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“Mase, no fair,” he grumbled. “I had you. I had—”
“Unlucky kid.” Dropping the controller on the coffee table, I leaned over and ruffled his hair.
“Mase, don’t do that. I’m not a kid anymore.”
Okay, that was new.
“Scottie, you’re twelve.”
“Thirteen in fourteen days. That means I’m almost a teenager. You can’t call me a kid when I’m a teenager.”
“You’re seven years younger than me, kid. I’ll call you what I want.”
He glowered at me, and I couldn’t help but chuckle. If it was anyone else, my teasing might have upset him, but I knew my little brother well enough to know when I could push, and when I couldn’t.
“Jackass,” he muttered under his breath.
“Don’t let Mom—”
“Catch me saying that. Yeah, I know.”
“How was school yesterday?” I changed the subject.
“Brianne kissed Kallen Nelson. He isn’t a weirdo like me.”
“Quit talking like that. You’re not a weirdo. You’re spec—”
“Ugh. Please don’t call me special. That’s almost as bad as saying autism is my superpower,” he mimicked.
“Well, I think it makes you pretty awesome.”
“You have to say that because you’re my brother.” He stared at the floor, running his hands back and forth over his sweatpants.
“What’s going on in that head of yours, bud?”
“Mase, do you think I’ll ever get a girlfriend?”
“Sure, when you’re much, much older.”
“But Brianne’s right. I do and say weird things all the time. I can’t help it. Thoughts pop into my head and just come out. And everything I usually say is only the truth anyway.”
“I know, bud. I know. But we’ve talked about this. Sometimes, it’s hard for people to hear the truth. And there’s a time and a place for brutal honesty.”
“It’s better to be honest than to lie, though.” He peeked up at me. “Right?”
Fuck. It was moments like these when I wished I had a handbook to help me deal with Scottie’s questions and rigid thinking.
“In theory, yes.”
“You know that makes no sense.”
“It’s hard to explain. I don’t want to confuse you over something that doesn’t really matter.”
“The truth always matters. If you don’t tell the truth, you can get into trouble. Mrs. Ecclestein says the truth might hurt for a little while, but a lie can hurt forever.”
Smart woman. I ran a hand down my face, checking the time on my cell phone.
“Mom will be back soon, and we can head out. Are you excited about watching the game?”
