Nope. Nu-uh. No way.
I amnotgoing there. Not with him. Not in my overly vivid imagination. Not out of it either.
It’s in that moment I decide Milo and I probably shouldn’t be friends either.Clearly,it’s best to keep my distance before my brain is bested by my body and my pride is irreparably wounded.
Curiosity is the heart’s mistake.
Eve and her apple,
Orpheus looking back at Eurydice.
I really shouldn’t want you.
But, I do.
—P.W.
Six
Milo
I woke upto the sounds of screaming children, flat-footed footsteps running on the floorboards above my head, and the booming call of my brother’s voice toslow down!I lay in my darkened bedroom, falling back asleep and waking and falling and waking over and over between sounds of my nieces and nephews yelling, breaking things, or crying.
There aresomany kids in this house.
“Mi?” Sef’s sweet voice calls through my bedroom door before she knocks twice. “Are you decent?”
“Never, you know that,” I say back, my voice groggier than I’d expected. I sit up in bed and run two hands down my face. “But yeah, I’m dressed.”
With that, Sef opens the door but doesn’t step all the way inside. “Your brother is insisting I should let you sleep in, but webothknow he’ll give you a hard time later if you don’t go with him to—”
“I’m up,” I interrupt, rubbing the sleep out of my eyes and blinking them until they can open wider. “Has he left yet?”
“No, he’s just loading the truck now. You’ve got about fifteen, maybe twenty.”
“Hey, Sef?” I say, tossing the blanket off my lap, locking tired eyes with her somehow perky ones. “Is it likethisevery day?” I point up to the ceiling as a well-timed child yells, “GIVE IT BACK!”
“Pretty much.” She shrugs, adjusting the laundry basket on her hip.
“You are an actual saint.” I turn and plant my feet on the floor then bend over to stretch my neck.
“I’m a mom,” she says, correcting me.
I turn my face toward her before straightening. “The way you do it? It’s the same thing,” I say, groaning as I stand.
“It’s chaotic, sure, but then the bus comes. And once it’s just me and Quinn…” She opens the door wider, stepping farther inside, and picks up yesterday’s bundle of clothes from beside my dresser and drops them into the hamper. “Would you believe me if I told you I miss them when they’re at school?”
“Believe you? Yes. Anyone else? No,” I say, reaching into the hamper to take back my clothes and drop them onto the floor once more. “I will do my own laundry, Sef.”
“Sorry, force of habit.” Her gaze moves to the sketchbook that’s lying open on my bedside table and a teasing grin forms, creasing the skin beside her moss-colored eyes. “Who’s that?”
“Someone.” I tug open my second dresser drawer.
“Well, everyone is.” She smiles at my side profile knowingly. “This wouldn’t happen to be the mystery girl your brother was telling me about, would it? Welch’s daughter?”
I take off my shirt, drop it into the pile of clothes at my feet, and reach in the drawer for a white tank, giving it a quick sniff before I throw it on. “You and Nik gossiping about me again?”
“You know, Idoneed some things for the house…” Sef says, spinning to face the door after I gesture for her to do so with onerotating finger out in front of me. I drop trow as she continues rambling. “We need, uh, eggs, flour, apples, pickles…” I pull my boxers on, rolling my eyes up at the ceiling.
