A ROYAL SCANDAL

KARLIAH POV

I clung to my thick jacket because it was very cold outside. I can't believe that my brother landed himself in jail. He's definitely getting an earful from me.

Forty minutes later, I arrived at the county jail in town, which was just a few minutes away from home. Once I stepped inside, all eyes were on me as I made my way toward the commissioner.

He looked up once he saw me and glanced at his wristwatch impatiently.

"Aren't you supposed to be at home, young lady? Because it's very late."

I smiled at him.

"Yes, you're right, but I'm here because of my brother. He got himself in jail."

The commissioner sighed deeply.

"What's his name?"

"Dylan Hun—"

"His first name will be just fine because there's only one boy we found at that club."

"Oh boy, what did he do, sir?"

"He was smoking pot and drinking when he was clearly underage."

He narrowed his eyes at me.

"Where are your parents?"

"Dead."

"I'm sorry to hear that."

"It's okay, sir; it happened a long time ago."

He nodded quietly.

"Then who is your guardian?" he asked curiously.

"We live with my aunt, and her name is Lucinda."

At the mention of her name, his eyes lit up.

"Lucinda Williams?"

"Yes, that's her. I reckon you know her?"

He nodded quietly.

"Yeah, but that's a story for another day. So I guess you're here to bail out your brother?"

"Yes, sir."

He sighed deeply and pulled out some papers, handing me a pen.

"Sign these, and he'll be free to go, but if he gets into more trouble, he'll be sent to rehab."

Hearing this made me feel more at ease.

"What about the payment?"

"I'll handle it. Get your brother and make sure he stays out of trouble. He seems like a good kid."

I nodded eagerly.

"Thank you, sir."

He got up and took me to Dylan's cell. We found him pacing around the room.

When he saw me, he looked guilty.

"You came alone?"

"Yeah, I came alone."

"You should stay out of trouble, Dylan. Your sister can't be worrying sick about you, and this is the last time I should be seeing you behind bars."

Once he was out of the cell, Dylan nodded quietly.

"Yes, sir."

"Now it's late; you should go back home."

I nodded quietly.

"Thank you, sir."

"Don't mention it, Karliah."

Once we were out of the station, Dylan broke the silence between us. I wasn't talking to him because I was still upset about everything.

"Karliah, I'm sorry. Please don't hate me."

"Say something."

I turned around, facing him.

"What do you want to say, Dylan?"

"That I'm disappointed in you and let Mom and Dad down because I couldn't look after you properly?"

He remained silent.

"It's like you're turning into someone I don't recognize anymore. What happened to the sweet little brother I had?"

"Because that's not the person I'm seeing right now, Dylan."

"You were in jail, and now you have a criminal record."

"Sneaking out and going to a club for adults isn't you, Dylan, and I can't believe that you were smoking and drinking as well."

"What's wrong with you?"

"I just had a lot on my mind, and my friends just invited me over. I thought it would be a good way to distract myself. I didn't plan on drinking any alcohol, but my friends started calling me a coward, and I wanted to prove them wrong."

*Sighs softly*

"Dylan, you're not a coward."

"And you don't need to pretend to be someone you're not just for the sake of fitting in."

Once we arrived home, the lights suddenly turned on, and I was met with Aunt Lucinda's angry gaze.

"Where are you two coming from?"

Before I could answer, Dylan stepped in front of me protectively. Though I was the oldest, he was three inches taller than me.

"Karliah came to bail me out of jail."

Aunt Lucinda looked shocked.

"Is that what you came here to do? Tarnish my reputation? Because I don't want to be associated with any criminals."

I took a step forward.

"My brother isn't a criminal."

Aunt Lucinda glared at me angrily.

"Shut up, Karliah, because I wasn't talking to you, so stay out of this."

"This kind of behavior won't go unpunished because as long as you live under my roof, you'll have to obey my rules; otherwise, you'll end up on the streets."

"What makes you think I care?" Dylan challenged.

I grasped his hand, stopping him.

"Dylan, don't."

"I don't care about your house. After all, you took all my parents' money, and now you think you can threaten me?"

"Get out of my house, Dylan, because it seems you've grown up too fast."

"Maybe spending the night in the cold is going to refresh your mind, because if it wasn't for me, you would have died a long time ago."

Dylan stormed out of the house, and I followed him.

Once I caught up with him, I grasped his hand.

"Dylan, you can't stay out here; it's only going to make your condition worse."

"Just apologize to Aunt Lucinda."

He stared at me in disbelief, taking a step back.

"What the heck is wrong with you, Karliah? I'm not going to apologize to her for telling the truth."

"You already know that everything I said is the truth, and yet you're still here taking her side? This is just unbelievable."

"I don't mind spending the night. I'm already going to die because I'm sick and tired of taking that useless medication."

"Dylan, don't talk like this; there's still hope for you."

He kissed me on the cheek.

"I'll see you tomorrow, Karliah. Goodnight."

Before I could utter a word, he disappeared into the shadows.

"Karliah, get inside now!" Aunt Lucinda yelled furiously.

My heart sank when Dylan didn't return.

I sat in the cold, waiting for him.

A single tear rolled down my cheek, but I wiped it away.