The Unsolvable Equation

Chapter Twenty-four

Alexia spent the next few days after the dance moping around, feeling like the horrible human being that she was turning into. She avoided Caden at all costs, and couldn’t seem to cook up the desire to talk to Almier. It was like an invisible wall of tension had erected between her and Caden and she lacked enough passion to break down the one growing between her and Almier. This is why I shouldn’t have started liking guys in the first place. This is why I should have remained single, should have stuck to devoting my life to academics, unfeeling, inanimate and won’t cause me to fall into the mess that I am currently in.

“Alexia!” her brother hollered from downstairs. “Almier is on the line!”

“Tell him I’m bathing!” It had become her standard reply, and she couldn’t be bothered to think up a different excuse.

She heard her brother sigh exasperatedly and cover for her. Alexia flopped back down on her bed and let her guilt wash over her. She felt as though she was on trial and she couldn’t be bothered to come up with a solution to bail herself out so she just sat there, watching her crimes pile up in front of her and new ones develop in the process.

There was a knock on the door and Alexia hadn’t even voiced her consent when her brother just barged in. “You know, soon I’m going to have to start charging fees to be your operator,” he said dryly.

“Can you pick on me another day please, Ryan?” Alexia groaned, covering her face with a pillow.

“Oh, I’m not here to pick on you, though it might become inevitable in the process. I’m here to offer you some tips on how to break up since you apparently seem to be in the need of some,” her brother replied, plucking the pillow off her face and sitting down on the edge of her bed.

“I’m not breaking up with anybody, Ryan.”

“Oh yeah? While, you’re not answering anybody’s calls, either,” He gave her a nudge and she whined and rolled away from him. “And I’ve seen this kind of behaviour before, Alexia. Suzanne does this every time she’s planning to initiate a breakup.”

“I’m not Suzanne,” Alexia mumbled.

“No, but I know women. And I know you’ve got something bothering you,” Ryan narrowed his eyes and she squirmed under his gaze.

“Well, clearly you do not or you wouldn’t hold the world record for most breakups in a single year!” Alexia shot back.

Ryan held up his hands and pretended to back away. “Woah, calm down! I’m just trying to be of use!”

Alexia rolled her eyes and turned over again. “Did Mom tell you to come up here?”

“Well she pretty much implied that I needed to start taking the role of big brother more seriously. And judging by how she doesn’t seem particularly keen with keeping up with your shit, the task then fell to me.”

Alexia slapped his leg. “Don’t ever have kids. I will ring the child services the moment the baby pops out.”

Ryan smirked. “Hey, we have a pretty shitty dad and look how you turned out.”

“Yeah, rolling around in a pit of failure because my father doesn’t care enough to go beat up the guy behind my troubles,” Alexia deadpanned. She saw Ryan flinch and hesitate for a second.

“I could do that for you if you wanted,” he said with a softer tone, offering up half a smile.

Alexia scoffed, but inside, a warm fuzzy feeling filled her heart. Maybe Ryan isn’t such a useless brother after all. “You wouldn’t dare,” she said, but she couldn’t help the smile that found its way to her face.

Ryan winked. “Try me.”

“Thanks, Ryan, but I’d much rather deal with Almier without involving charges for assault,” she joked.

“Oh well, the offer’s open if you change your mind,” he turned to leave.

Alexia’s spirits sank a little. It wasn’t everyday that her brother was willing to sit down and talk to her, and she didn’t want to waste this opportunity. “Ryan, wait!” she called out.

“That was a quick change of heart!” Ryan laughed, walking back. “Where does he live?”

“No, I’m not asking you to beat him up. I just …” she hesitated. “I just need some advice.”

Ryan’s eyes widened in mock surprise and Alexia wanted to slap her brother for returning to his usual self when she finally wanted to have a serious chat with him. “Me? You dumb old brother? Well well, this certainly is new,” he sat down and Alexia resisted the urge to wipe that smug grin off his face. “Shoot away.”

Before she knew it, Alexia was pouring out her whole story to Ryan, and surprised even herself with how much ease she did it with. Once she began, it was like a broken tap, and everything gushed out. She was surprised at how light she felt afterwards, as if a stone had been lifted off her chest. Maybe I should learn to depend on others more often. Alexia was so grateful to Ryan for not acting like a complete jerk during the period of time in which she was bombarding him with her troubles, and keeping a serious, yet caring face. He even waited until she was done before opening his mouth.

“I think,” Ryan eventually said when she was done talking. “That firstly you really shouldn’t be using logic to determine who you are in love with.” He smiled at her in the same way K.H did, with a mixture of pity and affection, as if they were sorry that Alexia understood so much about everything else but her own feelings.

“And since the France trip is coming up, you don’t really want to get off on the wrong foot with Almier, so even if you don’t harbour any affections for him, I suggest remain friends,” he ruffled her hair, and she glared at him. “And it would help if you started by picking up his phone calls.”

“What about Caden?” she blurted out.

Ryan laughed. “When you come back from France you two can do whatever you want. Just keep it quiet enough and I swear I won’t rat out on you to Mom.”

Alexia shoved her brother but a huge smile still adorned her face. It had been a long time since her brother had actually departed words of advice to her that made the slightest bit of sense or showed the least bit of interest in her life, and she liked this new change. “Thanks Ryan,” she said with a sudden shyness.

Ryan flung a pillow at her but returned her smile. “You’re welcome, Alexia. Anytime.”