Twenty-One

Grayson Landon Taylor

I knocked softly on the door, only entering when permission was given for me to enter. It was already almost noon and I hadn't heard or seen anything from my sister who was normally up with the birds. I hadn't even heard her typing which I could normally hear from my bedroom next door.

I open the door slowly, peeping my head through. Leigh was away but she was still lying in bed, the blankets wrapped tightly around her. She hadn't changed from what she came in wearing the night before and her hair was a mess of frizzy curls.

I was worried, normally Leigh was the most put-together person, she took pride in her appearance and how she presented herself. But what set alarm bells were me was her eyes were red, meaning she was either doing drugs or she had been crying.

I had seen how she had all sorts of distaste for drugs, having grown up around the effects of it so it was most likely the latter even though that was worrying on its own.

"Good morning." I greet her carefully.

"Hi." She rubs her eyes before smiling at me. "What's up?"

"I just came to check on you, I haven't seen you today and I got worried," I tell her

"You're so sweet, it's a shame you never let people see the teddy bear you are." She comments making me scowl and her smile widens. "I'm okay, just tired. Yesterday was a busy day I guess. Also, I had a meeting that needed to be taken in private?"

"You had a meeting dressed like that?" I ask, my mouth speaking before my brain had time to process what I was saying but Leigh laughs.

"I should probably be offended about that but honestly I could be dead before I attend a work meeting looking like this." She sits up and gathers her hair into a very messy bun. "I had a therapy appointment this morning."

Again I frown. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine." She assures me as she starts making her bed, I round the other side to help her. "It was more of an upkeep appointment to make sure I don't digress mentally."

"Does therapy help?"

Therapy had always been a taboo subject in our house, mom and dad didn't see the benefits, there was only one therapist in our small town and mom and dad didn't want her to know our business and think bad about them or something.

"I would say so, it helps in the long run but it isn't fun. It's so hard talking about the things that are worrying you especially if you have been taught to keep your emotions bottled up. It makes you cry and feel miserable but slowly over time you start to feel lighter and happier, you don't have so much weighing you down. You are more adjusted to your environment and the changes that happen don't make you feel out of control, instead, you are ready for them." She walks over to her dressing table and puts away some of the things that had been sitting on top. "So what are we doing today?"

"Well since you never showed up this morning and Nathaniel was still asleep she decided to leave the two of you while the rest of you went with her to church. We got back an hour ago and we wanted to leave you longer but mom has her family coming over for lunch in an hour and she's insisting that you have to be down now." I tell her and see her sigh. "I need to run to the store to get some things, do you want to come with me?"

"Sure, give me ten minutes to get ready."

I wait in my room only leaving it when I hear her exit her room. I glance at her outfit. "Look who is finally dressing for the weather."

It had started getting cold a week or so after she arrived but neither she nor Nathaniel seemed to feel the cold the rest of us had, in fact, this is the first time I have seen her pair a long sleeve with trousers, normally it was either one or the other if either.

"Darling, I grew up where this is an everyday temperature. It doesn't even affect me anymore. And the only reason I'm wearing this right now is that it's a cute outfit and because we are having people over so I don't want to be underdressed."

"I don't believe you have been underdressed a day in your life."

"And I'm not starting now." She replies. "We're taking my car."

There was no fight from me, a car with a working heater was already a million times better than mine. She slips into the driver's seat and I take the passenger side. Leigh drove almost robotically to the store, it wasn't far but it was clear she was driving the way through muscle memory and not fully paying attention. She was fully aware of what was happening, even Leigh at her worst was better than almost everyone but she wasn't at her best and I was worried about her.

"Are you sure you are okay?" I ask as she pulls into the parking lot.

"I'm fine Gray, just tired," She was lying to me, I don't know how I knew but I just did. But I dropped it, if she said it I'm guessing she was trying to believe it herself. "What are we getting?"

I read out the list mom had scribbled down and ordered me to go and get it. We wander the aisles together. At one point I walk away from her for a second and go and grab something then go and try and find Ella again.

"You and your boyfriend were such a help yesterday, I don't think we would have been able to pull that off if it wasn't for your help."

"It was no problem," Ella assures, my eyebrows scrunch, who was she talking to? I round the corner and come face to face with my little sister and Cody Evans, one of the police officers in the area.

"Officer Evans." I nod in greeting a frown on my face. What did he mean?

"Grayson." he nods in greeting but I can tell he didn't expect me, nor was I meant to hear that. "I will talk to you soon, Everleigh. You and your boyfriend come past the station when you can."

"We'll come by tomorrow." She assures, grabbing her phone out of her pocket. "We should have the reports ready for you by then."

He thanks her and leaves with a last nod to me. I lower my voice and look at Leigh who was watching Cody leave. "What was that about?"

"Work." She answers. "I'll tell you later, let's get the rest of the things on that list."

It didn't take us long to gather the last of the items on the list, I grab Leigh's wrist softly when she attempts to pay. "No," I told her. "This is all for mom, you are not paying for her things."

"I don't care about that, Gray." She promises but doesn't stop me from using the card I had been given, instead, she picks up a couple more things and uses her card to pay for them.

"So, what's up?" She asks.

"What's up?" I parrot, not taking the bait.

"Yeah, what's up." She repeats, "You have been lost in your head all day and I think you want to talk to me about something but you think I'm not in the right headspace. But I'm fine so talk, Taylor."

"You realise you're a Taylor too?"

"Hardly." I shook my head at her but she was right, she was hardly a Taylor. The Taylor name brought pain and suffering and she had escaped it, she was so much more than a Taylor could ever be.

"I was invited to join a basketball intensive in New York," I tell her, her eyes widen and she looks at me for a second before looking back at the road.

"The one which they have invited all the teens they think will join the NBA in the future?" She asks and I nod. "That means they have been keeping up with your games for at least a year."

I frown, processing this. "How do you know?"

"Ambrosi's invited this year as he was last year. I went with him since it always overlaps with New York fashion week so we travel together. I went with him to the training one day and talked with some of the coaches and such. That is truly incredible Gray, this will help you get into colleges and will help when you want to get drafted."

"I don't know if I'll be allowed to go," I commented softly, I had seen the cost of the intensive, not even including flights and accommodations which will be sky-high since Thanksgiving is coming up. "And I don't even want to think about the cost."

"Don't worry about it." Leigh waves me off.

"What do you mean don't worry about it?"

"I mean don't worry about it, I'll cover the costs and I'll handle Nicholas and Lilliana."

"You can't do that."

"Yes, I can."

"I don't want your money, Leigh." I cross my arms. "I never told you so you can pay for me."

"I know you didn't." She assures me. "But I want to help, I've seen how passionate you are about basketball so if I can help I will. And I'm not offering out of purely selfless reasons I have been trying to find a way to be able to go up to New York for weeks."

Somehow I doubted that, sure she had probably wanted to go to New York but she had pure intentions.

"Fine." I sigh. "But you still have to convince the parents, and that won't be easy."

She lets out a scoff. "Oh, please. I have been manipulating people to my will since I was a toddler. This is a piece of cake."

<><><>

She did it.

As soon as we got home she talked to mom and dad, she never let any of us hear what she was saying but mom let me go to New York, the only condition is that she wasn't paying for it.

I was over the moon.

"How did you do that?" Elijah asks Leigh, having been filled in on the situation. "The only one of us who has left Texas is Nolan and that's because he plays hockey around the country."

Leigh leans back in her chair, a smug look on her face. "You guys underestimate me. If I want something there is nothing anyone can do to get in my way."

That mindset is probably one of the reasons she has accomplished so much in her life already, I wish I had her confidence.

"I can't believe you guys are going to New York without me," Ezra exclaims and I instantly feel bad, it had been his dream to live there for ages and now I got to experience it before him. "Not that I'm not happy for you Grayson, I'm just a little jealous."

"I'll take you to New York when I'm confident I can convince your parents," Leigh assures. "But like you're their baby so they subconsciously will be more cautious with what you do."

"You're the baby." Ezra rebuts.

"Not really, Ez." Leigh points out and a pout forms on his face. "I might be the youngest but I'm also the one who is the most independent from this family and that is enough so they don't care what I do if I had grown up here though I would be the baby."

A knock sounds at the door and we all look up, Crew waits at the open door for permission to enter Leigh's room where we were all sprawled out.

"Come in." Leigh welcomes and Crew takes a few more steps into the room, looking around. I think this is his first time up here since Leigh has moved in, as often as he comes over he never comes up here. "What's up?"

"Are y'all ready for lunch?" Crew asks and Ezra and Eli both let out a groan, I mentally sigh as well. Leigh surveys our reactions with a frown.

"What's wrong with lunch today?" She asks, innocent about the situation.

"If you think dinner with mom and dad is bad, lunch with mom's family is a trillion times worse." Her frown deepens, concern in her eyes.

"How much worse?" Her head tilts to the side.

"Let's just say," Ezra says, standing up from the beanbag in the corner. "I'm glad this only happens a couple of times a year."

She studies him and then Eli, then she looks at Crew and then at me, I send her a reassuring nod, I'd look after her, she can look out for me in the real world but this was somewhere I could repay the favour, I wouldn't let anyone say anything to her.

"Stop scaring her." Crew sighs. "Come on, sweetheart. It isn't that bad."

The three of us stare at him and he sighs giving in. "Okay it is that bad but none of us would let anything happen to you. Now hurry up."

Leigh walks ahead with Crew while the three of us trail behind them. Crew wraps an arm around her shoulders leading her. Crew never babied any of us, he tried but it didn't happen and our relationship was just like any other brother bond but with Leigh, it was so funny to see him so soft, him and Nolan both. They had started doting on Leigh in a way they couldn't do to us and Emmeline never let them.

Whenever Crew and Nolan were here Leigh received the ultimate princess treatment. And she revelled in the attention.

Mom was in the kitchen with Emmeline, the rest of us had been kicked out right after breakfast and now it was almost three in the afternoon and lunch still wasn't ready, it was a good thing Leigh and I had picked up some snacks at the store.

"Honey, I'm home," Nolan announced bursting through the door, and before he greeted any of us he went straight to Leigh. "Evie."

"Nole." Leigh greeted with the same enthusiasm, giggling as our older brother peppered kisses on her cheeks. He had only been home four or five times since Leigh had gotten here but since their first meeting he had phoned her every single night just to chat and get to know her more, and like the rest of us, he was enamoured with her.

"Talk about favouritism," Eli mutters, looking at Nole and Crew who are talking to Leigh over choosing to talk to us. Neither of us care though, although we got to feel the after waves of Leigh's kidnapping Crew and Nolan remember her as a child and missed her. It was something I couldn't imagine dealing with. As much as I wish I could remember her, I think it would have done more harm than good to my mental state.

Emmeline enters the room, looking kind of awkward when she sees the rest of us, her and Leigh's relationship has been weird for the past week, they have been getting on better but have no positive growth, They have just been co-existing around each other.

It's weird having only two girls in a house filled with testosterone, they each rule over a portion, Em has the parents and Gabe while Leigh has the rest of us. Before they had a power struggle and now it seems like Emmeline has taken a step back.

"Have you seen my phone?" Em asks, looking around the room.

"Do you want me to call it for you?" Leigh asks, already fishing out her phone. The phone rings up on the mantle and Em grabs it.

"Thank you." Em answers and slinks out of the room.

Leigh stands up from her position between Nolan and Crew and makes her way over to me, picking up her laptop that had been sitting on one of the side tables. She sits next to me and unlocks it.

"What are the dates of your intensive?" She asks and I relay the information.

"Are you looking for a hotel?" I ask, peering over her shoulder and seeing her open on a fashion site. All the others were wrapped up in conversation between the two of them not listening to us.

"No need, I own a flat there. I just needed to text my pilot the dates so he is prepared." She says so casually.

"Rich kid." I tease, knowing full well that wasn't the case. Why are you looking for clothes anyway? I have seen your closet and I can confirm you don't need more."

"I am never letting you see my closet back home," she mutters under her breath, zooming in on a light pink two-piece blazer and skirt. "I own a fashion line, Gray. it's an abomination if I'm not dressed appropriately. Especially since I know almost everyone in the fashion industry and they know who I am."

"How do you keep your face out of the media if people know who you are?" I ask curiously.

"I have a lot of connections, so I know the people who run the media, and if you pay a high enough prince they keep your name out of the news. And I have software in place, no matter what device you use the minute a photo of us touches an electronic that has connected to an internet source at any source of time then the file corrupts unless we have approved them. Also, we never show our face in our social media and people rarely go further than that."

Her genius never fails to amaze me, it was unfair that she inherited all the brain cells while the rest of us were all sharing one.

"Hello," Elijah calls to us, trying to catch our attention. "If y'all would be paying attention you would know our guests are here."

My heart sinks, dread filling me. It was going to be a long day.

I am so sorry for the delay on this chapter, there are multiple reasons for this taking so long. One, we keep having electricity cuts, we are in the middle of my countries rainy season so the storms cause faults. And two, I have written this chapter multiple times and hated it, in fact I don't like it much now but I wanted to give you guys a chapter.

I can't wait for the coming chapters, after some more family drama we have Ella and Gray New York content which I cannot wait to write. Then back to more drama obviously cause otherwise this book would get boring (;

Anyway enough of my ranting, have a good rest of your day/night. Please vote and comment and I will see you next chapter

Ara <3