"Yeah, he's broken," the doctor said, "again."

I kept my eyes lowered, avoiding Mom and Dad at all costs.

"Thanks, Doc," Dad said, and I could see his hands on his hips out of the corner of my eye.

Shit, he only does that when he's pissed.

I looked up when the doctor closed the door behind him, still avoiding them. I puckered out my lips, keeping my eyes locked on the machines around me.

"Well, you guys can head on out, if you want to," I said, smiling over at them for a split second.

Dad looked more annoyed than anything. I leaned my head back against the bed, clenching my jaw.

"Hero, you do understand that if you want to go to school for ball, you've got to be able to play."

"Well, duh," I muttered, lowering my eyes again.

"How do you manage breaking your hand and arm, on two separate occasions, in a matter of two weeks?" Dad asked, "I'm confused, really."

"What can I say, casts are drawn to me," I said, shooting him a charming smile.

Mom sat on the edge of my bed, gently rubbing my arm. "It's okay."

Dad shook his head, his eyes narrowed.

"Hey, champ," Henry greeted, peeking through the door with a grin.

I nodded, chuckling. Amelia and Brian followed after him, making me lean back against my bed.

"The doctor basically told me what I already knew," I said, scooting my legs over for Amelia to sit.

Dad folded his arms over his chest. "I know for a fact that all of you have been drinking, so which one of you drove?"

Brian held up his pointer finger. "I-I hadn't been drinking, sir. Amelia offered to drive, but I knew she'd had a few sips-"

"I didn't ask for your life story," Dad deadpanned.

Brian nodded, folding his arms over his chest. "Y-yes, sir."

Mom let out a sigh, smiling back at me. "We'll get you in a cast, get you home in bed, and all rested up."

Dad scoffed and turned around, and I could basically see his eyes rolling into the back of his head. I chuckled and nodded, grabbing Mom's hand. "Yeah."

She pressed a kiss to my cheek, rubbing my arm before standing up. "Thank you, for driving him."

Brian smiled. "You're welcome. Hey, is Fran here?"

"Brian," I warned, making Dad turn around.

"Why?" Dad asked, shaking his head.

"J-just wondering," he said, "no reason."

He lowered his eyes to his feet, making me smile over at Amelia. "Hey."

"Hey," she greeted, smiling.

I leaned my head back. "You're gonna sign my cast, right?"

"Oh, for sure," she said, "I'll be the first signature."

I grinned at her, winking. I looked over at Dad, who still had the same annoyed look on his face.

Brian slipped his hands into his pockets. "I'm gonna head out. Henry, wanna-"

"Yeah," Henry said, nodding towards Amelia. She smiled and rubbed my arm before standing up, and the three walked out of the room.

"You are going to have to settle down, Hero," Dad calmly said, his eyes meeting mine.

"Dad, I'm a teenager," I said, "this is what it's about-"

"No, it's not!" He yelled.

"And what were you doing when you were my age?" I yelled, making Mom's eyes toggle between us.

"Raise your voice at me again," he said.

"You are always on my fucking ass, Dad," I said, shaking my head, "it's exhausting. God."

"It's exhausting having to always be on your fucking ass!" He yelled, "you're seventeen, I shouldn't be having to treat you like a toddler."

"Okay, who asked you to?" I asked, knitting my brows together.

"Baby," Mom warningly said, her eyes on Dad.

"You are going to ruin the chances you've got at getting into school," he said.

"That's all you fucking care about," I said, shaking my head as I scoffed, "me leaving."

"No, Hero," he adamantly said, "I care about you doing what you want to do. I care about you doing something that's going to make your life meaningful."

I shook my head, looking away from him.

"I don't want this for you," he said, shaking his head, "you've been talking about football since you could."

I continued to ignore him, biting down on the inside of my cheek.

"I want more for you, Hero," he said, "and you should want more for yourself."

He shook his head and walked out of the room, making me let out a sigh and look over at Mom.

"What the hell was that about?" I asked.

"Your dad lives with a lot of regret, Hero," she softly said, "and he doesn't want that for you."

"Oh, my God," I laughed out, leaning my head back against my bed, "no offense, but I've never thought twice about taking over the business."

"And he wants it to stay that way," she said, "Uncle Fred's chances were blown because of injury after injury. He just wants you to do something that's going to make yourself happy."

She walked over to me and pressed a kiss to my head, gently rubbing my arm. "We love you more than you'll ever be able to process, Hero."

I bit down on my lip and sighed, nodding. "Thanks."

She smiled, hugging her sweater close to her. "After this cast, though, no more casts. For at least two months."

I smiled up at her, holding out my hand. "Deal."

~*~

"Oh, my God, Henry," Zach muttered, shaking his head.

"What?" I softly asked, looking over at him.

"What is so hard to understand about this?" He asked, his eyes wide.

I frowned, looking up at Mrs. Thompson when I saw her at our table from the corner of my eye.

"Zach, please be patient," she said, nodding.

"I-I know what I'm doing," I said, obviously defeated.

Hero shot me a sympathetic smile. "I don't know what the hell I'm doing, either," he whisper-yelled.

Mrs. Thompson's attention was now on him, making him clear his throat and look down.

"Just add this, Henry," Zach said, standing up, "if you can manage to do that without completely screwing it up."

I knitted my eyebrows together. My attempt to be friendly towards him had obviously gotten me nowhere.

Mrs. Thompson smiled at me, shaking my head. "I'm sorry, Henry. He's very impatient."

"Okay, I don't appreciate being treated like an idiot," I said, looking back at him as he gathered more test tubes.

"You're not an idiot," she said.

I added the substance to the other substance, letting out a sigh as I folded my arms over my chest and waited on him.

"Would you look at that?" I asked, looking up at him with lifted eyebrows, "I didn't blow our station up."

"I had my concerns," he deadpanned.

"You're a fucking asshole," I said, looking over at him, "you want to talk about how rude jocks are, maybe you need to focus your aggression towards people like you."

"Describe people like me, please," he said, lifting an eyebrow.

"Nerds," Hero deadpanned, "respectfully."

Zach chuckled, shaking his head. "Have you thought maybe speaking for yourself, instead of letting your cousin do everything for you?"

"I can speak for my-"

"You're weak," Zach firmly stated, his jaw taut as he looked over at me.

"Excuse me?" I laughed out, lifting an eyebrow.

"Everyone treats you like a God," he said, "people worship you. I just don't get it. You can't even manage a fucking lab, Henry."

"Okay, well, Zach," I said, rolling my sleeves up, "you know, people might worship you, as you put it, if you weren't an absolute fucking asshole."

"I don't care to be worshipped!" He laughed, "my life has more meaning to it than kids at my high school fetishizing every aspect of me. You wouldn't know anything about that, though."

"Boys," Mrs. Thompson said, her eyes wide, "argue outside of school. I need you to finish this today."

"Hey, quit shit talking my boy before we test how weak you really are," Hero said, looking over at us.

"With what, your broken hand and arm?"

Hero's facial expression changed in an instant, and he looked annoyed.

"I could beat your ass with my pinkie toe."

"Hero," Mrs. Thompson firmly stated, "do you just want after school detention?"

"No," he firmly said.

I, personally, was surprised- before, Hero would've taken any chance he could get at being alone with Mrs. Thompson.

"Then stop," she said, "all three of you will get zeros if you don't stop."

Hero narrowed his eyes, bracing his palms on his table. He rolled his eyes and scoffed, focusing his attention towards his lab.

"Mrs. Thompson, is there really nothing we could do to switch part-"

She stopped Zach with simply her expression. "No. Learn to get along, or simply tolerate each other's presence. But you two are partners, so deal with it."

~*~

"Stop."

I placed my hand on Eros's leg that was bouncing up and down violently, my eyes wide.

The door flew open, and I felt my heart sink into my stomach. "Oh, shit."

"Yeah, panic," Eros whispered, looking back at the door with a fake smile.

"Hey, Henny," he greeted, creating some distance between us.

I narrowed my eyes, tilting my head over.

"It's been a fucking day," he said, throwing his bag down.

Eros leaned forward on his thighs, shooting me a glance.

"Hey, come over here," I said, smiling up at Henry as he walked into the living room.

He fell down on the couch next to me, leaning his head back against the cushion. "I'm going to see if I can change my schedule on Monday. I swear."

"Henry," I said, chewing on my bottom lip as I scooted closer to Eros.

"What?" He softly asked, looking over at me.

"Can we talk?"

He sat upright, his eyes toggling between Eros and I. "Is everything okay?"

I could feel Eros's fear, making me let out a sigh and look down at my hands.

"S-so," I said, "um, we think you need to know."

"I need to know what?" He asked, shaking his head.

I tilted my head over, looking back at Eros. "Eros and I are together."

His face held the same expressionless look for a solid minute. Nothing could ever match the fear I felt in this moment, but I'd never dare show that in front of Henry and Eros.

He slowly leaned forward, his eyebrows knitting together. "You're together?"

I nodded, chewing on the inside of my lip.

"You're fucking with me," he said, shaking his head.

"No, we're not," Eros said.

"Y-yeah," he chuckled, nodding, "yeah, you are. You're screwing with me. Funny joke."

"Henry," I said, "you know we're not screwing with you."

"Are you fucking kidding me?" Henry exclaimed, looking over at Eros.

I watched as Henry stood up, my eyes wide.

"You've been my best friend for eleven years, Eros," he yelled, "I mean, Christ, has Josie been your goal all along?"

Eros stood up, pulling me up with him.

"It just happened, Henry," I stuttered out, shaking my head as I looked for words.

"My best friend is boning my sister," he laughed out, rubbing his hands down his face, "oh my God."

"Y-you don't know that," Eros muttered, looking away from him.

"Do I not?" Henry yelled, pushing past me to get to him.

"Woah," I said, standing between the two.

"I know you think with one thing, Eros," he said, basically blowing steam out of his nostrils.

"Yeah, and what's that?" Eros asked, leaning his head back with a smile, "that seven-"

"Nope!" I yelled, holding out my arms to hopefully stop the pair from attacking one another.

"You're fucking kidding me, Eros!" He yelled, "you are kidding me!"

"I'm in love with your sister!" He yelled.

"Really?" Henry laughed out, his eyes wide.

"Yeah, what's so hard to believe about that?" I asked, looking up at him.

He looked hurt, in a way I'd never seen him look hurt before. He shook his head, placing his tongue in his bottom lip.

"You're dead to me," Henry said, pointing at Eros before he jogged upstairs.

I let out a sigh, raking my fingers through my hair.

"That went well," Eros said, smiling down at me as I fell back on the couch.

I looked up at him, completely unsure of what to do next.

~*~

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