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Theo cleared his throat and met my gaze for a second before I focused on my hangnail.I didn’t like the way he looked to me for help. I didn’t want to be paired with him either.
He shrugged his broad shoulders. “It could happen. Have a good night, and I’ll see you tomorrow, Audrey.”
I nodded but refused to look at him as he departed. He wasn’t even out of earshot before Lily returned, and Jessica hit my arm. “How did you score that?”
“Score what?” Lily asked, patting the table dry. Her attention moved toward Theo, but he’d already left the common area.
“Theo Sanders asked Audrey to give him a tour tomorrow. And he’s in our cohort. I’d sell a kidney to be paired with him.”
Lily couldn’t hide her smile. “She should. She’s the best in our class.”
Jessica glared. “I’m right here, Lilith.”
“I stand by what I said.”
I blushed at the compliment. I put all my time and energy into being the best, so to hear a friend say it meant a lot. It wasn’t like my family was offering up compliments to me and my love life—ha, my lack of love life—was almost comical. “Should we try to get some work done or reschedule for another night?” I asked, hoping to bring us back to why we were at the library.
If we were calling the work session, I could spend tonight trying to find tutoring opportunities to send my mom some cash. That would keep me busy instead of overthinking about giving Theo Sanders a tour. I wanted to stay far away from that guy, even if he was handsome and caused my stomach to flutter. He was a constant reminder of how fragile our family was, and all I wanted to do was escape my reality. Yeah, I’d give him the tour and avoid him the rest of the year. Totally possible.
2
Theo
“Why are you smiling? It looks weird.”
I arched a brow at my teenage sister, Emily. She was seventeen and had every ounce of attitude one could at that age. I honestly loved messing with her. It brought me endless amusement. “Does my joy bother you?” I grinned wider, to the point it hurt my face. “What about now?”
“God, you’re the worst.” She rolled her eyes, but a small smirk crossed her face. I considered that a victory. Life had been tough lately, and any earned smile was a point.
“Are you coming home tonight? Can I hang at Jace’s house?”
I grunted. Jace was her super serious boyfriend who smelled weird. He also stared at her a little too long, and he had a very punchable face. Some people just did. Maybe his eyes were too close together? I wasn’t sure, but my hand itched whenever he was around. “I won’t be home until seven. Can you stay here until then?”
“Will my curfew be midnight then?”
I laughed and hit the table, causing the glass of orange juice to wiggle. “Cute. But that’s a hell no.”
“What is the point of you being my cool older brother if you don’t make the rules better?”
“Can’t help you there, Em.” I finished my bagel just as my younger brother Daniel dragged his ass into the kitchen. The kid was nine and a mess. Just complete disaster. It was strange how the three of us were so different. I was organized and studious, a clean freak. Emily was messy but particular. Daniel was a disaster.
“Hi, bud.” I ruffled his hair. “Can I get you breakfast?”
“Pop-Tarts.” He went to the pantry and pulled them out, ripping open the package and spilling crumbs everywhere. Even seeing the mess had me jumping from my chair to grab the small broom.
I swept them up as he plopped down onto the couch. A small throb started in the back of my head, but I took a few deep breaths, and it passed. I knew they were tension headaches. I’d gotten them since our mom had a stroke and moved into a rehabilitation facility a year ago. My dad used work to escape, and with her gone… no one was here anymore. My parents couldn’t handle Emily and Daniel and Penny.
Oh, did I mention Penny? She was my hellion five-year-old sister. Sass on wheels. More attitude than me on the ice. She had fire red hair and a face of freckles. I smiled just thinking about her. She was my buddy, but I was her brother, not her dad, and it was hard navigating that line.
“Okay, plan for the day, team.” I placed my hands on my hips and waited for the two older ones to look at me. “I’ll be at school this morning for class and come home to pick you all up. Then back for hockey practice. Then return for the night.”
“Sure thing, coach.” Emily went back to her phone. “Then I’m going to Jace’s house.”
“If you do schoolwork.” I pointed at her.
“Ugh, you used to be fun. I miss that Theo.”
That comment stung. Yeah. I missed him too. I was still that guy, but my family needed me. My parents were my heroes and to see them struggle? I couldn’t handle it. I asked for a transfer for senior year to be near home, and I had no regrets about it. Not one.
