Sibling Quarrel

-Corrine-

Since that day, I can’t get Andrew out of my mind. But I haven’t seen him since the party at the sorority house and judging by the way Eva talked about him, they didn’t get along well. They’re not like me and Trevor. So it is very unlikely that I will meet him again.

Even though Andrew asked me to return his jacket, but I couldn’t find a way to return it. I didn’t want to ask Eva for help because, well, she definitely didn’t like it, and to be honest, I wanted to see him again. I know I shouldn’t, but I can’t just ignore him. The jacket is now stored neatly in my closet after I washed it.

“You also have an older brother, right? Is he as annoying as Andrew?” asked Eva, after we finished our morning class. We continued our talk from last night when we couldn’t sleep and started talking about each other’s families.

We walked towards Houghton Commons, the building where students gather for lunch. It is about a five minutes walk from the lecture building. I enjoyed every little trip I made from one building to another because the Golden Valley university complex was so beautiful. Lots of lush trees and open areas that make me feel like I’m in Wesgrove.

“I know nothing about Andrew, so I can’t compare him to my brother,” I said. My words also opened the way for Eva to want to talk about Andrew further. “I’m pretty close to Trevor. He is a kind and caring brother.”

“Well, Andrew is, too,” said Eva. She gulped. “It’s just, I could never feel comfortable around him. Maybe it’s because we’re not siblings.”

“Yeah, maybe because of that.”

Houghton Commons is quite crowded around noon. Many students lined up at the food counter, choosing what was served at the glass display counter. Eva and I joined the queue while looking around, deciding where to sit.

We can’t stand the heat of August, and the sun was starting to shine hot outside, so Eva and I chose to sit in a place far from the glass wall. We found an empty sofa set in a corner, sheltered by the shadows.

My stomach rumbled as I smelled the aroma of the food on my tray. Bagel sandwich with egg, bacon, and cheese filling, and a cup of cafe latte.

“When I was an only child, I always hoped to have siblings,” said Eva after we sat down. “But after Andrew came into my life, I didn’t know what to do with him.”

“How was your first meeting?” I asked. I was careful in asking questions so that Eva didn’t pick up on my interest and curiosity for Andrew.

“I don’t really remember,” Eva replied. She paused as she was about to take food from the tray, then raised her eyes upwards. “Eight years ago,” she said later. “I was only eleven then, and he was fifteen. I don’t know what to do and he was so quiet.”

“Didn’t he greet you? Or do something to get you two close?”

“His father brought me all kinds of gifts and I was happy about it. But I don’t really care about Andrew.”

I nodded my head as a sign that I more or less understood Eva’s feelings. It’s not easy to see our parents remarry and bring strangers into our lives.

“Trevor sucks sometimes too,” I said later. “I think every sibling has had a fight.”

“Yes. But Andrew has done things I cannot forgive,” said Eva.

My eyes widened in surprise and when Eva caught the expression on my face, she quickly said, “He didn’t abuse me. If that’s what you think.”

I breathed a sigh of relief.

“Speak of the devil,” Eva hissed then. Her eyes turned towards the entrance. I followed her gaze and my heart seemed to stop beating at that moment.

Andrew walked into Houghton Commons. He was alone, with no noisy gangs of bad boys and hot girls walking around with him. Every girl who saw him was stunned and I could understand why they acted like that. Because so am I. I couldn’t take my eyes off him.

He headed towards us and stopped beside the couch Eva was sitting on.

“My sweet little sister,” he muttered. Then he glanced at me. “And her friend.”

“Hi,” I greeted. I’m trying to be friendly. Wrong move. Eva glared at me.

I immediately looked down and stared at the contents of my bagel sandwich.

Andrew plopped down on the one-seater sofa between me and Eva. We sat on three different sides and now Andrew shifted his gaze from Eva to me, then back to her again.

“Why are you guys quiet?” he asked. “Don’t girls usually like to chat when they’re hanging out?”

Eva half-slammed her sandwich onto the plate and glanced sharply at Andrew. “What are you doing here?”

Andrew shrugged. “Does there have to be a reason for me to come here?” he asked. Then he looked up and saw the ceiling of the room. “After all, this university is my alma mater too.”

“You study here?” I asked. I covered my mouth with one hand as I realized I shouldn’t have asked him a question.

Eva glanced at me again with cynical eyes.

Andrew lowered his head and looked at me. “Yeah,” he said. “Didn’t Eva tell you?”

“Should I tell you about my brother, who never even came home to visit his mother?” she snapped.

Andrew’s expression hardened at Eva’s words. His hands gripped the armrests. I expected Andrew to reply, but he said nothing.

The atmosphere became awkward in the silence. I tried to concentrate on my food, but now my bagel sandwich was tough and bland. I racked my brains, trying to find a way to lighten the mood, but I couldn’t find anything, so I decided to stay silent.

“You have to be careful every time you come to the party like the last time,” said Andrew then. He was looking at Eva. “There are a lot of assholes out there and you have no idea what goes through their dirty brains every time they see a girl like you.”

Andrew’s face was serious, as serious as his words to Eva. Seeing him reminds me of Trevor. He often said more or less the same thing to me every time I came to a party.

“Don’t pretend to care about me,” Eva muttered. She didn’t even glance at Andrew.

“I never pretend to care about you,” said Andrew. “I do care about you. Because we’re family.”

Eva took a breath and clenched her jaw. She glanced sharply at Andrew. “Oh, really? Because I’ve never felt that way.” Then she grabbed her bag, stood up, and drifted her gaze to me. “I’m going to the restroom,” she said. Then she left us.

Looks like she’s mad at me, too.

I don’t know what happened between them to make Eva this angry at Andrew, and I tried to hold back my curiosity. As long as Eva doesn’t tell me, I won’t try to find out.

I tried to ignore Andrew’s presence, but the look in his eyes on me was so piercing that I couldn’t ignore it.

Hesitantly, I turned to him. Sure enough, he was staring at me.

“Does Eva know?” he asked.

I was about to bite the last piece of my sandwich, then I stopped and asked, “Know what?”

“That you are a werewolf.”