Page 26 of The Other Brother

Mel looks between us. “So, this weekend I’m heading back to the city for Kirsten’s twenty-first. You guys will be okay here, won’t you?”

“How many times have I told you, we don’t need to be babysat?” I ask.

“Even when you’re in an aged care home, Ryan, you will still need to be babysat,” Mel replies.

I manage to stop myself making a joke about adult diapers. We are eating, after all.

After dinner,I head up to my room. Because I do the cooking, Mel and Cody do the dishes. I usually hang out with them while they’re doing it, but I have a stream of unanswered messages from Oz and Harvey that I need to reply to. I’ve neglected keeping in contact with my friends since I’ve been at the beach

I’m halfway through catching up with Harvey when my phone pings with a message from Cody.

It’s a picture of a rhinoceros dressed in a tutu. Damn. He broke her.

I send back a YouTube clip of someone snorting raisins. It made me gag, so I’m pretty sure it’s going to be even worse for him.

He replies with one of a rhino wearing a G-string.

As I’m scrolling through YouTube looking for more raisin grossness, Harvey sends me another message. He’s probably wondering why I’ve suddenly gone AWOL from our conversation.

Suddenly I get an epic idea. I head to Cody’s room.

The door is ajar, and Cody’s lying on his bed, studying his phone intently. I edge inside. It’s the first time I’ve been inside Cody’s room. It’s bigger than the spare room I’m sleeping in but looks smaller because of the piano jammed in. It has an impressive view of the ocean though.

“What are you looking at?” I ask.

He flicks his head up guiltily. “I may or may not be watching videos of cute baby rhinoceros.”

“Bet they’re not as cute as me,” I say as I perch on the edge of his bed, wrinkling his bedspread. It’s navy with green dinosaurs marauding over it.

Cody’s mouth quirks. “Of course not.”

“So I was thinking…” I start.

He sits up straighter. “That’s always dangerous.”

“Mel’s heading back to the city for the weekend, so you know what that means, right?”

He eyes me cautiously. “What?”

“It means it’sparty time!”

He continues to look at me. “Yeah, I’m not sure if that’s such a good idea,” he says finally.

Disappointment surges in me, but I’m not giving up yet. There’s a reason why my old English teacher said she saw my future career would be selling sand in the desert.

“Come on. I’ll invite a few of my friends, and you invite a few of yours. Breaking down barriers between the private and public education system. Really, it’s for the good of society.”

“You talk so much bullshit, you know, right?” But a smile has slid up his face.

I can work with that smile. “So, are you in?” I ask.

Cody hesitates. “We keep it small. Like, really small. Like five people each, max.”

“Ten,” I counter.

He narrows his eyes. “Eight.”

“You’re a tough negotiator,” I say, crashing back on his bed dramatically as I reach for my phone in my pocket.