Ninjutsu and Older Brothers

Melanie is drowning her sorrows in Naruto that weekend because Ryan Ross is a tool, and his sister is a big stupid head jerk because she's on a date with Brendon and now Melanie is alone. There's a knock on her bedroom door and Ryan pops in with a wave.

"Hey Melacious," he says and Melanie rolls her eyes.

"You're not clever," she says truthfully, because if he were he would figure out that Melanie is in love with him and he'd realize he loves her back. As it stands he flops down on her bed and puts his head in her lap.

"Where'd you go the other day?" Ryan says, "You totally ditched me."

"Whatever," Melanie mutters, "You didn't even realize I left."

"What?" Ryan says, squinting up at her. Melanie sighs and his head bounces up and down.

"Nothing Ryan," she says, "Absolutely nothing." She turns her attention back to the tv because Sasuke is back on and sighs again, leaning against the wall.

"Are you watching this again?" Ryan asks and she nods and shushes him. Sasuke is about to kill his older brother and she's totally ready to cry because she already knows the truth.

"Okay, seriously, what is the appeal?" Ryan asks after another minute of silence.

"It's good, I like it. Besides, he's hot."

"He's a cartoon character, how can he be hot?" Ryan says deadpan.

"He just is," Melanie says, rubbing a hand over her face, "Nrgh- you can't tell me you have watched cartoon porn. I remember that time me and Heaven caught you and Spencer."

"Whatever," Ryan says rolling his eyes and shutting up. Melanie sighs again, carding her hands through his hair before finally turning her eyes to the tv again. She really wishes being this close to Ryan didn't make her feel frustrated, and flustered and sick.

Love stinks.

[X]

Heaven and Brendon flop down next to Melanie on the couch in the basement. Heaven has been sneaking Brendon into her house at night so he didn't have to sleep in his car and Ryan had just found out. And now he's yelling at them both at two in the morning. It's a really good thing that their mother is out of town on business. Again.

"And what the hell were you thinking?" Ryan yells, waving his hands above his head, "You're fucking around with my sister!?"

"I'm not, I mean--no!" Brendon waves his hands, "I love your sister."

"Oh what the hell ever," Ryan is still yelling and Heaven is sitting next to Melanie sullenly. Melanie is holding her hand and whispering comforting words to her, "Get the hell out of my house!"

"Ryan stop it!" Heaven yells, standing up and pushing her brother, "I love Brendon and he's not fucking leaving."

"Oh yes he is," Ryan shouts back, "What do you even know about love?"

"Alot more than you do!" Heaven shouts back, her face red, "You can't even fucking tell when some is in love with you. Not that it matters since you seem to like being terminally miserable!"

"In love?" Ryan says while Melanie flies to her feet, "Shit Heaven, did you really have to?"

Melanie can feel her face heating up and Heaven freezes next to Brendon. Her face is filled with guilt and she takes a step towards her friend, "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to."

"Melanie?" Ryan asks, and for once he doesn't seem so sure about himself. He sounds confused. Or scared. Melanie isn't sure which is worse.

She can feel the bile rolling in her stomach, her chest feels tight and heavy. She can't believe that her best friend would do

that to her. Just yell something so important and dangerous and secret out. She can't read Ryan's face, but if he felt anything this would be the time where he tells her he loves her back and he's not saying anything. He's just standing there, staring at her.

Her breath hitches. "You know what, fuck you," Melanie says as meanly as she can muster in all her embarassment, and she turns and runs.

"Wait Melanie, wait!" Heaven shouts and chases after her, and it's so much worse that its not Ryan chasing her down the

street in the middle of the morning. Melanie doesn't wait, she runs faster and hopes to God that Heaven has an asthma attack. Halfway down the block her friend is wheezing, stopping to bend over and put her hands on her knees.

Melanie keeps running.

[X]

Melanie is reading a copy of Naruto at lunch when a shadow falls over her. She looks up and rolls her eyes in irritation. "Do they really think that's going to work?"

"I have no idea," Spencer says honestly, "But I am sick of being in the middle. Switzerland bitches."

Melanie looks back down at her manga to hide her smile, but Spencer sees it and kicks her ankle under the table. "Ouch," she says sadly rubbing at it. "Okay, fine, you can stay."

"You know--" Spencer starts after a minute and Melanie growls.

"You always do this," she says with a very clear warning in her voice.

"Do what?" Spencer asks innocently, and okay, if he wants to play it that way she can do it too.

"Apologize for them. I don't want their apologies, I want them to fuck right on off."

"Mel," Spencer says with a sigh, "You know she didn't mean to blurt it out like that. She's never rational when she's angry."

"That's not--that's not the point," Melanie says, "I'm not cannon fodder for their sibling rivalry." She looks over her shoulder at the table where Ryan, Brendon, and Heaven are sitting at a table in silence. Heaven looks pale and sad. Brendon looks guiltiy between them every few seconds. Ryan is staring at Melanie. She frowns and turns away, swallowing hard.

"It was stupid to like him anyway," she says sadly. She opens Naruto back up and starts reading again, because atleast she still has Sasuke. She's not sure it's enough.

She's walking home at the end of the day. Walking through the quad Heaven flanks her on one side, Ryan on the other.

"Hey," Heaven says and it's more a question than a greeting.

"Hi," Melanie sighs and rubs her eyes. She really just wants everything to be okay again.

"Melanie," Ryan says in greeting, moving closer and sliding his hand into hers. She looks down at their joined hands and back up at him in confusion. Ryan just keeps walking, but she can see the small smile that curls his mouth up and she thinks that maybe everything is going to be okay anyway.