I still didn’t trust Storm Summers as far as I could throw her, but for now, I would play nice. Mostly for Molly’s benefit. Well, that and access to the family silver. Joke!
As I watched my foster brother’s back flexing with each step, I shouted, “Are we good, Reed?”
“Yeah, we’re good. See you at dinner, sis,” Reed called back over his shoulder as he went into the dining room.
“Will do, bro,” I parroted hopefully. I knew when I’d fucked up. At least I did on that occasion.
Once he’d vanished, I made my way upstairs. My palms were itching the entire time.
* ****
Dinner was a strange affair. Phoenix and Hudson were late, which never went down well with Reed, as that meant he had to wait. A hungry Reed was a cranky Reed. Interruptions to his mealtimes were unacceptable. The only time you saw Reed show any emotion was when it was related to his stomach. I had seen himpin a freshman against the cafeteria wall when he’d knocked Reed’s burger from his hand one day at school. We thought the younger guy was going to pass out.
When the door went, Ma started handing out the plates.
Finally, Nix and Hud walked into the room. As they both apologized and sat down, I could tell Nix wasn’t himself, and the fact that he hadn’t confided in me about anything yet continued to piss me off. I knew he’d gone on a road trip with Hudson, and I felt jealous. Jealous that their bond was more important than ours had been.
Everyone attempted to make conversation, but the atmosphere was off. I was also overcompensating for being a bitch to Reed earlier. It made me feel like a cartoon character.
“How’s everything with you and Molly, Hudson?” Ma suddenly blurted out, dragging everyone’s eyes from their plates. Ma had cooked meatballs, my favorite.
“Yeah, good, Ma,” he replied, shoving an entire forkful of spaghetti into his mouth.
“She’s such a sweet girl and so good with Harper.” Great. She made me sound like a child with special needs.
“Thanks, Ma,” I huffed, jabbing my fork into a meatball.
“You should take a leaf out of Molly’s book, Harper,” Reed began with a curl to his lip. I knew payback was coming for my comment earlier. His response to my overly nice behavior hadn’t been what I had hoped for. No guessing as to where he wanted to buryhishatchet.
“How so?” I asked with a sweet smile.
“Well, she could give you a few tips.”
“On what?” I could tell where this was going, but I played along and gave him a sense of victory after my meanness.
“How to be more feminine and act like a girl,” Reed smirked.
“As opposed to what?” Nix snorted. Fuck knew whose sidehewas on.
“A teenage boy.”
I was just about to say something about Storm and looking slutty, but was fortunately cut off.
“Enough,” Hudson barked. Shutting that shit down. “You don’t need any help from Molly, Harper. You’re fine as you are.”
Ma shifted in her seat and glanced around the table. “I’m surprised you’re not seeing each other tonight.”
“I dropped by her place earlier,” Hudson confessed, wiping his mouth with his napkin. “She’s having a movie night with Richard,” he added, using Principal Miller’s first name. Funny how they used to hate each other. But then Hudsonhadsaved his daughter’s life, a fact that was sure to speed up any bonding process.
“I hope you guys are being careful,” Reed tittered with a huge smirk, and I almost choked on my water. The expression on Hudson’s face broke some of the tension in the room. It was the first time I had seen him look faintly embarrassed.
“That’s enough of that, Reed. Hudson isn’t stupid.” OMG, if Ma started talking about safe sex at the table, I would die on the spot.
Phoenix nudged me with his foot and shot me a look of warning as I attempted not to laugh. I rubbed my nose with my finger, slyly flipping him off, and his eyes narrowed.
What? It was refreshing to see our eldest brother knocked off his perch for once.
And then we all started talking about football, me included.
