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How much trouble has Joliet gotten you into since I returned to campus?
There he was. She smiled. That caring, protective brother and the only other person in their family who could see right through Joliet. Growing up, he was her only comfort in the many places they moved through before Richmond, when it felt like everyone else saw her as a burden in the way of Joliet. She wasn’t sure she would have survived it all without him.
Which also meant the last two years had been a struggle during the school year. Letters only do so much in offering the support and comfort she often wished he was there to give in person.
She read the rest: small rants about classes, about professors, and the beauty he’d found in the city. The last line, like always, ended the same:Write back to me soon.
Folding up the letter, she opened the drawer of her desk so she could slide it in with the many others she had received as a reminder of one of her favorite people and favorite things, right next to an assortment of some of her proudest academic achievements.
The closest phone not in Joliet’s room was in the kitchen, where she picked it up and dialed the number she’d memorized.
It rang a few times, and for a moment Tully wondered if he was busy, but then the line picked up and she perked at the sound of her brother’s familiar voice.
“Hello?” Eugene’s voice sent relief through her.
“You know, itispossible to write like a normal human being. Not everything has to sound so old-fashioned.”
“It’s all about building a different voice through writing style. The most renowned writers in history were skilled at it,” he said, picking up on her effortlessly.
“I’ve read three Shakespeare plays, and they all sound the exact same to me.”
“Maybe that is a sign that you need to start doing more writing instead of calling me every time you get a letter.”
“I’m far too busy for all of that.”
“What on earth could be keeping youthatbusy?”
She opened her mouth, ready to spout off everything that had happened the past few weeks. About Joliet, and Erik, and Nathan and this entire mess she’d somehow been sucked into. Acting was taking up all her time. Then her mouth snapped shut. She wasn’t ready to tell him all that though. Too many questions would follow. She’d just skip the main plot and stick to minor details.
“I’m going to a basketball game tomorrow.”
Tully could feel his confused chuckle through the phone. “Since when have you cared about basketball?”
“It’s my senior year. Might as well start enjoying some things that high school has to offer before I leave. Like basketball games and homecoming.”
“Homecoming too?” he laughed this time. “Has Joliet officially gotten into your head?”
In a way, yes. “As if.”
“Well, I certainly hope not. I’d take Tulsa over another Joliet any day.”
Thank God for English major brothers who knew exactly what to say. “It’s just going to be some fun with friends.”
“Like that boyfriend of yours?”
Tully stiffened. Did he already know about this thing with Nathan? As far as she knew, she was the only one he regularly kept in contact with, so how could he have found out about it already?
“Last I heard your six-month anniversary was coming up.”
Oh. Ithadbeen a while since they last spoke. Or, more accurately, everything had been happening so fast she hadn’t even had a chance to properly explain everything. “Oh, um. Erik and I actually broke up.”
“What? When did that happen? I thought you really liked him.”
She did. She liked him a whole lot. If she told Eugene the whole story right now, she was positive he would go on a rampage. He’d be on her side in an instant. He’d be just as pissed at Joliet as she was, and he’d be willing to put Erik in his place for her.
But she couldn’t bring herself to do it. After everything, it felt wrong to expose both herself and Joliet like that. Tully wasn’t innocent in this anymore—not since she started this with Nathan. “I wasn’t feeling it anymore.”
Eugene hummed over the line, like he was thinking about her answer. “To be honest, I wasn’t that impressed with him anyway.”
