Page 75 of My Family

I nod.

"That's not fair to either of us."

"Okay."

"And next time you're scared?"

“I tell you."

"Next time you're angry?"

"I tell you."

"And next time you decide to use Reed to piss me off?"

I grin.

He raises an eyebrow.

"I definitely don't do that."

"Good answer."

I laugh, still sniffling.

He kisses my cheek.

My skin is still tingling. His thumb keeps rubbing slow circles over my hip, his breath warm against my neck.

We walk back to the dorm together, hand in hand, not caring if anyone sees.

Chapter 27. Liam

The rec lounge is at its craziest at the end of the day, the only time we have to really behave like the boys we are. Weirdly, everything smells like burnt popcorn, even though we almost never get popcorn.

Jack is dealing cards at the center table, holding forth as usual, recounting the story of his first tattoo gone wrong, the Batman ink stretching as he waves his hands around, as if to illustrate his horrible taste in tattoos. I'm to his left, feet up on the next chair. Next to me, Miles pretends not to pay attention, a paperback splayed across his palm, but his eyes flick to the game every time Jack slaps a card down. Miles has been looking at Jack and smiling, which is the weirdest thing to happen in this Academy.

Ethan walks in with Tyler at his side. Tyler still has the hoodie drawn up, but his eyes flick over everything at once, the exits, the people, the guard at the corner post. Old habits, probably — a bunch of kids here do that. Tyler has been back from the hospital for a couple of days, but this is the first time Ethan has told me he's bringing Tyler to rec.

Jack spots them first. He waves a card overhead, grins wide. "E! Get over here. We need someone with actual brains to keep Marsal from cheating."

I flip him off without looking.

Ethan hesitates for just a second, then nudges Tyler forward. Tyler hangs back half a step, shoulders high. He has curly brown hair, much shorter than Ethan's, but they have the same eyes.

"Got someone I want you to meet," Ethan says, and I hear it, and my heart does a little flip. I think he means me!

Jack stands up and executes an over-the-top bow, flourishing an invisible hat. "Is this the legendary brother?"

Tyler snorts. He tries to hide it, but the sound escapes before he can stop it.

I lean back, balancing on the back two legs of my chair, and nod at Tyler. "Welcome to hell," I say. "You must be the one who taught Ethan how to look like he's got a stick up his ass."

This time, Tyler smiles, like he wasn't expecting us to be nice to him. When I first arrived, I also thought everybody was going to beat me up.

Well, only Ethan did.

"Guilty as charged."