The Family Jewels, Part I

Tuesday, December 3

Brandon checked the time on his phone again. He wanted to wait until as late as possible before he went downstairs. About twenty more minutes should allow him to avoid any awkward moments.

KNOCK KNOCK

Shit!

"Brandon, you decent in there?"

It's only Dad. Whew!

"Yeah, I'm dressed."

The door opened, and Waldon Cole slipped into his son's bedroom. Nodding at Brandon, the older man held a finger to his lips as he crossed over and shut the bathroom door. Next, he motioned his son over to the corner of the room, farthest from the two doors.

"I'll make this quick, so listen," Waldon started. "You're not doing a good enough job as a brother. I trusted you to know what's going on in your sister's life, and you let me down."

"But, Dad, it's not—"

"I don't want to hear any excuses from you. My father expected me to watch out for both my cousins, Raleigh and Gwyneth when we grew up. These are the formative years for young women. Any missteps and they can turn out wrong. I did my job, and they stayed out of any boy trouble. Raleigh might not appreciate it, but we kept her from straying from the proper path."

Is that why Raleigh doesn't seem to like you?

"Now, I don't know if your sister was telling the truth or not, but I will not have a daughter that runs around as...a tramp."

"Madison is not a tramp, Dad!"

"Listen! You never know what might happen if you give teenage girls even a little bit of rope. Gwyneth lost her way once I went off to college. I want to make sure that Maddie knows the proper way for a young lady to act. I don't want her making the same mistakes that Gwyneth did."

"I don't think we need to worry about Maddie turning into a lesbian," Brandon joked.

"This is not FUNNY!" Waldon bellowed, before remembering to lower his voice. "I don't care how you do it, but I want to know if your sister has broken the rules of this family. Find out if she was a secret boyfriend, and find out now. It might not be too late to make sure she turns out the correct way like Lindsey."

"Uh, Lindsey is kind of a bitch."

"Lindsey should be a role model for both you and your sister. She already knows most details of the dealership, and hasn't embarrassed this family with any scandals unlike her brother," Walden stated, his voice still heated. "I don't want Madison turning into Landry. What do Coles say about family?"

"Family always comes first," Brandon answered automatically.

"Good. Now, your mother wants to know if you're still feeling pain," Waldon passed on, looking in distaste at having to inquire about an injury to his son's groin.

"I'm fine!" Brandon hurriedly reassured. "Um, I, uh, need to leave early for school. So, tell her that I'll just grab a breakfast bar or something."

"Very well," Waldon said, walking toward the door. "And don't forget to do your brotherly duty today."

"Bye, Mom!" Brandon yelled as he quickly threw his coat on after coming down the stairs. "Come on, Mads, we need to go!"

"Honey, how's your pain?" Vanessa called out in concern. She wiped her hands on a towel as she left the kitchen and tried to catch him before he walked out the front door.

"I'm good, Mom. Got to go," Brandon yelled as he speed-walked across the driveway to his SUV. "Come on, Mads!"

"I'm coming!" Madison screamed from the foyer. Angrily putting on her coat and scarf, the brunette stomped past her mother out the door, and down the front stairs. "Next time, tell me when you need to leave early. And why the hell did you go out the front door?" she questioned, motioning to the side door.

"Here, you can drive!" Brandon shocked her by tossing his car keys over as he got inside.

"You lied! Your junk is still hurting," Madison stated, after sitting down. She assumed that could be the only reason for him to let her drive.

"No, I just didn't sleep at all last night," Brandon informed her, blinking his eyes.

"Oh, does it still hurt?" Madison queried, feeling some sympathy for him. "If you, um, need me to stop at the drug store, we can."

"I, uh, just felt weird. Listen to whatever you want."

"Alright, I'm just thinking it's going to put a lot of pressure on Landry to carry on the Cole name if you start shooting blanks," she shot back, reverting to the usual Madison.

Although his offer to let her choose the music made everything even stranger to Madison, she wasn't about to turn down the opportunity. She immediately selected a station that played music that she knew he hated and started to sing along.

Brandon turned and stared out the window, thinking over last night's weirdness.

Ten Hours Earlier

TAP TAP TAP

"Bran, are you still awake?"

"Yeah, I'm up, Mom."

Vanessa walked into her son's bedroom and saw her son on the bed, watching television. Although at this time of night, she would've changed into her nightwear, Brandon noticed his mother still wore her sweater and jeans from earlier. That led him to conclude one thing.

"Have you been with Maddie this whole time?"

"Yes. Your sister is very distraught," Vanessa replied, sitting down on the edge of his bed. "Your father can be...I know he means well...I could just..."

"I know, Mom."

"That's the problem, Bran. I don't think you know," Vanessa sighed. "I never planned to raise my daughter in this way. I knew when I dated your father that he was protective of his younger cousins, and I found that endearing. But this...it's wrong, and I've told him that. Madison should not be treated like a prisoner or like a woman in the Dark Ages."

"Dad is old-fashioned," Brandon attempted to defend his father.

"He's more than old-fashioned. It's some weird control thing," Vanessa snorted. "I'm not saying your father is too rigid. We compromised on my keeping my last name. And he didn't fight me when I wanted to open the restaurant. But the way he treats you compared to how he treats Maddie is wrong."

"I did think it was wrong not to ask her to be in his commercial. Acting is her thing, not mine," Brandon chimed in.

"Your father doesn't respect her interest in theater. And he'd blow a gasket if he knew about her live-action thing. He feels it's not ladylike, but also a waste of time. If he had his way, you would both be at the dealership in your free time, learning to run it someday."

"Uh, I don't think I want to do that, Mom."

"Yes, and Maddie absolutely has no interest. The only reason he hasn't forced you is that I told him if he did, then you both would end up rebelling as your cousin did. That scared him enough that he backed off until now," Vanessa explained.

"I really don't think I want to do those commercials."

"I know, Bran, I know. Trust me, I would prefer that you not get roped in either," Vanessa remarked in exasperation. "But for now, we need to help your sister. Maddie is justifiably upset in feeling that she can't have a life."

"Uh, what can I do?"

"First, be nicer to her. I know you can't entirely stop, but don't bicker as much. Second, back off on her possibly dating a boy. I know your father has drilled into you about watching out for her, but that's not your responsibility. Let her talk to boys at school without pushing them against a locker," Vanessa listed. The last point caused her son to look down.

"You heard about that," Brandon mumbled.

"Yes, I did, and I'm disappointed that you would immediately resort to violence. That's not the Branmuffin I raised," Vanessa sweetly reminded him, patting his lower leg.

"I'm sorry, Mom, but I worry about Maddie. You don't know what guys my age are like."

"I was a teenage girl once not that long ago. I know perfectly well what goes on in those horny brains of teenage boys," Vanessa chuckled at her son's surprised face.

"Eww! I didn't need to hear that!"

"Someday, your kids will say the same thing," Vanessa smiled at the possibility. "While I know I shouldn't encourage my children to lie to their father, I want you to cover for your sister this week. She has a lot of things happening, and doesn't need her brother spying on her."

"What things?!"

"See, that's the attitude I don't want you to have. Be there for Maddie, but don't suffocate and judge her. Now, have you found her a present yet?"

"A present?" Brandon asked in confusion.

"A Christmas present. We talked about this the other day."

"Oh, yeah, right. Uh, I still don't know what she would want for that lapping stuff," Brandon botched the name, while feeling guilty that he hadn't given it much thought the last couple of days. "I meant to ask Delilah yesterday but forgot."

"Well, remember not to forget the next time you see her. Or better yet, ask Lisa. She probably knows," Vanessa suggested, her eyes drawn to the window. She stood up and walked over to the glass.

Brandon's brain froze as he imagined how awkward that conversation with Lisa might end up. "Uh, I'll remember to ask Delilah tomorrow."

"Wow, I guess you were right. At night with the lights on, you can see right into the Gettingers' house if the shades are up," Vanessa remarked, surprised that she hadn't noticed that before. She probably knew on some level but never thought about it. She watched as Polly disassembled a music stand.

"That's why I don't like you opening my blinds, Mom," Brandon whined. "Polly already saw me nak—"

"Saw you?" Vanessa inquired as she waved to the nice, sweet girl across the yard, before pulling the blinds down.

"She watches me all the time!" Brandon tried to recover as he waved his arm toward the accursed window. His quick motion caused a flash of pain that showed across his face.

"Oh, Bran! I'm sorry. With everything happening with your sister tonight, I forgot to ask how your injury is doing," Vanessa apologized. She came back to stand next to the bed, looking down at her son. "Is the pain still severe?"

"Uh, nope, it's fine," he denied, trying to hold back a grimace.

"It's certainly doesn't appear fine with how you keep moving. Now, what did Miss Zee tell you?" Vanessa re-inquired.

"That if it swells, then I should have it checked."

"And is it swollen?"

"I don't—no, nope, it's not," Brandon denied again. Going to the hospital to get his cock and balls examined wasn't a trip that he wanted to take.

"How come I don't believe that answer?" Vanessa asked, shaking her head. "If you won't be honest, then I'm going to need to have a look."

"A look?!" Brandon exclaimed.

"Yes, a look. That is not an area you want to ignore, in case something is wrong. I do want to have grandchildren someday," Vanessa declared, motioning for her son to pull the bedsheet back.

"But Mom! You can't look. It's private," the star athlete whined, sounding like a younger teenager.

"Brandon, I'm your mother, I've seen you naked plenty of times when you were younger. Who do you think changed your diapers?"

"I was a baby then!"

"And when you were a few years older, I saw your penis when you wanted to show everyone your wee-wee," his mother chuckled. "That was an embarrassing phase of yours."

"But, I'm not a little kid anymore," Brandon continued to protest. "I can't have my mom seeing me naked."

"Fine, but someone needs to check. Would you rather I go get your father?" Vanessa questioned.

Brandon's face blanched even further at the thought of his Dad checking out his naked manhood. Swallowing hard, he slightly shook his head no. His mother nodded and pulled the sheet down to his legs. She motioned for him to proceed. So, Brandon untied the drawstring on his pajama bottoms. Usually, he wore boxers underneath for bed, but he had skipped them tonight because of the pain. Closing his eyes, he lifted his butt off the bed, pulling the bottoms down to his upper thighs.

"Oh! I guess you aren't my little boy any longer," Vanessa chuckled.

Embarrassed beyond belief, Brandon tightly squeezed his eyes shut. If I don't open them, then this never happened. A silenced followed that lasted an eternity to the teenager. After probably ten seconds, but a thousand times longer to him, Vanessa finally spoke again.

"Now, where does it hurt?"

"Uh, my ba—testicles, the left one," Brandon indicated the one furthest away from her. "And it doesn't hurt anymore, I swear—"

His protestations ceased as he felt his mother's weight push the mattress down as she sat on it. Holding his breath, Brandon imagined how this scene would appear if someone saw it. His flaccid penis seemed to shrink even further from the potential humiliation. The situation already occurring was mortifying enough.

"Okay, let me see," Vanessa said, the bed shifting a little more, as she leaned over to try and visually examine his testicle. Her shoulder bumped into his knee, sending Brandon back a few inches in fright. "I'm sorry, Bran, I know this can't be easy. Hmmm, I might need to adjust you."

Adjust me? What the hell does—

Brandon's eyes shot open as he felt his mother's cold hand gently lifted his penis up. She kneeled on the bed with her turned head down by his knees. Her eyes seemed to widen as she focused on his testicles.

"A-are they always this big?" she whispered.

"W-what?"

"I asked if they are always this big, or is this abnormal?" Vanessa asked in a full voice.

"Uh, I can't tell. Maybe I shoULD—" Brandon's voice shot up an octave higher, and his eyes widened in alarm.

His mother--his own frigging mother--had just lifted his dick even higher. Somewhere in his brain, he knew she did this to allow him to see his balls better, but the scene was too crazy to allow him to think properly. She took her eyes off his private parts and glanced up at his face.

"Well, do they look normal?"

"Uh, yeah, I think so," Brandon replied on autopilot.

"And the left one is the one that Ashley kicked?" Seeing her son nod, Vanessa felt sympathy for him. I know it's embarrassing, but it needs to be checked. "Okay, tell me if this hurts."

"MOM!" Brandon screeched as her hand cupped his left ball and gently squeezed.

"Does it hurt that much?" Vanessa questioned, worrying even more about his injury.

"Y-you can't do that!"

"Oh, Bran, it's either a strange doctor at the hospital or me," his mother informed him. "Now, tell me if this hurts."

Brandon's mortification increased as he felt the early jolts of electricity shoot into his cock. No!!! He screamed in his head as the familiar beginnings of an erection began. Strangely, he thought his mother's gentle squeezing felt nice.

"No! No pain at all. Nope!"

"Are you sure? There looks to be some discoloration. Possibly from bruising," Vanessa speculated, her eyes focused on the spot on his testicle, while his member lengthened and widened above her sightline. "Oh, my..."

Scrambling like mad, Brandon reached down and yanked his pajamas back up. And knowing his luck of the day, his almost fully-erect cock got caught, forcing him to use his hand to jam it inside the desperately needed cover.

"I'm good, Mom, I'm good!" Brandon told her, turning over onto his side away from her. As soon as she lifted her shoulder off his knee, he grabbed the sheet and covered himself entirely, even his head.

"Ah...I'll go now...sorry."

"Hey, doofus!" Brandon felt a hand shove his shoulder. "Wake up! We're here."

"Mads?" a sleepy and discombobulated Brandon asked, opening his eyes.

"Who else would it be?" Madison challenged, opening the driver's door. "God, what's your problem lately?"

"Wha-why?" Brandon questioned, shaking himself awake.

"That must have been some nightmare," his twin said, sticking her head back into the vehicle. "Moaning and groaning. Did you not win All-State at quarterback or something?" she cackled, before slamming the door.

Sitting alone in his SUV, Brandon shuddered as he recalled what happened after his mom left his room. His traitorous cock wouldn't go down until he came twice. At least, I pictured Mrs. Woodsen.