“None of your business,” Bram answered grimly.
Adam smirked. “You’re embarrassed. Is itTwilight?” He pretended to double-check the list.
“Something like that.” Bram’s eyes remained on his phone, and Adam realized he was watching the video of their last preseason game. So his brother wasn’t as calm and collected as he appeared. Their first game of the season was tonight, and though he hid it well, Bram was obviously jittery.
“You’ll do great tonight.” Adam slapped his brother on the back, harder than necessary, before returning to his seat.
***
In the parking lot, Mariana Sanchez was leaning against the boys’ Mustang. Adam’s heart skipped at the sight.
But he soon spotted Bram in the driver’s seat, and his heart sank again. The two were chatting through the open window, waiting forthe others to arrive. Adam had forgotten they were giving Mariana a lift, so she could wait at the house while the brothers finished working on her car.
“Hi, Adam,” Mariana said sweetly. Even dressed as she was in a modest pair of jeans and a turquoise sweater, Adam had trouble keeping his eyes off her.
“I’m driving,” Adam said without returning the salutation. He opened the door and stood there, waiting. Finally, Bram lifted his hands off the wheel and got out of the car, exchanging a look with Mariana that saidI have no idea what this is about.
That was the truth, Adam thought. Bram had no idea that Adam didn’t want to sit in a car with Mariana. He had no clue that Adam would rather walk all the way home than share the back seat with that girl.
But Mariana knew. She was the one who had a reason to be sorry.
Fortunately, Adam had a plan. One that would fix everything.
“This thing only seats four,” Adam grumbled. “And we already promised Hayden a ride.”
“We can squeeze,” Bram said, sliding into the back. Mariana followed, pressing in so close, she was practically on his lap. “Problem solved,” he added. In the rearview window, Adam caught the vibrant blush on Mariana’s cheeks.
“Not exactly legal,” Adam said, though that wasn’t what bothered him.
“It’s a five-minute drive,” Bram said.
When Henry and Hayden arrived, Henry took the passengerseat. Hayden squeezed in the back with the lovebirds, and Adam started the ignition. Even as he exited the school parking lot, he couldn’t help but glance again at Bram and Mariana in the rearview mirror. Their fingers were interlocked, and Mariana giggled at something Bram whispered in her ear.
It all made Adam’s stomach curl.
They wove through the residential streets and onto the open country road, soon reaching Hayden’s house, a modest single-story with faded gray wood siding and white trim. Hayden hadn’t even shut the car door behind her when Adam started to pull away.
“Wait!” Henry shouted. He glared at Adam, who braked. “Hayden’s grabbing a book for me.”
“Fine,” Adam murmured, his skin itching to escape the car. “Why does she have your book?”
“It’s notmybook,” he said as Hayden raced back down the steps. “She said she had an extra copy.” Hayden reached the passenger side, thrusting a pristine copy ofFrankensteinthrough the open window.
“Thanks,” Henry said.
“No problem. I’ll see you tonight at the—”
Adam stepped on the gas then, pulling away from the house before she finished the sentence.
“What the hell, Adam?” Henry snapped. “That was so rude.”
Adam peeked in the rearview mirror, catching Bram’s disapproving eye before he spotted Hayden standing by the side of the road, her diminishing figure as still as a scarecrow.
“I’ve got homework to do before the game,” Adam barked. “Andin case you forgot, we have to finish Mariana’s car. So I don’t have all day.”
“We all have homework and football. Doesn’t mean you can treat people that way.” Henry huffed and started flipping through the pages of the novel.
“We’re reading the same book,” Adam said, trying to lighten the mood he’d single-handedly wrecked.
