Page 2

Thea

“I don’t know what you’re so worried about. I’ll be fine.”

Silence.

Tanner stared at me blankly before lifting a brow. Nothing? Was he really going to say nothing?

Wow. Just wow. It’s great to know my brother, my twin, had that much faith in me. Tanner blinked a couple of times before pinching the bridge of his nose and shaking his head, making that tiny man bun flop around.

Dramatic much?

“Really?” I said, tapping my foot and crossing my arms over my chest.

He dropped his hand and looked at me with tired eyes. It’d been a long month for my brother, but his misplaced concern wasn’t helping matters.

“It’s not that I’m worried about you.”

“Okay …”

“It’s that I don’t trust you.”

My mouth fell open, and I glared at him. He might bear a striking resemblance to Hercules, but he was no god in my eyes. He was my baby brother, and to act like I was a liability pissed me off. “Was that supposed to make me feel better?”

“No.”

“Why don’t you trust me?” I clutched my chest to emphasize how painful the metaphorical knife he took to my heart was. If he wanted drama, I could do it ten times better.

His tense smile fell, replaced with the tiniest hint of amusement. “Do you really want me to answer that?”

Throwing my hands up, I tossed my head back and stared at the textured ceiling, sending a small apology to the people who lived above us since I was about to go nuclear on his ass.

Locked and loaded, I glared at Tanner. “Tan Tan, I am twenty-one years old, and you’re acting like I need constant supervision.”

“Senior year.” With that short statement, all bravado left my body. Did he really have to bring up the worst night of my life again?

“What about it?” I huffed.

Tanner’s blue eyes widened, and without a word, I knew what he was thinking, and it irked me to no end that my own brother couldn’t see past what had happened and how desperately I wanted to move forward. “You’re kidding, right?”

That was the issue between us. We were too close. He’d been all up in my business since the womb, and living together wasn’t helping matters. It might be a three-bedroom apartment, but the lack of privacy made me feel like I was back to sharing a uterus with my ungrateful bro.

“You spend one night in jail because of someone else’s mistake, and suddenly, your own brother doesn’t trust you.”

“Thea. Please don’t joke about that.”

His lips went flat, his jaw tense. He was pissed I was joking about something that happened to me. Me. I take it back. The issue between us wasn’t that we were too close. It was that even though we’d lived the same life, we were worlds apart. He didn’t get it. Tanner was the perfect twin.

The athletic one …

The handsome one …

The funny one …

When he walked into a room, people took notice, and that was before they even knew he was a football phenom. He just had something about him, and me … Well, the only thing I had was a sarcastic attitude and a resting bitch face.

“Would you rather I wallow in misery about a life event I can’t change?”

“No. I’d rather you stop getting yourself into trouble.”

“Okay, so while you’re gone, I’ll just lock myself in my room and never leave. Jackson will need to push food under the door, and I’ll have to use my balcony for bathroom breaks, but I guess that’s the price I’ll have to pay to keep myself out of trouble.”

Tanner raised a brow and had a slight curl to his lips.

I stepped forward, wagging my finger at him. “That was not a real offer. I am not going to stay in my room because you have an irrational fear that I’ll end up somewhere I shouldn’t. I’ve learned my lesson. I haven’t gotten in trouble in three years. Yet here you are reminding me of everything.”

He shook his head, distracting me with that tiny bun. Jealousy bubbled in my stomach. Not only was Tanner the athletic one, he also inherited our mother’s silky blond locks. I, on the other hand, was stuck with raven-black hair. Combine that with my usual pale complexion, and I bore striking resemblance to Morticia from The Addams Family.

“Have you forgotten the fire?”

“Seriously? You can’t blame me for that too?” I huffed out a breath and crossed my arms. As usual, it was my fault. It didn’t matter what I did, screwed-up things always happened around me, and I was always the reason for it in my brother’s eyes.

“Didn’t they conclude the fire started in your room?”

I narrowed my eyes as I raised a finger. “You’re paraphrasing. They never proved it was my hair straightener that did it, and considering all the technology they have these days, that’s something they should be able to find out.”

Tanner’s eyes crossed as he looked at my finger. I hoped he was admiring the purple and white animal print I had painted on the tip in homage to his team.

“You didn’t answer my question.”

I dropped my hand, letting out a low grunt. “It was inconclusive because there was too much damage to the area. Their best bet was the vicinity of my room. Could have easily been someone else’s. Heck, there could have been an internal wiring problem that had nothing to do with me. The house was one hundred years old, after all.”

“Thea, you were the only one living in the attic where the fire started.”

I wanted to cut that tiny bun off his head and see how he liked being interrogated about his questionable choices. “Typical. Why even ask questions if you’ve already made up your mind and aren’t willing to listen to all sides of the argument?”

His shoulders slumped at my constant questioning. It was the only way I could win an argument, and proved to be an effective strategy. Although, I had to admit, sometimes when his bun was in just the right place, he looked like one of those overly groomed labradoodles, which made me feel bad. No one wanted to upset a dog.

“I just can’t with you sometimes,” he whispered.

I shuffled closer to him, tapping him on the chest.

“Come on, Tan Tan. I’ll be fine. Don’t you remember, I spent an entire year at college without you?”

He nodded. “I remember, but that was our local college, sis. I’d made sure everyone knew not to mess with you after …”

The worry line between his eyebrows thickened, which surprised me. Yes, that night was horrific, and I never wanted to repeat it, but sometimes, I wondered if it affected Tanner more than it had me. He blamed himself because it was a teammate, but the incident had nothing to do with my brother, and I told him as much. I could see it in his eyes, though. He’d been different with me ever since, and it didn’t matter how much I reminded him I was still his sarcastic sister who loved to have fun, he was always looking at me like I was about to break.

“Tan Tan,” I whispered before shaking his shoulders and forcing his attention to me. When he looked up, I gave him a small smile. “No one is going to hurt me here. They all know who you are, and if that wasn’t enough to stop them, they think I burned down a sorority house to avenge your girlfriend. Trust me, everyone thinks I’m a crazy bitch. I’ll be fine.”

My brother smiled—the biggest smile I’d seen in a long time—and his blue eyes softened.

“I know. I just worry sometimes.”

Sometimes? Pfft. Dude had enough worry to fuel the jets for Bailey Hill’s world tour.

I patted him on the back hard enough he stood up a little straighter. Okay, that might have been a little rougher than intended, but I wanted him to snap out of it.

“Aww, look at that, sibling love,” Jackson, our other roommate and my archnemesis, said.

My lip curled as I pulled out of my brother’s hold, and the bane of my existence sauntered into the room like he was God’s gift to women.

I snarled. The only reaction my body could give to the most obnoxious man who ever lived. No exaggeration. Jackson thought he was hot shit, and it didn’t matter how many times he failed out of class, nothing would change his mind on the matter.

It’s partly because he was pretty hot … Shit. Did I just admit that? Jackson was easy on the eyes, but that didn’t change the fact he had the manners of a puppy.

“I gotta be honest with you, T. I know Thea is your sister, but I have no idea how you can love her.”

Did I mention he hated me just as much? My spine tingled as his eyes raked my body. I knew what he was doing. Judging.

Every curve. Every inch. I wasn’t thin, and I knew everyone questioned how I could have such a Baywatch-worthy brother and look like … this.

My rolls, my pale skin. The feeling of being judged was only ever soothed by the sweet narcotic that was sugar, and I ate my fair share. I wasn’t ashamed of it. I liked who I was, but that didn’t mean I was okay with a meathead judging me for it.

“Jackson,” my brother griped in warning. Ah, sweet Tanner, always trying to defend my honor, or his right to be the one offending me. For all of Tanner’s saintly ways, he could still be an ass.

Jackson was unfazed by Tanner’s threat. Probably because his arms were the size of Tanner’s thighs. He, like my brother, was obsessed with the gym. Muscular and wide, he lifted an obscene amount of weights in his quest to become the best defensive lineman on the Covey U Wildcats.

Jackson pushed his lips out and scratched his chin. “But then again, I didn’t spend nine months in the womb with her. Are you sure you aren’t suffering from Stockholm Syndrome?”

My lip curled and a low growl emanated from my throat as I glared at Jackson. “Surprised you even know where Stockholm is, Baseball Cap.”

I didn’t even have to look in his direction to know he was wearing a blue Carolina Catfish baseball cap. The same cap he’d been wearing for the last two years. I didn’t want to imagine how much grease lined the brim.

“Go ahead, call me an idiot. I don’t care, because you get on my last nerve,” he said.

Tanner sighed and stepped forward, blocking my view of Jackson, but he was wider than Tanner, so I could still see his thick arms on either side of my brother.

“Can we not do this today? I’m going away, and I don’t want to be worried about what you’re going to do to each other while I’m gone.”

I shivered at the thought of being anywhere near Jackson alone. When I started here, I got a different kind of shivers when he was around, but like a bull in a china shop, he throttled those feelings right out the window after just one month.

Jackson chuckled and slapped Tanner on the shoulder, shaking him a little. “We’ll be fine, bro. Just focus on getting your girl off as much as possible.”

Was that vomit in my mouth? I pressed my lips together and clutched my stomach, feeling sick from the thought.

Raising my hand, I said, “Can you please not talk about those kinds of things with me in the room?”

“Yeah, J. I don’t really want to discuss that kind of shit with my sister around.”

“Should’ve thought about that before you let her live with us.”

“I didn’t …”

Tanner didn’t finish that sentence, and I knew why. He didn’t want me here. He had no choice. After two failed attempts at living alone, I was now stuck living with my brother and his annoying teammate because no one trusted me in any other capacity.

I didn’t like being a burden on people; I really didn’t. I’d just run out of options.

Jackson raised his hands, an audacious grin covering his face. “Alright, man. I won’t talk about how much P you’re going to get over the next week.”

Tanner’s shoulders rose, and although I couldn’t see his face, I knew he was pissed. There were other things going on with Tanner and his girlfriend, Aster, that he clearly hadn’t shared with Jackson just yet. Not surprising. Trying to have a heart-to-heart with that buffoon would be as pointless as talking to a giraffe.

“Not everything is about sex, you know. I’m visiting the Crossbills and staying with Aster’s parents.”

Okay, my flesh was crawling. Tanner saying the word sex was disgusting and wrong.

“What’s your point?” Jackson asked. “You can still have some fun when the parents aren’t looking.”

Tanner pushed Jackson, who laughed. “Have you ever had a serious relationship?”

“Haven’t needed to. I can get laid without one.”

And that right there was the pig I lived with.

“Charming, as usual,” I added, striding past them into our small kitchen. The apartment wasn’t huge, but the living room and kitchen were combined, making space for a kitchen island with a faux-marble countertop. One I was now leaning against as I plucked a few grapes from the fruit basket.

Jackson clutched his chest and looked at me in mock surprise. “Ouch. You wound me.”

I wanted to smack that smirk clear off his face. Out of all the people in the world to be stuck with for the next ten days, why did it have to be Jackson James? How would I survive the utter vapidness of being solely in his presence every evening? Seriously, I was almost certain centipedes had more going on in their heads than that guy.

“And you make me want to vomit,” I quipped.

“Jackson. Thea. Can you please just pretend to get along until I leave the room?”

I crossed my arms, knowing full well I couldn’t agree to that, so I changed the subject.

“Where’s Aster? I want to say goodbye.”

Jackson slapped Tanner on the back. “Yeah, where is that spitfire?”

Tanner looked between us. “She didn’t want to have to deal with the two of you arguing so opted to wait in the car.”

“We don’t argue,” Jackson said with a huffed-out breath.

“And I’m not quarterback of Covey U,” my brother said.

Tipping on my toes, I pointed at the baseball-capped fool. “It’s all him. If he had an ounce of charm in any of that giant body of his, then maybe we’d be able to get along.”

“Charm? Are you seriously going to talk about charm right now? I seem to remember how far your charm got you with that police officer after you tried to burn your sorority down, Pyro.”

“Pyro?”

“Yeah, your new nickname. I think it’s fitting, don’t you?”

I clenched my fists and held myself back from punching him square in the jaw. Not out of fear he would retaliate. No, that wasn’t him. It was purely because I knew he’d barely feel it, yet my hand would be broken.

“Thea. Jackson. I have to leave in five minutes, otherwise we’re going to miss our flight. Maybe I should stay here. I’ve seen the Crossbill facilities before. There’s no need to go back.”

Tanner’s jaw clenched, so I strolled over to him and gave him another hug. My brother had given up a lot for me, but I wouldn’t let him give up this opportunity.

“I’ll be fine, baby bro. Just enjoy meeting the owner of your new team and spending time with your girlfriend.” I winked in reference to Aster. They’d been dating for a little over a year, and to say my brother was obsessed would be an understatement. He was smitten with her, and I could understand why. She was strong, determined, and intelligent. Everything he needed when entering a ruthless sports industry. She grounded him, so I wasn’t surprised when he showed me our grandmother’s ring and asked if I’d let him give it to Aster since it was technically handed down to me.

Of course, I said yes, and I might’ve also done a little jig of approval. Tanner was clear with me, though. He wasn’t going to ask her her to marry him until he was on his new team for at least a year, which immediately dampened my mood.

I tried to convince him to do it sooner, pointing out how well it worked out for Matty and Britt, but he waved me off, saying they were still too young and Aster needed to finish her master’s first.

“It’s not my new team,” Tanner replied. Even Jackson snorted at the comment.

“You’re kidding, right?” Jackson asked.

“We don’t know that for sure, and I’d rather not jinx my chances.”

Seriously, could my brother be any humbler about his abilities? Throughout high school, he had NFL teams watching him play. Chally Sports hadn’t shut up about him since he was seventeen, and yet he still didn’t believe he’d get the first pick of the draft. It was ridiculous.

“Please. The draft is in three weeks. All the sports networks are talking about you. You’ve got this in the bag,” Jackson said.

“They still might go with someone else. There’s that tight end at St. Michael’s who’s making waves.”

“That dude’s got nothing on you,” Jackson stated. “If you can’t be confident in yourself, what chance do the rest of us have?”

Oh, did I feel that statement down to my toes. It was hard being the older sister—albeit two minutes—of a guy who was famous before leaving high school. The expectations people had didn’t stop with him. I was expected to be just as talented, and although my breakdancing could rival Australia’s entry at the Olympics, it wasn’t what would make me famous.

Nothing would.

I was remarkably unremarkable. My life was what it was. We couldn’t all be potential multimillion-dollar athletes, and after a long and agonizing stint on the ladies’ golf team, I’d come to terms with that.

Tanner’s phone dinged. “That’s Aster. I’m going to be late.” He looked at me with one final plea as he picked up his bag and hauled it over his shoulder. “Please don’t get into any trouble while I’m gone.”

“I’ll be fine. I promise.”

“If you need anything, just call. I’m only a few hours away.”

“Sure thing.” I gave my brother a salute before ushering him out of the door. “Now, get out of here before Aster starts to worry that you’re leaving her.”

He gave me a slanted smile. “She knows there’s no chance of that happening.”

Tanner raised his hand and waved at Jackson. “See you later, J. Look out for my sister, won’t you?”

“Ugh,” I growled, pushing my brother through the apartment door. “Just go already.”

After one more goodbye, I dramatically shut the door and stared at the wood for longer than some might deem necessary.

It wasn’t like I was missing out on anything behind me. Just Jackson and his stupid hat.