the spade brothers' little sister

seven

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Larson stood straight up from his bed and stalked to his bedroom door, flinging it shut behind him, almost closing me and Brady in his room. Brady chased after Larson, pulling his arm back and trying to get him to stay upstairs.

"Lars, we have to tell Jace," Brady said, his eyebrows furrowed. I stood to the side and watched the events unfold in front of me. If I spoke up, I would be told to go to my room. So, I decided to remain quiet and disappear into the background, trying to understand what was happening around me.

"He's in the shower," Larson replied. His voice seemed like a low growl and if the situation didn't seem that serious, I would have teased him for sounding like a tiger when he spoke.

Larson shook Brady's grip off his arm and turned to look at both me and Brady. "Stay here." Larson turned and went back into his room while Brady and I waited in the hallway. Another knock sounded on the front door. I heard papers rustling and things moving around in Larson's room until he finally came out of his room. He pulled the hem of his sweatpants up as he made his way to the top of the stairs. "Charlie!" he called out. As if on cue, Charlie's bedroom door opened, and he came out.

"Dad's here," Larson casually said. Charlie's eyes widened and he walked over to where Larson stood on the steps.

"We gotta get Jace," Charlie spoke quietly.

"No," Larson replied quickly. "Charlie, you come with me. Brady, stay here upstairs with Brenna."

Unlike usual, Brady didn't even complain as he grabbed my hand and pulled me into his bedroom. His window overlooked the front path to get up to our front door and I knew he had every intention of opening the window to see if he could hear any parts of the conversation that was about to ensue.

Larson and Charlie jogged down the stairs. After a few moments of hushed talking, the front door squeaked open and then there was more silence.

"Spencer," Larson was the first to speak.

"Larson." The voice that spoke was soft and slow. Brady said it was our dad but I didn't recognize his voice. The voice I remember my dad having was loud and always yelling instead of speaking. "Charlie, you look great," he continued. "More tattoos, Lars, really?"

"Don't call me that," Larson warned. Brady could sense the anger that radiated through Larson's voice and he stiffened beside me, prepared for something – anything bad – to happen.

"How have you all been?" He spoke so casually, as if he hadn't done the things he'd done.

Suddenly, a hand touched my back and I nearly jumped a foot into the air in fright.

"Whoa," a familiar voice spoke. "Why are you so jumpy? And what are you two doing together?" Jace recognized how strange it was for Brady and I to be together for any prolonged period of time by choice.

I glance at Brady, not knowing what to say. I had hoped he would save both of us by coming up with an explanation, but he met my glance with a blank stare, clearly not able to think quick enough on his feet.

"What is so interesting outside?" he continued. Neither of us responded so Jace leaned over me to look out Brady's bedroom window. He saw the black car with black tinted windows in the driveway and his face immediately got red. "Are you fucking kidding me?" He spoke rhetorically, in a low voice with a growl like Larson's. He tore away from Brady's bedroom and ran down the stairs, most likely becoming pissed upon seeing Charlie and Larson at the front door without him.

Brady and I crept out of his bedroom and to the top of the stairs, trying to get as close as possible so that we could hear what was happening better than we could through the open bedroom window.