Chapter Twenty-Five:
Emerson
“So Em is screaming her head off, and then out of nowhere, we hear her blow-dryer! She was trying to blast the sucker away!” Cade tells the story animatedly.
Mischa is laughing so hard she’s gripping her stomach. It’s Cade’s charm, nothing new.
My phone vibrates and I pull it out quickly to check who messaged me. To my surprise, it’s Braxton.
Cade’s eyes wander toward my screen, and before I can shield it from his view, he’s seen the sender name. “Is Braxton texting you?” he asks, glancing between me and the phone hidden in my hand.
I’m not a good liar, so the easiest thing to do is tell a version of the truth. “Yeah,” I reply nonchalantly.
“Well, what does he want?” Cade asks, his eyes scrutinizing my every move.
I shrug. “He just asked how much longer we were going to be here. I think he might want us to order food for him.” Okay, so that’s a stretch, but it’s more believable than anything else I might come up with.
Mischa is eyeing me so hard it would be obvious to a stranger. I can’t even return her gaze because I know if I do, I’ll feel too guilty to remain quiet. “So, Cade,” she begins and my blood pressure skyrockets. I have no idea what she is going to say next, and that kills me. “Have any of your friends hit on Emerson while she’s been on tour with you?”
Cade’s face scrunches up in disgust. “What? Hell no. They know better.”
Mischa laughs lightly. “Are you telling me that if one of your friends liked Emerson, you wouldn’t entertain the idea even a little bit?”
Cade’s head spins around so quickly, I’m surprised he doesn’t have whiplash. His eyes are burning me alive. “What is she talking about, Em?” he asks, dropping his burger.
My cheeks are burning up, and I have no idea what to say. I shake my head, trying to think of something to fill the unavoidable silence.
“Give me your phone!” Cade orders and I’m so terrified I almost obey.
But I’m not anyone. I’m his sister, his twin, and I know him better than anybody else in the world. “No,” I say firmly.
“Cade,” Mischa says softly, attempting to calm him down.
“Not now!” he barks with fire in his eyes. “Give me the Goddamn phone!” he bellows, slamming his hands down on the table. Other patrons have stopped what they are doing and all attention is on us. I know we are going to be kicked out any minute now.
“You want to know what the hell she was talking about, Cade?” I say in a low voice. “Braxton. He likes me and I like him, end of story… and there ain’t a damn thing you can do about it because after we get home, I’m moving out.”
Cade’s eyes are manic, and I can see sweat beginning to form on his forehead.
What looks to be the manager of the restaurant is headed toward our table, so I stand preemptively. “I’m sorry, but we are going to have to ask you to leave,” she says softly. “You guys are disrupting our guests’ dining experience. We’ve brought the check, so if you can gather your belongings and follow me.”
I don’t wait to hear anything else before storming out of the restaurant. I’m already going to be stuck in a car with that asshole all the way back to the venue, and I am not looking forward to it one bit. Speaking of, I should probably warn Braxton that I gave up our little tryst before he finds out the hard way. Reaching for my phone, I swipe to unlock it, but nothing happens. I swipe my finger across it again, but it stays unresponsive and black. Shit. I haven’t had a chance to charge my phone since yesterday, and I completely forgot how low the battery was.
When Cade comes out into the parking lot his shoulders are stiff, he’s wearing a scowl, and he doesn’t even bother to wait for Mischa to catch up. He’s fuming. He doesn’t say one word to me as we all shuffle back into the van and drive in silence back to the venue. After it’s been an awkward few minutes, Mischa finally breaks the silence.
“You guys, I didn’t mean to cause this rift between you two. You’ve always had each other’s backs no matter what. Don’t let something as silly as this come between you.” I know she means well, but at this moment, I want nothing to do with Cade. All he cares about is ruining my life for his own gain. I can’t take it anymore. Honestly, I don’t know what I did to deserve such treatment.
When we pull up to the venue, Cade makes a show of turning off the van and slamming the door on his way out. “Well, aren’t we mature?” I say to Mischa as we watch him stalk inside.
It doesn’t compute to me what he is doing until I hear the commotion from the remaining people at the venue. Only Tanks van and ours remain in the parking lot. “Whoa! Whoa! Whoa!” I hear as I go racing inside, my heart beating out of its chest.
It’s not a pretty sight. Braxton is on the ground, his lip cut open, and a nice shiner on his right cheek, and Cade is standing over him still in attack mode. The guys from both bands have restrained him temporarily, but he is fighting to get closer.
“Seriously?” I say as I make my way in between the two of them. “I’m your sister.”
“He’s my best friend,” Cade replies with a bite.
“I’m your sister!” I practically scream. “My happiness should mean something to you, but all you care about is yourself.” I take a deep breath, attempting to calm the tidal wave inside of me. “You know what, I’m done.” Throwing my hands in the air, I surrender and turn on my heel, walking back the way we came.
“Emerson!” Mischa calls after me, but I need some time to myself. Time away from my overprotective twin brother. I need fresh air.
***
I haven’t seen Braxton since everything went down. I’ve been texting him, but he’s been unresponsive. I don’t blame him. I would be upset too. I never got the chance to warn him.
On the flip side of things, I haven’t seen Cade either. Ever since we returned home from tour, he’s been out every night of the week, coming home in the early morning hours while I’m already asleep. It’s been four days since we returned home to Camden, and this is the longest I’ve seen Cade and Braxton go without speaking to one another. With us being neighbors, you’d think they’d eventually run into one another, but I’m sure they’ve been doing an equally good job at avoiding any run-ins.
I’ve walked over to Braxton’s a couple of times in the last few days looking for him, but either no one is ever home, or his parents have been covering for him. Either way, I have an ache in my heart and it has to do with both my brother and his best friend. I don’t understand why Cade can’t just be happy for me. And especially with it being Braxton, I don’t understand why he isn’t relieved because it’s someone he knows?
Breigh has been my rock this past week, listening to me bitch, moan, complain, and cry, and yet still loving me for me. She’s really been holding me together as I’ve never gone this long without speaking to Cade. Luckily for me, Cade has seen her a couple of times, so she’s been my personal spy. “So…” I say, biting into a piece of bruschetta, “how is he?”
Breigh’s expression turns soft. “He misses you, I can tell,” she says gently, helping herself to a piece as well.
I nod. “Has he tried to speak to Braxton at all?”
Breigh shakes her head no. “I don’t think it’s going to be as easy for him to make up with Braxton as it is going to be for him to make up with you.”
“Why do you say that?” I ask curiously.
“Well, first of all, you’re his flesh and blood. In his mind, Braxton betrayed him.”
“And I didn’t?” I scoff.
“It’s different,” Breigh says softly. “You are going to be in Cade’s life forever. Who knows if we can say the same for Braxton?”
“He lives next door,” I point out flatly.
Breigh rolls her eyes. “He’s not always going to. At some point, he’s going to grow up and move out of ‘Mom and Dad’s.’”
The idea terrifies me. We haven’t even gotten a chance to explore what this even is, and he might not be as accessible as he’s always been for me? That is one scary thought. Braxton has always been there for me. If Cade wasn’t around, he always picked up that slack. He’s been looking out for us ever since we moved in next door. He’s been like a crutch to me, and I didn’t even realize it until this very moment.
“So, what’s new with you and Cade?” I ask, changing the subject.
She shrugs her shoulders, playing coy. “I don’t want to jinx anything, but we are hanging out. I’m not going to say that I’m the only girl on his mind right now, but he makes me feel special.”
“Good. You deserve it.” I am happy to hear that my friend is being treated the way she deserves and that Cade is the one giving that to her, but I wish my brother and I were on speaking terms.
“So how is the apartment hunt going?” Breigh asks, taking a sip of her red wine.
“Slow,” I reply. “I haven’t found exactly what I am looking for yet, and I don’t want to settle.”
“Have you thought about staying put?”
I cock my head to the side. “That would be the equivalent to remaining in jail, so no thank you.”
“Oh, come on!” Breigh quips. “You have a really nice thing going. Your guardian, who is young and hip, is never home. You don’t have to pay rent, and you have your own bathroom. I’d say you pretty much have it made.”
“Throw in the asshole, cock-blocking brother, and I’d say that sounds like Heaven,” I reply sarcastically.
Breigh rolls her eyes again. “Em, you’re going to need him. Sooner or later, and you just don’t want there to be so much damage done that it’s irreversible.”
“Oh my God!” I exclaim. “I never thought I’d see this day.”
“What?”
“The day when you side with my brother over me. He’s recruited you into his army,” I say.
“That is not true and you know it,” Breigh argues.
“Really?” I push back. “Then how come this entire lunch you’ve been defending him? You’re acting like I’m the one in the wrong, when in actuality, all I am asking for is a chance to live my life without others’ input. It isn’t okay what lengths Cade goes to in an effort to ‘protect’ me. I can take care of myself.”
I’ve suddenly lost my appetite so I throw my napkin on top of my food. This lunch was supposed to be a good thing; a way to cheer me up due to the funk I’ve been in, but it’s turned into the complete opposite. Somehow I feel like a bitch and in the wrong. It’s not fair that he always wins. Just once I’d like to be able to be my own person apart from my twin.