Jesus. My brother, for all his faults, was the best brother a guy could ask for. “You shouldn’t do this, Jamie. It’s my problem. My choice.”
“Fuck that noise,” he growled. “College was never what I wanted, anyway. I was only doing it because I didn’t know what else I wanted to do. But I know I don’t want to do that.” He nodded back toward the house. “That’s never been me, even more so than you. We face this shit together. Let them hold on to their pride and snobbery together. We obviously don’t fit the mold they tried to put us in.”
We started walking down the street.
“You gonna tell Lyrical?”
“Not yet. I want to help her get settled first. I need a plan so she’s not freaking out and trying to force me to go back home, or do something drastic like disappear so our parents get what they want by default.”
“Probably smart. If you’re okay with it, we can pool our money. Stick together.”
Unable to speak for fear of losing control, I simply nodded. It was my brother and I, together against the odds. We’d be fine.
Chapter Seven.
Lyrical – One week Later.
When the knock came at the door, I smoothed the imaginary wrinkles out of my dress, took in a deep breath, held it, then let it out slowly. Jesse acted weird all week. At first, I thought it was the funeral. A friend losing a parent has got to be difficult, but a friend losing a parent to suicide? What do you even say?
But I didn’t think it was. Something’s happened. He’s filled every moment since the day after the funeral with helping me get things situated. His brother, Jamie, has helped too. Nothing wrong with that. I like Jamie. It’s just that he’s usually off doing his own thing and not hanging around with us.
Well, whatever it was, I was going to get to the bottom of it today. No distractions of paperwork regarding my dad or the apartment or what’s coming next for me. Jesse and I needed to talk.
I opened the door, and there he stood. Six feet of gorgeous hero. Dark brown hair that’s always a little mussed from running his hands through it. Puppy dog eyes that twinkle when he smiles. A tiny dimple in his left cheek, which only shows when he’s laughing. And underneath his polo shirt and shorts, he’s all muscle from all the sports he played. When he hugs me, he feelslike a warm blanket and a shield, protecting me from whatever hurts me most.
“Hey.” It’s all he said, and while the corners of his lips turned into a small smile, the sentiment didn’t reach his eyes. It’s a look I’ve never seen on him before.
“Hey,” I returned.
Backing away from the doorway, I let him pass through before closing the door behind him. For a split second, I stood there, one hand on the doorknob, one hand on the door itself, my heart pounding. That look on his face scared me. Like the inevitable was about to happen.
He was leaving me. His parents finally got to him. Or he decided my life is too much of a mess and he didn’t want to deal with it. Or both. Frankly, I didn’t blame him.
While the things his mother said to me last year had hurt, part of me didn’t disagree with her. I had no designs on seducing her son, getting pregnant, and trapping him so I could “marry up,” but we were from different worlds, much like I’d tried to convince Jesse before he took me to the Snow Ball.
Throughout the rest of his senior year, we dated quietly, spending our time alone, away from where other kids spent time. He claimed he didn’t want me to be the subject of vicious gossip, but mostly kept me out of his mother’s path. His parents knew we spent time together, but I assumed they were letting this run its course, hoping we’d dissolve naturally when he left for college.
The year apart, with me still in high school and him across the country at Stanford, had been hard, but we made it through.
“We need to talk.”
The words hit hard, and I turned around to face him. I didn’t respond, just looked at him as I braced myself for what was coming. Immediately, he moved toward me, enveloping me inhis arms. Normally, I would melt into his strength, soak in his affection, but I couldn’t today. Not if I were going to let him go.
“Sweetness, I can see it in your eyes. It’s not what you’re thinking.” He kissed the top of my head. “Let’s sit.”
He guided me into the living room, and we sat on the couch. My body wouldn’t let go of the stiffness. Turning sideways to face me, he reached for my hands, making me do the same.
“What I’m about to say will suck, but I want you to know, before anything else, Jamie and I have thought long and hard about this, and we’re comfortable with the decision. No matter what your answer is to what I’m proposing, we’re committed to this path, so there’s no pressure, okay?”
My mind blanked with confusion, and my face must have shown it because he tried to smile reassuringly. I knew the look on his face. Whatever he planned to say bothered him, and he worried about my reaction. But I also saw conviction there. Above all else, what he planned to say was truthful, even if it was painful. I still thought he might be breaking up with me.
“On the day of your dad’s funeral, my parents gave me an ultimatum. Stop seeing you, or they wouldn’t pay my tuition to Stanford anymore.”
I sucked in a breath. I knew it. We were done. He was right. It surprised me, but I hadn’t considered they would do something so drastic to achieve his compliance. They’d tried everything else, and they knew how much he wanted to go there; plus it was his father’s alma mater. It was the perfect leverage.
“Oh, Jesse. I’m so sorry. I totally understand. I hate it, but you need to do what you need to do.”
He shook his head. “I’m not finished.” He squeezed my hands. “When I called their bluff, my father went one step further. He said if I wasn’t attending Stanford, then he was cutting me out of his will. There was paperwork and everything.He disowned me. Kicked me out. I left the house with nothing but the things I’d purchased myself.”
