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“Told ya you should have called him,” Grant tells her from his spot behind her. Both Patrick and Jon are with them as well. I knew I was right about something bad happening. Here it is.
“Hey, guys. Um, come in.” I grab Olivia’s hand as we step aside so she can’t leave me.
“Luce wanted to surprise you and take you out to dinner before you had to go to work,” Jon explains. “And you know she can’t leave Grant behind.” He’s teasing her, but she sends him a glare anyway.
Once they’re in my apartment, they all turn to look at Olivia and me. “This is Olivia. Olivia, that’s Lucy, my sister, Grant, her boyfriend, Jonathan and Patrick, my brothers.” I know Luce wouldn’t know Patrick and Olivia have already met, so I make sure to introduce them as if they haven’t.
“Nice to meet all of you,” she smiles.
“You wanted to go eat, Luce?” She nods, glancing back and forth between Olivia and me. “Okay. Give us a second, and we’ll be ready to go.” I drag her into my room, closing the door behind us. “I told you,” I whisper. “You’re going, right?” I add as I pick up my jacket from where I threw it on the bed earlier.
“If you want me to.” I give her a look and she laughs. “That’ll be a yes. I’ll go drop these off at my apartment and grab my hoodie, so I won’t freeze.” Olivia goes to walk past me, but I wrap my fingers around her wrist, stopping her. One look at me and she gives me a reassuring smile. “It’ll be fine. Maybe even fun.”
“I hope so.”
I let her go and go back to face the group. Why in the hell would Patrick let Luce surprise me? Or Jon, for that matter. They both know I hate surprises, but Luce loves them, so maybe that’s why they kept silent.
“Who is she?” Lucy asks the second Olivia is out the door. “Is she still coming?”
“Yeah, she lives across the hall. She’s Olivia.” I know what Lucy wants to know. Who Olivia is to me. When her eyes narrow, I add, “She’s a friend, Luce.”
“Oh, well, I’m sorry we didn’t call first. We aren’t interrupting your plans, are we?”
“Not really.” Olivia reenters wearing her hoodie. “Ready?” I ask, and she nods. We all shuffle out. There’s too many of us to all ride together, so Olivia and I ride in my car, following them to the usual restaurant we go to on the off chance my siblings do visit.
The radio is the only sound as we drive. I shouldn’t be freaking out over having dinner with my siblings, but I am a little bit. I have to lie to all of them all at the same time. It’s going to be hard and exhausting. We’re seated quickly, Olivia and Patrick with me on my side of the table with Jon, Luce, and Grant on the other side.
Lucy wastes no time either. “Do you go to school with Corey, Olivia?” She can say what she will about us being annoyin
g and overprotective, but she has it in her too a little bit.
“Not exactly. I’m a sophomore, so I’m a few years behind him. I’m going to become a therapist. You’re a sophomore too, right?”
They talk about school for a few minutes before the waitress comes to take our drink order. Apparently satisfied for now, Lucy turns her attention to me. “What time do you have to go into work?”
“I don’t work tonight.” Not a lie. Just because I’m not talking about the same job she is shouldn’t matter too much.
“How are you doing in school?”
Olivia pokes my leg. She obviously thinks this would be a good time to tell them that I’m not in school. Should I? I could keep it from them a while longer still. I don’t know if it’s a good idea or not. What would my excuse be? I’m not telling them about the psychiatrist and the antidepressants. I refuse.
“Corey?” Lucy looks at me expectantly. I’ve taken too long to answer and everyone’s looking at me instead of their menus.
“Fine,” I blurt out. “I’m doing fine, Luce. Are you all still passing your classes?” They nod. “What are y’all doing for spring break next month? Are you still going with Grant?”
“Yeah, we’re going down south to the beach.” Lucy is excited, I can tell by the grin on her face.
“His parents will be there, right?” I don’t want to think about my baby sister going to spend a week in a beach house alone with her boyfriend.
Lucy rolls her eyes, but Grant answers. “That’s why she’s coming. I’m ready for her to meet my parents and they love a good excuse to take a trip, so we’re renting a beach house for the week. Should be fun.”
“And what are you two doing?” Neither of my brothers have mentioned their plans to me yet.
Jon speaks first. “I’m going to see Grandma and Grandpa since I didn’t go for Christmas. Luce keeps guilt-tripping me about it.”
I try not to smile.
“I’m still working on my plans,” Patrick says. “What are you going to do?”
