I had a firm grip on Hawk’s hand while Knox stood next to me, holding a sleepy and overstimulated Storm.
Knox wasn’t talking, a frown on his face while he stared at his phone. “So . . . ” I started off casually. “Are you gonna tell me what’s going on?”
Knox nearly jumped out of his skin, shocked, like he’d forgotten that I was standing right next to him.
“What are you talking about?”
Knox had the same olive tone to his skin that most of us had and a similar facial structure to me. He had Mom’s blue eyes,though, the only one of us with her as a parent to get them. We had a similar lanky build, but even at seventeen, Knox had about two inches on me. He’d gotten his height from his father. I could count on one hand the number of times I had seen his dad in my lifetime, but I did remember that he was tall and huge and had loved to use that to his advantage. He’d stopped showing up one day and hadn’t been around since.
Jeez, where had that come from? I pushed the less than pleasant memory aside to focus on Knox and whatever the hell was going on with him.
“Oh, c’mon. I’m not stupid. You’ve been glaring at your phone all night. What’s up?”
We finally moved up the line some. Apparently, everyone wanted a damn snack.
“It’s no big deal. Just some stupid shit that Sam said.”
I tried to stay calm, casual, and to not think shitty things about a teenager.
“Anything I should be concerned about?”
Knox deserved his privacy and a chance to work out shit by himself, but there were certain things I couldn’t just let go, and the overprotective big brother/parental figure in me was rearing.
My dynamic with Knox had always been the toughest to navigate. He was the closest to me in age and had already turned ten when I’d finally gotten us out of that shithole. While Wynter had some memories of that time, Knox remembered everything. I’d done my best to protect and shield him from the worst of it, but it hadn’t always been possible.
I thought most of the time he still saw me as his big brother and not the father the younger ones did, which I understood, but it made things like this, when I was worried for him, difficult.
“No. He just doesn’t get it. He’s a rich kid with a happy home life. His dad is a lawyer, his mom a doctor. They have familydinner every Sunday, and his mom still bakes a cake for him and his sister every birthday. Normal family shit, you know?” I knew where this was probably going. It was why Koa had been my only friend growing up, because most kids were little shits. “I don’t think he even realized he was being an asshole, but when I called him out on it, he got pissed. Said I was being too sensitive and has been going off on me since. Anyway, it’s fine. I’m not gonna see the jerk again anyway.”
Fuck, I hated this. I hated knowing that even now, even after working my ass off to give the kids a good life, a chance at a normal childhood, they’d still been affected negatively by our parents. They were always going to have this stigma about them, and no matter how hard I tried, how much money we got, and how much stability we offered, it would never be enough.
“I’m sorry, man. That sucks.”
Knox shrugged. “I’m used to it. Besides, I knew things were never gonna work between us. He thinks Batman is the greatest superhero of all time.”
I snorted. Knox had very strong feelings on Batman. “Oh yeah, that’s a deal breaker for sure,” I teased.
Knox rolled his eyes and knocked his shoulder into me playfully. Stormy had fully fallen asleep, so Knox adjusted him so he was more comfortable.
“You know you can always come to me if you need to talk, right? About anything? Koa too.”
Knox smiled then, the first genuine one I’d seen in days. “Yeah, I know. Thanks, Riot.”
“You don’t gotta thank me for that.”
Knox didn’t get a chance to answer, as it was finally our turn. The next few minutes were spent ordering food, gathering the kids from the playground, and getting back to the bleachers in time for the second half. Once again, Koa found us right beforethe 3rd quarter started and waved before pressing his hand to his heart.
I didn’t know why I did it, I never had before, but something possessed me to return the gesture. Koa was far enough away and partially obscured by the bright stadium lights and thirty football players, so I couldn’t be sure, but for a split second, I could’ve sworn I saw Koa’s face drop. It happened so quickly that I blinked and then Koa was all smiles, blowing kisses to tease the boys before turning back to his team. Still, I could only think about that look on his face. I had to be imagining it, right? There was no reason for Koa to seem so heartbroken.
Chapter 4
Koa
My eyes kept drifting closed.It was a fucking miracle I had made it back home in one piece. Chaperoning a high school dance was not for the weak. I was so ready to crash on the couch, eat my weight in the beef stir-fry Riot had said he’d made for dinner, and watchHeated Rivalrywith him. Or maybe we’d catch up onWelcome to Derry. We’d fallen behind on both because there were always kids around. Did I want to watch hot men play hockey or a hot man act like an unhinged, terrifying clown? Big decision.
When I walked in the house, Riot and Knox were chilling on the couch, watching what looked like an anime. Not my favorite, but it was something they both enjoyed.
Riot twisted around, beaming at me. “Hey! How was it?”
