Albert scowled, then seemed to get ahold of himself. His smile was as fake as mine. “Does that mean you’re getting along with him? I don’t want to hear that you’re causing trouble again. Another repeat of last year and you know what’ll happen.”
Ah, threats again. Yes, if I did what I’d supposedly done last spring, he would send me right back to that place. I wanted to ask him under what authority he’d do that, considering I was twenty-two, but he had his ways and I really didn’t feel like pushing it right now.
Instead, I pretended to think about his question, then said, “You know, I do recall there being some kind of issue with last year’s roommate. What was it again…” I squinted up at the ceiling, then snapped my fingers. “Oh! That’s right. He wouldn’t stop destroying my stuff. Yeah, he wasn’t easy to get along with.” Albert’s lips pursed in a very unattractive way. “But this new guy seems great. Thanks for the present, Albie.”
The intense stare he leveled me with might have turned anyone else to ash, but I was used to him trying to intimidate me with his looks. It hadn’t worked when I was six and it didn’t work now.
He took a deep breath, then smiled and dabbed at his lips with his napkin and turned his attention toward his perfect son. “Everett, how’s fencing this year? Is Garrett Gorman still taking private lessons with that French fellow?”
I leaned forward in my seat and looked expectantly at Everett, who was politely chewing his filet mignon with his mouth closed.
How Albert and Evelyn had thought we looked alike, I’d never know. And though part of me wished they’d never adopted me in the first place, I usually told that part to fuck off because then I wouldn’t have Val.
I wouldn’t have anyone at all.
Getting to have Val as a brother was worth all of Albert’s inept parenting Everett’s bullshit.
Evelyn was just sitting there, staring unseeing at the plate of food in front of her. She looked like she’d popped a few too many pills before this wonderful family event.
She was looking paler and thinner by the day, and Albert was looking fatter and redder. It was like he was sucking the life out of her. He probably was; they’d never been a super lovey-dovey couple, and maybe I would’ve liked Evelyn had I met her before Everett’s twin died—but then again, maybe not.
She was the kind of person who’d married a man like Albert. In my eyes, he had zero redeeming qualities. He might not be outright evil like Everett, but he was painfully ignorant of the things his oh-so-perfect son had done. He refused to believe Everett was capable of anything outside of perfection, which meant Val and I had to suffer because of his denial.
Mostly me.
It was a relief that Everett left Val alone most of the time, that he utterly despised onlyme.
If Evelyn put down the oxy for a few days and decided to join us back in the real world, maybe she’d see things as they were and try to do something about it. But the fact was, she’d decided to just take an extended break from reality and I had strong doubts she ever planned on returning.
Val deserved parents that actually gave a fuck about him; he was the sweetest person I’d ever met, and it boggled the mind that he was related to any of these people. But I supposed there were few of us in life that truly got what we were owed. I tried todo my best to be the kind of family he deserved, and he was the only reason I put up with the rest of it.
I’d never leave him to deal with them by himself, no matter what Everett or Albert did or didn’t do.
Everett’s voice became an annoying drone that I tuned out as he talked to Albert about fencing.
These family dinners were the absolute worst, but I’d never let Val face them alone.
He was too soft.
My thoughts drifted to Reese and how softhewas. Everywhere. His hair, his skin, his body—despite how thin he was, he was squishy. So squishable. I’d slept better than I had in a long time just holding onto him.
And he smelled so fucking good, too. I’d buried my nose in his hair and just sniffed it to sleep like the weirdo I was.
I could spend every night like that.
I wondered if he’d let me.
Ha. No, definitely not. He’d scratch my eyes out before he let me touch him.
After dinner ended, Val and I were getting ready to leave when Albert said, “Ride back with your brother.”
A laugh escaped me. Fuck that, I wasn’t getting in a car with Everett. “No. We’re good. It’s a lovely evening for a walk.”
“Ride back with me,bro.” Everett’s smile was as unkind as his eyes, and so was the one I gave to him in return.
“Nah. Come on, Val.”
“Bye Mom, see you next week!” Val called with a wave to Evelyn, who was just staring into space. She was on an entirely different planet.
