Page 43 of Totally Geeked

“Sorry, but I’ve already pitched Benny to my publisher.”

“No way! Okay, lock me in for number four.”

“You want to be the main character that bad?”

His eyes go a little wider. “It’s so cool you’re getting kids into Banana Ball. Actually, you are getting adults into it, too, ’cause they are reading your books to their kids and then looking upwhat we do. I reckon now we’ve joined the league, you have every guy who steps foot out here begging you to be next on the list.”

My cheeks burn. I never thought I would even get my book published, let alone that players would be lining up to be the next main character.

“Oh, that reminds me, Ian wanted to know if he could interview you.”

“Isn’t he a sportswriter?”

“Yeah, but he’s doing these promo pieces at the moment on Harry, and since all Harry could talk about in his interview was you basing your next book off him, he wanted to include maybe some early info or sketches or something, I don’t know. I said I would ask you. If you are down, just tell Harry. He said he could run you over after your next reading.”

I can’t find my voice to tell him how cool that sounds, all that keeps repeating in my thoughts is that he said all Harrison could talk about in his interview was me. My book. The one I am doing about him. I nod, and Duckie holds on with one hand to throw me a thumbs-up, jumps down, and runs off.

The afternoon sun peeks out from behind a cloud, and I turn my face up to let its warmth wash over me. Harrison really used his interview to talk about me. He’s always thinking about other people. What they want, what they need. He really is just so amazing.

I pull out my sketchbook again and try to focus on refining some of the drawings while I wait for Gordon. But I can’t focus and end up turning a sketch of Benny into one that looks way more like Harrison.

“Ready?” Gordon calls from the stairs, and I toss everything into my bag and head over to meet him.

“That was great,” I say, and he smiles.

“It was pretty awesome. I am so tired now, though. Do you mind if we order in for dinner?”

“I can cook,” I say, and he laughs.

“I’d like to avoid a hospital visit.”

“It was one time. I’m way less clumsy with this thing now,” I say, raising my casted hand, but I don’t see the rail beside us, and it clunks against it sending vibrations through my wrists. Thankfully it was a light tap and it didn’t follow with shooting pain. “Okay, fine, but I’m making us all a big dinner when this thing is off. I have to prove to all of you I’m normally really good in the kitchen.”

“How long until it’s off?”

“A few weeks, still. I miss sleeping in my own bed, in my own house.”

“I get it, really, I do. It can’t be easy having to stay with the best big brother in the world in his fancy house with a pool and everything.” He chuckles.

“A pool I can’t go swimming in. Yeah, it’s harder than you think. I know you’ve looked after us since Dad, but Noah is the youngest and he’s still in school, maybe you can focus your attention on what he’s getting up to?”

We reach the car, and Gordon opens my door and heads around to the driver’s side.

“I don’t think I want to get involved in what your brother does, and honestly I don’t want to be parenting you either,” he says, leaning over the roof of the car.

“Then let me go home.”

He frowns and shakes his head slowly. “I can’t. You might feel okay to be alone, but I’m not okay with you being alone yet. It was pure luck you were found that second night you ended up in the ER. If your neighbor hadn’t been walking past at just that second and heard the crash of the pot, we could have lost you.”

I shake my head. “It wasn’t that bad.”

“It was. You were still unconscious when she found you. You were on your back, you had whatever it was you were cooking all over you. She turned you to the side, and made sure you could breathe, Arlo. She called the ambulance. She really did save you, and we really did almost lose you. I have to know you’re okay before you go back. I need to. I know it sucks at my place—”

“It doesn’t suck, it’s just not…home,” I say as his words settle into my gut. I haven’t seen him this serious about anything since Dad got sick. I never really thought about how my accident or my repeat accident affected my brothers. Not really. I just thought they were treating me like some clumsy child they had to watch over. But they really thought they might lose me. Old feelings about the day we last saw Dad swell inside, and tears prickle my eyes.

“You get it now, though, right? Why I need you to stay?”

I force a smile and try to keep the tears at bay, that’s all he would need now is thinking he made me cry.

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