I wrapped my lips around the straw and took a sip. “I have so much math homework to get through tonight it’s not even funny. Quadratics are evil.”
“I can help you later. If you can explain what the heck is going on in this book.” Grace dug out a worn copy ofThe Giver, our current assignment for Honors English class.
“Deal. But just to be clear, you’re still the super-smart friend, and I’m the wild one. When we get to college, you’ll be dragging me to class and I’ll be dragging you to bars.”
She stirred her drink around and around in the glass, barely smiling, just staring at the crushed cubes floating on top.
“Sorry,” I said. “Didn’t mean to bring up college. I know you’re worried about the financial aid part.”
We’d been dreaming of going off to school together in some city, but at the same time, neither of us knew how we’d pay for it.
“No, it’s not that. It’s about my brother.”
Heat raced over my skin. “Yeah? Which one?”
Grace had a framed picture of her three older brothers in her room. There was Grayden, the intense one. Ashford, the grumpiest one. And Callum, the golden retriever goofball. All of them tall, athletic men, all known to females throughout Silver Ridge as extremely hot and extremely eligible.
But Grayden was the only one who made my gaze linger and made longing stir in my chest.
“It’s Callum. He’s talking about enlisting.”
My lips flinched into a frown. This wasn’t a surprise, since Grayden and Ashford were already in the Army. But still.
I took another sip and swallowed. “When?”
“I don’t know. Maybe soon.” Then she added in a whisper, “Piper, I’m scared.”
“Hey. It’s okay. Itisscary.”
I wasn’t sure if she was scared about the two of us being entirely on our own, because my mom certainly didn’t count as an authority figure. Or if she was afraid of having three brothers in the service and the risk that one of them wouldn’t make it home.
I understood both fears. My brother Teller was a soldier too, and the O’Neals were like family to me.
“Everything will be alright.” I put my hand over hers on the table.
She tilted her head, lips curving sadly. “If anyone could make me believe it, it’s you. You’re the best. I love you.”
“Love you too.”
Yep. It was settled. I could never in a million years confess my dirty thoughts about Grayden to her. Grace would be horrified. So would Teller, though for different reasons of course.
We finished our lime-aids, then walked the couple of blocks back to school to get our bikes. I had homework and chores to take care of. With Teller stationed on the other side of the country, if I didn’t clean up my house, nobody would.
Maybe Grace would, though. She was kind of elf-like. All cute and short and helpful.
Wind streamed through our hair as we biked home. “Dinner at 6:30?” Grace asked when both our houses were in sight. “Callum has work, but there’s leftovers from that pot of spaghetti he made last night.”
“Yum. Definitely. See you then.”
Grace and I had still been in elementary school when Grayden left for the Army. Teller—who was ten years older than me—hadn’t been far behind, eager to join his best friend. Then Ashford enlisted a few years later.
Callum had graduated from Silver Ridge High last year, and now he was waiting tables at a diner on Main Street. But it didn’t surprise me much that he wanted out of Silver Ridge, like the rest of them.
Sucked to know another of our brothers wanted to leave us behind, though.
Of course, they had good reasons. They wanted to make something of themselves, more than they could in our small town. And they sent money to us every month. We were proud of them. Teller had just joined Special Forces, making him an elite Green Beret.
Yet Grayden was the one we all looked up to the most. There was just something about him. Grayden had acted all grown-up even as a teenager. Taking care of his siblings, always gentle and watchful with his intense, sad eyes.
