by Bailey Hull
When dad goes to one knee and whips out the ring Brandon smiles politely and that’s it. Ms. Taylor on the other hand is exuberant! Tears burst from her eyes as she joins dad on his knees while he puts the ring on. I didn’t hear a yes in there but by her reaction it looks like a verbal confirmation isn’t going to be needed. For the next hour or so the newly engaged are locked in conversation about wedding plans, honeymoon plans and everything else that has to do with marriage and it’s downright boring until dad pops the biggest question of the night in my eyes.
“So when can you move in?” He asks her.
What the hell? Now it’s my turn to be shocked. Dad never said anything about her moving in. I guess that’s the natural thing to do but I figured they’d set a wedding date for June or something and they wouldn’t be moving in until after the honeymoon. But now they’re talking about next weekend!
“Isn’t this wonderful?” Ms. Taylor asks me. “Our two families uniting as one perfect family. It’s positively spectacular!”
Spectacular for whom? I was going to say but decide to bite my tongue and be civil. “Yes, it’s quite the arrangement.” I mumble while trying to plaster a smile on my face.
I don’t have to fake for long though. She immediately turns her attention back to dad and their moving day plans. Then I hear the last thing I want to hear.
“So sis, you wanna show me to my room?” Brandon asks me.
Sis? Did Brandon just call me sis, as in sister? This cannot be happening to me. I peer at him again trying to picture what he would have looked like when I had a friend named Brandon more than eleven years ago. I just don’t know. All I know now is that the hottest guy in town is moving in and he’s off limits due to the fact that he is becoming my brother? No freaking way! I really need to talk to Megan.
“Of course Brandon will have to switch schools.” Ms. Taylor is saying.
“What?” Oops, I didn’t mean that to slip out.
Dad turns to me. “Well of course honey. He can’t very well continue to go to Jefferson High can he? It’ll be great, the both of you being in the same school together. It’ll be good for you to have your brother there to support you and you him.”
“What?”
“Something wrong Jordan?” Dad asks.
“No…no I’m fine…” I mutter. This night could not have been worse.
“Hey did you know that Brandon here is an MMA fighter?” Dad asks me. “Apparently he’s pretty good.” He turns to Brandon. “Don’t they call you the Beast or something like that?” He asks.
“Something like that Mr. Chouinard.” Brandon replies.
Then it hits me! This is The Beast. Brandon Taylor is The Beast and he’s fighting Chase next Saturday. He’s the Brandon Taylor. He’s the guy Chase Crawford is going to fight next Saturday. Oh my God and he’s going to my school now. This is a disaster!
I stand there in stunned silence as my dad keeps talking.
“Yeah he’s got his debut UCC fight next Saturday night. I think we all should go to support him, don’t you think Jordan?”
Now this is awkward. “Dad…I was already planning to go with Megan and some girls from my school.”
“That’s fine. Your friends can join us too and we’ll all root for Brandon together.”
Sometimes my dad can be really dense, and at other times a complete idiot.
“But dad…everyone I know is going to be rooting for Chase. How can I possibly go to Lincoln and root for someone on the wrong side of the St. Lawrence?”
Oops, I didn’t mean to put it that way. Obviously Brandon and his mom live on the west side of the St. Lawrence River or he wouldn’t be going to Jefferson. An ugly thought occurs to me. What if Ms. Taylor is just into my dad for his money? We have a huge house, hired help, and I drive a Mercedes to school every day. I’m guessing Ms. Taylor probably makes less than our head chef and Brandon probably takes the bus to school every day. This is going to make school unbelievable awkward for me.
“What is wrong with the west side of the river?” My dad wants to know.
He is super pissed! He’s glaring dangerously at me challenging me not to go against him or there’ll be severe consequences.
“Nothing dad. I just meant…I don’t know…”
“You will go to the fight Jordan and you will sit on Brandon’s side and root for him. Family comes first over your friends honey.”
“He’s not family!” I shout. “I just met him. My friends are more my family than him.”
“That’s enough Jordan! Your evening is over.”
“It’s okay Mr. Chouinard.” Brandon begins. “It’s tough to ask a girl to switch allegiances overnight. She can hang with her friends and root for the other guy it’s okay. She’ll come around.”
“You’re very understanding Brandon, but like I said, family comes first and you’re family.”
With my dad’s final declaration ringing in my ears I stomp upstairs, go to my room and slam my door loud enough to make a point. I grab my cell phone, dial Megan’s number and crawl into bed fuming.
“Jordy, I was just about to call you.” Megan says soon as she answers her phone. “You’re calling early. Is your dinner gathering over?”
“My part in it is. You’re not going to believe what happened.”
“Lemme guess, your dad proposed and she said no.”
“Holy crap, how’d you know he would propose?”
“Please…I know guys. Soon as they find the one they think they want they’ll do anything and everything to make sure they won’t lose her. Or more like, let her get away. So why’d she say no?”
“She didn’t say no. And get this; they’re moving in here next week.”
“What?”
“Oh that’s not the half of it Meg. Guess who my new step brother is.”
“Lemme guess… he’s a jerk and he goes to our school?”
“It’s Brandon…Brandon Taylor!”
“Who’s that?” She asks.
“The Beast! Brandon, the son of the lady my dad’s marrying, he’s the Beast guy that Chase is fighting next Saturday.”
“No freaking way!” She practically screams in my ear. “You gotta be kidding me.”
“Believe me, I wish I was. But that’s not the worst of it.”
“How can it get any worse?” She asks.
“My dad, the same guy who hates any contact sports, is going to the fight along with the new Mrs. Chouinard. And get this, I’m going too but I have to be on Brandon’s sides and root for him. I told him I can’t do that. I can’t just switch sides and betray my friends and my school but he keeps spouting his family comes first bullshit and finally sent me to my room.”
“OMG, he sent you to your room like a little kid in front of The Beast? That’s bad Jordy, really bad. You know you can’t go there and root for a guy from the west side of the river, right? That would be social suicide.”
“No shit! But what can I do?” I moan as the gravity of my situation sinks in further. “And that’s not all. Since they’re moving in to our house he can’t go to Jefferson anymore.”
“Wait a second Jordan. He’s transferring from Jefferson to Lincoln?”
“Yeah and right away. What am I gonna do Megs? Your senior year is supposed to be your best year. It’s your last year with all your friends who you may never see again after graduation. I can’t spend this year ostracized by my friends and classmates.”
“Then you gotta decide whose side you’re on, plain and simple.”
“You know I’m on your side Megs, but my dad’s gonna force the issue. He doesn’t understand social pressures these days.”
“Then you’ll have to be sick the day of the fight. If he’s going to force you to go and side against your friends then that leaves you with no choice but to be sick the night of the fight.”
“I guess I got no choice do I?”
“Depends… you wanna be popular this year or a traitor?”
“That’s harsh!”
“Well it’s true. You know everyone’s gonna think you betrayed them. If it were someone from any school but Jefferson it might be forgivable if he was cute. Is this Brandon guy cute?”
“I wouldn’t really say cute. That doesn’t really fit the description. He’s got a ton of tattoos and is built like a Greek God or something. He’s not cute Megan, he’s unbelievably hot!”
“Well then…I can forgive you switching sides but I don’t know if anyone else will. Especially if you show up at the fight cheering for the wrong corner. You have to miss it.”
“Alright fine, I’ll come down with the flu or something but after the fight you gotta give me the blow by blow.”
“You got it. You okay with me going? Stacy’s calling me.”
“Fine…I’ll probably have to wait till Monday to see you. I doubt he’ll let me out of the house after tonight.”
“Later Jordy.”
“Bye.”
Chapter Three
East versus West
(The Fights)
The next week of school is a nightmare! Brandon doesn’t start until the Monday following the fight, but the anticipation of him coming here is killing me. If he loses the fight he’s going to be seen as a pathetic loser who is invading from the wrong side of the river. If he wins the fight he’s going to be enemy number one from the wrong side of the river and no matter what I say to my father he won’t change his mind. Brandon has to go to our school. Why not enroll him in a private school somewhere. It’s not like we can’t afford it. He won’t do that because it’s healthier for kids to have a more normal upbringing rather than surround them with too much money and privilege. It’s okay for him to live with us and our half a dozen servants but it’s not okay for him to go to a private school? Sometimes my dad just doesn’t make any sense at all. He claims he wants us to be a regular family. I told him if he really wanted that he’ll have to sell our house and give all our money to a charity. That didn’t go over well. We’ll see how he thinks when Brandon keeps getting kicked out of school for fighting. Then maybe he’ll change his mind.
Walking around the school I feel like the walking dead. I’m already dead. I just haven’t stopped moving yet. Life for me is going change fairly dramatically I’m sure. I feel like an inmate of death row or something. You know what’s coming and you have no way to avoid it. My dad will do his best to make me befriend Brandon and spend time with him at school, especially during the transition period when he doesn’t have any friends yet. I guess my only play here is to approach Brandon and as a favor ask him to tell my dad that we hang out if asked. He’ll do it. No one wants a friend who is forced on them. Then I’ll promise to owe him a significant favor. For now it’s the only play I can think of that won’t result in me being friendless or grounded until I’m 21.
Then there’s the whole moving thing. Thursday movers begin arriving with the Taylor’s things. Dad paid for the whole thing and had people pack everything up at the Taylor’s house and unpack it at our house. They had it down to a science. By nine o’clock everything was unpacked and in its proper place. What really sucks is that Brandon’s new room is right next to mine. We live in a five bedroom house and my father has to put him in the only room that shares a wall with mine. When I protest he tells me that one day I’ll thank him. It’ll be nice to have my brother close to me. Depositing him on the first floor or at the opposite end of the house will be too lonely for him. At least that’s my dad’s flawed reasoning. Even though Brandon was moved in by Thursday dad and Ms. Taylor decided to give him a break to adjust to his new surroundings so he didn’t end up going to school either on Friday.
When Friday arrives, I wake up sick. Not really of course but I need to set the stage for a Saturday night sick-out. Dad believes me and I end up with a day off school. I spend the time surfing the internet, watching Netflix and Hulu and generally wasting time. I can hear Brandon moving around in his room but he leaves me alone thankfully. Otherwise it could have been a very awkward day. Still with him so close to me I can’t help but think about him. I did manage to catch a glimpse of him in a wife-beater and his tattoos are amazing and second only to his fifteen inch guns! The guy must work out every second that he’s not in school. I have never seen such a perfect specimen of a human being. He even rivals Chase when it comes to his level of fitness. I hate to admit it, but I’m thinking this is going to be one hell of a close fight. The more I think about Brandon the more my mind starts to wander to topics best left to those who are not siblings; even if we’re step brother and sister. When I see his arms I start to wonder what they’d feel like around me. I wonder what he smells like. What kind of cologne he prefers… Oh man I gotta get my head out of the gutter named Brandon! As much as I would love to talk to Megan about my conflicted feelings there’s just no way I can talk to her about such a taboo subject. Him wrapping his arms around me? That can never happen.
My phone ringing tears me out of my dark thoughts. It’s my dad checking up on me.
“Hi dad.”
“How’re you feeling honey?”
“I’ve been better.” I reply in a low scratchy voice.
“I’m sorry sweetie. There’s soup and crackers if you feel like you can hold something down.”
“I think I’ll pass for now.” I reply.
“How is Brandon settling in?”
“Fine I guess. I’ve just been holed up in my room.”
“You know, you guys have something in common.” He says.
“What’s that?”
“He’s an adopted child as well.” My dad replies.
And it hits me like a punch in the gut! I knew there was something about this Brandon. Even though there are probably a hundred teenagers named Brandon in Lincoln California, somehow I knew on some level that this Brandon once was my brother Brandon when we were young kids. We weren’t actually brothers and sisters, we just were in the same house a couple years before he were both adopted out to different families. We were both like seven or eight…maybe I was six, I’m not sure but we were super close and when he was gone it was like cutting a piece of my soul out. If this really is that same Brandon… well it’s going to complicate things.
“Jordy?” My dad says. “You still there?”
“Sorry dad, I’m just super tired. I think I’ll take a nap if you don’t mind.”
“That’s a good idea. Get your rest and I’ll be home around six tonight.”
“Bye dad.”
No sooner I get off the phone than Megan calls me again. She gives me reports from school whenever she can. Someone printed up posters with Chase’s picture on it and spread them around the school. If Chase wasn’t much of a celebrity before Friday he certainly is now. There’s not a person in school who doesn’t know him or what is happening tomorrow night. The school’s senior president is organizing a 100% participation drive to try to get every single person in school from grades nine through twelve to buy a ticket to the fight. Several parents are organizing ride shares to make sure everyone that bought a ticket gets there. Chase’s section at the gym is going to be a rager. Too bad I have to miss the event of the year.
Saturday Night at Arco Arena…
Getting my dad to let me stay home the night of the fight takes an Oscar quality performance. Right away he’s suspicious given that he knows just how badly I did not want to be in Brandon’s corner for the fight. It was rough. For a stretch, when my dad was his most suspicious I thought I would actually have to induce vomiting but he finally relented. Then, just before Brandon is set to go to the arena to prepare he calls me. I didn’t even know he had my cell phone number.
“Hey little sister.” He says by way of a greeting.
“Little sister?” I reply. “Your birthday is what, one month before mine. That hardly qualifies you as my big brother.”
“Whatever… So I hear you’re too sick to make it to my fight tonight. You don’t sound too sick.” He observes out loud.
This time when I answer I put a litt
le throatiness to my voice. “I started getting sick Thursday after school. Right after you moved in. Really wish I could be there but my dad…he doesn’t take chances when it comes to my health.”
“Right…You and I, we need to come to some sort of agreement. Clearly you don’t want to be seen with me and I don’t need charity friends so here’s what I propose. At school we keep to ourselves and our paths do not cross unless forced to in class. I’ll tell your dad how we hang out and that we're lab partners in Chemistry class and everything at school is just peachy.”
“And what do you want in return?” I ask him.
“You keep your nose out of my love life.”
“What?”
“If you hear someone in my room late at night or leaving early before our parents get up you just keep it to yourself. You do that and I’ll cover you for school. Are we agreed?”
“Agreed.” I reply even though my heart is sinking.
It never even occurred to me that he might have a girlfriend and that that girlfriend might want to stay in his room. Not that I should even give a shit about my brother’s romantic life. He’s my brother. His room is next to mine. So why does this news eat at me like this? My senior year was supposed to be my easiest year. Instead I’m finding life is getting more and more complicated. When it comes to Brandon my mind is screaming no but my heart is beginning to want things I shouldn’t.
“You know I’m gonna kick your boy Chase’s ass tonight right?” He says.
I almost forgot he’s still on the phone.
“He’s not my boy.”
“Certainly not by your choice. I’ve heard all about you crushing on him.”
“So is half the damn school genius. And for your information Chase is gonna mop the floor with you so try not to look too smug when you go out into the ring tonight. It’ll be better for you Monday morning at school.”
“You’re wrong sis! Too bad you can’t be there to watch. I’ll see if I can get someone to film it and post it on YouTube. You’re gonna want to watch it.”