Noah's POV — Sydney, 7:45 PM
"God-dammit!".
The word slipped out before I could stop it as my character collapsed on the screen again. Jace's victory animation flashed across my monitor, taunting me. I slammed both palms on my desk — not hard enough to break it, but hard enough to feel something.
That was my fifth loss in a row.
He was never going to let me hear the end of it tomorrow at school.
I clenched my jaw, leaning closer to the screen, determined to win the next round — when my bedroom door creaked open behind me.
"Not now, Nanny Mona," I muttered, fingers tight on the gamepad. "I already took my vitamins. I told you fine."
A pause.
Then a different voice.
"Actually…it's not Nanny Mona," Emily said softly. "It's Claire and me."
I sighed through my nose.
Of course.
They only came in when they wanted something.
Without turning around, I kept my eyes glued to the screen. "What do you both want? You know the rules — you don't come into my room unless it's important."
There was a tiny hesitation at the doorway before Claire's gentle voice came through.
"Do you mind if we come in first?"
I finally spun my chair around to face them.
Claire stood there with that calm, worried expression she always wore when she'd thought too much about something. Emily, on the other hand, looked like she was trying very hard not to pout.
I exhaled, rubbing my forehead.
"Shouldn't you be in bed? Fine. You can come in," I said. "But don't touch anything unless I say so. I mean it."
Emily folded her arms. "Mom said you shouldn't curse anymore. And you did."
I blinked. "When?"
"You cursed right after you lost the game," Claire said quietly. "You know you did."
I let out a breath. "Okay. Sorry. You're right. I'll stop. No more cursing."
Silence hung between us — a different kind, heavier.
Claire stepped forward, voice softer now.
"Noah…since Mommy left, you've been distant. We barely see you anymore. The only time we talk together is when we're all on the phone with her…and it hurts us. We miss spending time with you"
Her words stung in a way I didn't expect.
I shrugged, trying to brush it off.
"I'm just…busy, okay?" I said, trying to sound unaffected. "I don't have time for silly chit-chat conversations right now. I've got a match I need to win, so maybe just…come back later."
Instead of leaving, Emily walked straight to my bed and sat down, crossing her small legs like she owned the place. Claire quietly took a seat on the sofa.
Emily tilted her head at me. "You know it's past game time, right? And Grandpa Sullivan won't be happy if he sees you playing at night."
My eyebrow twitched.
"And who's planning to tell Grandpa Sullivan?" I asked slowly. "You, Emily? He won't know unless someone snitches. And I know you won't."
I leaned forward.
"You wouldn't want your big brother hating you forever…would you?"
She scrunched her nose at me.
Claire, pretending not to notice the tension, casually reached for the lollipop on my desk and began wrestling with the wrapper — making loud crinkling sounds that grated my nerves.
"Give me that."
I grabbed it, tore the wrapper open —
— and on impulse, I popped it into my mouth.
Claire froze.
Her eyes filled with tears almost instantly, trembling like I'd just stolen her heart instead of candy. Her lower lip quivered — and within seconds she burst into tears.
Guilt hit me like a punch to the chest.
Great job, Noah. World's worst brother.
I sighed and reached into my backpack, pulled out another lollipop, unwrapped it, and gently placed it in her hand.
Her crying stopped instantly.
Her entire face lit up.
"Thank you, Noah. You're the best brother ever."
Her words cracked something soft inside me.
Maybe…I really had been awful lately.
Maybe I missed Mom more than I wanted to admit.
She wiped her face — and that's when I noticed it.
Black smudges under her eyes.
Mascara.
I stared at her — then at Emily — then burst into uncontrollable laughter.
Emily's face twisted in confusion.
"What? Why are you laughing?"
I pointed at them, breathless. "Is that…makeup? Please tell me you didn't go into Mom's room. She told us not to touch her things when she's gone."
Their faces dropped so fast they didn't even need to speak.
Emily cleared her throat. "It was just a little touch-up. To brighten our faces. We look stunning like Mommy, don't we?"
I turned toward her fully — and the sight of her rosy, uneven pink cheeks nearly sent me into another fit of laughter.
"You call that stunning? You look terrifying. And I know this was your idea, not Claire's."
Emily and Claire exchanged a guilty giggle.
I leaned back, smirking.
"Just wait until Mom finds out your faces might shrink — like the old witch from your bedtime stories. That's what happens when kids use makeup without permission."
Emily gasped. "Stop it, Noah. That's not funny."
They dashed into my bathroom and came back minutes later, fresh-faced and slightly embarrassed.
I softened.
"Relax," I said. "Your secret's safe with me — but only if you don't tell Grandpa Sullivan I was gaming past curfew."
Emily grinned. "You mean…our secrets."
"We promise," Claire added, lifting her pinky. "Not even Mommy will know."
We locked pinkies.
Deal sealed.
Just then, Jace's voice echoed from my headphones.
"Yo, Noah — you still there?"
"Yeah," I replied. "Got distracted. Sisters' invasion. Let's run another match."
"Hope you're ready, dude. I'm about to destroy you again."
Before I could pick up the controller —
Emily snatched it.
She narrowed her eyes like a tiny assassin.
"Sit back, big bro," she said. "No one gets to make fun of my brother except Claire and me."
I blinked. "Since when do you know how to play?"
She smirked. "Since forever. I've been learning things you all don't know about. You just never asked."
Claire hopped onto the bed, clapping. "Go Emily!"
"Ready…fight!" the game announced.
Emily's fingers flew across the buttons — fluid, confident, faster than mine had ever been. She dodged, countered, landed combos like a trained warrior.
Within seconds —
"YOU WIN!"
The screen flashed triumphantly.
We screamed in victory.
Jace's shocked voice came through. "Bro — that was insane. I stand corrected. Respect. And I'm sorry for underestimating you all the time"
He had no idea.
Emily slid the controller onto the bed with smug satisfaction and strutted off to grab a glass of water.
While she was gone, Claire picked up my journal.
And my heart stopped.
"Noah has a crush on Bianca!" she read cheerfully.
I lunged for it. "Give me that! I told you not to touch my things!"
They both gasped — then burst into giggles.
My face flushed red.
Earlier today, I'd written about Bianca — the smartest girl in our class — and left the notebook on my bed before Jace called. And now…I was doomed.
Emily smirked mischievously. "You like the most popular girl in school? Wow. Look at you, big lover boy."
"It's private," I muttered. "My love life isn't up for discussion."
Claire leaned closer, eyes sparkling. "You should tell her how you feel."
"Yeah!" Emily chimed in. "And if you don't, I will."
"You wouldn't dare."
The truth slipped out before I could swallow it.
"I don't even know if she likes me back. And Jace likes her too. He told me. He wants her to be his girlfriend. And I mean…look at him. He's…Jace."
Emily frowned. "So what? Jace is a player."
Claire placed a comforting hand on my arm.
"It doesn't matter who else likes her. Bianca gets to choose. And if she likes you too…then you win."
Emily nodded firmly. "I saw how she smiled at you today when you asked for crayons. She blushed. I swear."
My heart skipped.
"She…smiled?"
"Yes. We all saw it," Claire said. "Even Jace."
Silence wrapped around us — but it didn't feel heavy anymore.
Just…warm.
Hopeful.
"And if Jace is really your best friend," she continued softly, "he'll understand."
I took a slow breath.
Maybe they were right.
Bianca was brilliant. Kind. Everything I admired.
But right now…
I looked at my sisters.
And nothing in the world mattered more than them.
I pulled them into my arms. "You know what? Bianca's pretty — yeah. But she's not prettier than my sisters."
They wrapped their arms around me tighter, giggling into my chest.
"We love you, Noah," they said together.
I kissed their foreheads.
"I love you more. "