I tune in long enough to hear him say, “So you would pretend to be me for a few weeks and—”
My arm jerks, almost knocking over the rest of my tea. “Wait, what?”
“I said, you’d be doing me a huge,hugefavor if you took my place. It’s only for two weeks.”
It finally dawns on me what Kellan wants. He wants me to pose as him, to cover his ass while he’s off doing God knows what, so that he won’t get suspended or worse, kicked off the team. It’s a blatant breech in contract. I’m not sure how severely they punish skipping out on practices, but he would get more than a slap on the wrist.
I wait to see if he’ll add aJust kiddingon the end that. But no. Kellan is serious. Why am I not surprised?
Calm falls over me. The way to combat Kellan’s dumb ideas are to pretend they don’t exist. “So let me get this straight. You want me to pretend to be you for two weeks? At a sport I have no idea how to play?” If he were here in person, I’d laugh in his face, just as he’s done to me so many times before. As it is, I have to satisfy myself with over the phone.
“No.”
“But—”
“No.”
“Noah—”
“Did you not hear me the first two times?” I lash out, clenching the phone in claw-like fingers. “Because the answer hasn’t changed. You’re insane. But I shouldn’t be surprised. It will never work.”
“Of course it won’t work, because you’re not even giving it consideration. If you thought for a moment—”
“Oh, I’m thinking all right.” I’m thinking there’s no way Kellan and I have the same DNA. He has to be a changeling. “Are you on drugs?”
His voice whips out, low and frustrated. “Don’t be an ass. You know I wouldn’t risk anything for the team.”
Belatedly, I realize he’s right. “Sorry. That was uncalled for.”
The tension lingers—and deflates. “It’s fine.” Kellan, always so easy going, has never been one to hold a grudge, thankfully. It’s probably one of his best traits. I’m not a grudge holder myself, but it’s much harder to let things roll off my back. With him, the rest of my family, the world—it’s too easy to take things personally.
“The answer is still no.”
He sighs, as if he didn’t want it to come to this. I fight the urge to roll my eyes. “Listen, Noah. I didn’t want to pull this card, but as your older brother—”
A rough, disbelieving laugh falls from my mouth. As if. “You were born twelve minutes earlier. Big deal. And I have to say, I think you got the worst end of the bargain. Thanks for saving most of the placenta for me.”
A silence drops between us. I smirk as he splutters, “That’s disgusting.”
“It got you to shut up, so I’d say it’s a win.” Rising from my desk, I stretch the kinks from my back and wander over to my couch, flopping onto the cushions to stare at the fan whirling overhead. It’s a Tuesday night. Most people are asleep, but not me. Night is when my brain comes alive. Staying up into the early hours of the morning is how I’ve built this game, month by month, week by week, day by day. My usual bedtime, as such, is between two and three.
My eyes burn. I squeeze them shut and listen to my brother’s low, sand-papery voice. “What will it take for you to agree to this?”
“Guess what, Kellan? Just because you ask for something, doesn’t mean you’re going to get it. It’s something you’re just going to have to get used to.”
“Noah.Please,” he whines. The sound grates on me. I’m imagining his hands clasped together in prayer.
You know what? I’ll humor him, just this once.
“Let me think for a minute.”
A few minutes of blessed silence follow. I use the time to think about what Kellan wants. Then I think aboutwhyhe wants it. Why does he want me to switch places with him? That’s the key. When I know what he truly wants, I’ll know how to exploit it.
“You haven’t said why you want us to switch places.”
“About that. I can’t tell you.”
“Can’t, or won’t?”
