Ellie being the baby sister was a curse.
At least according to Matt and Chris.
The boys were twenty-three. Ellie was seventeen. Which apparently meant they believed she couldn’t breathe without supervision.
“Text me when you get there.”
“It’s five minutes away.”
“Exactly. Plenty of time to get kidnapped,” Matt replied.
They were ridiculous.
Overprotective in every possible way.
So when the boys left for a college party one Friday night, Ellie saw opportunity.
Freedom.
No hovering. No interrogations. No “Who’s texting you?” every five minutes.
So she borrowed a top from her friend, climbed out her window, and went to a party too.
What she didn’t know?
It was the same one.
The house was packed, music shaking the walls. Ellie laughed with her friends, drank something suspiciously sweet, and for once felt normal instead of constantly monitored.
Then she met him.
Older.
Definitely older.
Maybe twenty-four? Twenty-five?
But he was charming, confident, and looking at her like she wasn’t just somebody’s little sister.
“You in college?” he asked.
Ellie hesitated. “Kinda.”
Not technically a lie.
He grinned. “You wanna go somewhere quieter?”
“Absolutely not.”
Ellie froze.
Slowly, she turned.
Matt and Chris stood a few feet away looking genuinely homicidal.
The guy blinked. “Uh…”
Matt stepped forward first. “How old are you?”
“Twenty-four.”
Chris let out a sharp laugh. “Oh, that’s insane.”
Ellie’s face burned. “Are you serious right now?”
Matt ignored her, eyes still on the guy. “You talk to high schoolers often or is tonight special?”
“I didn’t know she was in high school—”
“She’s seventeen,” Chris cut in coldly.
The guy immediately backed up. “Okay, relax, man. I didn’t know.”
Matt still looked ready to kill him.
“Matt,” Ellie hissed. “Stop.”
Neither brother looked at her.
Because suddenly they weren’t just protective.
They were furious.
Chris crossed his arms. “You wanna explain why our seventeen-year-old sister is at a college party with grown men?”
Ellie glared. “Maybe after you explain why you’re acting insane.”
“Insane?” Matt repeated. “Ellie, he’s twenty-four.”
“So?”
“So?” Chris echoed loudly. “SO?”
Heads turned.
Ellie wanted to disappear.
“I’m going home,” she muttered.
“Yeah,” Matt said immediately. “You are.”
“I can leave myself.”
“No chance.”
The walk to the car was silent except for Ellie glaring holes into both of them.
The second they got inside, Matt turned around from the driver’s seat.
“What were you thinking?”
“I was thinking you guys are overdramatic.”
“You’re seventeen.”
“And not stupid.”
“That guy was almost twenty-five.”
“He didn’t know!”
“And if he did?” Matt snapped.
The car went quiet.
Because underneath the anger was fear.
Real fear.
Chris rubbed a hand over his face. “Ellie, do you understand how bad that could’ve gone?”
She looked out the window. “Nothing happened.”
“That’s not the point,” Matt said quieter now.
Silence filled the car.
Then Chris sighed. “You scared us.”
That made her glance up.
Matt’s grip tightened on the wheel. “You weren’t answering your phone. Then we see you here with some grown guy looking at you like…”
He stopped himself.
For the first time that night, their anger didn’t feel controlling.
It felt terrified.
Chris leaned back in his seat. “You’re still our baby sister. Unfortunately.”
Ellie groaned. “I hate when you say that.”
“Get used to it,” Matt muttered, starting the car.
And even though she rolled her eyes—
She sat a little closer to them on the drive home.