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Jesse dropped the pillow on the bed, glancing back at Theo. “Well, I’m taking the bathroom first. You hypersomnias better hop out of bed soon.”
Theo yawned, rubbing his eyes. “I don’t think that’s a word.”
“Sure it’s a word.” Jesse scoffed. He wasn’t actually sure, but he wasn’t going to admit Theo was right, so he made a mental note to look up the possible not-word later.
“I hate you!” Theo called as Jesse made a beeline for the bathroom.
“You love me!” Jesse yelled back.
He slammed the bathroom door, knowing the loud noise would wake his cousins properly. A moment later, Theo’s curses floated through the air. Jesse grinned at the mirror, squeezing some gel into his hands and then running them through his hair. His copper curls didn’t always stay out of his face, but some days, like today, they decided to behave. After finishing with his hair, Jesse brushed his teeth before swapping his toothpaste bottle for one that had been hiding in the sink cabinet.
Banging on the door had Jesse dropping the toothpaste he was holding on the counter and cursing.
“Jesse!”
“Sorry, the bathroom’s all yours.”
A sleepy Dean mumbled something in acknowledgement, pushing the door open and stepping inside. Jesse swapped places with his cousin, letting Dean grab his toothbrush.
Jesse was about to shut the door when Dean cleared his throat. “You’re not going to school in those, are you?”
“Nah,” Jesse said easily, glancing down at his flamingo boxers. “Want to wait until after spring break before I shock the teachers.”
Dean laughed, the sound ringing behind him as the door closed between them. Jesse gave a self-satisfied grin, humming to himself as he walked back to his bed.
“Three, two, one…”
As Jesse finished counting, a shriek came from the bathroom.
“Jesse!”
“Yes, Dean? Was there something you wanted?”
There was silence for a minute before Dean responded. “No, no.” A hint of anger colored his voice. “Just noticed something a bit off with my toothpaste, so I’m going to borrow yours.”
Jesse grinned. It had been a bit of a challenge to squeeze shaving cream into Dean’s tiny toothpaste tube, but a good half hour spent in the bathroom last night had resulted in the perfect prank setup. Dean would spot the shaving cream immediately and take Jesse’s toothpaste instead. Unfortunately for Dean, Jesse hadn’t stopped there. Sure enough, a squeak came from the bathroom, followed by the sounds of someone trying to frantically rinse out their mouth.
Jesse smirked. Zara’s bubblegum-raspberry toothpaste would linger all day, and while he didn’t mind the taste, Dean couldn’t stand it. Altogether, he figured it was appropriate payback for Dean’s attempted spider prank a few weeks ago.
Jesse set about gathering his uniform for the day, finding his tie hidden halfway under his bed. Theo was still in bed, and Jesse was going to be the kind cousin and make sure that Theo didn’t miss his first class.
After all, what was the point of having cousins if you didn’t dump water on them daily?
* * *
“Romeo and Julietis a perfect example of a romantic tragedy,” Mrs. Dixon said.
Raina shifted in her seat, her legs well on their way to falling asleep. She glanced around the classroom, noting her classmates’ equally bored expressions. To her right, Theo’s head lolled to the side before he shook himself awake. She couldn’t see Dean and Jesse as they had chosen to sit in the back row, but knowing how dull Jesse found their English class, she presumed he was in a similar predicament. Raina mentally smacked herself as Mrs. Dixon droned on; she was supposed to stop thinking about Jesse.
“Ms. Cohen.”
Raina looked up, startled. “Yes?”
“Please tell me how old Juliet is at this point in the play.”
Raina fiddled with her fingers. She didn’t really have the option not to respond, so she blurted out the first answer that came to mind. “Um, fourteen?”
“A good guess. But incorrect. Ms. Lawrence?”
