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I’ve barely spoken to Kade in a year, and I’ve talked to him twice today.
I don’t want to talk to him again before the game. Not when I’m so close. If we’re ever going to get over this, it can wait until I beat him on the field. After that, I’ll be happy to talk.
I doubt he really wants to, though. He called this morning to get in my head. He had Dylan, now he doesn’t. He feels like he’s losing control.
He hasn’t changed one bit.
Coral Lapinksi breezes past, carrying a trash bag into the living room. “Hey.”
I head for the stairs, glancing in and seeing Codi Gundry, Coral, and Arlet Rhodes sweeping, dusting, and picking up Farrow and the guys’ pizza boxes.
“I told you, you guys don’t have to do that,” I grumble.
Arlet dumps an armful of beer cans in the bag that Coral holds open. “Farrow says we do.”
I shake my head. “My mother would never pick up my dad’s shit,” I say. “And he married her. Farrow Kelly won’t fall in love with you for this. Put it down.”
“Who says he’s the one we come over here to see?” Coral teases.
I arch my brow.
Arlet’s eyes gleam. “You’re cute.”
“And nice,” Coral adds. “Smart.”
“And rich,” Arlet chimes in again.
They both laugh.
“And,” the latter continues, “There’s two of you.”
They laugh louder, and I turn away. That was pretty much the gist of it in ShelburneFalls too.
Codi can hang around all she wants, but I need to tell Farrow to keep those other girls out of here. He can clean up his own shit.
I climb the stairs, feeling my phone vibrate in my hoodie.
I reach into my pocket, hearing Arlet behind me. “At your service, Hunter Caruthers,” she sing-songs.
Dadappears on the screen. I answer, “Hi.”
“So, A.J. has collected every college brochure and mailer that arrives,” he tells me without a greeting back. “She’s saving them for you.”
I smile a little as I open the door to my room. My little sister is hard for everyone to keep up with, and I wouldn’t have her any other way.
“She inspects everything,” he says, “reads it thoroughly, and has sorted them according to location, and then specialty. She’s changed her major six times, Hunter.”
I can’t help it. I shake with a laugh I don’t let him hear. A.J. is nine years old, and she won’t leave for college for another nine, but that doesn’t stop her from being proactive about her future. I’m sure all the college mail Kade and I are getting has spurred her imagination.
“I’m going to have to go through this with her again for real someday,” my dad grumbles. “Would you give me a break here?”
I pull the phone away from my ear, slipping the hoodie over my head, taking the T-shirt with it. “Tell her I’m not going to college.”
“You’re not what?” he blurts out. “If you think you’re just going to—”
“No, no. I’m going,” I assure him, kicking off my shoes. “I saidtellher I’m not. See how her head explodes.”
A.J. is very goal oriented. As an adult, she’d be intimidating. As a kid, it’s kind of creepy. I love it, though. Even if I do worry a little. When she gets old enough to start executing all of these grand plans, she’s going to find that nothing will go how she wants. People come along and fuck you up.
