In private, preferably.”
I sigh. Might as well get this over with. “Fine,” I say.
Drew bobs his head at Jenna. “You want to get a drink?” he asks her.
My stomach churns at that. So, not only do I have to deal with Seth tonight, I have to lose my crush to Jenna. It’s freshman year all over again. Literally.
I look down as she steps forward to join Drew.
“Sure!” she says. She pats my back as she passes. “I’ll be right outside,” she adds, mostly to Seth as a warning.
Seth nods as she leaves, gladly kicking the door closed behind her.
I take my seat on the toilet seat again. Seth stays standing, but he leans against the door with his gaze on the floor. I fold my arms on my lap and wait for him to say… whatever the hell he’s going to say.
“So,” his throat clears, “you’re going to Chicago North, huh?” he asks.
“Yeah,” I answer.
“Dad told me you were staying in Iowa.”
I bite down hard. “I kinda stopped updating him after he told me he wouldn’t help me out, so…”
“He did?”
I nod.
“Jeez.” He shifts his weight to the other foot. “He paid my room and board my first two years. Even Mom sent me money for groceries now and then.”
“He told me art wasn’t a viable career path and that he wasn’t to fund four years of me sitting on my ass,” I say, air quoting.
“Damn.”
“When I saw how good the art program was here, I applied out of spite. Picked up a few small scholarships, too.”
He nods, impressed. “That’s cool.”
“I honestly didn’t expect to run into you much at all. It’s a big campus…” I bite my cheek. “Is this really what you wanted to talk about? Our parents playing favorites…”
Seth takes a breath. “So, I was kind of an asshole back there.”
“Kind of?”
“Okay, I was an asshole back there. I shouldn’t have done that, and I’m sorry.”
I blink, genuinely surprised. My brother has never apologized to me before. Ever.
“Why did you do it?” I ask.
“Because I’m an asshole,” he says with a shrug.
My lips twitch. “Duh. Why else?”
“I don’t know. I saw you there, I wasn’t expecting it, and some dumb habits kicked in. I’m not proud.”
“You seemed a little proud.”
“I’m sorry.” He exhales softly. His shoulders drop. “I mean it. I was a dick and I’m sorry.”
I nod slowly. Everything about this seems sincere enough. I’m keeping my guard up, though. “Okay. Thank you. I appreciate your apology.”
“And…” He pauses, shifting uncomfortably. “I thought that maybe we could try to start fresh. Mom and Dad aren’t around to ruin literally everything ever, so why not act like siblings for once? You know?”
I chortle. “I guess that’s true,” I say.
“You should stay and party. We’ll hang out, I’ll show you ropes.” He gestures at the stamps on my arm. “We can wipe that shit off, too. I don’t actually care if you drink or not.”
“Oh, no.” I glance at it. “I don’t like to drink much. The ID thing was…”
“Jenna,” he says, already knowing.
“Jenna,” I confirm.
“Doesn’t mean we can’t have fun.” He smiles. “Come on, little sister. Let’s go find Drew and Jenna and challenge them to beer pong. Or soda pong, in your case.”
I smile, reacting to the warmth in his words. Maybe he’s right. With our parents far off in other states, can we really finally be siblings? Or even friends?
“Sure.” I stand up with a nod. “So, is that Drew guy a friend of yours?” I ask, wading in.
“Oh, yeah. Best friend. He’s the one who encouraged me to come in here and apologize to you.”
“He seems nice.”
“Drew’s the nicest guy I’ve ever met, actually. A real shirt off his back type. He’s cool. Keeps me grounded.” He nudges my arm and laughs. “We should go get him before Jenna corrupts him.”
I feign a chuckle as my stomach churns again.
Chapter 8
Drew
It’s more obvious than ever now. Her features. His laugh. The same cocky reaction they both have whenever one of them sinks a ball.
The dark-haired, golden-eyed Newburys.
Of course, they’re related.
A small crowd has gathered around the ping-pong table to watch. Jenna seems more interested in texting than playing, but it doesn’t bother me. The view across the table is much sweeter, anyway.
Heidi was stiff and nervous at first, but a few rounds of guidance from big brother and she was one of us. The more we play, the more she laughs, though I’m feeling a little giggly myself after nearly a full game of chugging