“That’sSpaceballs,idiot.” Tuck threw one of my old teddy bears at him.
“You guys are all idiots,” I proclaimed, and wished, for the first time, that I wasn’t doing the heist tonight. Except if I didn’t…then this night would end, and at breakfast, there would still be a missing chair.
We watched a few minutes more.
“Guys, I hate to say it, but I have plans tonight,” I said.
“Skip it,” Tuck said.
“Can’t. It’s important.”
Charles snorted. “Important?”
“It’s important that I’m out tonight. I want to be seen publicly not caring about Ryan. Gabriela and I are going to eat steak then ice cream, then dance at Ski Bunnies until midnight.” Ski Bunnies was the only nightspot in Aspen that catered to high schoolers.
Liam opened his soda, and the bubbles gushed to the top. He held it over my trash can as it overflowed onto his fingers. “How about you skip the ‘publicly’ part and just don’t care about Ryan instead?”
It was decent advice. But it was much too late for that. “I’ve cared about him since I was three months old. I can’t turn it off just because he can.”
“I don’t think he can either,” Charles said. “But that doesn’t change what happened.”
That stopped me for a second. What if Charles was right? What if it was impossible to fix things? Impossible to go back to the way things were?Maybe it is impossible to go back,I thought.But maybe I can go forward. Maybe I can make things better.
If I can get out of this room.
“Oh, no, are we having a ‘feelings’ conversation?” Tuck asked. “If so, I’m out.” He turned the volume up on the TV. The soundtrack blared, the bass rumbling through the floor.
Louder, over the sound of blasters, I said, “I need you guys to cover for me. Please. I don’t want Dad to mess this up. This is my closure, you guys. I need this.”
All of them were looking at me.
I wasn’t lying. I would have closure.
“If it’s what you need…,” Charles said.
“It is.” I was firm.
Liam switched off the TV.
“Please, stay and keep watching. It will confuse Dad.”
He turned it back on and raised the volume even higher, which I appreciated. It would drown out our conversation.
“But you’ll need a ride,” Charles said.
“Taken care of.” I darted into my closet, grabbing the gloves and face mask and shoving them into my pocket. “Thanks. I owe you all. You’re the best brothers ever.”
“You’re just saying that to butter us up,” Tuck mumbled.
“Pretty much. Is it working?”
Charles sighed heavily. “We know we haven’t been very good brothers to you lately.”
Now who wants a “feelings” talk?I glanced at the clock. Everyone would be waiting for me. “Nah, you guys are great.Totally understand. All is forgiven.”
“But we haven’t been there for you,” Charles persisted. “It’s been just as hard on you as the rest of us. Maybe more, because of that idiot Ryan. He put you in the spotlight, and you didn’t deserve that.”
I took a deep breath. “Did you guys think any more about what I said, about stealing a hoard as a way to fix things?” If they were willing, the plan could be adapted. It would be helpful to have three experienced wyverns with me. They could have my back….
