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“Hey.”Van drops down in the seat next to me. I swear he’s bigger. He must really be putting in time at the gym and on the field. It makes sense because he’s never around. If it weren’t for Dunc filling a lot of my time at home, I would probably feel Van’s absence a lot more. It’s still strange—us not being as close as we used to be.
“Hello, stranger.” I give Van a little jab.
“What?” He looks confused by my comment.
“I don’t know.” I shrug. “We haven’t really hung out or talked much.”
“Sorry. I got a lot going on.” He pulls out his Chromebook. “I’ll be at the party.”
“Party?” How does he know something I don't? He’s been a ghost lately. Even before he said he was joining the football team. Van isn’t even a party kind of guy, or maybe that was because I wasn’t in theITcrowd so he hung back with me. Had I held him back?
“After the game on Friday.”
“No one told me.” Maybe that’s what Mom was going to talk to me about this morning before she saw Dunc was in my bed.
“It’s our birthday, and you know Mom.”
“Right.” How the heck did I forget that? I guess between the accident, moving, Van joining the football team, falling for Dunc, and the jerks at school, my mind has been in other places.
“Check your email. She sent a long-ass message.”
“Why are we having a party? We don’t know anyone here.” Van’s brows lift. “What?” I pull out my phone. “Tell me.” I know he’s got some other information I don’t.
“There is some online board for school people to post on for the football team. She posted about it there.”
I sink down into my chair, dread immediately filling me, having a good idea who would attend the party. There is a typical crowd that surrounds the football team in my experience. Not to mention if people put together that it’s at Dunc’s house, they will be lining up to attend. And when I say people, I mean the girls at school. Ones that made it clear Dunc was off-limits or they would make my life harder.
This couldn’t get any worse. Those are the last people I want to be around or have in my personal space. A small amount of panic begins to set in at that thought.
“Let Mom have it. She still pouts that she didn’t get to do a sweet sixteen.” I take a deep breath, trying to get myself together so that Van doesn’t start asking questions that I don’t want to answer. Knowing he’ll go into overprotective brother mode.
There was a reason I hadn’t wanted to have a party then. Sad to say that my new school is turning out to have the same problem.
“When did Mom send the email?” I scroll through my emails on my phone, trying to find the one from our mom. “I don’t see anything from her.”
“Hold up. I’m looking through my stuff.” While Van is busy looking through his phone, I continue to search mine but come up empty-handed.
“Did you find it? Maybe I accidentally deleted it somehow.” Van doesn't answer, the room going eerily quiet all of a sudden, causing me to look up. I can’t decipher the look on his face. “Is something wrong, Van?” More worry begins to fill me.
“I just realized what a dumbass I am. It was supposed to be a surprise for you. Mom is going to murder me for letting the cat out of the bag.” If I weren’t so stressed, I would burst out laughing at how scared Van looks right now.
“I won’t tell.” I guess trying to talk my mom into having this only be a party for Van is out of the question now. I don’t want to ruin it for her after she put in all this effort to try to do something nice for me. I’m sure she thought it would cheer me up.
“It might not be half bad. You could make a few friends,” he suggests.
“Trying to get rid of me?” I half-heartedly tease.
“No, I just remember middle school. You had a few girlfriends you hung out with.”
“It’s our last year of high school. I don’t need friends here. Unless you got a girlfriend.” Van stiffens at my remark. I know why he wasn’t interested in girls from our old school but why not here? “Just not Rose.”
“Rose?”
“The blonde. Super tall.” He shakes his head. “I saw her talking to you once.” I’m sure she was trying to get her hooks into him.
“Doesn’t ring any bells.”
“Well, Dunc doesn’t speak too kindly of her.”
