Me, on the other hand, a solid eighty-three. And a horny eighty-three, too. I’d be doing the same shit as now. I’d get my tacos delivered to me in an old folks’ home, preferably by some young thing. The idea had merit. I grinned as I headed inside, thinking of the sponge baths.
I stopped just inside. The kitchen light was on. We never kept that light on.
“Hello?” I walked inside and spotted Mason locking the back door. “Hey. What are you doing up?” I smiled again. “Had a fight with the wife?”
He scowled, scratching the top of his head as he walked past me to the hallway. “No, you asshole. I had to pick up Nate.”
“Nate…” My voice trailed off, and I took in how my brother was dressed: Sweatshirt. Sweatpants. Bags under his eyes, his hair slightly messed up, and tired lines around his mouth—well, fuck. “I forgot him at the party, didn’t I?” I looked around, but no one had come in behind Mason. “Where is he?”
“Yeah. You left him. I dropped him off at the hotel.”
I groaned, grabbing on to the back of my neck. That was even worse. “His parents are in town.” The pieces were coming back to me. Nate hadn’t wanted to go to the party. But I did, so I talked him into it with the promise that we’d only be gone a few hours. His parents were arriving tonight—make that last night. “They were going to be jet-lagged, so he wanted to stay up and surprise them at the hotel. Shit. Shit. Shit.”
Mason shook his head. “I hope the chick was worth it.”
“The chick?” That’s what they thought. I left him to have sex. I shook my head. “I’m not that shallow. I mean, come on.”
Mason stood half in the dark hallway now, half still in the kitchen’s light. His face was masked with shadows, but I caught the grin. “You didn’t leave the party because of some girl?”
“I did, but—”
He snorted a laugh. “That’s your problem. Whatever you did and whoever it was with, I hope it was worth it. Nate is pissed.” He walked backward toward his room. “And lucky for you, you sleep next door to him.”
I hadn’t left him to have sex. I knew that even when Taylor texted back. She wasn’t that type of girl. But hearing it from my brother, I couldn’t tell Nate the truth. It’d be even worse that I’d left him to not have sex. He wouldn’t understand. I’d dropped the ball. Nate was my brother’s best friend, but because all three of us grew up together, we were family. We all lived in the same house, along with Samantha, my future stepsister and Mason’s “wife.”
“’Night, little bro. You’ll make it up to him. Don’t stress about it.” Mason paused before going into his bedroom. “Hey.” His voice had softened.
“Yeah?”
“Did you have fun?”
“What?”
“With the girl. If you didn’t have sex with her, did you have fun, at least?”
I scratched behind my ear. Did I have fun? “I thought you didn’t want to know.”
Mason lifted a shoulder. “You’re a little different tonight.”
I scowled. “I am?” I didn’t want to hear crap like that. I was the same. “I was leaving to get food anyway. I forgot Nate was there because he was the one off with some girl. Not me. I’ve had a very asexual night.”
“Logan.”
“What?” My scowl didn’t go away. That bothered me.
“I was joking. You’re the same sarcastic jackass you always are.”
“Oh thank God.” I pressed a hand to my chest, giving him a watery grin. “That scared the living shit out of me. Don’t do that.” Sam called to him from inside the bedroom, and I waved him off. “Go back to Sam. Sleep tight, big brother. You’ve got a day full of twofers tomorrow.” Which reminded me… “Oh hey,” I added as he opened his door. He glanced back at me. “The coaches had a rough night. All four of them spent the night at the head coach’s house tonight.”
He cursed. “Are you sure?”
“Yep.”
A second, third, and fourth curse. “That means we’ll be doing sprints all practice.”
I laughed. “Have a good night.” I yelled past him, “You, too, Sam.”
“Stop talking so we can go to bed!” she yelled back.
Mason closed the door behind him, and I went to the kitchen.
MINDF*CKING PARTNER IN CRIME
TAYLOR
“What did you say to him?”
The sight of Jason waiting outside my classroom building hadn’t registered before he saw me and pounced. Well, he didn’t pounce, but it was almost the same thing. He straightened from the building, crushed out his cigarette, and flung a hand in the air as he rushed over to meet me. His hair stuck up all over, like he’d been running his hand through it.
“Uh…” Wait a minute. I frowned. “What are you doing here? You don’t go to school here.”
“I’m waiting for you.” He glared and crossed his arms over his scrawny chest. “Kade turned me down. He asked for my competitor’s number instead.”
My mouth twitched. I wouldn’t laugh. “He did?” I could feel myself smiling. I couldn’t stop it.
“It’s not funny. Do you know how much money I lost out on?”
I shrugged. “Look, I told him you’d do it. That was my job. I didn’t say anything else about it.”
I stopped just inside. The kitchen light was on. We never kept that light on.
“Hello?” I walked inside and spotted Mason locking the back door. “Hey. What are you doing up?” I smiled again. “Had a fight with the wife?”
He scowled, scratching the top of his head as he walked past me to the hallway. “No, you asshole. I had to pick up Nate.”
“Nate…” My voice trailed off, and I took in how my brother was dressed: Sweatshirt. Sweatpants. Bags under his eyes, his hair slightly messed up, and tired lines around his mouth—well, fuck. “I forgot him at the party, didn’t I?” I looked around, but no one had come in behind Mason. “Where is he?”
“Yeah. You left him. I dropped him off at the hotel.”
I groaned, grabbing on to the back of my neck. That was even worse. “His parents are in town.” The pieces were coming back to me. Nate hadn’t wanted to go to the party. But I did, so I talked him into it with the promise that we’d only be gone a few hours. His parents were arriving tonight—make that last night. “They were going to be jet-lagged, so he wanted to stay up and surprise them at the hotel. Shit. Shit. Shit.”
Mason shook his head. “I hope the chick was worth it.”
“The chick?” That’s what they thought. I left him to have sex. I shook my head. “I’m not that shallow. I mean, come on.”
Mason stood half in the dark hallway now, half still in the kitchen’s light. His face was masked with shadows, but I caught the grin. “You didn’t leave the party because of some girl?”
“I did, but—”
He snorted a laugh. “That’s your problem. Whatever you did and whoever it was with, I hope it was worth it. Nate is pissed.” He walked backward toward his room. “And lucky for you, you sleep next door to him.”
I hadn’t left him to have sex. I knew that even when Taylor texted back. She wasn’t that type of girl. But hearing it from my brother, I couldn’t tell Nate the truth. It’d be even worse that I’d left him to not have sex. He wouldn’t understand. I’d dropped the ball. Nate was my brother’s best friend, but because all three of us grew up together, we were family. We all lived in the same house, along with Samantha, my future stepsister and Mason’s “wife.”
“’Night, little bro. You’ll make it up to him. Don’t stress about it.” Mason paused before going into his bedroom. “Hey.” His voice had softened.
“Yeah?”
“Did you have fun?”
“What?”
“With the girl. If you didn’t have sex with her, did you have fun, at least?”
I scratched behind my ear. Did I have fun? “I thought you didn’t want to know.”
Mason lifted a shoulder. “You’re a little different tonight.”
I scowled. “I am?” I didn’t want to hear crap like that. I was the same. “I was leaving to get food anyway. I forgot Nate was there because he was the one off with some girl. Not me. I’ve had a very asexual night.”
“Logan.”
“What?” My scowl didn’t go away. That bothered me.
“I was joking. You’re the same sarcastic jackass you always are.”
“Oh thank God.” I pressed a hand to my chest, giving him a watery grin. “That scared the living shit out of me. Don’t do that.” Sam called to him from inside the bedroom, and I waved him off. “Go back to Sam. Sleep tight, big brother. You’ve got a day full of twofers tomorrow.” Which reminded me… “Oh hey,” I added as he opened his door. He glanced back at me. “The coaches had a rough night. All four of them spent the night at the head coach’s house tonight.”
He cursed. “Are you sure?”
“Yep.”
A second, third, and fourth curse. “That means we’ll be doing sprints all practice.”
I laughed. “Have a good night.” I yelled past him, “You, too, Sam.”
“Stop talking so we can go to bed!” she yelled back.
Mason closed the door behind him, and I went to the kitchen.
MINDF*CKING PARTNER IN CRIME
TAYLOR
“What did you say to him?”
The sight of Jason waiting outside my classroom building hadn’t registered before he saw me and pounced. Well, he didn’t pounce, but it was almost the same thing. He straightened from the building, crushed out his cigarette, and flung a hand in the air as he rushed over to meet me. His hair stuck up all over, like he’d been running his hand through it.
“Uh…” Wait a minute. I frowned. “What are you doing here? You don’t go to school here.”
“I’m waiting for you.” He glared and crossed his arms over his scrawny chest. “Kade turned me down. He asked for my competitor’s number instead.”
My mouth twitched. I wouldn’t laugh. “He did?” I could feel myself smiling. I couldn’t stop it.
“It’s not funny. Do you know how much money I lost out on?”
I shrugged. “Look, I told him you’d do it. That was my job. I didn’t say anything else about it.”
