My Overprotective Brothers

Chapter 40

The sound of my alarm jolted me awake, and for a moment, I just lay there, staring up at the ceiling. My stomach was already twisting uncomfortably, and I hadn't even gotten out of bed yet.

Tom's back today.

The thought made my skin crawl. I tried to tell myself it didn't matter, that I just had to get through the day, but my brain wasn't listening.

With a heavy sigh, I rolled over, rubbing my face before finally forcing myself to sit up. My school uniform was laid out on my chair, the sight of it making my stomach tighten even more. I wanted nothing more than to crawl back under my blankets and stay there.

Instead, I dragged myself out of bed and into the bathroom, where I took the longest shower possible. Not because I needed to, but because I was stalling. Every part of me wanted to take my time, to delay stepping out of this quiet, safe space.

Eventually, I couldn't push it off any longer.

I dried off and changed into my uniform—stiff, uncomfortable, and a constant reminder that I had to leave the house today. I button my shirt slowly, tucking it into my trousers before grabbing my blazer and sliding it on. My tie felt too tight no matter how much I adjusted it.

I stared at myself in the mirror, tugging at the sleeves of my blazer. I didn't look any different from usual, but I felt different. My chest felt tight, my hands were a little shaky, and the sick feeling in my stomach wouldn't go away.

I really did not want to go to school today.

But I had no choice.

I grabbed my bag and finally left my room, only to hear the familiar sounds of chaos from downstairs.

"Adrian! Hurry up!" Miles shouted from the kitchen.

I groaned, dragging my feet as I made my way down.

"Seriously, what took you so long?" Alex added, already shoving food into his mouth. "We've got, like, fifteen minutes before we need to leave."

"I'm coming," I muttered, dropping into my chair.

Henry smirked. "You better be. If we're late, I'm blaming you."

Elijah shot him a look. "You'd be late even if Adrian wasn't here."

Henry just grinned, clearly unbothered.

I grabbed a piece of toast, but I wasn't really hungry. My stomach was still too tight, too uneasy. The others were eating and talking like it was any normal morning, like today wasn't different.

But for me, it was.

Tom was coming back today.

And I had no idea what that meant for me.

The drive to school was just as chaotic as always.

With all of us crammed into the car, it was impossible to get a moment of silence. Henry and Alex were arguing over some football match from the weekend, Miles kept complaining about how he didn't get enough sleep, and Easton was trying (and failing) to get everyone to shut up long enough for him to focus on driving.

"I'm just saying," Henry said, waving his hands around dramatically, "there's no way they should have let that goal stand. It was offside—"

Alex scoffed. "You don't even know the offside rule."

Henry gasped, offended. "I literally do—"

"You literally don't," Miles cut in, sounding half-asleep. "Just let it go."

Henry ignored him. "Elijah, back me up here!"

"I do not care," Elijah said flatly, eyes fixed on the road.