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Chapter 3 – Misunderstood

"Damnit, Bri! Slow down the car before you crash!" Alex yelled in fright as Brian slammed on the gas while rounding a sharp corner. Alex could almost feel the car going onto two wheels as Brian continued to press his luck. Alex squeezed his eyes shut, not wanting to see the deathly blow when Brian killed them. He scolded himself for not insisting on driving from the start. Brian's temper always got the best of him after loosing a game.

"Right now I don't give a flying rat's ass, J! You're not the one who just blew that game. Dad is going to rip me a new one when he finds out!" Brian snapped as he continued to speed back to their house.

"Dad's not going to do a damn thing!"

"You're in the band, so you don't even know what he would do! He doesn't count on you to win!"

"Maybe he shouldn't count on you to win either since you just got killed by a girl!" Alex roared with ill contempt, hating the way his brother acted after games. His brother didn't understand how lonely he felt inside when their father and Brian bonded over the trivial matters of games. Never did he get congradulated on a Marching Band Competition. "The only reason he would ride your ass about loosing is because of this attitude you always come home with, Brian! Slow the damn car down!"

"Fuck you, I can drive the way I want!"

"NOT IF YOU'RE GOING TO KILL BOTH OF US!"

Brian growled, slamming on the brakes as they pulled into their driveway. "THERE! I SLOWED DOWN!"

Alex flew forward in surprise. His upper body snapped against the seatbelt, throwing him back into the seat. Alex coughed heavily, pulling the seatbelt away from his throat. "What the Hell is your problem, Brian?!"

“None of your damn business!" Brian unbuckled his seatbelt and got out of the car, slamming the door so hard the window almost broke.

“Why can't you tell me?! Because I'm your little brother who's so dorky that I just couldn't understand? That I couldn't possibly understand the woes of a High School God? What?! What is it, Brian? Is it the fact that you got slammed by a girl? Do you hate me? Do you not want me in your sight? What?! TELL ME WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU!?" Alex burst, jumping out of the car. He absolutely refused to let Brian push him down again.

"IT'S GOT NOTHING TO DO WITH YOU! IT'S GOT NOTHING TO DO WITH WHAT'S HER NAME FROM TARTAN!" Brian shouted.

"THEN WHAT THE HELL IS IT?!"

"I JUST DISAPPOINTED THE WHOLE SCHOOL BY LOSING THAT GAME! THE ONLY TIME I EVER GET ATTENTION FROM DAD IS WHEN I WIN!"

Alex froze in the open doorway, watching his brother slam a fist against the white wall. The rage boiling inside Brian's body had caused his cheeks to turn a vicious red as tears threatened to spill from his light eyes. "So that's it..." Alex replied calmly, "You're mad at Dad for getting a girlfriend and leaving us behind. You're mad at Dad because if he's not with his girlfriend, he's downstairs working on songs..."

"YES! THAT'S WHY!" Brian screamed one last time before going into the living room and falling onto the couch. He sniffled, trying not to cry. "So no, you're not the only one who wants real attention from him."

"He wants to be happy---"

"That means he can ignore us?!"

"You've never been ignored up until this point, Brian. You have no idea what it feels like. You're the golden boy. If you have an off day at home, you can go right to school and feel loved. Do you know what I get? Oh, hey, Richardson's brother! I want to be known for more than that, Brian. I get ignored whether I'm at home or at school. I don't have what you have."

"And you think it would be great being me? I have so much pressure to be perfect, you have no idea! Star football, section leader in choir, in all the musicals AND perfect grades! I have to do what everyone else in my group does, whether I want to or not. So don't think it's all good being me, because it's not."

"Then let something go to give yourself a breather!"

"I can't!"

"Then focus on something else," Alex decided, slumping down onto the nearby recliner. He braced his long arms behind his head, focusing on the latest family photograph. Alex looked like their father, compared to Brian's softer features of their late mother. Alex sighed softly, trying to remember when Brian and him were actually close. "Focus on how we're going to get out of the birthday party next week."

"Ugh, you had to remind me of that," Brian groaned, rubbing his face. "Dad really expects us to go?"

"Dad doesn't just expect, I think he plans on forcing us. He decided to set a date on when we should have the chick's present, which is by this Sunday."

"Not only do we have to GO we have to get her a PRESENT? You've got to be kidding me!"

"I say we settle it by buying a basket of cosmetics from Bath and Body or something. She's the daughter of a rich doctor, what else would she possibly enjoy more? I bet she'll be dressed in a plaid skirt with a white sweater around her shoulders, hair perfected. All her little boyfriend will be dancing around in khakis and polos," Alex snickered with amusement, finding it refreshing to bond with his brother over the stupidest things.

"And then she'll be like 'Oh my God! I need to go back to the salon, I like, broke my nail. Oh my God!' Typical valley girl over at Tartan," Brian replied, snickering as well. He had to admit he liked getting along with Alex rather than argue with him.

"Bet she's a tall blonde, plastic boobs, and a fake smile screwed onto her face. Not a hair out of place... Skipping around like freaking Snow White, loving everything, but dumb as a board. We'll have to spice up our blonde jokes."

"Definitely. And I'll bet her best friend is the exact same way, but with brown hair and is the daughter of a lawyer or something."

"Maybe her best friend will be hot..."

"No way are you going for the best friend. That's my job!"

"Then what the Hell am I going to do?"

"Umm... hope she has another best friend?"

"Oh joy."

"Hey," Alex threw a pillow at Brian's head. "It's Friday and we're sitting here doing nothing. I have a stash of booze down in the basement. How about we call some people over and get a party going?"

"When do you think Dad will be back?"

"Tomorrow morning."

"Can't believe he's banging a doctor," Alex sighed.

"I don't even want that picture in my head, bro."

"You think she hits him up the asshole like the guy in Road Trip?" Alex laughed, tossing the nearby cordless phone to his brother.

"AH MAN! THAT'S GROSS!" Brian groaned, throwing more pillows at Alex before calling up some friends.

*~*~*

"Momma?! Momma! Oh my gosh! Momma the game was completely kick ass! Knocked them out so fast that their heads were spinning like a monkey trying to bite his own butt! And get this, number twenty---" Oriana immediately clamped her mouth shut tightly as she hurried into the kitchen to find her mother embraced with her recent catch, Kevin Richardson. Oriana dropped her helmet to the floor with surprise, causing them to jump apart from their heated embrace. Oriana immediately mustered a fake smile to hide her scowl as Teagan immediately greeted Kevin warmly. Oriana couldn't help but wonder what this boyfriend would do when her mother's back was turned. It was the usual three with each man - emotional, physical, or sexual abuse. Although her mother never knew, because she bottled everything inside. "Hello, Kevin."

"Hey, Oriana. How was the game tonight?" Kevin replied with a warm smile, wishing the smile she was giving him was real instead of fake. He knew Oriana's mother, Cassandra, had some bad boyfriends in the past who had hurt them both. He wasn't like the others and wished she would see that.

"We won," she replied crisply, wanting to make the encounter as quick as possible. She would never give another man her mother dated the advantage. So many times she had hoped for the man to be the right man for her mother, but they all turned to monsters. She refused to let her heart lay against the line yet again for the torment she suffered.

"Oh! Well, congratulations. You and the team must have played very well again."

"We did," Oriana turned to her mother with a real smile. "Momma, the guys are coming over to celebrate our win. Is that okay?"

"I'm taking it you want us out of the house so you can get into trouble?" Cassandra laughed softly, tucking her blonde locks behind her ears. She loved her daughter so much. She just wished that she understood Oriana better. Never had she seen Oriana so callous to someone. Oriana had been so bright and bubbly before, but now it seemed as if the light had extinguished.

"My Mom is having her famous Margarita Night!" Teagan offered brightly.

"That'd be a yes, Cass," Kevin chuckled.

"C'mon, Momma, you've never said no before."
"And I'm not going to say no now," Cassandra replied with a smile, standing up and walking over to give Oriana a hug. "I'm proud of you for the great game tonight, Sweetie."

"She'll be MVP again, Ma," Teagan approved. "I just wish she'd get this adrenaline rush out of her system. Bungee jumping would be easier on her."
"Bungee jumping..." Oriana trailed with interest, hugging her mother tightly. She inhaled the soft scent of her mother's perfume, feeling calmer than before. Her mother didn't care that she was streaked with dirt and black paint. She only cared that Oriana was home.

"No, we're not bungee jumping tonight!" Teagan laughed.

"Next weekend for my Seventeenth? Oh my gosh, that would be so killer!"

"YOU can do it next weekend while I watch from the ground."

"Seriously?" Oriana asked hopefully.

"If you really want to."

"Freaking sweet. Momma, I'm so doing that."

"Maybe I'll come with you. Make a mother/daughter tradition," Cassandra chuckled, kissing her daughter's cheek where it was somewhat clean.

"Then you're so on your own!" Teagan called, running up the stairs.

"Hey! Teag! Wait! I gotta ask you a question!" Oriana called from the kitchen, stomping her foot.

"Can't I get into clean clothes first?" Teagan whined.

"No! Now!"

"But Riana--"

"C'mere!"

"Ugh! I'm coming!" Teagan trampled back down the stairs. "What?"

"I just have to know one thing," Oriana replied innocently, wiggling out of her mother's arms.

"And what is the one thing?" She asked with a raised eyebrow.

Oriana kicked off her dirty cleats toward the door, placing her hands on her hips. Without warning, she allowed her beautifully powerful voice to radiate around the house, "Do you love me?! Do you love me? / Do you love me? Do you love me? / Do you love me! Now that I can dance. / Watch me now! Hey! / I said-a work it all baby! / Ah, you're drivin' me crazy! / With a little bit of soul now! / Mmm, now I can do the mash potata! / And I can do the twist! / I said now tell me baby, Mmm, now do you like it like this! / Whoa, tell me, tell me, tell me." Oriana smiled proudly as she completed the mash potato and the twist without any flaws, trying to hold her laughter as Teagan giggled wildly.

"You crazy, Riana! Absolutely crazy!" Teagan giggled, falling on the floor with tears in her eyes.

"Well, now that she's on the floor laughing, I have the chance to steal my tubby back before she gets into it! See you later, Momma!" Oriana burst, pressing a kiss to her mother's cheek. She jumped over Teagan's giggling form, rushing up the stairs as if football players were chasing her.

"HEY! THAT'S MY TUBBY!" Teagan screeched, getting up from the floor. With the slam of a door upstairs, she knew Oriana was in the bathroom. "Ma! She stole my tubby!"

"Use my private bathroom, Tea, or you can use the guest bathroom upstairs... Or the one downstairs..." Cassandra suggested with a smile, pressing a kiss to Teagan's forehead. She had known the child since she was a baby and absolutely adored her like a second daughter.

"Oooh, private bathroom! Thanks, Ma!" Teagan hugged Cassandra and rushed to the master bedroom.

"She still hates me," Kevin sighed dejectedly as Cassandra gathered her purse to leave. He absolutely hated the way Oriana's eyes burned against him. He had dreamed so many years of having a daughter. Now that the chance had arrived, she forcefully pushed him away.

"Baby, I'm sorry. I don't know why she's acting like this, and every time I ask, she won't tell me," Cassandra wrapped her arms around Kevin's neck. Leaning up on her tiptoes she kissed him softly. "Just give her time."

"Did you tell her the big news yet?" he asked hopefully, knowing Oriana would be the toughest critic. He released yet another sigh as he pulled Cassandra close, just praying for a miracle.

"No... She's been so wrapped up preparing for the big game that I haven't had a chance to tell her."

"When are you going to then?"

"Tomorrow morning?"

"Yeah right," he laughed, kissing the top of her forehead. He wrapped her in another long embrace, loving the soft scent of her favorite perfume. He didn't know what he would possibly do without this woman. He needed her mother than every breath consuming his body. He loved her deeply and just hoped his boys would approve, too. Alex and Brian seemed to get along well with Cassandra, but he worried that Oriana might clash. "You want to know the good news of the evening, though?"

"What?" Cassandra asked with a smile, resting her chin on his chest as she looked up at him with matching eyes like Oriana.

"At least your other daughter likes me," he teased.

"Indeed she does," she giggled, kissing his chest. "And Teag is a really good judge of character, so I knew you were good when she told me she approved of you."

"So, you really are going to marry me, huh?"

"Yes, I'm going to marry the man that I love!"