Page 20

Juliette

I tapped my fingers against the steering wheel, my eyes cutting to my brother in the front seat, who kept looking at his phone.

It was supposed to be a celebration dinner where I told him that I was paying for his entire college tuition, but we’d somehow changed our plans and were now waiting in the pickup line for Bella.

“So they’re, like, rich,” he said, his eyes critically analyzing the car I was currently driving.

“Yeah,” I answered with a sigh. “They’re pretty well-off.”

“Good for you,” he said. “The pay must be good. Hopefully enough to get you out of that shitty living situation.”

My face burned. How will he react when he finds out I moved in with them? I debated telling him but ultimately decided it was best not to.

I turned to him.

“How have you been lately?” I asked. “Has she been treating you well? Do you need anything? Clothes? Money? Food?”

He dropped his phone and sent me a smile.

“You can stop worrying about me. I’m almost eighteen. I can take care of myself now.”

I chewed my bottom lip.

“I know you can,” I said. “But I just want to be there for you. Just because you can take care of yourself doesn't mean you have to do it alone. When it’s hard, you can lean on me.”

The movement of kids behind him caught my eye.

“Listen, I have some good news. I was going to tell you at dinner, but since we will be with them, I think it’s better I tell you here.”

He lifted a brow.

“That serious, huh? Don’t tell me you met someone, fell in love, and are now going to elope to Vegas.”

Heat rushed to my face. His words were a bit too close to the mark, though I could never imagine whatever was happening between me and Lux going as far as marriage.

Plus, I’m pretty sure Lux would be appalled if I ever mentioned a Vegas wedding. She didn’t seem like the type to accept anything other than one of those super extravagant ballroom weddings that cost hundreds of thousands.

It was honestly more embarrassing how far my mind went with fantasies of Lux than his words. Even if anything were to happen between us, it would be nothing more than fucking, and she had made that abundantly clear.

But I still couldn’t stop myself from imagining us in an extravagant ballroom.

Me wearing a puffed-out ball gown and veil, holding a pink bouquet while she waited for me at the end of the aisle.

Her hair would be pushed back and out of her face, and she would be wearing a tight-fitting suit that showed off her?—

“Oh, wait! Did you actually?—”

“No!” I said hastily and turned forward, unable to look at him. “It’s not like that!”

“Are you sure?” he asked in a teasing tone. “It looks like maybe you did meet someone. You can be honest with me. Come on, Julie, tell me?—”

A knock on the window pulled our attention to the little girl waiting outside. Bella looked in with a questioning look.

I rolled down my window.

“This is my little brother, Bella,” I explained with a smile. ”He’s going to join us for a meal. Lux is waiting at home for us.”

This had her face lighting up.

“She’s not working?” she asked and quickly climbed into the back of the car, strapping herself in.

“She took the day off,” I replied, though I wasn’t sure.

“My name’s Lucas,” my brother said, turning around and sticking his hand out for Bella, who took it immediately. “I like your bows.”

Today she had two braids, both ending with bright yellow bows that matched her yellow polo and white skirt.

Wait… Had Lux done those? My heart melted at the thought of Lux paying attention enough to be able to replicate the braids so perfectly.

“Thanks!” she said, and without missing a beat, turned to me and added, “Michael and Jordan kissed behind the cafeteria today!”

I let out an exaggerated gasp. “No! Wasn’t he with Danielle?”

“Yes! And when she found out, she was so upset!” Bella was already getting into it, her hands thrown up in the air, giving us an incredulous look that I could just make out through the rearview mirror.

“I’m living for this drama,” Lucas said as we pulled away.

“You don’t even know the half of it!” Bella gasped and went into the whole backstory, sharing every piece of gossip that was crammed inside her little brain with him.

We barely had a chance to get a word in the entire way home.

“I feel like the teacher should know about it,” Lucas told Bella as we walked in the house. ”I mean, an underground candy gambling ring is a bit much.”

“It’s not just candy!” Bella wagged a finger. “It’s the class prize as well! They’re super hard to get, and Dexter always gets them, so he uses them for the gambling ring.”

“Should she even know what a gambling ring is?” Lucas whispered to me.

“She’s eight,” I said. “You’d be surprised with what they pick up from movies and TV shows.”

The smell of delicious food hit my senses. Bella ran into the house, gasping when she came across the dining table we couldn’t see just yet.

“Oh my gosh! A feast!”

She said it in such a way that had both Lucas and me laughing.

We rounded the corner to see Gina prepping the plates and Lux bringing them to the table. She paused when she saw us and sent us an easy smile.

“Did you have a good day at school, Bella?”

“Who cares! Let’s eat!” she replied as she climbed into her assigned seat.

Lux smiled at her before motioning for both of us to take a seat.

I put my hand on Lucas’s back and guided him to the table.

“Name’s Lucas,” he said and reached out to shake Lux’s hand. “Thanks for inviting me over.”

“Not at all, we’re happy to have you. And I hear congratulations are in order? Someone got into college?”

I flushed when Lucas sent me a look.

“Sure did,” he said, his smile more like a grimace. “But let’s not make this all about me. The food looks delicious!”

“So good,” Bella piped in as she grabbed another spoonful off the plate in front of her.

Lucas sat down, and I followed suit, my mouth watering at the spread.

“Looks great, Gina!”

Gina, who was still in the kitchen, turned to me and nodded in thanks.

“Wish I could take all the credit, but Lux had very specific recipes and instructions.” She gave Lux a knowing look.

Lux cleared her throat and sat down.

“Anyway, getting into college is a very big thing,” Lux told him as she started filling her plate with salad. “You should be proud of yourself. Celebrate the win that it is. No need to be humble.”

I placed my hand on Lucas’s. I was so unbelievably proud of him that it was hard to verbalize.

“On our way back, I’ll get you that boba I promised you,” I said.

He shot me a smile and quickly pulled his hand from under mine so he could start to eat.

The action caused my heart to ache just a bit, but I brushed it off as him being a teenager who didn’t want his overbearing older sister to get too touchy-feely.

“This feast is more than good enough.” He started to dig in. “So, Bella, you were saying something about that gambling ring?”

“Gambling ring?” Lux asked, her head snapping to Bella, who nodded excitedly.

“We gamble in loads of things and get fun prizes at the end! Today we played Go Fish, and yesterday we played Uno. Sometimes, if we get bored, we gamble on which couple will break up first. I usually win.”

Lux sent me a look as if to say, Is she being serious? I gave her a sheepish smile.

“Show her what you won,” I said.

Bella dug into her pocket and pulled out a handful of small items. A fidget toy, a fragrant pencil that smelled like berries, a single sticker, and a small, white case that I only just realized were AirPods.

“Which rich kid gave those up?” Lucas asked, jerking his head toward the latter.

“Kinsley’s boyfriend gifted them to her, and she put them up in Go Fish and lost.” Bella was beaming.

Lux grabbed the case and popped it open, a frown marring her face.

Just when I thought she was going to give her a lesson in ethics or something, she closed the case and gave it back.

“Not even the latest generation. And they look used,” she said with a huff. “What kind of boyfriend gives her his hand-me-downs?”

“That’s what I said!” Bella replied, placing them on the table so she could resume eating.

“Like, he only gave them to her because he got a new pair for his birthday, and he wanted to seem all cool and stuff because Mason and Penelope give each other gifts all the time. They’ve been together like the whole year. ”

“I’m losing her with all the names,” Lucas whispered, and Lux looked to me for an explanation as well.

“The popular couple,” I said. “They put on a big show. Always hug and hold hands.”

Lux nodded.

“I see. So Kinsley’s boyfriend wanted to one-up them but failed miserably. What’s his name even?”

Bella shook her head. “Not important. He’s annoying anyway. He never wanted to hang out with Kinsley, and he was always running and playing soccer and getting sweaty. It’s so gross.”

We all let out a laugh, enjoying Bella’s gossip session. Lux, Lucas, and I would chime in here or there asking questions, and she would prattle off everything she knew.

It was a cute bonding moment for Bella and Lux. Like they finally had something in common.

When dinner was over, Bella went outside to play, and we stayed seated, sipping our mint lemonade.

“So you never did say,” Lux started, turning to face Lucas. “Which school did you decide on?”

Lucas visibly tensed and took a long sip before answering.

“I haven’t really decided, you know? There were a few that sent me some letters, but I just haven’t committed to any yet.”

“What’s holding you back?” Lux asked, but I already knew the answer. Tuition.

I didn’t know what scholarships they were offering, but I was almost positive they would not cover the full cost.

Lucas looked a bit uncomfortable, like he wanted to say something but was fighting with himself on whether he should. Maybe bringing him to a stranger's house wasn't the best way to celebrate this big win.