Zoe And The Beast

Chapter 3 | Meet the Brother

AN// This picture is not Vince! :) //

Zach maneuvered in carefully, his eyes on the road in front of him. After he parked, he turned to me as I opened the door and sat in, a grin on his face.

His dark hair was riffed to the side, windblown. He wore a black sleeveless tank top, revealing his armband tattoo around his forearm. With jeans and regular sneakers, he looked like any other twenty-two-year-old.

I let out a breath of relief and shut the car door, relieved that he hadn't seen anything that happened between Vince and me.

"Hey there, little sister," he greeted, reaching over and ruffling my hair playfully. "How does it feel to be an eleventh grader?"

"Zach," I whined, pushing his hands off. "Don't touch my hair. You know I hate that."

Chuckling, he pulled back and revved the engine again, preparing to leave school. "And that's why I do it. Anyway, your report card came in the mail today. I haven't seen it yet, but I expect it to be something you're not ashamed of."

I groaned. I wasn't going to lie – I wasn't the best of students. Almost always getting straight B's, I had no idea how Zach would take it. Even though he was just a brother, not a parent, he still wanted me to do better than him. He was going to a cheap local college, just so we would have enough money to be able to let me go to a university anywhere and not have to face a financial constraint. He always wanted me to get the best opportunities, to the point where he gave up his own chances so I could grab them.

He was the best brother I could ever ask for.

Zach's eyebrow raised at my groan. "Your report card isn't terrible, right?"

"Eh," I mumbled, slinking in my seat. "I can work with it."

He chuckled again. "All right, enough about report cards. Did you make any friends at orientation today?"

Biting my lip, my thoughts went back to Vince Mascars. I dared to ask a question floating in the back of my mind. "Sort of...do you know someone who everyone calls the Beast? Vince Mascars?"

The second Vince's name left my lips, Zach's hands tightened against the steering wheel. "Maybe. What about him?"

Startled, my eyes stayed on Zach. His face had turned two shades darker, his knuckles had whitened, and his jaw had hardened. Hearing Vince's name was not something he particularly liked.

"Um," I started, not sure if I should continue. If Zach had a reaction like that, was I supposed to talk about Vince? "I mean...I sort of talked to him today."

"You what?" Zach slammed the brakes at a stop sign before whipping fierce eyes at me.

I had known my brother for as long as I could remember, yet I had never seen him like this. Less than five years after my birth, my parents filed a divorce, and our father vanished out of our lives. When Zach turned twelve, our mother became an air hostess, and was always out of the house.

Zach had taken the responsibility of becoming the parent at home, and had practically raised me. At times, I cursed my parents for abandoning us. Other times, I'd be glad that they're gone; I wouldn't have to see their faces.

Even through it all, though, Zach never complained to me about it. He was always the perfect brother, always with authority and support. He was never one to raise his voice and yell, or set a bad example. He tried to talk through things, compromise, and make sure everything was on track.

Which was why whatever he was doing now, worried me.

"I...um..." I muffled. "I didn't really think about it, I just did."

"Why?" he drawled, running an aggressive hand through his hair. "Why would you even want to talk to him? You're smart, I'm sure you've heard the rumors about him. Why would you talk to him, even after knowing what he did?"

"You don't really know if the rumors are true, though." I pointed out, digging my own grave. The only rumor I had heard was that Vince was a playboy. "You just never know -- he might be a nice person on the inside."

He shook his head, his shady eyes slanting at mine momentarily. "Oh, I know him better than you think. I know him much more than you do."

"Did he get a girl pregnant or something?"

Zach let out a grim chuckle. "No. Worse than that." He paused. "I don't have to give you the protection talk, do I?"

"Oh, no," My brother absolutely did not have to give me that talk, ever in my life. "I know everything already. No worries."

I didn't really know what to say to him. My brother looked like he was ready to strangle someone, and I did not want to mess with that.

"Look, Zoe," Zach began, his voice stern. "All I'm saying is that I don't want you talking to that kid. He's a menace – I know that. You know that. He's done things I don't need you to know about, and he's nothing but trouble. I don't want him interfering with your life, and I don't want him screwing you over. Is that clear?"

"Oh, yeah," I nodded, agreeing quickly. "I won't talk to him anymore, don't worry. Done and done."

My brother had done so much for me, enough that I would easily give up talking to a person for him. To be honest, I would do anything for Zach, especially because I knew he would do anything for me. That's just how we rolled – siblings for life. And if he didn't want me talking to Vince, I would not talk to Vince.

Hopefully.

"And if he ever tries bothering you, you're going to come and tell me, right?"

"Most definitely, yes," I answered. Nodding my head more severely, I tried changing topics. "Anyway, about my report card..."

Zach sighed, stopping at a stoplight. "You got straight B's again?"

"Maybe?"

"Oh, Zoe. What am I going to do with you?"

Author's Note

I'm not downgrading getting straight B's. Zach just believes that she can do better. Straight B's are not bad, so please don't take this the wrong way. What do you think of Zach?

If you liked this chapter and think it deserves it, please vote and comment! :)

Edited: May 20, 2018