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BROTHER: Now you’re talking my language. You two finally together?
ME: Something like that. Max doesn’t know, and I’d appreciate it if you kept your big mouth shut.
BROTHER: As long as you keep what you saw to yourself, we have a deal.
ME: Wrap it up, little brother. The last thing you need is a baby right now. You can’t even take care of yourself.
BROTHER: Oh, it was wrapped. What a waste of a condom.
ME: We’ll talk more when I see you next. Until then, stay away from Kendall unless you plan on being more than a passing fling. Got it?
BROTHER: Yeah, yeah. Thanks, dad.
Max is waiting for me when I walk in the door. I can tell he wants to talk so I do the one thing I promised my brother I wouldn’t do; I spill his secret to take the spotlight off of me. I didn’t mention his name, just what Willow and I walked in on. It brings a smile to Max’s face, and for the first time in weeks, I hear his laugh.
“God, I can practically see the expression on Lo’s face,” he says as his laughter fades. “I needed a good laugh.”
“It’s one of those, ‘if you were there, it wasn’t funny, but if you hear about it, it is’ kind of jokes. Because let me tell you, there was nothing funny when she opened that door. Even I cringed.”
“Did you get a look at the guy?”
“Yeah,” I say, hanging my head. “I want to tell you who it was, but I don’t think it’s anything serious so I’m not gonna say.”
“Doesn’t surprise me. Kendall doesn’t seem like the relationship kind of girl. It’s the one thing her and her sister have in common.”
“Kora?”
“Yeah. That girl is wild. The man who finally nails her down is gonna have to be a strong SOB to be able to handle her. I can’t spend more than two minutes in the room with her. She’s worse than Kendall. Always fucking grating on my nerves.” His eyes blaze with something I can’t quite put my finger on, but he changes the subject before I can dig deeper. “Got a favor to ask.”
“What’s up?”
“I’m starting to fix up the frat house this week. I could really use an extra set of hands. Someone who knows what they’re doing and can show the guys a few things. It’s mainly drywall and painting. There are a few other things but those are the big ones. Think you can give me a hand?”
“Sure.” I don’t mind helping piece the house back together. Last time I was there it shocked me how far they let it go. The president Max took over for was a real piece of shit. All he cared about was having parties and collecting dues. I know the last few years of leadership have given the Kappa house a bad name. Pledges are afraid to commit to them. Members are left. This is Max’s opportunity to fix everything that’s broken—the perception of Kappa as well as all the physical pieces of the house that need attention.
“Cool. We’re going to start tomorrow morning. I already ordered a bunch of shit that’s going to be delivered today. Not a lot of guys stuck around this summer, so I appreciate the extra set of hands and the expertise.”
“I worked one summer in construction, same as you. I’m far from being an expert.”
It was a fun summer, though. We were outside all day, building houses, using our hands to create a place someone would eventually call home. It was rewarding. And I learned a shit ton. Apparently, I have a knack for fixing things. I actually considered looking for a part-time gig this summer, but I’ve been a little preoccupied.
