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“I have every faith in you, Brother.”
“Thanks. Come on.” He held the door open for me, and I slipped past him.
“I can’t believe you still have the Camry.”
“She’s my baby.” He tapped the hood, dented and dinged from years of reckless driving, before climbing inside. I followed, slipping into the passenger seat and buckling up.
It had been years since we did this. When I was in seventh grade, Austin had gotten his driver’s permit and drove me to school sometimes. But it hadn’t lasted long when he realized having a ride was a total chick magnet. I was quickly shoved aside in favor of his girl of the moment—and there were many.
“It brings back memories,” I mused.
“Yeah, listen, Rory—”
“Let’s not do this,” I said with a weak smile. “I know there are things we still need to talk about, but it’s my first day of college. I’m nervous enough as it is.”
His gentle laughter hit me right in the chest. “You don’t need to be nervous, Sis. You’ve been an English buff since you were old enough to read.”
I poked my tongue out at him.
“You always were the brain box,” he said.
“And you always were the athlete.”
Silence settled over us. We’d always been different. Austin was the epitome of popular. People gravitated toward him, his good looks and laid-back personality. Of course, it helped that he played hockey and was good at it.
Really damn good.
Having a comprehension level beyond my age didn’t really have the same effect on people. But books were my friends. I grew up on Austen and Brontë, Tolkien and Martin. Reading was my escape.
My sanctuary.
Nothing could hurt me between the pages of a book. So more and more, I turned to my fictional friends, living out a literary fantasy instead of dealing with real life.
Austin didn’t get it. And our mother certainly didn’t get it. But kids were cruel.
People were cruel.
“Did you get a hold of student housing yet?” Austin asked.
“No. I’m going to go into the office today.”
“I meant what I said, Rory. You can stay with us for as long as you need to.”
“Thanks.” I glanced out of the window, watching the scenery roll by. From the tree-lined streets to the little boutique stores downtown with their colorful canopies, and cloud-streaked blue skies, Lakeshore really was beautiful. Now that I was here, I could see why Austin had traded life back home for his life here.
Unease churned in my stomach.
“Austin, can I ask you something?”
I didn’t want to broach the subject, not now, when we were so close to campus, but I couldn’t stop myself.
Part of me—the girl abandoned by her brother—needed to know.
“Sure, you can ask me anything, Sis.”
“Are you annoyed I came here?”
“What?” He balked. “Where the fuck did that come from?”
