“What time is dawn exactly?” Silas unlocked his phone, searching for the answer.
“She means sunset,” Kai informed in a lackluster tone.
I made a face. “The quote uses the word ‘dawn,’ so I mean ‘dawn.’”
“Well, are you planning on us going to a party at six AM?” Silas frowned. “Because Kai’s right. Dawn’s in the morning. And that’s when I prefer coming home from a party.”
I waved my hand. “Okay, okay. Jeez. It was a figure of speech. What I meant to say is be ready, and we’re going to party our asses off together… sober.”
“You should have just said that, then.” Kai turned back to his research, unimpressed with my antics.
“It would have been easier,” Silas agreed.
“Oh my God!” I turned on my heel, done with them for at least the next six hours. “You two always drag things out.”
“We’ll work on your vocab later,” Kai called after me in a rare moment of teasing. “Wouldn’t want you embarrassing yourself.”
I heard Silas laugh and told them both, “Bite me.”
Chapter 5
AsIgotreadyto go out, my eyes kept straying to my camera on the dresser. My promise to myself last year came in two parts: no dating and no more putting off film.
Before Tyler, I used to carry a camera and notebook everywhere. I had big ideas and hopes of one day becoming a director. The longer I stayed with him, the more I morphed into what he wanted. Even though he was an ass, my changing wasn’t entirely his fault. I didn’t put my foot down because coasting was easier.
Now, I was scared to start again. Refraining from dating was less intimidating. Picking up the camera again would take more work, and there was more risk of failure.
I reached for a jacket instead of the Canon. Tomorrow, I promised myself. Tomorrow I wouldn’t be afraid and would take one step closer to being Emmy before the sign incident. The Emmy who didn’t let the actions of others make her feel small. Tomorrow.
“Are we all ready?” I asked once I descended the stairs. Kai and Silas were waiting near the base.
“I call shotgun,” Silas declared as he pushed off the wall and towards the door.
“Allof us are ready?” I hinted once more, giving my brother another chance to change his mind.
“Yeah, Emmy. We’re ready,” Kai said in a dry tone.
The three of us standing side-by-side looked like a game of ‘guess which one doesn’t belong.’ I’d put on dark jeans, my favorite gray tee, and an oversized jean jacket. Silas was in his travel outfit, sweats, and a sweatshirt, with wild, finger-combed hair. While Kai wore something similar to what he wore to the team dinner night. He looked ready for an interview.
“Are you comfortable?” I grabbed my car keys on the hook near the door. I was driving since I was the one with the address Dakota scribbled on a Post-It.
“Very,” Kai confirmed.
Then we’d leave it at that.
Silas connected his phone to my car’s Bluetooth as soon as I turned on the engine. I smiled when he put on an old playlist we’d curated in high school. I rolled the windows down as we drove through the campus. The air smelt like it was going to rain, so I crossed my fingers we’d get clear skies long enough for whatever was planned.
“What is this exactly?” Kai asked, practically reading my wandering mind as I pulled into a soccer field parking lot. “And how did you learn about it?”
I turned off the car and took my time coming up with an answer for my brother. Kai couldn’t care less about me dating guys on the team. Still, I’m sure he preferred my current goal of quitting dating altogether. He’d never been the kind of brother who was aggressively protective. Kai looked out for me in subtle ways. Which was why I couldn’t muster the courage to confess our invite came from a guy on the team. He figured I learned my lesson with Tyler and trusted I wouldn’t make the same mistake twice. Fawning over Dakota would look like a mistake in Kai’s eyes.
“I heard a few players talking about it at the dinner.” I unbuckled my seatbelt and started out of the car.
“You didn’t go to the dinner,” Kai reminded me with suspicion in his voice.
“I’m an eavesdropper,” I reminded him. “You know that.”
“Facts,” Silas agreed a little too quick for my liking.
