Chapter 5 Chapter 5

Brie.

"Mom... a honeymoon already?" I asked, a little taken aback.

"Yes, my baby. Tristan will do his older-brother duties. I'm sure he'll do a good job taking care of you."

"Oh yes, I definitely can," Tristan laughed, shifting closer and casually circling an arm around my shoulders.

I immediately shrugged it off.

This announcement definitely wasn't on my bingo card.

Mom and Mr. Langford laughed.

"You two will get along so well," Mr. Langford said.

"Tristan, no nonsense while we're away. Take good care of Brielle, understood?"

"Of course, Dad," he answered.

I stayed quiet for a moment because only I knew the thoughts I was battling with.

I eventually picked up my cutlery and finished my food. Not long after, everyone called it a night and headed to their rooms.

The morning came quickly.

It was Monday.

The weekend was already over.

While Tristan and I got ready for school, Mom and Mr. Langford were also preparing to leave for their honeymoon. We had breakfast together, and they spent most of it reminding us to get along, not fight, and warning Tristan not to misbehave.

I had a feeling Mr. Langford knew his son a little too well.

"I'll see you in a few weeks, my child," Mom said after pulling me into a hug. "You can call me or your stepdad if you need anything."

I smiled and nodded.

Their luggage had already been loaded into the car. They climbed in, and we stood at the front of the mansion, waving as the car slowly disappeared through the gates.

Tristan turned to me with a smirk.

"Now that they're gone, you better be nice to me, Sister. Your life is in my hands now," he chuckled.

I rolled my eyes.

"You wish."

Before I could take another step, I suddenly felt his arms scoop me up and throw me over his shoulder.

"Tristan! Put me down!"

"No, Sister," he laughed. "I have to take care of you, you know.”He headed over to his car, opening the passenger door and practically dropping me into the front seat since we were already dressed and ready for school.

"You didn't have to carry me," I hissed, pretending I wasn't affected by it.

He didn't respond. Instead, he started the engine, and the car slowly pulled out of the driveway.

"You have our assignments, right?" he asked. "Hope you completed mine though. I'll treat you to lunch, Sister." He winked while trying to keep his eyes on the road.

"I can treat myself to lunch, Tristan. And I always do your assignments."

He smiled and reached over to ruffle my hair.

That smile.

The one that got me every single time.

"I'm not a kid!" I protested.

He laughed.

The rest of the drive was spent talking about random things. We discussed how we'd divide house duties now that our parents were gone, who would cook if necessary, and how lucky we were that we still had a few workers around to handle most of the cleaning and maintenance.

The moment Tristan's car pulled into its usual spot at school, I spotted Serena standing nearby with two of her friends.

They were holding up a banner that read:

I'M SORRY

I rolled my eyes.

This was probably because of what happened over the weekend.

"There she goes again," I muttered.

Tristan glanced at me, amused.

"Told you girls can't resist me," he whispered confidently before unbuckling his seatbelt and climbing out of the car."Tristan!" she shouted, practically jumping with excitement as she ran toward him like we were in some romantic movie.

She was so dramatic.

I could see right through her.

"I'm so sorry for what happened... and for disrespecting Brielle. I didn't mean it. You know I like you, and I'm really sorry," she apologized, her voice sounding almost genuine.

I heaved a quiet breath and climbed out of the car as well.

The moment Serena noticed me, she wrapped her arms around Tristan and pulled him into a hug.

"I'm sorry, babe. Do you accept my apology?"

"It's cool, Serena," Tristan replied.

She quickly pulled away and locked lips with him.

I pressed my lips together.

I'd seen this happen plenty of times with the girls surrounding Tristan.

Yet somehow...

It still hurt every single time.

I looked away.

Serena giggled.

"Let's head to class."

She grabbed his hand and started dragging him toward the school building.Tristan turned to me.

"Brie, let's go," he called, trying to get me to follow.

But Serena and her clique kept dragging him away before he could even wait for me.

This was usually how it went whenever Tristan found himself a new toy.

I always ended up walking alone.

I heaved a deep breath and quietly made my way to class behind them.

Serena wasn't in our class, but I saw her walk in anyway. She headed straight for the seat beside Tristan—the one that was supposed to be mine.

As I got closer, I watched her practically throw herself at him.

I cleared my throat.

"That's my seat, Serena. Class is about to start."

"Can you sit somewhere else?" she asked casually. "I need to talk to Tristan about something important, and I'll be staying in this class today."

She said it like she owned the place.

I heaved a deep breath.

Tristan was too busy looking at his phone to pay any attention to us.

"I..."

"Just stop making excuses and sit somewhere else, Brie," she hissed, stepping closer.

She glanced at Tristan to make sure he wasn't looking before leaning in.

"He doesn't want you, Brie," she whispered. "And when he finally becomes mine, I'll ma

ke sure to end that little friendship of yours."

A smirk tugged at her lips.

"I've always wanted him, and now he's seeing me. I won't let you ruin it.”