Chapter 2 Echoes Of Last Night

• Ambre
• This morning, I struggle to open my eyes and instinctively put a hand to my face as flashes of last night and a nasty migraine remind me of how much I drank. My mouth is parched and I am thirsty - classic symptoms of a hangover. Before I have time to dwell on my situation, I understand the reason I woke up. I hear fragments of a heated conversation from downstairs on the other side of the door. First, I have the unpleasant feeling that Mia is arguing with my father, which seems to be happening all too often these days and has made the family atmosphere rather tense. Although I don't know all the details, I do know that my stepmother wants to open a new publishing agency in Europe, in addition to the one she has here in San Francisco. Apparently, it has always been her dream to expand, but my father, and I can easily imagine why, does not seem to be enthusiastic about the idea. This has created a chill between them for a few days. I turn to look at the time on my watch and notice that it's noon. I've only slept six hours. Yesterday we closed with Esther, Cameron and Holly. I knew it would be hard to wake up, but not this early. I can still hear Mia screaming in the living room, and considering the time, my father must be at work, so it can't be him she's arguing with.
• "I hope you're joking! Yes, I hope it's not final... I don't want to know who started it... This is nonsense... I thought you were more responsible."
• Relieved that she's on the phone and not facing my father, I decide to get up while listening to the commotion downstairs. When I get up, it takes me a few seconds to stabilize myself. I should probably get a glass of water and something to eat as I have a severe hangover. I open the curtains, but immediately close my eyes as the sunlight fills the room.
• "Damn."
• I was too hasty. My head is spinning and I have a terrible headache. I really need to cut back on the alcohol next time. I walk around my bed to get my gym clothes, determined to go for a run to get rid of all the bad toxins. I just hope it makes me feel better. Damn hangover. I stumble down the stairs to the kitchen and Mia has retreated to her office. She seems to have calmed down, but is still talking to her interviewer. I tune out the conversation, drink a glass of water, grab a banana, and walk through the garden. In a few steps I am on the sand and start walking along the sea with music in my ears. When I return, the afternoon is well underway and the sun is beating down on me. I feel much better. I was sweating and had only one desire: to take a shower to get rid of this unpleasant smell. I take off my earphones as I walk through the gate that leads to the garden. I go to my room, change my clothes and jump into the warm water to freshen up. After putting on a flowery dress and sandals, I go downstairs to prepare some food. Just as I put the pot on the stove, Cameron comes into the kitchen. Dressed in gray gym shorts and a white tank top that accentuates the muscles in his arms, he runs a limp hand through his tousled brown hair. I have always found Cameron very attractive; his six-foot frame gives him real presence when he enters a room. He never styles his hair and keeps a short three-day beard, which gives him a scruffy look that drives many of the girls at school crazy. However, I cannot imagine him as anything other than a member of my blended family.
• "Up already?" I ask him. "I thought you were sleeping in."
• He kisses my forehead, looks at the boiling water I have prepared, and then sits in a high chair facing the table.
• "I wanted to, but my mother woke me up."
• "Me too, that's why I went for a run."
• "You're determined in the morning," he jokes.
• "I'm making pasta; do you want some?"
• "Yes, please! I have a hell of a hangover, and it's strong!"
• I laugh as I fetch two glasses, fill them with water and drop a headache tablet into each. He takes the one I offer and clanks it against mine.
• "Cheers, sis!"
• "Bottoms up," I reply.
• Once my brew is consumed, I concentrate on the pasta while Cameron fetches plates and utensils to set the table in the living room. He turns on the TV and we watch an episode of Dexter as we eat.
• "Oh, by the way, Jayden's coming back."
• Cameron tells me the news over lunch. I remain silent, struggling to swallow the spoonful of pasta in my mouth - or maybe it's the news that's hard to digest. Just what I needed.
• "So soon?" I reply, almost whining.
• "Yeah, apparently he got kicked out of college. My mom was beside herself this morning; she talked to him on the phone. He's coming back tonight."
• I push the plate away from me. My appetite is gone. The problems are back.
• ***
• Despite the crowds on the streets of San Francisco, the girls and I manage to find a table outside. We enjoy the sun and the good mood! After ordering three cold drinks, we quickly start talking about the events of the night before.
• "I drank way too much. I only managed to get out of bed at three in the afternoon. It was awful," Holly complains, "but the music was really cool.
• "Towards the end it got a bit crazy. Luckily we left because my feet were killing me," says Esther.
• "I warned you, Esther, heels are not the best idea for a night out," I tease her, happy to be right. "Nothing beats sneakers for dancing."
• "Yeah, well, you won't be so smug next time we go out," Holly threatens. "Sneakers are comfortable, but they have their limits!"
• I reply with a pout before bursting into laughter with her. She can dream all she wants, but there's no way I'm going to let her give me a makeover. I love her, but we don't share the same taste in fashion.
• "So when are you and Tyler going to get back together?" Esther teases me.
• "It pains me to say this, but it's true that he hasn't left your side all night," Holly adds.
• I shrug as I fiddle with the seams of my flowered dress in response to Holly's comment.
• "Just that he has a hard time being exclusive, remember? Being in a relationship with several people isn't really my thing," I reply, feeling a bit bitter.
• "But it's so obvious that he likes you," Esther argues.
• "Maybe, but he had a peculiar way of showing it to me when we were together," I added, letting some memories of his party misadventures invade my mind. It's true that he never seemed to do anything wrong. But sticking his tongue down the throats of several girls at a party wasn't what I called being faithful... Or maybe we didn't use the same dictionary. I took a sip of my freshly squeezed grapefruit juice, then continued, intending to change the subject: "You know what's even better? Jayden's coming back."
• There was a moment of silence around the table before Holly reacted joyfully. "No way?" she exclaimed.
• "Yes, apparently he got kicked out of college, though I don't really know the reason. He's coming back tonight," I confirmed.
• "Well, that should be fun," she joked openly.
• "I don't see what's funny," I muttered. I never hid from the girls how difficult it was for me to get along with the eldest of the white siblings. Unfortunately, when Mia moved in with us, she didn't come alone. Cameron was a godsend, but his brother... A real pain. From the moment he set foot in the house, he never said a kind word to me. I am unwanted and he shows it very well.
• "Do you think he's changed?" Esther interjected, looking a little distracted.
• "Physically, certainly, because college makes you handsome. Mentally... that's another story," Holly continued, joking.
• "You're crazy," I let out a laugh.
• "I have the right to dream," she added a little more seriously. "It's been what, six months since he's been back?"
• "You're keeping track?" I replied sarcastically. "Something like... Christmas, I think."
• I grimaced at the memory. The holiday season will always remind me of the first Christmas Eve we spent as a blended family three years ago. He had arrived on the morning of the 24th and left on the evening of the 25th. Two disastrous days. He didn't even thank me for being a part of the gift Cameron had given him. He didn't buy me anything, not even a trinket or a keychain or a pair of socks. I didn't ask for the moon, just that he act like a civilized person. I should have known that Jayden White was an idiot and that idiots are idiots. The message was clear: I was not welcome in his family circle.
• " Honestly, I don't have a good feeling about his return. I just hope he won't be expelled for long... Otherwise it's going to be hell in the house."
• "What I do not understand," Esther remarked, "is why you two cannot find common ground.
• "Well, because he's an imbecile," Holly interjected. "Sure, he may be handsome, but when it comes to tact and finesse, he's as disposable as garbage."
• Although her remark made us both laugh, it provoked an unexpected reaction from Esther.
• "That's nonsense!" she snapped. "The few times I've spoken to him, he's been very kind."
• Instinctively, my eyebrows furrowed as I scanned my friend's face. Was she joking? Was she really defending the indefensible, aka my half-brother, the jerk?
• "What are you playing at, Esther?" Holly preempted me.
• "I'm not playing anything," she replied. "I just don't understand why you hate him so much, Ambre, when you haven't even tried to get to know him."
• "Maybe because he didn't give me the chance?" I replied, my temper rising. "And since when do you try to make excuses for him? You know how difficult it is to live with him."
• Her cheeks turning slightly pink, Esther fidgeted with the straw of her drink between her fingers before shaking her head.
• "I'm not making excuses for him. You know very well that you're my friend, and I'm on your side."
• She paused, allowing a heavy silence to fall over us as the beating of my heart increased.
• "I just think it's a shame that your relationship is so strained, especially since we don't know anything about him."
• I exhaled a large portion of the air I had been holding in my lungs, annoyed at the direction this conversation was taking and clearly disappointed at my friend's lack of support. Aware that the tension was not abating, Holly calmed us down by placing a hand on each of our heads.
• "Let's drop this now; let's not fight over something so small," she said quietly. "Guess what Brody did this morning? He drove my mother crazy."
• As Holly recounted her dog's mischief, we began to relax, putting aside our quarrel and enjoying the moment together. After all, I am not going to let Jayden ruin my afternoon, too!
• ***
• When I returned, I found Cameron slumped on the couch, motionless since I left to visit the girls, like a true sloth.
• "Quite the productive day, I see?" I said sarcastically.
• "What do you expect? A body like mine needs maintenance," he replied.
• Rolling my eyes, I sat down next to him and started watching TV.
• "Aren't our parents here?" I asked.
• "Henri went to pick up Mom. They should be here soon," Cameron said.
• They soon arrived, and my younger sister came down to greet them before sitting down next to me and resting her head on my lap. As we watched a documentary on television, I absentmindedly stroked her hair. The day had passed too quickly, and night was fast approaching. That could only mean one thing - he would be here soon. My foot tapped nervously on the floor, and I mentally berated myself for getting upset over this. He did not deserve my attention.
• I listened to my stepmother singing in the kitchen while my father was probably in the backyard lighting the barbecue.
• I loved this time of year, the warmth, the sun, the sound of the ocean, and the barbecues. The thought of eating good meat made me salivate. As I got up to help Mia in the kitchen, there was a knock at the door. My heart dropped - it was him. I should have been politely indifferent to who was at the door, but instead I had a knot the size of Alaska in my throat.
• My younger sister ran past me excitedly, knowing full well who was waiting outside. She opened the door to reveal him, a large bag slung over his shoulder, dressed in a green sweat suit that unzipped to reveal a simple white t-shirt.
• A cap emblazoned with the University of Seattle colors sat backwards on his head.
• At that moment, I couldn't help but think that Holly was right: the university did make you more attractive. Jayden White was already a natural talent, and Jayden White version 2.0 was a damn bomb. It was like six months could completely change a man.
• "Jay!" my sister yelled as she jumped into his arms.
• He dropped his bag and returned her warm embrace. He kissed her neck as she held on to him, obviously pleased with his return.
• At least that made one of us...
• - Hello darling.
• - I missed you so much, how long are you going to be here? Will you come and watch me dance? I have a performance on June 30th, can you come? Will you still be here?
• - Astrid, let him arrive...
• Mia interrupts as she enters the room, an apron around her slender waist and an inviting smile on her face. She is followed closely by my father, still clutching his barbecue tongs. Jayden approaches his mother to give her a kiss on the cheek, then hugs my father. Cameron walks past me to hug his brother as I stand in the living room waiting for him to make the first move.
• - Dude, stop lifting at the gym, you're about to explode out of your T-shirt, Cameron teases him while giving him a light punch in the stomach.
• I involuntarily let my eyes wander to his chest, arms, and shoulders, considering two possibilities: either he really has gained muscle, or his sweatshirt shrunk in the wash, or maybe even his t-shirt. My throat gets harder and harder to swallow as my eyes get lost on his mound of muscle. Is it even legal to have a body like that in the United States? The two brothers argue for a few seconds, but Jayden, remembering that he has a second "sister," looks up and nods his head in my direction.
• - Ambre, he says in a deep voice.
• He doesn't give me time to greet him back before he's already in deep conversation with my father, walking towards the garden. That was it. A glance, a nod, and a name as a greeting. I take back what I said. Six months at college doesn't change a man: Jayden 2.0 is still an asshole.