The next afternoon I was moseying around in my backyard, skimming the pool because I was hoping to coax Spencer out of the house. I know how she gets when she starts being reclusive, so my only hope is to try and cheer her up.

“Glen, right?” I hear from Ashley’s yard, luckily my back is turned towards her and she can’t see me flinch.

“Yeah.” Is my reply as I set down the skimmer, walking towards the fence where she is currently leaning. She doesn’t look like her usual self, she looks a bit paler, sickly almost.

“So, your Spencer’s brother?” You can tell she has already put the pieces together and just wants to have her conclusions verified.

I give a slight nod, my fingers toying with the inner lining of my pocket, “Yep…” I pause, letting the awkward silence fall between us as I debate whether or not to address the topic of Spencer. “Actually, now that you mentioned my sister, there is something she wanted me to ask you…”

“What?” Ashley’s face brightens considerably, and I can tell I now have her full attention. She is studying my face intently, waiting for my reply.

“Umm…” I stall, feeling guilty because I hate being the middle man, “She wanted me to ask you if you could not talk to her…” I watch as her face falls and she looks as if for a moment she might cry.

“Oh… She say anything else about me?” She questions, voice just above a whisper.

“Look, I don’t know what happened between you two before, but Spencer has been going through a really rough patch these past 6 months. She is going to be staying with me for a while and I’d really appreciate it if you could just try and avoid her.” I speak sternly, my brows lowering as I watch her. I want to make sure the message is getting through.

“Yeah…Okay.” The girl solemnly nods, her eyes on the ground. I feel a bit guilty now for being so harsh, my hands slipping deeper into my pockets.

“…Sorry.” I mumble before I walk away, heading back up towards my house. I can feel her eyes on my back, but I ignore it. I only have enough room to empathize with one girl at a time, and siblings take priority.