This one's really short, really rough and just for fun. I don’t know what I love so much about it; maybe that it’s the first point where Caden really starts to come unraveled.
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Caden was in his parents’ garage wailing on a punching bag that hung from the center beam when Alexa came out to see him. He had sweat pouring down his chest, despite the crisp mountain air that lingered from the night, but he didn’t even care to wipe it away. Nothing was going to stop his momentum right now. Not even his little sister.
Alexa waited patiently, watching him nail the bag over and over, but she didn’t make a sound. After she had waited long enough, Caden finally asked her, “What do you want?”
His tone was short, which was a typical way for any brother to talk to his little sister. Just not for him. Alexa didn’t appear fazed by his tone, but Caden knew better than to trust her outward appearance.
“What happened?” she asked him.
He gave her a look like she was playing some kind of game. “What?” he asked sarcastically. “You didn’t see it?”
Alexa’s eyes narrowed a little, but her voice remained flat. “No, I didn’t.”
“He came back,” Caden told her.
Alexa looked surprised by this, and seeing that startled him.
“You really didn’t know?” he asked her.
“You know I don’t see everything,” Alexa said.
Caden looked away from her. “Had me fooled,” he muttered under his breath.
Alexa seemed disturbed, like she didn’t know what to make of the way he was acting. Not that he could blame her for that. Caden wasn’t doing either of them any favors by holding back what he really wanted to say and taking out his aggression on her in this petty, inadvertent way. So he decided to give them both a break and get blunt with her.
“Why didn’t you tell me?” he asked her. She stared at him, completely unresponsive. “Why didn’t you tell me what he is?”
Finally she understood. Alexa looked down and said quietly, “I didn’t know if you would believe me.”
Caden sneered at her, unable to decide if that more hurt him or angered him. “When have I ever not believed you?”
Alexa wrote the question off to being rhetorical, though he’d hardly meant it to be.
“How did you find out?” she asked him.
He didn’t answer her.
“Tell me what happened, Caden.”
He hit the bag again, hard. “It doesn’t matter anymore,” he mumbled. “He has her now.” Caden gave the bag a solid left jab. “And she’s in love with him.”
Alexa went rigid. “What?”
His expression morphed into a sickened grimace, but Caden didn’t respond to the question. He was only capable of thinking one thing right now, and it happened to be the last thing he wanted to.
He couldn’t get Val’s words out of his head.
“I have to get out of here,” he muttered. Then he threw off his gloves and went back to his room, leaving his little sister standing there looking paralyzed.
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Caden was in his parents’ garage wailing on a punching bag that hung from the center beam when Alexa came out to see him. He had sweat pouring down his chest, despite the crisp mountain air that lingered from the night, but he didn’t even care to wipe it away. Nothing was going to stop his momentum right now. Not even his little sister.
Alexa waited patiently, watching him nail the bag over and over, but she didn’t make a sound. After she had waited long enough, Caden finally asked her, “What do you want?”
His tone was short, which was a typical way for any brother to talk to his little sister. Just not for him. Alexa didn’t appear fazed by his tone, but Caden knew better than to trust her outward appearance.
“What happened?” she asked him.
He gave her a look like she was playing some kind of game. “What?” he asked sarcastically. “You didn’t see it?”
Alexa’s eyes narrowed a little, but her voice remained flat. “No, I didn’t.”
“He came back,” Caden told her.
Alexa looked surprised by this, and seeing that startled him.
“You really didn’t know?” he asked her.
“You know I don’t see everything,” Alexa said.
Caden looked away from her. “Had me fooled,” he muttered under his breath.
Alexa seemed disturbed, like she didn’t know what to make of the way he was acting. Not that he could blame her for that. Caden wasn’t doing either of them any favors by holding back what he really wanted to say and taking out his aggression on her in this petty, inadvertent way. So he decided to give them both a break and get blunt with her.
“Why didn’t you tell me?” he asked her. She stared at him, completely unresponsive. “Why didn’t you tell me what he is?”
Finally she understood. Alexa looked down and said quietly, “I didn’t know if you would believe me.”
Caden sneered at her, unable to decide if that more hurt him or angered him. “When have I ever not believed you?”
Alexa wrote the question off to being rhetorical, though he’d hardly meant it to be.
“How did you find out?” she asked him.
He didn’t answer her.
“Tell me what happened, Caden.”
He hit the bag again, hard. “It doesn’t matter anymore,” he mumbled. “He has her now.” Caden gave the bag a solid left jab. “And she’s in love with him.”
Alexa went rigid. “What?”
His expression morphed into a sickened grimace, but Caden didn’t respond to the question. He was only capable of thinking one thing right now, and it happened to be the last thing he wanted to.
He couldn’t get Val’s words out of his head.
“I have to get out of here,” he muttered. Then he threw off his gloves and went back to his room, leaving his little sister standing there looking paralyzed.
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