Page 101 of The Other Brother

Ha. I was thirteen, and I swear my father had scripted out ahead of time every word he would say. However, he was definitely not prepared for my question, “Okay, so that covers everything with girls. But what about when you have sex with a guy?”

“This is not a birds and the bees talk,” he says. “Though I hope you remember the key points of that, about staying safe in all situations.”

“Trust me, the words ‘always use a condom’ are forever imprinted on my brain,” I mutter.

“That’s good to hear.” Dad moves across my room to perch on the end of my bed, facing me.

I stare at him expectantly. I’m not about to make this easy for him.

“Cody seems like a great guy,” he begins hesitantly.

“He is.” I glance over at the photo I’ve pinned on the wall beside my bed. The one I had printed on Cody’s guitar pick. Orakahau beach at sunrise. The optimistic, life-is-awesome feeling that the photo normally inspires in me fails to launch right now.

“And if he was anyone else, your mum and I would be happy to see you settling down and having a proper relationship,” Dad continues.

“But he’s not anyone else,” I prompt.

Dad sighs, pushing his glasses back up his nose. “No, he’s not. Relationships are complicated things, Ryan. And like it or not, families play a part in any relationship. And you and Cody, you share sisters, don’t forget. What happens if things end badly between you? How do you think it will affect your relationship with Mel and Kate?”

I shrug. “Mel and Kate have always liked Cody more than me. They’ll be on his side for sure.”

“Mel and Kate are your sisters, and deep down I know they care for you and you care for them.”

“Maybe Cody and I will go live on some island in the Caribbean, far, far away from all of you,” I say.

Dad gives me a look. “How does that fit in with Cody’s plans to become a musician?”

I give another shrug, looking down at my desk. I pretend my textbook is a fascinating read.

“You’re young. You don’t want something like this distracting you from your future.”

I snap my head up. “He’s not distracting me. If anything, Cody is helping me. And I’m helping him too.”

“Just think about what I’ve said, okay?”

“You don’t get it, Dad.” The words tumble out without permission.

“What don’t I get?”

I’m silent for a few seconds. I don’t know how to put into words, what I want to say.

“It’s not like a tap. You can’t just turn it off because it’s not convenient,” I say finally.

“We just want to make sure you’re going into this with your eyes open.”

My eyes are taped open, into a wide-eyed stare. I can’t blink, even if I wanted to.

Chapter27

The good thing about my parents knowing is not having to hide it anymore. Which means Cody doesn’t have to be here only under the guise of tutoring.

On Saturday afternoon he comes over just as Mum is going out. She doesn’t even bother to hide her grimace when she sees him. I’m sure she’s adopted the same attitude to my relationship with Cody as she did to my short-lived death metal obsession—hoping it’s a phase I’ll grow out of quickly.

As soon as we get to my room, I dive on my bed then pat the spot beside me.

Cody obligingly plops down next to me, but his forehead is creased.

“Your mum really isn’t happy about us, is she?”