Page 14 of Totally Geeked

“Harrison was outside cleaning up and offered to take me,” I say, and Gordon’s eyes narrow on the screen.

“Harrison, like my Harry?”

“He’s notyourHarry, but yes, Harrison who plays in your team. He offered, so I just…”

“I told him to stay away from you two, and I toldyouto stay away from the guys in the team.”

I laugh. “Harrison took me to a book reading, it’s not like we hooked up. Maybe you should ask Noah who he washanging out withlast night?”

Noah grabs the phone from my hand and ends the call with Gordon before he can ask him anything.

“Dude, not cool,” he complains. The phone rings immediately, and he clicks decline and puts it on silent.

“I’ve never been cool.”

“Sure, you have,” he says, standing and offering me a hand.

I reach out with my cast, and he laughs.

“See I’m making my point,” I say.

“You’ll always be cool to me.”

I let him help me stand and then nod toward the bag on the ground.

“Your turn. So, are you going back to school?”

“Yep, but don’t worry, Gordon said you can stay with him until your cast comes off.”

I don’t want to stay with Gordon. I didn’t want Noah to have to be pulled off campus to stay with me either. I might be clumsy but I can live alone.

“I’ll be okay,” I say, and his smile falls. “What?”

“Gordon said you had to agree to stay with him for me to go back.”

“He can’t stop you.”

“No, but he can stop loading up my meal card.”

“Ouch.” We all inherited money from Dad’s life insurance when he passed, and while Gordon and I have access to ours, Noah won’t get his hands on his until he’s completed his education. It’s all part of the terms of the will or something. Gordon funds his food, I think he scored a scholarship that covers part of his tuition, and then he works part time doing something on campus, or at least he did when he was there and not here looking after his big brother.

“I’d totally be cool to stay, but I’m VP now, and we have like three parties in the next month alone to prepare for.”

“I guess I can stay at Gordon’s for a while.”

He loops his arms around me.

“Thank you, thank you, thank you.”

A horn beeps, and I turn to see three young guys, two with their heads out the windows of an idling jeep.

“Let’s go, bro,” the one in the driver's seat calls while the others make whoop noises and tap the outside roof of the car.

“See you, Arlo,” he says, grabbing his bag and jogging down to the car as they cheer him on like he’s about to win gold.

I never had that experience in college. I went to a small art college that focused on graphics and storytelling. It’s not like I would have been accepted into a fraternity anyway, but Noah fits right in there. Half his hockey team are brothers in his frathouse, too. I visited once for a family day with Gordon after Dad passed. The guys in the house all knew why we were there and not Dad, and made a real effort to make us feel welcome. Noah must have told them that I was a writer, too, because every person I spoke to that day from his fraternity kept asking if I had seen their awesome library.

I’m glad he’s going back. He should be there having fun, not here looking after me. Gordon shouldn't be looking after me either. Hopefully, it will only take a day or two to convince him I’m okay on my own, that second trip to the hospital was a total fluke.

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