Chapter 6: CRUSHED

Adam was amazing during the game, and I could see what Kayden meant about him 'matching Jim's ability'. Each time he got the ball, he was a blur running across the field. Extremely agile and fast, he twisted and weaved his way to score several touchdowns, much to the delight of the crowd.

Flynn never took his arm from around me during the game. Even when he reacted to Adam or the team making a good play, he'd take me with him as he stood up and cheered.

By the end of the game, most of the kids in my grade - even the ones above us on the bleachers - had noticed us together, and I saw pure envy on most of the senior girls' faces. If Flynn had seen them looking, he never let on. He kept his attention squarely on me.

It wasn't until we got back into Kayden's car that Flynn dropped the pretense about us. Once he was sure no one was around, his arm trailed down my back and fell away. The loss of his touch made my heart sink. Flynn started to get into the car beside me, but Martin held him back saying he wanted some time with his little sister. He directed Flynn to get into the front seat. Once Kayden began to drive, Martin said what was on his mind.

"Well, you two sure put on one hell of a show out there tonight." His voice didn't disguise how annoyed he was.

Flynn chuckled but didn't respond. There was an awkward silence between us all, so I felt I had to comment because my brother sounded annoyed.

"Yeah. It was fun. I bet all the girls will be questioning me on Monday about you, Flynn. I'm going to have to figure out some stories for them. Otherwise, they'll know we were fooling them."

I'd made light of what Flynn and I had done but wished for that time again, because I was already missing his arms around me. Martin seemed to relax into the seat at my comments, and I figured I'd done just enough damage control to convince him that I hadn't taken it seriously. Flynn had made it abundantly clear he wasn't interested in me, when we'd first arrived to watch the game. Even knowing that, I'd still enjoyed sitting there, allowing everyone to think we were an item. We'd certainly given them something else to talk about, other than my rejection by Bradley.

Kayden and Martin went straight from the car to raid the fridge for snacks as soon as we arrived home. Flynn surprised us when he suddenly asked if it was okay for him to take a shower. Martin turned and stared at him for a second, totally thrown by his request, then nodded.

"Sure, use the one in my room. Your room doesn't have its own bathroom, and the one in the hall is next to my parents' bedroom. I don't want you to wake them. Towels are in the cabinet beside the sink."

Martin went back to selecting things from the fridge, and Kayden was busy buttering bread rolls. The thing I usually loved about all the boys being home was that none of us were in a hurry to go to bed. We weren't all together often, so our routines would go crazily out of whack just to make up for lost time.

"Is everyone having beer, or am I making lemonade?" I asked. Dad was fairly liberal and allowed the boys a few beers at home, as long as they were sensible about it. At fifteen, I'd never had that privilege extended to me.

"Yup. All beers, Beatnik, except for you," Martin clarified.

My eyes sliced through him. For the second time that day, I'd felt a gap between my brothers and me, that had grown wider since I'd been gone. It was like I was suddenly not old enough to hang out with their friends, and I wasn't being treated as an equal.

The incident with Flynn clarified that. In their eyes, I was too young for the one guy who had caught my attention since Bradley. My feelings for Flynn were like nothing I'd ever experienced. Not that I loved Flynn - I wasn't that naïve - but I'd never had stronger emotions as those that bubbled up when he was near.

I stood motionless while everything ran through my mind, and the wedge that was forming between my brothers and me made my heart hurt. I'd never been upset by anything they'd said before.

"Actually, count me out. I'm tired. I'm going to bed. The bus ride must have taken more out of me than I realized," I said, wanting to escape to my room before I broke down in tears.

Martin stopped and turned to face me. "Are you okay, Val?"

Trust Martin; he'd always been so perceptive about me.

"I am. Just beat. I'll be better tomorrow," I'd said, trying to sound as if I would. Martin strode over and hugged me, as if he sensed my true pain. Taking a sharp breath, he hugged my head to his chest, and his strong heartbeat soothed me.

"It's so good to see you, Val. Sorry I've been aloof tonight. I've missed you, honey. We need to spend some time together tomorrow. I want my favorite girl to tell me all her latest news."

I looked up at him, and he smiled affectionately, which soothed my heartache a bit. "You bet, Martin. I'm looking forward to all those stories about the hot girls you've discovered at college."

Martin looked a little sheepish and replied, "Um, have I done that before? Sorry."

I smirked as I pushed away and headed for the kitchen door. "Don't worry, Martin, like you and Kayden wanted, I've got my built-in radar for guys like y'all. I've learned to spot them, so I'm good."

Kayden started chuckling, when Martin tried to protest that he wasn't really like that, and put him straight, "Come on, Marty, us men are all like that, to some extent."

I was thankful for Kayden's interjection because it gave the perfect distraction to excuse myself. I headed up the stairs and was turning the handle on my door when I heard another door open. I looked up and there caught sight of Flynn. He was leaving Martin's room; naked, apart from a white towel slung low around his hips. My jaw dropped at how beautifully sculpted his upper body appeared in the low light glowing from the open bedroom door. When he turned his head in my direction, I let out a loud gasp.