33.

HAHAHAHA it's way past my bedtime right now but I couldn't resist and I'm going to regret the lack of sleep but here you go. I think I'm a teensy bit delirious too so who knows what y'all are about to read! I hope you like it.

*Beware of basketball references at some point in the chapter... if you're not a fan of basketball, they will probably make absolutely no sense to you.* 🙂

Austin sat on the floor, his legs bent at the knees with his back resting against Glen's bed. His head was dropped forward, his forehead propped against his steepled hands.

He didn't know what to do.

For one of the few times in his life, he was at a complete loss. Way out of his depth of comfort. Sure he'd been slow at times, plenty of times as a matter of fact, floundering around without any true guidance as he, Baker, and Colton tried to do what was best for their family, but never this -- never this feeling of being utterly lost.

And to make matters worse, he had a migraine.

A sudden flash of light caught his attention. Rubbing his forehead, he blindly stretched out his right hand, fumbling around for his phone that was somewhere on the ground. Resting his elbows on his knees, he held his phone in both hands. He tapped the screen with his thumb, causing the screen to light up again. He winced. Too bright.

04:03

There was one new message from Baker.

Austin wasn't surprised to see his brother up at this horrifyingly early hour. He faintly remembered Baker mentioning he was working day shift tomorrow, which was today. Friday. Considering dayshift ran 0500 to 1700, Baker and Peyton would probably join them for dinner again, unless of course Baker had a late call-out or something else work-related. Baker never spoke about specifics and the brothers never asked.

But he digress.

He needn't worry about Baker's schedule for dinner when there was a bigger issue at hand.

Austin dropped his legs, stretching them out in front of him as he searched real hard inside for motivation to get up. Ever since he managed to get Glen to fall back asleep, he'd been sitting here in a daze. Which meant he basically got no sleep. It was going to be one hell of a day, that's for sure.

Across the room, Colton had dozed off on Francis' bed. For his own sanity, Colton wanted to be close by in case Glen had another nightmare or night terror, or whatever the hell that was. Austin saw that Colton was still feeling immense guilt, blaming himself for the catastrophe of the whole night since he was the one who first pointed out Glen's odd behavior. Austin closed his eyes as he sighed, how differently this night could have gone if for only one little change of events.

Life sure was crazy.

Austin's face was highlighted again as a new message popped onto his screen, again from Baker. This time actually unlocking his phone, the messages appeared just as a third message was received.

Hey AJ. hows everything at homebase?

LMK if you need me today.

Chubba for ESA tonight? We gotta tell them bro.

Austin knocked the back of his head gently against the bedframe as he pinched his eyes closed. Okay God, I think I'm reaching my limit. Find another soldier soon, please.

He loved Baker, but he didn't need that reminder right this second. He was very well aware the trial was encroaching. Yet another obstacle to work through.

Anymore, God?

Don't answer that.

He didn't bother responding to his brother's messages for the time being. Heaving yet another sigh, an omen for how the day was going to proceed,  Austin clutched his phone in one hand and stood up from the floor. Tucking his phone into his gym short pockets, he quietly fixed Glen's comforter before leaning over and kissing his head.

The bedroom door softly clicked shut behind him before he padded across the carpeted hallway to his own room to get changed. He never needed a run more than right now, a way to clear his head, provide some much appreciated silence. No music needed for this run.

Splashing water on his face, he started to feel a little more alive for 4 o'clock in the freaking morning. Crazy how being awake 45 minutes earlier than normal totally distorted one's body. Now, to hunt down the rest of his siblings, wherever they scattered. Austin wasn't overtly concerned, knowing they remained somewhere in the house, as the alarm system never alerted him of a door opening. But it sure made him breathe easier knowing where they were. The parental instinct in him, or as his siblings would say, his helicopter nature.

He should also probably find out what exactly that crash sound was.

But that wasn't as high up on his list.

Wait, scratch that. He was probably better off not knowing. For his sanity.

Heading downstairs, Austin's original first stop was to the kitchen to turn on the coffee maker for a much-needed cup, before he changed his mind. He bypassed the kitchen, making a path to the darkened family room where he could see the flickering lights from the television bouncing off the wall. Oh, he hoped to God his siblings got some sleep.

Phew.

He stopped short, just past the sliding door threshold. He was unable to stop the smile forming at the sight before him, it was just too adorable. Though Dakota would kill him if Austin said that aloud. Cuddled together on the couch, Hayes lay with a pillow on Dakota's lap, the two fast asleep. Francis occupied the other end of the couch, sprawled out under several blankets. Unable to resist, Austin snapped a quick picture on his phone, knowing that deep down Dakota would appreciate the memory. Then with light footsteps, Austin walked over and picked up the abandoned remote, turning off the Family Feud reruns that must have soothed his siblings to sleep.

Returning the remote to its proper place on the tv console, he left the room. He was already starting to feel a little bit better, his siblings apparently the magical cure to his migraine that he forgone the coffee pitstop. Deftly slipping on his running sneakers by the front door, he disarmed the security system and strolled out into morning darkness.

————

"I don't like this," Colton muttered as he chugged down his second cup of coffee, his back propped against the counter. For the past five minutes he had been watching Glen mindlessly swirl his spoon in the bowl of cereal while Hayes picked at her breakfast. She didn't even attempt to eat the chocolate chip waffles, only managing a single bite of a banana, before running off upstairs to get get changed. "Not even a little bit."

"Me neither," Austin agreed from where he stood nearby at the sink. A frown tilted his lips down as he rested his coffee mug against his chin, lost in thought. His fingers tapped against the mug, frustrated when nothing came to mind on how to fix this right now. Turns out, his morning run hadn't helped as much as he expected, giving him no insight on how to proceed. He was stuck.

"It's too... quiet."

"I know."

It was also killing him to see Glen's face drop when Hayes didn't give him the time of day. As a matter of fact, Austin noticed Hayes wasn't really responding to any interaction with her brothers. They were aware that Hayes knew how to hold a grudge, having each been on the short side of that stick at least once, but this... it was so much more than a silly little grudge.

Ice cream wasn't going to fix it.

"What do we do?" Colton asked, glancing at his older brother.

"Not really sure yet," Austin replied, hating this feeling of uneasiness that settled over the house. "It sucks, but it might just be a time thing."

The screeching of the kitchen chair startled the older brothers out of their thoughts as Glen abruptly got up. He scooted past Austin and placed his still-plenty full bowl in the sink before shuffling towards the doorway.

"We'll leave in 10 minutes, okay Smiley?" Colton said to the boy before he could escape. "Can you let Francis know?"

"-kay," Glen mumbled, head down. He was so close, when once again his name was spoken.

"Hey, hold on," This time it was Austin calling him back at the last minute. Glen stopped but didn't turn around, his shoulders hunched over, still feeling the burden of what he did. He flinched when Austin gently grabbed his upper arm, turning him around slightly so the boy would look at him. Austin's hand cupped the back of Glen's neck.

"What?" Glen asked dejectedly.

"Just give Hayes time," Austin said, "She'll come around."

"She hates me."

"She doesn't hate you." Austin denied causing Glen to look at him like he was crazy. Austin sighed as he dropped his hand, crossing his arms instead, "I'm not saying she isn't hurt, because we know that's not true. But she doesn't hate you."

"She should hate me. I hate me," Glen scoffed before muttering, "I'm so fucking stupid."

"First of all, you're not stupid," Austin said, holding up his hand with one finger up. "Second of all," he put up a second finger, "shit happens, alright? Families bicker and sometimes it gets out of hand. But," Austin held up three fingers, making the 'ok' sign, "that's the thing about family. We may fight, but we also forgive."

Glen shook his head, "You don't understand."

"Then help me understand," Austin replied.

"I said I hated her," Glen blinked, his eyes suddenly turning misty as he replayed in his head what he had done. "She was only doing what I was too wimpy to do, and, and..." He dropped his head as he roughly ran his hand through his head. I threw it right back in her face.

"Alright," Colton said, walking over to where Glen and Austin stood. As much as he disliked having to interrupt this moment, it was nearly time for school departure. "We hear you, Smiley. So this may take a little more work than usual, but that's another cool thing about family that Austin didn't mention. We don't give up on each other."

"Who are we giving up? Francis? Finally, the house will be so much better without him," Dakota walked into the kitchen. He was basically dressed for work, besides his shirt that was casually tossed over his shoulder. He took Hayes' previous spot at the breakfast nook, picking up one of the abandoned waffles to eat. Yum, a second breakfast.

"Funny," Colton said dryly as he exchanged a glance with Austin. It was certainly hard to predict the direction of the conversation when Dakota entered the equation, which meant that it was probably best to end it.

"I know I am," Dakota responded with a smirk before his lips pressed into a thin line. He had actually overheard most of the conversation before he decided to interrupt and as pissed as he was about what Glen had said to Hayes, there were no picking sides in this battle. Like Austin and Colton, Dakota was mature enough to realize that Hayes was not the innocent party in all of this. She played a role, stepping out of line which pushed Glen to his breaking point. It was obvious that Glen was hurting just as much as Hayes was. "But in all seriousness, dude, what you said was a dick move..."

"Dakota," Austin immediately told him off making Dakota huff. Glen's shoulders slouched even more, if possible.

"I wasn't done," Dakota said, rolling his eyes at his eldest brother. They always just had to interrupt him. Rude. "You were a dick alright, but," Dakota emphasized, sending Austin a glare when he went to cut him off again, " Colton's right. We may be a lot of things, but we're not fucking quitters. And nobody is going to stop until we're one big, fucking ecstatic family again. Understood?"

"Yes," Glen replied, almost in a questioning tone. Dakota gave off the vibes of a ticking time bomb and Glen definitely didn't want to set him off.

"Good," Dakota stated, accepting his answer before turning to address Colton. "Where are you keys? Hayes wants to wait in the car."

"On my dresser," Colton replied, giving Dakota an inquisitive stare when he only nodded in response, shoving the rest of the waffle in his mouth. But Dakota knew something that he didn't.

Dakota had been sitting on the steps with Hayes for a hot minute, out-of-view from the kitchen, but close enough to overhear bits and pieces of the conversation. She wasn't used to this; not used to having beef with Glen. This 'luxury' of being pissed at each other didn't exist at the Bear's house. They wouldn't have survived if they didn't work together. She could hear Glen's whisper, Us against the world, HayHay.

Always, G.

Their constant mantra that kept them going.

And now, hearing the defeat in Glen's voice, it was killing her. She never felt further apart from him even though he was just in the kitchen. It took all her will-power to resist her instincts to fix this. It took all her strength to not run into the kitchen right then and there.

No.

She needed to stay strong.

Hayes kept reminding herself what Dakota had said, that her feelings were completely valid. She was allowed to be hurt by this. He even suggested kicking Glen in the balls to make him feel the same way she did.

That last bit, she wasn't sure if he was joking or not, and wisely decided that she wasn't going to go through with it, but she appreciated the advice. She appreciated Dakota.

When the brothers heard the sound of the front door closing a moment later, a look of understanding washed over Austin's and Colton's faces. Dakota always had something up his sleeve.

Glen twisted his lips to the side as he shifted his gaze to the floor, awkwardly waiting, wondering if he needed to be dismissed from the kitchen or not.

He got his answer when Austin ruffled Glen's already messy hair, sending his bangs into his eyes. "Don't be so hard on yourself. It'll all work out."

Glen nodded, weakly returning Austin's reassuring smile.

"Oh, I almost forgot!" Austin said just as Glen was about to leave for the third time. "Keep your phone on you, I'll text you when I get the appointment time," Austin reminded him. The clinic didn't open until 9am so he didn't expect to hear anything from Peyton until then. Hopefully, they'd be able to take Glen sooner rather than later.

"Got it," Glen nodded once more, with even less enthusiasm. He didn't even lift a foot before being stopped again. At this rate, they were going to be late for school. His questioning eyes darted back up to Austin's face. What now?

"One more thing." Austin stated.

"What?" Glen asked, confusion on his face as his brows furrowed.

Austin's arm looped around Glen's neck, pulling him closer. "Love you," he muttered, kissing his mop of hair.

A sense of belonging pinged Glen's heart, the feeling returning to its' rightful spot. He and Hayes were right where they were meant to be, in the home of their brothers. This was just a little blip in the road, nothing he couldn't handle.

Austin released him, giving his shoulder a nudge to go finish getting ready for school just as Colton yelled upstairs to give Francis a five minute warning. Glen straightened up as he finally was dismissed from the kitchen, his morale strengthening with each step as he became even more determined to fix the problem he caused.

And he wouldn't rest until then.

————

Hayes was the definition of miserable right now, but if anyone asked, she was fine.

Truthfully, in the beginning, she was actually fine. Minus the whole 'her best friend, her closest confidante, her partner in crime', etc. etc. said he hated her... everything was great!

Yes, that was sarcasm.

Now, did Hayes truly think Glen hated her? No.

She heard him this morning when she was eavesdropping- how sincere he sounded, how distraught he was.

Did that mean it still didn't sting? Not even a little bit.

Stung like the ray that killed Steve Irwin.

Okay for real though, she had been handling school just dandy, albeit that meant keeping to herself during her morning classes. It was very monotonous, providing the exact distraction Hayes needed to stop from thinking too hard. It solved her problem from having Glen's words running through her mind on repeat. She could just focus her attention on copying the notes on the white board into her notebook. Even Johnna, Hayes' social butterfly friend, left Hayes to her own devices, not providing running commentary during class like she usually did.

But then her luck ended, and it was all stupid Glennard's fault.

If it wasn't obvious, she hadn't completely forgiven him yet.

Anyways, her demise started when Peyton managed to score Glen an appointment with the sports medicine doctor whom she worked with, during the lunch hour, so Austin picked him up from school during fifth period. That left Hayes alone to fend for herself at the lunch table with the twins and Theo, which was so not going to happen, which is how after class she found herself following Francis like a puppy to his table.

Not in the mood to socialize with his friends, or even her brother for that matter, Hayes laid her head down on her arms. Apparently, she felt too comfortable and safe sitting next to Francis as her eyes slowly drifted close.

And the next thing she knew, Francis was gently shaking her shoulders, trying to wake her up. Lunch was over and she slept right through the whole thing.

Grrrrreat!

Hayes never ever took naps, and for a good reason, too, as evident by the absolute disaster of a basketball practice that was currently happening.

The whistle blew, causing Hayes to wince. A scowl was on her face as she grew frustrated with herself. Due to her lovely noon nap, it felt like her head was in a permanent fog that she couldn't shake and now she was suffering the consequences at practice.

Which meant the captain of the team, Rosie, was also being punished. Coach Gordon had the team rule that the captain was held accountable for the team's mistakes so every set of pushups Hayes had to complete, Rosie was right beside her.

"Hayes! That's 20. If you do it again, you're running!"

Hayes cursed under her breath, wanting to pull out her own hair from frustration right now. It was the third time in a row that she missed the open lay-up. Her body seemed to be moving in slow motion and her limbs felt heavy. At this point, she couldn't even look Rosie in the eye, as the two girls dropped to the floor, once again, to knock out the rep of pushups. It was her fault after all, that Rosie had to suffer, too.

The drill continued for the rest of their teammates, the sound of shoes squeaking as they ran up and down the court. The team had a tough game coming up on Monday and Coach wasn't messing around during practice. Which was very unfortunate that this was the day Hayes wasn't doing too hot.

"Hey," Rosie popped up next to Hayes' side when they were done, resting her hands on her hips as she caught her breath. In through the mouth, out through the nose. "What's going on with you, girlie?" She spoke quietly, not wanting to garner any more unnecessary attention from their Coach. They could feel his rage from across the court.

"I'm sorry," Hayes muttered apologetically.

"I could always use a good arm workout," Rosie shrugged, her spirit unbothered by the extra work. "Are you okay, though? You were quiet at lunch, too."

Hayes avoided her gaze, having briefly forgotten Rosie was friends with Francis. Perfect, now her brothers would probably hear about this wonderful time she was having. She scuffed the gym floor with her sneaker, "I'm fine."

Rosie eyed her for a second, not believing her before relenting, "Keep your head up, you got this."

Hayes nodded, appreciating the encouragement but knowing it was inevitable that she was just going to mess up again. The two teammates returned to the baseline to await their next turn as their Coach blew the whistle again.

Catching a glimpse of the clock that hung on the gym wall, Hayes barely managed to hold on to her groan. The young girl couldn't wait for the torture, sorry, she meant practice, to be over.

————

Her legs felt like noodles.

And her arms could only dangle by her sides.

As expected, the rest of practice didn't fathom well for her. Her Coach was definitely not amused when Hayes threw the basketball over her open teammates' head, causing it to soar out of bounds. Which is how she ended up running laps for the last 10 minutes while the rest of the team continued to scrimmage. At least Rosie didn't have to join her for that.

Head down to avoid any attempts in engagement from her teammates or Coach, Hayes was one of the first to leave the gym after practice ended. In addition to her unsteady limbs, she could feel a migraine forming from lack of appetite all day and lack of sleep, and it was probably close to her menstrual cycle again which explained why she just felt like straight up crying.

Maybe that's what she needed. A good ugly bawling session to relieve the pent-up tension she felt.

The cherry on top? Hayes now had to go home to where she'd have to see Glen who she blamed for this horrible, horrible day. All her morning thoughts of letting go of her grudge were long gone.

Forgive him?

Psh, not even close.

"Hey Sunshine."

Hayes startled, a look of surprise flitting across her face at the sound of Baker's voice. She didn't know he was picking her up today, but then again, there was probably a text message sitting in her phone telling her this.

There Baker was, his truck parked in the pick-up line where he casually leaned against the car door, waiting for her practice to get out. He must have come straight from work as he was still dressed in his tactical attire of boots, pants, and shirt.

"Not even a 'hello'?" Baker frowned as Hayes barely glanced up at him before reaching out to open the passenger car door. The car was unfortunately locked, not providing Hayes the escape she was looking for. "How rude." There was a playful note in his voice, letting his little sister know he wasn't truly offended. But he was concerned.

Austin had filled him in earlier. What a nightmare, literally and figuratively.

"Hi," Hayes simply replied, her hand tightening around the strap of her gym bag as her other hand dropped from the door handle, clenching into a fist instead.

Hi," Baker repeated after her, his eyes skimming over her face, looking for the tiniest of hints to what she was thinking. "Not even a hug?" Baker questioned his sister, trying to break through her walls. The first thing she always did after practice was attack her clean brothers with a sweaty hug.

Hayes shrugged.

"I missed you, Sweetheart. It's been a long 24 hours without you."

Not even a twitch of the lips.

Baker sighed. Austin hadn't exaggerated when he said Hayes was hurting. It was worse than he thought. Digging his keys out of his pocket, he unlocked the door with a click of the button. No point in hanging around when Hayes wanted no part of him. He waited for Hayes to get in before he walked around the car to the front seat.

But she didn't move, at least not right away.

She had already been skating on thin ice with trying to keep her thoughts locked away but the unexpectedness of seeing Baker had stripped her of the last bits of strength. It threw her into a tailspin. Too many emotions were running through Hayes' tiny body especially negative ones like resentment, aggravation, and disappointment, whether because of Glen, or herself, or just in general, she couldn't decide. And those feelings just barely touched the surface of what she was experiencing. It was a very jumbled mess up there.

She was also confused, very fatigued, and ultimately, yearning for comfort from her older brother.

Hayes took in a ragged breath as she tried to calm down her racing heart. Do. Not. Cry.

Her lip wobbled as she scratched her arm. The stress of the day was catching up to her, making her become easily overwhelmed. But, Hayes reminded herself, her brother was here, so she didn't have to carry the burden all by herself. Isn't that what is family for?

"Baker," Hayes practically whimpered as she finally met his eyes, "can I hug you?"

"You never have to ask," Baker replied, his heart breaking at her request as he opened his arms.

Hayes dropped her gym bag on the ground and wasted no time walking into his embrace. She snuggled close as his arms wrapped securely around her. A mix of sweat and tears damped his shirt, but he didn't care. He bent down, kissing her head several times as he murmured how much he loved her.

Hayes closed her eyes tight as she soaked in her brother's comfort.

The day had drained her of all her energy, causing her jar of love to run on empty. From the moment she woke up in the morning, having to dodge Dakota's retaliation because she almost elbowed him in the groin, to purposefully avoiding her brothers all morning, Austin included which was super hard to do, because she was stubbornly angry with everyone and everything, it felt like there was nothing left of her to give. It made her feel hollow inside and that was scary in itself.

It almost wasn't worth being upset at Glen.

Almost, but not quite.

Close, but no cigar.

Hayes tightened her grip around Baker. Now this hug, it was worth it. She needed this hug more than ever.

————

Baker had no plans of letting go of the hug until Hayes did.

Although progress was made, he wouldn't be full satisfied until Hayes perked up just a little bit more. He hoped seeing Chubba at the house would do the trick. The dufus golden retriever could cheer up anyone.

The car ride was quiet for the majority of the trip as his sister didn't want to talk much. She stared out of the window for most of the trip, barely listening to the radio that was playing in the background.

Until one song caught her attention. She didn't recognize it, but then again, Hayes didn't listen to music often. She didn't care much for it, accepting whatever music her brothers played in the car.

🎵Am I living?

Oh, what a funny thing to say

But there's alive, and then there's living

Am I living for today?🎵

Hayes leaned her head back against the headrest as she glanced at Baker in the driver's seat. His fingers were subconsciously tapping against the steering wheel to the beat of the song, making her lips tilt upwards in a resemblance of a smile. Baker certainly seemed like he was alive and kicking, but her? Today made her feel like she was barely living.

She felt like she was missing a major piece of herself.

She was missing Glen.

Did that make her weak?

Or strong for admitting it?

It certainly made her head hurt as much as her heart ached.

Pulling up to a red light, Baker turned to look at his sister, sending her a wink when he saw she was already watching him. Progression was happening, the child-like spark gradually making a return in her eyes.

"Anything you want to talk about?" He asked, facing forward again as the light turned to green.

Hayes shook her head no, her eyes darting downward as she began to mess with the cuticles on her finger nails. She also made a mental reminder to trim her nails. It had annoyed her how the tips kept tapping against the basketball.

"Hmm?"

"No," Hayes answered softly, remembering he was driving and not looking at her. Baker accepted her answer, reaching over and giving her knee a gentle squeeze before his hand returned to the wheel.

"If you ever want to talk, I'm listening."

"I know."

They returned to an agreeable silence, letting the radio fill the car with random tunes. Hayes bit one of her nails as she talked herself into speaking up.

"Baker?"

"Yes?" He glanced at her, pulling her hand away from her mouth to stop the dirty habit of chewing nails.

"Do you know?"

"Know what, Sunshine?" Baker asked.

"You know, about what happened?" Why Hayes was talking in code, she didn't know.

Baker chuckled with no humor, "If you're talking about Glen, then yes, I know."

Hayes nodded, that's what she assumed considering her brothers kept no secrets amongst them. Her and Glen were getting there, but some things were better off left unsaid. Their brothers didn't need to know everything. Though, at the rate they were going...

Realizing she was biting her nails again, she quickly shoved her hand under her thigh. Bad, Hayes.

"What's on your mind, kiddo?" Baker could tell this was eating her alive.

"Do you think he meant it?"

"Not even a little bit," Baker responded, no hesitation.

"Was it my fault?" Hayes asked. She knew it was, she forced it.

"I don't think it was anybody's fault," Baker said, tugging lightly on her ponytail. "I'll let you in on a little secret."

"Okay," Hayes replied. She turned in her seat to face Baker, pulling her knees to her chest to get comfortable. Baker always had an interesting way with words to make his point.

"There's something funny about family," Baker said, "The same people who love you the most, can also hurt you pretty badly, too, wouldn't you say?" Hayes nodded along to his rhetorical question, unsure on what was so funny though. "But because they love you, they also hurt when you are hurting, even though they are the one who hurt you."

Hayes's wrinkled forehead conveyed her confusion. Ha... Ha? She didn't get the punchline.

"Glen loves you so much, Sunshine. Now, I'm not dismissing your pain. I bet you're hurting a fuck ton right now. But also know that Glen is suffering too."

"How would you know? You weren't even there," Hayes grumbled a bit too loudly. So what, that Glen was suffering. She suffered all day, 1000 times worse.

Baker's lips twitched upward at Hayes' strong-headedness. Austin also wasn't kidding when he said her confidence was building more and more each day. "I know, but from what Austin told me, Glen had been beating himself up all day about it."

"Good."

Baker couldn't stop his smile this time. Reaching another stop light, he leaned over and kissed Hayes' head. "I fucking love you, Sunshine." Hayes blushed as the sudden affection.

Once he was sitting properly again, Baker cleared his throat. "Back to what I was saying, I'm not telling you to forget this ever happened. Fuck that, he said what he said, it's hard to push that aside. But it does takes a lot of strength to be able to forgive someone. And I wouldn't say this if I didn't think it was true, but Hayes, you're probably the strongest person I know. The shit you've gone through..." He shook his head, letting his sentence hang in the air.

Hayes kept silent after that, shuffling around in her seat as she faced forward. She chewed on her inner cheek as she pondered Baker's wise words of wisdom that made her feel empowered but also making her want to cry at the same time. Baker thought she was strong? He must of gotten her confused with some other person because she felt like the conductor of the hot mess express train.

Pulling up to the house, Baker parked behind Austin's car. Hopping out of the truck, Hayes slung her backpack over her shoulder before reaching back and grabbing her gym bag, which Baker promptly took out of her hands to carry for her. He also had his own small duffle bag, probably full of clothes so he could change out of his own uniform.

"Thanks," Hayes said, leaning into him when he wrapped an arm around her shoulder. The two walked side-by-side to the front door where Baker unlocked the door with his keys. Stepping aside, he let his little sister enter the home first.

They could hear Francis and Glen playing video games in the family room, some vulgar language being used as apparently Glen intentionally killed Francis' character.

"Boys," Baker muttered with a shake of his head making Hayes laugh quietly.

In the other direction, through the living room, they could see Austin pacing the walls of the den as he talked on the phone. Having left his job at midday to take Glen to the doctor's, Hayes guessed he was finishing up some tasks for work.

Ditching her shoes by the door, Hayes stalled by the stairs while she debated on whether to go see Glen now or later. Not keen on confrontation, she would have to garner the guts to approach him. But she at least knew what she wanted to say.

Hayes' stomach suddenly growled, making her face warm with embarrassment. Her arms immediately crossed against her belly as her cheeks reddened. Karma from her own stomach. That's what she got for barely eating all day.

"Go shower before the pizza gets here," Baker ordered, patting her butt to encourage her up the stairs. He knew Colton and Dakota would be home in a couple minutes with enough pizza to feed the ravenous siblings. His wife was also on the way, bringing along their fur-baby. It was going to be a full house very soon, just the way it was meant to be.

Barring Emerson, of course.

"But- " Baker raised his eyebrows slightly, causing her to scowl. "Fine," Hayes huffed, stomping on the bottom couple steps with a little attitude before jogging up the rest. Guess she'd talk to Glen afterwards.

————

Of course, the young girl wouldn't be Hayes if she didn't abandon any courageous plans and retreat to the confines of her own bed.

Any fire that Hayes may have felt before, had been suppressed during her shower. She lacked any argument against laying on the bed, curled up in sweatpants and a borrowed sweatshirt from one of her brothers. Her freshly washed hair was strewn across the pillow, soaking it completely as her right hand lazily drew random shapes on the comforter.

She wasn't even hungry anymore.

Knuckles rapped against the wall announcing someone's presence, but Hayes didn't move a muscle. She just continued tracing with her pointer finger.

"Pizza is here." Dakota's rough voice reached her ears. He stood in the doorway as he tried to gage his little sister's mood. The siblings had waited for her to come down after her shower but after 10 minutes, Dakota went up to get her. Besides the conversation in the car with Baker, Dakota had been the only brother she consistently talked with that day.

"Not hungry," came her short reply.

"Wasn't asking," He shot back at her, watching her lay despondent on the bed. Dakota frowned, where was the little spitfire that Baker had talked about from the car. "You okay?"

Hayes shrugged. She was apparently very entuned with Mother Nature as she must have gotten her period during practice, so now she didn't know what was up or down anymore. At least she had compression shorts on and wasn't wearing white basketball shorts.

There was the sun on a cloudy day.

She was most certainly alive... and very much so dying. How thankful Hayes was for the monthly reminder on how much it sucked to be a girl.

Dakota must of left at some point while she was off in her own little world because when she finally glanced over to the door, he was gone. Poof.

Sighing, Hayes laid her head back down, clutching the squishable to her chest. Woe was she.

"I bring a peace offering."

A french fry in the shape of a smiley face was held up to her face, startling Hayes.

"What?" she must have dozed off as she blinked rapidly. Time was a figment of her imagination. Her eyes trailed up the arm that was holding said french fry, meeting the twinning blue eyes of her currently most unfavorite brother.

Go away, Glennard.

"I don't want your stupid fry," Hayes scowled, turning over to face away from him.

"But, it's a smiley face," Glen leaned over the bed, dangling it in her face again. Hayes smacked it out of his hand, sending it flying against the dresser. It broke in half, falling to the floor with crumbs scattering.

"HayHay- "

"Don't call me that," she hissed, suddenly sitting up. The fire had promptly returned and aimed at one person, who just happened to be standing within arm's length.

Glen took a step back, raising his hands in the air. That's when she noticed his newest accessory, a black cast.

She stared at it for a second, feeling guilty that she hadn't asked how it went.

No. She was angry at him.

Toughen up.

Hayes impulsively threw the squishable directly at Glen's face, taking both of them by surprise. He didn't even attempt to catch it, having not expected it at all.

"What was that for?" Glen asked, his eyes darting back up to her face after he watched it fall to his feet.

"I'm mad at you."

Glen's face morphed into a look of defeat. "I know. You should be."

"I am." Hayes crossed her arms.

"Good."

"Good."

Their childish, instinctual nature for breaking up any tense situation started to kick in. They almost cracked a smile at each other, almost. Then Hayes remembered she was mad at him and reached back to grab another pillow. She flung it at him, even harder than the first time.

Then another, and one more.

Glen didn't move, besides a wince when one of the pillows made bullseye on the cast. His arm was a little sore.

Hayes hugged the last pillow to her chest, squeezing the daylights out of it. She laid her cheek on top, not bothering to wipe away the couple of tears that escaped her eyes. Holy heck on a pineapple, Hayes had no control over her emotions.

"I'm sorry," Glen replied earnestly. "I never meant to say that to you. I just," Glen ran a hand through his hair, "I don't even know how to excuse what I did. I have no excuse. But I regret it, so much. It's not true. Hayes, I could never hate you."

"You hurt me bad, Glen," Hayes said quietly, "Really bad."

"I know," Glen said, "and I'm so sorry."

"Are you?"

"Yes."

"Why should I believe you?"

Glen wavered. "I don't know."

He didn't know and it scared the shit out of him. He couldn't lose Hayes. He couldn't.

They were at a stalemate.

Hayes bravely held Glen's gaze, sniffling a couple times as she felt her nose starting to run a bit. Gross. She used the sleeve of the sweatshirt to wipe her nose.

Glen open and closed his mouth a couple times as he tried to work out what to say, but nothing seemed good enough.

So he went with the brutal truth.

"I fucked up."

Hayes' eyes widened at Glen's choice of words. He had her attention now.

"I fucked up big time and because of that, I hurt you, the one person I swore on everyone's name I would never hurt. You don't deserve that. Hayes, you deserve so much more than that. It is my job to protect you and I ruined that."

"I helped," Hayes dropped her gaze as she twisted her fingers together. "I broke your trust. I shouldn't have just blurted it out like that. I'm really sorry, Glen."

"Apology not accepted. You're not taking the blame here."

"Yes. I am."

"No. You're not."

"Stop being so stubborn, Glennard!"

"You stop being so difficult, Hayes!"

"It's my job to be difficult." Hayes retorted.

"Well could you maybe stop?"

"No." Hayes replied smartly, as she stared right back at Glen's look of frustration. Glen shook his head as a feeling of relief washed over him. There was a teasing glint in Hayes' eyes, giving him hope for recovery of their relationship.

"I'm sorry, Hayes."

"You said that already."

"And I'll say it for the rest of my life."

Hayes made a face, "Please don't. It makes me want to punch you."

"I'm sorry," Glen repeated, this time ducking when Hayes chucked the pillow at him. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry..."

"Dakota told me to kick you in the balls," Hayes threatened. That got Glen to shut up real quick.

Another standoff as the two kids scowled at each other. A very long minute passed before Glen couldn't hold it in any longer.

"I'm sorry."

When he saw Hayes' lips begin to form the likes of a smile, Glen seized the opportunity, "I love you, HayHay. You're the Dwayne Wade to my Lebron James; the Steph Curry to my Klay Thompson; the Shaq to my Kobe..."

Hayes made a sound of contempt, "I'm Kobe Byrant."

Glen chuckled, "Fine, fine, I'll allow it."

"You better," Hayes side-eyed him, "You have a lot of groveling to do."

Glen's whole face immediately brightened, "Does that mean-"

"I forgive you?"

Glen nodded, waiting in anticipation for her answer.

"Well I wouldn't be Michael Jordan without my Scottie Pippen, now would I?" The words were barely out of her mouth before Glen flopped on top of her, knocking the wind out of her. "oof!"

"Thank you, thank you, thank you," Glen couldn't get the words out fast enough. "This will never happen again, I promise. I pinky swear,  double cross my heart, the whole shebang."

Hayes nodded, still trying to catch her breath. "Okay, you fat cow. Now get off," she pushed his shoulder, getting him to roll off of her and onto the open space on the bed.

"I love you," he repeated, sitting up.

"Yeah, I know. You said that," she huffed, pushing herself back up into a seated position as well. Then she punched him in the arm, hard. Twice.

Now she felt much better.

His smile was contagious, and slowly her lips tilted upwards to mirror his. The kids were back.

"There's pizza downstairs, if you're hungry?" Glen offered optimistically. When Dakota announced that Hayes declined pizza, Glen knew he had his work cut out. Hayes never turned down pizza.

Hayes thought about it before nodding. It seemed like her appetite returned. She was so hungry she could eat a horse. "Are there any more fries?" Hayes asked as she scooted to the edge of the bed.

"Yeah," Glen exclaimed, hurrying to stand up. He got off on the opposite side of the bed and grabbed something off the bookcase. "I brought extra, just in case Francis ate them all." In his hand was a napkin with three smiley face french fries staring at her.

Hayes twisted her lips to the side as she glanced at the fries before looking back up at Glen. "That's it?"

Glen's face dropped as he heard the disappointment in her voice, "Sorry, I, uh..." he stumbled over his words.

Hayes laughed, unable to hold the façade for longer than a second. She reached over and snagged the fries off the napkin, shoving them all in her mouth at once like a little lady. "Thanks," she replied as she chewed.

Glen rolled his eyes but didn't say anything. Their eyes twinkled with happiness as they walked out of the room towards the stairs. It felt good to be able to forgive and move on. But not forget, as Baker said. Hayes didn't think she'd forget this anytime soon. They could hear the voices of their siblings from downstairs as they walked down the hallway.

"Oh wait!" Hayes gasped, coming to a halt.

"What?" Glen asked, looking at her in concern.

"Can I write something on your cast?"

A sigh of relief left Glen as he nodded.

"Good," Hayes playfully knocked into his shoulder, "How does '#1 butt face' sound?"

Glen eyed her carefully to see if she was joking or not. He couldn't tell. "Sure, if it makes you happy," he replied cautiously.

Hayes simply grinned, not revealing anything. "Okay!" She took off ahead of him, leaving him in the dust as she ran down the stairs. She was totally going to write it.

"No running in the house!" Austin called from the dining room. He could hear the kids' stampeding down the steps, sounding like elephants.

"It was Glen!"

~~~~~~~~~~~