I decide to use her phone to call her father. The phone has been ringing for the past hour. I guess it's reasonable. He is worried about his child. It has 17 missed calls from him. Just when I'm about to put in her password his name flashes in the screen.

The drum in my chest beats faster. I haven't talked to him in over 9 years. Out of all the kids, we used to be closest. He was my favorite. He always could find a solution to any problem. And he was the funnest. He would play with us soccer and he taught us hooping.

But my mouth sours when I remember what happened after that. I clear my throat and I school myself like he can see me. Right now, it's not about how I feel about him, but it is about our girl.

"Mr. Clark." I answer

"Who is this and where is my child?" his tone comes out hard

I let it slide, he did just lose a wife. "She isn't okay, but we got her."

"Who the fuck are you, boy?"

I clear my throat. "Its Sebastian Cirillo, Mr. Clark."

There is silence on the other end before I hear a barely audible sigh. "She's with you there?"

"Yes, we all are."

Another loud breath. "You know she just lost her mother."

"We know. Um, we want to bring her home." I cut that conversation because I didn't like where it was going. All that shit is not what is most important right now.

"I am sending someone to get her tomorrow. There's no need for you to do that." I hear the protest in his voice

"We aren't leaving her."

Silence then a sigh.

"Are you together?"

"Yes, sir." And there is no other answer. Me and my brothers believe we can get our girl back. After everything went to shit, we knew how deeply we'd fucked up and how we weren't going to accept not being with her. Though we haven't talked to any of our fathers because we are all still pissed off at their stupid plan.

And why the fuck we said yes in the first place. I mean, this was Zar, our first love and the love of our life and they knew that. But right now, is not time for that. Right now, it's time to be with Zar and after the funeral we will have to meet with our fathers because we weren't doing that shit.

"Just get her home." Then the line goes dead

My hand tightens around Zar's phone, and I would have thrown it if it was someone else's. The door opens and Leo comes back with her bag in his hands. He looks pissed off. Something that isn't an anomaly around here these days.

All of us have been out of all sorts since she dumped us on Sunday. All of us have done with less than 3 hours of sleep at night, but not Leo, he has only slept an hour a time. His insomnia gets bad when it gets bad. I guess with his OCD its harder for him.

He gives me a strange look, but he soon masks it.

"You called Clark?"

"Yeah, I just got off the phone with him."

"And how was... that?"

I sigh. "He knows we are with her, and he hung up the phone, he knows we are bringing her."

I move to the couch, and he sets the bag on the table before he sits down next to me.

"Well, that's a lot." He says but he also has a faraway look, like his mind isn't really here. Something has him preoccupied, but maybe he's just thinking about her upstairs.

We hear footsteps coming from the stairs and we turn to find Mason. He looks like he needs several beers. He was the one she's cried to since she found out and he has absorbed all her sorrow.

He takes a seat next to us and takes her bag and opens it without saying anything. He goes through it checking what Leo brought before he packs everything back. But he must have not done a great job because Leo takes the bag from him just when he's about to zip it and he repacks it. Me and Mason give each other a look.

"That's rude, Drago." Mason murmurs.

"Well, fuck off." Leo doesn't even lift his eyes to meet his

"How is she now?" I ask

"She has fallen asleep." He exhales loudly and his hands cradle his face. He is really stressed. We were already distressed because of the breakup but now this. Our girl just can't catch a break and it fucking sucks.

My hands itch to break something but I know it'll wake her. I get up and head upstairs. I get in carefully and I find Jose wide awake and her sleeping with her head in his chest. I hope she gets some peaceful sleep. This day has been rough on her. I take off my clothes and leave only briefs and I get in. I hold her and I close my eyes, needing to feel as close to her as possible.

Morning comes sooner than I wanted, and I am woken by sniffling. I remember yesterday when the head of my girlfriend is in my chest and my chest is wet. Jose is still asleep, and Mason and Leo are still sleeping on the couches. They must have come some time. I try to soothe her as she trembles in a quiet sob.

"Let it out, star. Don't hold it in."

My brothers are up a few minutes later and they all hurdle around us. She pulls back and looks up at me, my heart breaking as I stare at her swollen face. I wipe her tears, wishing all at once if I could take her aches into my own heart. I want to take away every hurt she's feeling.

"Morning," she says with a small voice, and I want to smile. It's sad but she can make even the most serious moments a bit lighter.

"Morning, gorgeous girl."

She breathes and moves to sit up. She is in Mason's shirt, and she leans on the headboard. Jose wakes up too. She clutches the duvet closer to her and she looks at all of us. She doesn't say anything for minutes before she asks, "did any of you talk to my father last night?"

"I did." I answer

She looks at me. "And?"

I clear my throat. "He allowed us to bring you home. We are leaving in a couple of hours."

She hugs her knees to herself and exhales. "Have you showed him the videos?"

Her question zaps all life in this room. How could she think we would do that?

"Zara, we aren't going through with that. We...we will talk after the funeral, but we meant what we said."

"Is that even up to you?"

"We aren't going to allow it, Hoshi. We...are so fucking sorry, okay? But we won't do that. Just let us get you through this and then we will talk about us. Please."

She shakes her head slowly. "It's too broken, Tatsu. The trust is broken. I can never look at you the same. How would I even trust any of you again?"

A tear slides down my face and I see my brothers wanting to beg her to take back her words.

"Zar, no." I say. "No."

She looks at me and she has an empty look in her eyes. I can't stand it and I get out of bed, and I get out of the room. I go to my room to get some clothes and I sprint out. I need a fucking run.

I know I'm being a dick leaving her right now, but I can't shake sense into her, so I am just going to run it out. It's not broken. We aren't over. We can never. How could she think we are over?

Yes, we fucked up, but we belong together and that hasn't changed. She is ours, dammit. And can't she see we are hers too?

I run to the opposite of Charlotte, and I head to the forest. I run on the road. Even though my body isn't as energetic as it always is, I can't stop. Before I know it, I am standing in the mountain, and I can see Charlotte and our school from afar. I sit there and think. All my thoughts come hit a brick wall when everything comes back to her.

Then I think back to when we saw her mother. The conversation she had with us. What she said to us. It had been hard, and Marcy knew more than she told her daughter about this whole situation.

But as a woman on her death bed, I guess she was just concerned with the bigger picture. Ensuring we would look after her no matter what. She made us promise her. And because we are assholes we went through and hurt her child even after that promise.

Fuck.

We don't deserve Zar. We don't deserve anything. We deserve even less than her glances.

When the sun has risen a little higher, I get up to go back. All at once I regret my stupid self for not taking my cellphone. The 10 miles seems like forever now and I am tired as fuck.

I descend the mountain and I start walking. When I turn the corner, I find our car waiting. I find Leo waiting for me.

I open and I exhale.

"I could kiss you, Drago. Fuck." I get in the passenger side

"Don't think it if you still like your teeth, Bastard." He starts the car, and we drive off

"Oh, come on you love me."

"Love you I do but I've seen what goes in that mouth."

I chuckle. We fall into silence. I remember I stormed out.

"Is she mad at me?"

"She hasn't said anything." But I could tell there was something else bothering him. He has been weird since last night. He is scowling even harder than he normally is.

I will have to ask him what's eating him after the funeral because right now all of us have our hands full with Zar.

"Do you think our fathers will come?" he asks after a long silence

I don't move from looking out the window. It isn't something I'd thought about. And it'll be bad no matter what they do. Marcy was their friend too once. It would be the noble thing to do but then none of us can predict how Zar's father will react. And it will be really sour of them to show up knowing they plan to take him down soon.

"I don't know."

He sighs, and we drive the rest of the way in silence, and I find everyone showered and ready to leave. Zar was nestled in Mason's arms, and he was whispering something we couldn't hear. I stood for a few seconds, wishing I could apologize to her or hold her. Then I sprint upstairs. I take a quick shower before I change. All my fatigue is returning, and I need to get a nap in the plane.

I pack my bag and I head downstairs. We leave after and we head to Charlotte where our helicopter is picking us up. Zar sits between me and Mason.

My anxiety rises the more miles we fly and the closer we get to the Clark manor. I haven't been there in over 9 years.

We descend in 4 hours. The mood is quite tense in here. All my brothers and Zar stiff. None of us know how Clark will react to everything. At this point we are prepared for anything. And we will give him this allowance since he just lost his wife.

A staff member welcomes us and leads us to the house. I swallow as all the memories come back one after the other. Where we used to play basketball with the fathers. Where we played tag.

The tree that housed the lemonade stand. That one-time Zar decided she was going to be rich selling us lemonade for $5 a glass and she bullied us into asking the money from the parents and the staff and that was all we drank for 5 days straight, breakfast, lunch, dinner and snack time. We were saved by Jose's rash.

"I could have been rich if it wasn't for your weak system, Bowie." She shakes her head, and we all laugh

"Actually, that's not what happened." Leo says and Jose turns to give him a glare. Mason folds his lips. They all seem to know something me and Zar don't know. We look at each other then she narrows her eyes at Jose.

"We rubbed him with peaches and kiwi." Leo rats him out and I burst out laughing

"You snitch ass bitch." Jose taps him behind the head and all of us are smiling, even she. She takes my hand, and we continue walking. It feels me with so much happiness that's she needs me as her anchor.

I feel her hand tremble in mine, and I know we need to be strong for her. And we will stand by her and protect her from all the bullshit. I know me and my brothers will shatter anyone who comes for her.

A gentleman I don't recognize but seems to be a member of the staff greets us at the door. And he says, "Mr. Clark requests you audience in his office."

"Me?" Zar asks touching her chest with the other hand

"All of you."

We all look at each other.

Well shit.