My twin wraps one arm around him and I and lifts herself up. “Onward, brothers! We can show you to your new room.”
I release a sigh and look past her to Keoni. The smile he holds on his face slips into a sad one with the curve of his thick eyebrows.
“Yeah… sounds good.” His sad tone is how my heart feels.
Jeez. Why does this hurtsomuch?
Age 14
“So, how’s it feel to be God’s favorite?” I can tell in Amber’s tone she’s agitated, but it isn’t likewechose this.
I can promise I sure as heck didn’t.
It barely took a week before rumors started to spread. The front of our school is where most people got dropped off, and suddenly, Alysa, Keoni, and I were showing up together. Real subtle.
“Wouldn’t that make me, like, the devil’s favorite? Forbidden fruit,Amber,” my twin says through a frustrated groan. “I can’t flirt with my soon to be stepbrother. It’s freaking torture.”
Mandy leans against my shoulder, staying quiet. She doesn’t have interest in Keoni—or at least, not as much as she has in me. It’s Amber who’s been nonstop annoying about the whole thing. I think even the football team is sick of her; I’ve overheard a few complaints.
Crossing my legs, I lean forward to pack away my notes and textbooks. JV practice ended about thirty minutes ago and I’m exhausted. Not from thatexactly—I’ve just been doing too much lately. My own practice and games, then staying late to watch the Varsity team,for obvious reasons. Both their practices and games, it’s all starting to catch up to me.
But it isn’t just physical exhaustion. There’s this strange, emotional tiredness I’m not used to. It’s hard to explain—as though I’m not being myself or maybe like I’m constantly pushing my feelings down. It’s draining.
The sound of shuffling pulls me out of my head. When I look up, a group of JV players are breaking apart, their quarterback slamming a ball between his hands.
“Have you seen him naked?”
“Amber!! That is so wildly inappropriate!” I don’t know who shouts at her, but it isn’t Alysa or Mandy.
“What I wouldn’t give?—”
“Enough, you’re being disgusting.” Nowthat’smy sister. “Keep that stuff locked in your head. Don’t disrespect him like that…”
I narrow my gaze up at Jason, said quarterback. He’s popping his head back and forth, eyes trained right at Amber. As they shout at one another, he aims the footballrightat the back of her head.
I really should just let it hit her. She deserves it.
But stupidly, I shout, “Get down!”
I’m just shifting to my knee when she does exactly as I say. The ball slams into the track turf in the middle of our circle. It hits tip-first and ricochets straight into my face.
At least, I think it does. The throbbing pulse in my nose and left eye tells me that’s the case.
Noiseerupts. From shouting to the shuffling around me, too many hands grabbing at me. I drag in a sharp breath, tasting asphalt and rubber from the track below.
“Get away from him!” Keoni’s voice breaks through all the chaos.
“Ouch,” I hiss through clenched teeth as I start to shift onto my elbow, finally getting some relief from the crowd pressing in on me.
“You’re lucky, Jason.” Keo’s voice is getting closer, but no less angry.
“Watch it, Keoni! It was a fucking accident!”
“Yeah, and so will me breaking your arm.”
The sound of a loud whistle blares and I suck in a sharp breath.
“Enough!” I’m certain that was the Varsity coach.
