Zachary

Everett is completely oblivious to everything that is happening around him. He drove us to the theater, both of us avoiding eye contact because neither of us were ready to address the clusterfuck that was yesterday. Jesus fucking Christ. What the fucking hell was I thinking!? I kissed him! I can't even comprehend where the fuck that had come from. So the only option left, avoidance.

That's precisely why Everett has a copy of 'The Woman in White' in his hands and is completely absorbed into it. Just ignoring my existence.

It wasn't the first time Everett had bought a book to read. Jess didn't want Everett with her all the time since it disrupts her mind sometimes so Everett helps us or reads a book sitting somewhere in complete silence. But right now it feels like he is doing it to avoid me at all costs. Not that I can blame him since I haven't initiated a conversation either.

The practice is done for the day, and we are all sitting on the stage with a water bottles in our hands. Today was tiring. We are all drained and exhausted. Leslie's voice sounds terrible, and she says she needs a hot tea to calm it down. Suddenly the entrance opens and Carl comes in and looks directly at me.

"There's someone here to meet you," he looks unsure as he says it. Then a figure steps in, and I almost get a heart attack. Vio searches the place for me till she catches me looking at her. My reaction is instant, I rush over to her. My mind running miles per second thinking something might have happened to her.

"Are you okay? Did something happen?" I ask her when I reach her.

"Woah! Hold your horses. Nothing happened, I just wanted to see you 'cuz mom was pissing me off." She tells me. So nothing serious happened.

"Then what are you doing in my workplace? You are only allowed to come if it's an emergency," I narrow my glare and keep my voice stern. She can't just come to my workplace like that. But that's when she catches Everett sitting on one of the chairs, and she waves. Then she looks at me with a grin.

"Who said anything about meeting you? I am here for Everett." She lies.

"You didn't even know he would be here." I remind her.

"Now I do," she shrugs.

She pushes past me towards Everett who smiles at her. But then he turns to me with a worried expression. He thinks that something is wrong. He looks concerned about Vio. My heart clenches at that realization. I shake my head slightly to let him know nothing is wrong. His attention goes back to Vio as he puts down his book.

Everyone is now coming towards us with similar, confused expressions. I sigh. This is going to be annoying considering none of them knows about my sister.

I walk over to all of them. Sofia raises an eyebrow at me, subtly telling me to start talking.

"Guys meet my sister, Violet. Violet my co-workers," I introduced them to each other.

Jess narrows her eyes at me while Carl looks exasperated. I hadn't told them about Violet when I explained about my dad. This only serves as a confirmation to them that I haven't shared my whole story with them. I hold their gazes, just to make sure that they know I won't be sharing anything.

"Hold on. You have a sister!?" Roman asks. "Then shouldn't she be in the media and stuff because of your dad?"

"That's because she is my half-sister."

"You have a half-sister? And Everett knows about her but not us!?" Leslie asks.

Before I could reply Vio cuts in. "You didn't tell them you have a sister?"

Her accusatory tone is sharp and wholly directed at me. "It never came up."

"The hell it didn't," Mason murmurs. He even looks a bit hurt. Is it because I didn't tell him that I have a sister? Shit. I didn't think this would happen.

"Stop keeping people at arm's length." Violet sighs.

"Don't tell me what to do. I am the older sibling." I tell her.

"Then act like it." she retorts.

I blink at her. Shocked. When did she learn to talk like that? I don't know whether to be proud or concerned. My thoughts are disrupted when Everett bursts out laughing. Vio grins at him.

"You know Violet, I think I am going to love you." Everett grins at her.

"Yeah, I am very irresistible." Vio says. Is she really joking around Everett!? Is my almost fourteen-year-old sister befriending the man I hate and kissed yesterday like I wanted to breathe the oxygen in his lungs!?

"Yep. You and Everett are going to get along fine." Sofia grins at them.

Vio turns to her. "Why do you say that?"

"Both of you know how to call him out on his shit." Sofia replies as if it's obvious.

Vio grins at Everett and he returns it. "How do you say we both go out for a meal in the mustang after your brother is done with his work?"

"If I get to be in that car again, I'll let you drive me to hell." Vio says.

"What? Are you serious?" I ask Violet.

"You mean the drive me to hell part or-"

I cut her off. "Did you even tell mother that you were going to have dinner somewhere else?"

"Oh hell no. C'mon Zach, it's just a meal. Please," Vio asks me.

I don't want to give in, but I really don't want to deny her either. It's not usual that she is this excited about something. Also, I have a feeling that mother must have pissed her off pretty well for her to come over to my workplace. So I give in. "Fine."

My shift ends soon after and Everett drives us to a family restaurant. A small, cozy place with not too many people around. The waiter comes over with a professional smile on his face till he sees Everett. The smile turns into a grin in no time.

"What can I get you?" His focus is all on Everett. Everett notices this but doesn't indulge. The waiter doesn't seem to take the hint.

"Can I have the meatloaf?" Vio asks. The waiter finally breaks his attention from Everett and turns to Vio with a polite smile.

"Yes," he turns to me next.

"I will have the pasta." I tell him.

He looks back to Everett and moves a bit closer to him than necessary. Everett doesn't seem to care. The waiter wiggles his eyebrows at him. I feel a bit unsettled when I have no reason to be. The kiss that I had with him comes rushing back to me. The way his chest felt against mine and then his lips. Fuck. That didn't happen.

"I will have the pasta too," Everett ignores the waiter after that.

"You know that the waiter was flirting with you, right?" Vio asks him.

"Oh, I know. But you got all my attention since you said you liked my car. The guy doesn't even qualify as competition against you," Everett grins playfully at Vio. She laughs.

"So the easiest way to get in a guy's heart is to compliment his car. Got it." Vio says.

"You're going to be a real player when you grow up a little more. I feel so proud." Everett says.

"Well can you blame me. I mean, have you met my brother?" she says.

Everett snorts but then looks at me and grins. I grunt at them both.

"I can't believe I am letting my sister talk about being a player," I shake my head.

"I won't date anyone who treats me like shit." Vio says firmly. I feel a rush of admiration for my sister. Not that I would let anyone treat her like anything less than she deserves to be treated. But I also know that my sister is tough as nails. She would kick the guy's ass to hell if she wanted to.

Our food comes right then. A waitress drops them off this time. We dig in and the food tastes like heaven.

"Wow. Now I know why you brought us here." Vio says to Everett. He nods in return.

The dinner passes with Vio and Everett arguing over Marvel being better than DC; Vio taking the side of Dc and Everett fighting for Marvel. As I look at them all I can think about the way his lips felt against mine. I don't know why that kiss happened or why it is bothering me right now when I look at my sister and him talking.

"I need to use the bathroom." I tell them. I need a moment to myself, to calm whatever is causing me to feel this way. I just need a minute.

Violet looks at her brother walking towards the bathroom. She then turns to me, her expression turning unsure. I let her take her time before she asks me whatever she wants to.

"Do you know if Zachary contacted mom again?" She asks, biting her lower lip.

I don't know why she thinks I would know anything about that. But what catches me more off guard is the hope in her voice. She really does think that Zachary and their mother just had a fight. "I don't really know. He doesn't want me to know."

Violet breaks her eye contact immediately and looks down on her table. She seems to be having some kind of internal struggle.

"Hey, Violet, If you are that worried, why not just ask him?" I ask her.

She scoffs. "As if he will tell me anything. He still hasn't told me why he isn't staying with his dad. Nor about why he and mom fought. He always comes rushing when I call, but he won't tell me anything. Sometimes I just want to blow up and just yell at him because it hurts watching him do everything on his own. I know I am just a kid, but I still want him to just... I don't know."

Her voice cracks. An overwhelming sense of protectiveness washes over me. I hate it when Zachary closes off, just drawing back, so I wonder how hard it is for Violet to see her brother do the same thing for so long. Zachary doesn't want anyone to know about anything and Violet knows her brother too well and just wants to help him. She's hurting because she can't.

"Violet, it's okay. Zachary is strong, and I promise he'll be okay. Maybe he just doesn't want you to know because he doesn't want to worry about him." I tell her because I don't know what else to say. Even I don't believe the words that I just said. Zachary doesn't have to be that strong. He shouldn't have to deal with a mother like that, and I don't know what the deal with his father is.

"I don't know why I thought he would tell you anything. It's just you were the only person who he has seen or even know about mom, I just thought... maybe he might have. He is so fucking stubborn!" Violet says.

I can't help but grin at that last part. "Arrogant too."

"Exactly."

We both grin at each other, that's when we notice Zachary staring at us confused. Shit. Did he hear us?

"What are you both grinning about?" he asks.

He didn't hear them. Thank fuck.

"I think it's time we head back." Violet says.

Zachary nods. I pay for the food, and then we head to my car. Violet insists that she get a cab because if her mother sees Zachary; it's just going to be a bigger problem. Zachary tried to protest but as far as I have seen Zachary has never said no to his sister. When Zachary agreed to come for the meal in front of the others in the theater, all of them were completely surprised. Violet has got her brother wrapped around her fingers. It makes me smile.

Violet gives her brother a hug and then turns to me and does the same. I pause, surprised by the action, but then I return the hug. I whisper to her. "Don't worry about your brother."

"Keep an eye on him for me?" she whispers back.

"Okay." I know that it's not my place to make that promise, but I just can't make myself say no to her especially after I know how she feels.

She pulls back and grins at me. "Also call me Vio."

She doesn't wait for my answer. She gets in the cab, the next second she's gone. I can't help but grin.

"Thank you," Zachary says, turning to me. "You cheered her up."

He meant it. The gratitude in his voice makes me feel like I won a lottery. The headlights of the cars passing by on the road falls on us one by one. It falls on his face, and I notice that the yellow light makes his eyes seem brighter. I stare because that feels unreal.

"I like her." I tell him.

He blinks at me. Then his lips lift into a smile. Not a grin or a smirk, but a genuine smile. My heart stops in my chest. I feel like everything stopped because this is the first time Zachary has directed that smile towards me. I want this again, his smile directed at me. Maybe that kiss did have a reason to happen after all.

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