“No, you aren’t.You’re trying to take charge of the situation and control things.I get that you practically raised me before Mom died, but we’re both adults now, and I can make my own damn decisions.”
He clenches his jaw and lets out a frustrated exhale.I can tell he wants to say more, but he doesn’t.Instead he takes one more heavy breath and then completely changes the subject—thank fuck.“Did you see there’s a new Rough Mudder event coming to LA?It’ll be in a couple of months, so we won’t be on tour yet.The label is finalizing those dates here in the next few weeks.I know you missed the last one.”
I try to do a physically challenging event at least a couple of times a year, more if I can swing it, but that’s rare these days.A few years ago, Trent and I both signed up for a 5K run and obstacle course that ends after you’ve trudged up and over mud hills.I’d never been so sweaty and gross, but fuck, the endorphins couldn’t be beat, and I had a smile on my face for days after.Now I try to do them whenever they’re in town, but it’s been a while.
“I didn’t know.I’ll look into it.”
“Maybe we could do it together again?”
Despite still feeling a little rankled, I know he’s trying to smooth things over after how he barged in here.And at the end of the day he’s still my brother, and that means something to me.I wasn’t exaggerating when I said he practically raised me.Who knows how I would’ve turned out if Trent hadn’t stepped up when we were kids and our mom cared more about her drugs than her children.
So I respond, “Sure.”
He smiles like all’s good, but I know my brother, and I know he’s nowhere near done trying to convince me to let Jolie go.