8. An Explanation

"So here we are." I shrugged, opening my hands as we stood in front of the large house on campus. My house.

I had expected him to walk me back to the dorms, but his words—which had been his only words, by the way, were very clear. 'Go home to your parents and rest.'

"Thanks for walking me home."

"No problem," Jayden spoke with his hands in his pocket, trying too hard not to look interested.

"Are you okay?"

"Yes."

He gave me a simple nod and turned on his heel, but before he could walk away, I grabbed him by the arm. "Jayden, wait."

Startled, he turned around with a frown and freed himself from my grip.

"Have I done anything for you to ignore me?" I looked into his light brown eyes, desperately trying to search for an answer. All I needed to move on was an explanation. That was all.

"I'm not ignoring you—"

"Did you have a girlfriend all this time?" I dropped the bomb. Lydia was not someone I wanted to mess with, but if that was the case—at least I knew I wasn't completely stupid.

"It wasn't like that. We were on a break."

"So I was a rebound until you got her back?"

Jayden chuckled, shaking his head. "Are you really being like this over a casual hook-up?" He embarrassed me, encouraging me to keep my mouth shut.

Ashamed, I bit my lips but didn't dare to look away from his eyes. I still needed answers.

"I was stressed, had just gone through a bad breakup, so I approached you at the party—"

"So you lied and knew who I was all along," I mumbled, trying to put two and two together.

"I had no idea coach even had a daughter!" Jayden lost his cool, denying my accusation. "Dammit Myah. I think you're making a bigger deal out of this than it truly has to be."

Maybe I was—but as insecure as I could be, I needed reassurance that it wasn't something personal. "I just want to know why you've been ignoring me and—"

"Your dad told me to stay away from you."

Hearing his sentence made me stumble backward. Dad? How did he suddenly get involved?

"W-what?"

Jayden rolled his eyes, taking a breath. "He caught you staring at me, threatened to get me expelled, and told me if I wanted to remain on the team, I should stay away from you—so I did."

"Dad did all of that just because I stared at you?" I asked, stunned. Yes, I had stared at Jayden quite a few times—but was that really a reason for dad to threaten him like that?

I knew that man had his little rules, but just the thought of that man trying to behave like an overprotective parent while he couldn't give two shits about me puzzled my mind.

"Does he know we—"

"No, and we should keep it that way." Jayden gave me a judgmental look. "I don't know how much you care about that little art thingy of yours, but my career is important to me, and I can't mess this up all because of some little hook-up."

Little art thingy?

Jeez, he was starting to sound a whole lot like that man. So his football career was fantastic and jaw-dropping, while my art was just a little thingy?

"I-I'm sorry, what?"

"Look, your dad told me all about how vulnerable you are and that someone on the team tried taking advantage of you last year—"

"Goodbye, Jayden." I cut him off, not giving him the chance to speak.

Bringing back my past was a low move, and I knew Jayden was cocky as that was the thing that had attracted me to him in the first place, but he really took it too far this time.

Jayden, who was confused by my sudden words, froze in his spot. What part of me wanting him to leave did he not understand?

Just as I was about to give him piece of mind, my brother came strolling into the driveway.

"Is everything okay here?" Maison asked, making his way over.

Right, my brother.

I raised my brows as a way of asking Jayden if he knew about the situation, making Jayden shake his head in response.

The cold look on his face was instantly replaced with a polite smile upon seeing his roommate. One thing I did notice was that he seemed to respect Maison a lot. If only he could give me the same respect.

"I found her throwing up." Jayden beckoned me.

"Take care of your sister."

Maison wrapped his hand around my wrist, gazing from me to Jayden. "She what?"

"Threw up, almost fainted," Jayden repeated. "So I suggest you stay with your sister for the night." He said. "Goodbye, Maison…Myah."

Just as quickly as he said his goodbyes, Jayden had disappeared and left the scene. The funny thing? I still didn't receive a clear answer as to why he had been ignoring me.

"Did you throw up?" Maison had awoken me from my thoughts, pressing his large hand against my forehead. "Are you okay?" He asked, worried. "You're glowing."

Maison could be lovely whenever he wanted to, and today was surprisingly one of those days. I was the same, though. It was all fun and games until one of us got sick because even though we would never admit it, we could not live without one another.

"I'm okay, really." I lied through my fake smile. I felt like crap, and after my conversation with Jayden, I felt even worse.

Call it twin magic, but Maison, who wasn't buying it, slammed his arm around my neck and led me inside the house. "Let me take care of you."

Not long after, he had changed my sheets, made my bed, made me some tea—basically anything to help me feel better.

I felt terrible for being such a burden after practice, but he was left with no choice.

As the head coach, dad still had staff meetings after the practice, and mom was out doing god knows what. Even if they would've been here, there was no way in hell they would take care of me the way Maison did.

"You can't go to your classes tomorrow." Maison placed a pillow behind my head so I could sit up straight. "I hope you know that."

I did know that and had already texted Mitsuki that tomorrow would not be it. Myah Goodwin loved art, but even she had a limit.

Maison brushed his hand through my hair as his lips reached my forehead. "You already know how I feel about your ugly horse face, but I really don't like seeing you like this." I felt the impact of his lips.

"You probably shouldn't do that if you don't want to get sick," I spoke, ignoring his backhanded concern.

"Do I look like I care?"

I chuckled. Maison was stupid and careless, but other than the teachers, that did not bother anyone. His free-spirited and unpredictable personality had always been one of his charms and were something even dad could admire.

Just when I thought my brother would finally let me rest, he came back a few minutes later with a mattress and a few of his other belongings in his hand.

"What, horse face?" He asked, embarrassed—looking away so I would not see the red flush on his cheeks.

"Are you staying here tonight?"

"Yes. Who else should take care of you?"

"How would I know?"

We both knew it wouldn't be mom or dad. Outside of grabbing dad's attention during football practice or unhealthy food cravings, it had always been my brother and me.

The two of us kept no secrets and could talk about anything, which made it more surprising that I could not bring myself to tell him about Jayden.

After losing my horrendous ex, Noah, as a friend—he only had Adrian, and it was nice to see him getting along with someone else for a change.

"Are things really serious between you and that Naomi girl?" I started my interrogation after Jayden had settled himself on the floor.

Seeing him type away on his phone with a bright smile on his lips could only mean one thing.

"Yes, I like being around her." He put down his phone and turned to me. "She probably wouldn't be with me if I weren't on the squad, but that doesn't make me like her any less."

"Yeah, she looks like a nice gold-digger." I agreed. I could tell she didn't have many brains, but Maison was the same, so at least they had that in common.

"How about you? Are you seeing anyone?" Maison chuckled, not minding me joking around about his girlfriend. "Anyone else I should beat up for talking to my little sister?"

"I'm fifteen minutes older than you."

"Shut it." Maison snarled, unable to deny the one thing he hated the most.

"And here I thought you were being nice." I fake cried. "I'm not seeing anyone, and if I did, I would've told you—"

"Because we tell each other everything." Maison finished my sentence. "Anyway—you should stay single. I don't want Adrian to get his heart broken."

Or he didn't want to see me with Adrian, period. He couldn't bear the thought of losing another friend because of my recklessness.

"Dad's rule is the only thing keeping me from having to break his heart," I said, knowing I had an excuse not to reject the hopeless boy to the point he wouldn't be able to come around the house. "He's also like a brother to me, you know."

"The idea of the two of you together makes me nauseous," Maison said out of nowhere with a disgusted expression.

See, there it was.

"Anyway, it's late, you're sick, and you should get some sleep."

"You're right. I should." I yawned like a big baby, positioning my head on my pillow. "Thank you, Maison…, for everything."

"Always." Maison yawned as well. "Love you, sis."

"Love you more."