Milo throws his hands up. “Why am I getting punished?”
“Your room is neat and tidy, sweetie,” Mrs. Nelson says, grinning. “That’s much nicer for a girl to stay in.”
“I’m not that neat,” I say, feeling awkward at the thought of stepping into Milo’s bedroom.
“You’ll never find anything in Kai’s bedroom,” Mrs. Nelson says to me. “Plus, you need an organized environment to study. Milo’s room will be perfect.”
Milo gives his mother an incredulous look. “But it’s like that because I use it to study. Where am I gonna go?”
His mother pats the table. “The dining room will be fine for you. Besides, I’m sure you and Jamie will continue your tutoring down here, anyway. Don’t worry, honey. It’ll all work out.”
Milo looks away from his mother, shaking his head. I squirm in my seat, feeling like a true invader. Milo glances my way, and I sink further down in my seat. I want to be the one bunking with Kai. Where in the world did Mrs. Nelson get the idea something would happen between me and Kai?Eww. He’s basically my brother.
I don’t dare speak up. I just need a yes to me moving in. Once I’m in, and Aunt Maddy has landed in Hawaii, I’m sure Kai and I can protest our way into the same bedroom. Milo can then happily disappear into his “neat and tidy” room.
Kai takes a deep breath in, the sign he’s about to launch into a tirade. I draw his attention, slicing my hand across my neck. He shuts his yap, tilting his head at my signal. He relaxes on his seat and gives me a nod. I smile, happy our non-verbal communication is as on point as ever.
“Now, Kai, get going,” his mother says, shooing him.
“Huh?” Kai says, screwing up his face.
“You need to leave Jamie and Milo alone,” Mrs. Nelson says. “It’s a tutoring session, not an excuse for you two to hang out.”
“Jamie can talk while studying,” Kai protests.
“No, she can’t,” Mrs. Nelson persists. “Her aunt asked me to keep you two separated.”
“She did what?” I blurt.
Mrs. Nelson nods. “Last night when I picked up Milo, she asked me to keep Kai away while Milo tutored you. I’m happy to oblige and ensure you keep focused.”
I huff. “Ugh. She’s the worst.”
“No, she loves you,” Mrs. Nelson replies and sends me a sweet smile. “And so do I. Meaning, I’ll do what’s best and keep my scoundrel son away from you.”
Kai leaps from his seat. “Scoundrel?”
She smirks at her son. “You are a pain in the butt.”
Kai shrugs, turning away. “Fine. I’ll go upstairs and play a video game instead. Tyler is probably online.”
“Uh, man,” I whine.
“Sorry, James,” Kai says with a smirk as he backs out of the dining room.
Every thud of him jogging up the stairs is like the hammering of nails into my coffin.
“You’ll have plenty of time for games once you pass your exams,” Mrs. Nelson says, patting my shoulder and then leaving the room.
“Yay,” I grumble.
“What do you want to work on?” Milo asks.
I wince. “I don’t want to, but we should probably start with King Lear again. My brain just doesn’t compute the way they speak.”
Milo nods. “That’s fair. And it probably doesn’t help you have Kai yapping in your ear all class.”
“Well, he’s a little distracted these days, texting with his girlfriend.”
