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There was a soft knock at the top of the stairwell a moment before Duke came down. He held a stack of folded T-shirts and towels. On top were two plastic toothbrushes in their packaging and a tube of toothpaste. He set them down on the bed.
“You guys find everything okay?” he asked.
“Yeah,” Waverly said.
“Good. See you guys in the morning.”
He turned to head back upstairs, but Waverly called out, “Wait!”
Duke stopped. Waverly ran to him and flung herself into his arms. “Thanks, Duke.”
He enveloped her in a bear hug and said, “You’re going to be the reason I go gray early, I swear it.”
Waverly pulled back and grinned. “Challenge accepted.”
He tousled her hair like she was six years old, shot me a smile, and then left us alone.
“You want the orange or the pink toothbrush?” I asked her.
“Orange,” she said. “Why does he have brand new toothbrushes for us?”
“Ah…”
“For their random hook-ups the mornings after?” Waverly pressed.
I cocked my head to the side. “How’d you know?”
“I’m fifteen. I’m not stupid.”
“Fifteen, right.” I opened my toothbrush. “Are you having sex with Dylan?”
“Willa!” Waverly’s face flamed immediately, blushing the color of a ripe beefsteak tomato.
I raised my brows. “It’s a valid question. He’s your boyfriend. You lied about him. You lied about sneaking out, and you were literally just talking about people hooking up. Is it wrong to assume?”
She ripped open the packaging of her toothbrush, her eyes downcast. “No. You’re not wrong to assume. But no. I’m not having sex with Dylan.”
“Are you doing other things with Dylan?”
Her head whipped up. “Willa!”
“This is serious. I know it’s embarrassing, but if you can’t even talk about it, then you shouldn’t be doing it. Sex can have consequences—”
“I know about the consequences,” she snapped. “It’s like you’re forgetting about Mom. Do I have to remind you that she’s been a less-than-stellar role model when it comes to the subject of sex?”
“So, you’re still a virgin?”
“Yes.”
“Okay.” I tried not to be obvious about the relief I felt.
She filched the tube of toothpaste and traipsed toward the bathroom. “So,” she began, “are you sleeping with Duke or what?”
Chapter4
“I’m not sleeping with Duke.”The lie fell from my lips. I’d been saying it for years, because for years it had been true. A twinge of guilt moved through my chest as the moment evolved.
My sister stared at me for a while and then said, “Maybe you should be. He loves you, you know.”
