Travis

The familiar feeling of being home crept over me comfortingly, like visiting an old but favorite hoodie or the relief of slipping an old glove on to find out it still fit perfectly.

It'd been a whole year since I last slept in this room.

After I went to university, I refused to come home and had my parents get me my own apartment near campus. I didn't enjoy the memories that being home brought me. They were far too painful.

Memories of Rachel and I.

Pushing through my senior year of high school while dealing with a shitty breakup was hell. Sometimes, I didn't know what actually hurt me most-the breakup or her loving someone else who wasn't me.

I did everything Rachel ever asked of me. I threw her the best birthday parties when her parents never even knew it was her birthday.

I booked a flight for both of us one summer and spent the holidays in Malibu as per her request.

It's difficult not to think she was using me, but the thoughts couldn't help themselves sometimes. They cut deep into my heart, and for that reason, I refused to let my thoughts stray as much. In my dreams, we were perfectly in love with each other.

Whenever I remembered her face, I felt like I'd been punched in the stomach. I wanted to look at that face for the rest of my existence. The first time I saw Rachel, I knew she'd be the one for me for life.

Heaving a sigh, I gave up my depressing thoughts and sat up in bed as I heard footsteps approaching my door.

The warm sunlight streaming through the floor-to-ceiling windows bathed my face immediately I did so. I stretched, feeling the subtle ache in my muscles from yesterday's workout.

My room was still the same, though it had been cared for. The faint scent of fresh laundry, the presence of my worked puzzles in the corne, the plushies that Nellie luvvved. They all warmed my heart.

My eyes settled on the photo of Cornelia Connor and me on my nightstand. A soft smile crept onto my face as I remembered our conversation the night before.

"I've missed you so much, Travis."

"Missed you too, kiddo."

She would be glad to see me until I started preventing her from going out, I thought with a chuckle.

I tossed off the covers and stood up, stretching, and padded over to the window. I pushed aside the curtains, letting the sunlight flood the room, and gazed out at the lush gardens below. My mom still loved her flowers so much. The morning dew sparkled like diamonds on the grass, and the sound of birds chirping filled the air.

Everything was all too familiar. Beautifully familiar. The pain I'd been afraid of reminiscing once I came home was actually gone, and I didn't know if time had healed me, or I was just stupid to assume I couldn't stand the memories.

I turned back to my room just as the handle turned, and I was seeing Cornelia, my little sister, and did a double-take when I saw the heavy makeup she wore.
She didn't come alone; she was accompanied by Huxley, my golden retriever, who had abandoned me for abandoning him for a whole year. But that wasn't the matter at hand right now.

"What on earth?"

"Morning, brother." She chirped happily and hurled herself into my arms in a bone-crushing hug.

Huxley, on the other hand, stood his ground and refused to have anything to do with me.

"Always smelling great, even after getting right out of bed." She made a show of sniffing my armpits.

I got worried. Was she turning into Huxley?

"Nellie-"

"I forgot to tell you, I luvvvv your tan. Oh my, look at you. You look so much better after all this time." When she paused, I prepared myself for what she was about to demand for. "Anyway," she twirled a reddish-brown lock around her ring-clad finger. "It's Saturday morning, so me and Leslie are supposed to meet at the mall for some girl time. See you later. Mwah!"

I knew it.

"Not so fast, kiddo." That made her freeze in her tracks.

My gaze swept over her, taking in her outfit: tight blue jeans that showed her curves and a white top with Sexy written in purple glitter across it. She topped it off with a denim jacket and platform heels so high I wondered if she'd be able to actually walk.

At sixteen, Cornelia Connor was one gorgeous contemporary dancer renowned in the dance world. With the body of a seventeen-year-old and her delicately beautiful face, I worried a little. Scratch that, I worried a lot. I didn't want her to be sexually active at such a young age.

But I was afraid she would. I was afraid she'd seek the love and validation she didn't get from our absent father somewhere else, which was why I played the father figure in her life, making sure she knew how much I loved her and that she didn't have to seek that love elsewhere.

But I'd been at her age before, and I perfectly understood the rebellious phase.

Your absence from home the past year did a lot of good, Travvy boy.

Of course, I knew my absence didn't help matters. I didn't need my subconscious to remind me.

"What the hell have you done to your eyes?"

The makeup would have been perfect for Halloween. I would have laughed if I wasn't so traumatized.

"YouTube makeup tutorial. Thought I'd give it a try."

She turned away and headed to my closet. A short moment later, I heard her spray something, and the smell of my deodorant took over the room.

Nellie claimed men's deodorant worked better, yet she kept on buying overpriced women's deodorants she piled in her closet but never used.

When she turned around to face me again, I almost choked on my spit.

"Can you please clean that eyeliner? You're scaring the shit out of me."

She shrugged. "It's not as if I'm going out to try and impress some boy. I'm only meeting Leslie."

I shifted my weight onto my hip and studied her. "That's a good one, Nellie. Really smooth."

That was exactly what she'd been counting on. "So can I?"

"Absolutely not."

"Travis... don't make me cry." She pouted.

"Trust me, I'm doing you a big favor. You'll thank me when you're no longer a teenager and have escaped the fangs of all temptations presented by those scrawny boys in your class."

"But you dated at fourteen!"

"Where did that get me?"

That sent her into her thoughts, and she got quiet. After a while, she said, "Well, I don't even know what you saw in her."

I gave a very dreamy sigh. "She's too beautiful."

"I didn't like her."

"I'm sure she lost sleep over that."

"She was manipulative, demanding, and whiny as fuck." She plumped herself onto a sofa. Huxley trotted and laid himself at her feet. "Gosh, remember when she stole your card and spent all your money? That was seriously a bitch move."

"I didn't mind," I shrugged, to Nellie's fury. "I'd give her anything."

Nellie and Rachel had a beef I never understood. I always couldn't help but think she was being too hard on Rachel because of their obvious dislike for each other. I only smiled when she started recounting every terrible thing Rachel did.

"You know," her voice got more serious after a while, "she said something sometime."

Her sudden change in demeanor had me on red alert. "What did she say?"

She clammed up, shrugged. "Nevermind. I'll talk to you later." She rose from the sofa.

"Cornelia."

"Gosh, you sound so scary when you call me that." She pretended to shiver. "Fine. Well, she said I should quit being a baby all the time and stop taking your attention from her." Cornelia looked embarrassed, and it made my heart clench. "She said you and I spend time together as if we're lovers; maybe you dated her because I looked like her."

I scoffed immediately. "That's the biggest bullshit I've ever heard. You and Rachel are nothing alike."

"Blue eyes, red hair."

"I have the same features. Does it mean I'm in love with myself? Besides, her eye and hair color are different shades from ours."

"She said she didn't feel like she's your girlfriend. You spend all your time and attention on me."

I sighed deeply. Guess whatever I did for her was never enough.

"Nellie, why didn't you tell me?" my voice was soft.

"We both know you wouldn't have believed me. You always thought I was biased against her. Plus, all it would take were a few fake tears from her, and you'd forgive her. I would be the one left feeling stupid afterwards."

Damn, that hit deep. She was so right I couldn't even try to deny.

She stood up to kiss me on the cheek. "See you later."

"I told you, you're not going to meet that boy."

"Huxley, can you do me a favor and chew his socks?"

I looked at him. "Buddy, remember how you and I used to take refreshing walks on the park last year?"

His scornful expression told me he didn't give a flying fuck.

I returned my attention to my sister. "Come on, let's go downstairs. I'll cook breakfast for you and mom."

"What about Huxley?"

"I'll feed him if he returns to me, his rightful owner."

Huxley trotted faithfully by her side as we made our way out of my room and downstairs.

"So, I can't go out?"

"You can't."

"Remind me one more time; when did you say you're leaving?"

I laughed at her antics. "Oh, Nellie. I'm not leaving anytime soon."

"Whyyyyyyyy?"

"Because I've missed you so much. Huxley, you too, buddy. Haven't you missed me?" He growled when I made an attempt to pet him. Aw. I really broke his little furry heart.

"Not anymore." She grumbled.

"Besides," I ignored her grumpiness, "I've my eyes set on someone here in Manhattan."

She was suddenly interested. "Oh my gosh, finally!" She squeaked like a minnie mouse and jumped a little. "Who is she?"

"Her name is Rebecca."

"Ouuu. Is she in NYU too?"

"Nah, she's a senior in high school." We entered the kitchen, and Nellie, with all her glam, decided not to touch anything. She leaned against a counter as I started pulling ingredients from the fridge.

"Interesting. How old is she?"

"Eighteen."

"Is she in my school?"

"Nope." I picked up a box of doggie treats and began my mission of regaining Huxley's love. "She's in Hamilton High."

"Whoa. That's where Raine is."

***

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