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“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 cups. If we cared enough to keep score, they’d be winning, I think. Or are we?
Hell, who even cares?
“Hey, RPF!” Jenna nudges my ribs. “Wake up. It’s your turn.”
She’s called me that three times now. I still haven’t figured it out.
“All right! All right!” I pick up the ping-pong ball. “I’m gonna shink it this time.”
