Page 17 of Antagonist

I bite back a smile. “Have you checked P?”

“Daaad,” George says. “We have to do it this way.”

The matter seems closed as they turn back to the bookshelf, and I’m grateful he’s not looking for a book about zebras or zucchinis.

Since we might be here a little longer, I decide to bother the teacher. I’ve never been very good at standing still and waiting.

“Hey, Ellis.”

He looks up from the laptop. “All okay?”

“Yeah, I hope we’re not keeping you hostage here,” I say, leaning against the same desk I picked earlier.

“Nah, I rarely leave before six. My sister’s place can get noisy with the kids, so I do my work before going home.”

“You’re not from here, are you?”

He smiles. “I am, actually. Stillwater is a small place, but you probably don’t remember me. We traveled a lot growing up, so my sister and I were mostly homeschooled or never stayed in one school very long.”

“It's not as fun as it sounds, is it?” I say, failing to catch myself.

“Seems like you know what I’m talking about.”

“I’m sorry, that was rude of me. But yeah, my parents didn’t believe in formal education,” I say.

He nods and sits back in his chair. “My sister demanded to live with my grandparents when she was fifteen, so she finished high school here in Stillwater. I was already in college then.”

“Oh, really? Maybe I know her…hold on…your last name is Bradford.” I try to remember a girl with the same last name. “Alice. Oh my god, you’re Alice’s brother.”

He laughs. “Yeah.”

Maybe I should cut this conversation short before Ellis discovers exactly how well I know his little sister.

“Wait, you said she has kids?”

I haven’t seen Alice since she left to go to college, breaking my teenage heart. I didn’t know she was back here.

“Yeah, a three-year-old and a two-year-old. Amazing kids. Only one sound setting, though, and that’s loud.”

I laugh. George went through the same phase, where everything had to be expressed by shouting.

“So you’re back here for good?”

“Yeah. I lived in Boston for a while, but…it’s not the right place for me.”

“I get it. After college, I tried a few different places until George was born and there was no question about where I wanted him to grow up.”

Ellis is a cool guy. I get the feeling he’s gay and likely single. Maybe because he mentioned living with his sister. I also didn’t miss him checking out Harrison’s ass when he left the room to take his call.

Zero blame given. Harrison’s ass is a piece of art that deserves its own portrait collection, poems written about it, and songs composed.

Harrison comes back in. I wish I knew what’s behind those dark eyes, and I’m annoyed with myself for wanting him instead of the sweet teacher.

Age gaps are sexy, and I bet I’d never run out of things to talk about with Ellis.

“I’m sorry, I need to go,” he says.

“Good luck putting a stop to the kids’ mission. I’ve tried and failed,” I say.