me and I throw up my hands, ready to defend myself. He lashes out and I block his arm, pushing it away with my own.
Before the situation can escalate into a full-blown fight, Dominic seems to come back to himself, stepping in between us and holding out his hand to keep us apart.
“Calm the hell down! Both of you!” His eyes have grown hard, his usual calm demeanor replaced by a trace of bitterness.
I stumble backward, trying to catch my breath. Bastian turns away from us, crossing his arms and staring at the ceiling.
“You’re both in time-out,” Dominic snaps at us. “Bas, you really fucked up and you’ve hurt more than just Sienna today. Caleb, you need to check yourself. Screaming at Bastian isn’t going to change anything.”
“You’re right.” I let out a breath and shake my head. “Yelling at each other won’t do shit about finding Sienna. So I’m going to look for her.”
I grab the keys to the Firebird and head out the back door, ignoring the yells behind me. Dominic stands on the back steps and calls my name, but I flip him the bird and slide into the car, starting the engine.
The rain is pouring now and I can barely see as I turn out of the driveway, but I can’t stay home. I’ve never been able to sit still, even as a kid.
Right now, I’m too angry at my brothers to speak to them. I want to get out and do something instead of waiting for things to calm down like Dominic or writing the situation off like Bastian always does.
The windshield wipers are working overtime as the rain streams down, my stomach in my throat as I realize she’s out in this storm, all alone.
She’s only been in our lives a short time, but she’s already made a huge impact on us. Being with her has made me feel more alive than I have in years. Waking up next to her every day has started to thaw my icy heart.
Turning onto the main road, I’m faced with a dilemma. Right or left? The choice seems simple on the surface but the implications weigh heavily on my mind.
Turning left means heading towards the familiar hustle and bustle of the town center, where the three of us played as kids. The shops that line the town center beckon me, inviting me to slip inside to get out of the rain and indulge in the same carefree, childish activities that occupied us as kids.
On the other hand, going right leads out of town, towards the outskirts, the place where we once grew up. It still holds memories—of how isolated we felt and how much like outsiders we were back then.
The sound of the downpour against the car roof triggers a vivid memory, transporting me back to those summer days when Rich taught me how to drive by having me take him back and forth from the university.
The two of us would cruise down this very road, radio tuned to classic country songs. One afternoon, “Thunder Rolls” came on, filling the car with a haunting melody. As we sang along, the dark sky opened up and a storm rolled in.
Pulling up to this intersection, the song reached its crescendo just as a brilliant flash of lightning illuminated the sky, followed by a deafening clap of thunder. I remember how I nearly jumped out of my skin, my heart racing with a mix of fear and exhilaration.
But Rich, he just laughed—a hearty, genuine laugh that echoed through the car. Before long, I found myself joining in, the tension melting away as we continued onward.
Now, as I sit here facing the same intersection, that memory comes flooding back. I’m reminded of a time when the only thing that seemed to matter was the open road ahead and the bond between us.
Taking a deep breath, I make my decision.
Turning right, I head out of town, some part of me instinctively feeling she’d be seeking solace from the same person I used to seek out.
As I navigate the rain-slicked streets, I feel another memory stir in the back of my mind. When I was a kid, still in elementary school, and Dominic and Bastian were in middle school, we took a field trip with the Haven Center to the local zoo.
Rich held my hand as we walked through the exhibits, letting me cling to him like a baby elephant next to its mother.
