Rus pretended to contemplate while he picked lint off his hoodie. Dylan and Daysha continued shooting down their own ideas before even sharing more than half-mumbles aloud.
His phone buzzed, and he checked to see a message.
Rus huffed.
Rus noticed this message wasn’t sent through the group chat they almost always used.
Kaiden replied with several screenshots of random items.
Rus was initially taken aback by Kaiden’s inquiry, figuring he surely knew Dylan better than him.
Kaiden replied with a GIF, responding with ‘seriously’ on a loop.
Rus imagined Kaiden’s flustered face in the breakroom, as he awaited a response. Whether he knew Dylan better or not,Kaiden still valued Rus’ opinion. Plus, he clearly sucked at picking presents since he didn’t realize all his options were winners. That didn’t surprise Rus too much. He’d learned all too well that Kaiden’s self-doubt played a big role in his indecision. So, Rus hearted the screenshot he liked the most and gave Kaiden an answer.
Rus chuckled and continued texting Kaiden well past his break while Dylan and Daysha continued planning.
Chapter Twenty-Five
“Up,up, up,” Dylan said, knocking on doors.
He’d prepared an outing this morning with a few of the residents as they lazily meandered around the house, their first day of winter vacation.
Miguel dragged himself out of his bedroom, still in his pajamas, as 10 AM rolled around. “It’s too early.”
“Y’all wanted lunch, part of that involves actually getting out of your bed.”
“They don’t even open until the afternoon,” Yazmin said with a yawn as she stepped out of her bedroom.
“You do way too much.” Chelsea squeezed by Yazmin, then made her way into the bathroom.
Dylan clapped enthusiastically, parading around the teens until they begrudgingly got dressed and ready.
As the only juniors in the house, Dylan planned a little getaway for them since he’d been so preoccupied with setting up for the upcoming fundraiser. Jasmine prioritized talks withseveral of the teens about to age out of the system. It wasn’t like she wouldn’t provide them a safety net if they needed it, but she preferred to work with them toward a goal, a plan for their future. Since she was going to use the bulk of the vacation days to work with the seniors on their plans for their final semester of high school, Dylan figured it’d be a good time to remind the juniors they weren’t forgotten.
Plus, he could delicately pry for any details on where their minds were leaning toward for life after high school. Life after Dorothy’s Home. Something Dylan himself never figured out, since he sort of wrapped himself up in keeping the house running. Although that in itself seemed to be quite a goal to set. Dylan was proud of his decision to keep his home standing strong.
“Let’s get this over with so I can eat,” Miguel said with a huff.
The teens followed Dylan out to his car and lounged quietly on the drive over to a nearby hiking trail. Dylan didn’t pry anyone for conversation during the walk. Oh no, he smiled as they complained about the bright sun. He stayed silent as they cursed about the cold air. He stifled a few chuckles as they swore with nearly every step. But it kept them active, woke them up, and helped them bond as they collectively decided Dylan was the worst human on the planet to force them to walk this very breezy two-mile trek to earn their lunch.
By the time they left the trail, the sun had moved high in the sky and warmed everyone’s frozen faces. Dylan cranked the heat up, ensuring hands and feet would thaw on the drive over to the steakhouse.
Dylan would’ve preferred a cheaper lunch outing, but he’d allowed the teens to pick, and since they knew they’d have to suffer through a nature trail for their food, they decided to ensure Dylan’s wallet also felt the pain.
Once they got inside and placed their orders, the mood quickly shifted.
“Who you texting?”
“No one,” Miguel replied, tucking his phone back into his pocket. “I made the mistake of befriending some of the AP girlies, and they’re already planning ACT study groups.”
There was a snarky lilt in Miguel’s voice, clearly annoyed at the idea of using his break for schoolwork.
“Already preparing for ACTs, huh?” Dylan asked with an approving nod. “That’s exciting. Big step.”
“Well, I don’t plan on living with Jailor Jazzy my entire life,” Miguel said with a sigh. “The idea of helping stupid children all day sounds miserable.”
“It can be pretty rewarding, too.”
