Page 13 of Oh, Flutz!

More than you know.“That’s not the point. I’ve been able to balance skating and everything else this far, but if I started trying for Worlds, for the freaking Olympics, I don’t know.”

“So?”

I huff. “What do you mean,so?”

“Come on, Bry. I love you, which is why I’m gonna be straight with you.”

“Oh, is that why? I thought you just liked bullying me.”

“Listen to me. You’re being a bit of a pussy.”

I scoff. “Okay, I’m hanging up now.”

“I know why you’re doing this, you know.”

“Oh, really? Why don’t you enlighten me?”

“You don’t want to abandon me.”

I stop short.Shit.

“I’m taking that as a yes.”

I wince. “Alexandra…”

She groans. “Bryan. I’ll be fine.”

My throat’s getting tight. “How do you know?”

“Because it’s not how it was before you left. Mom’s fine. Dad, well, he’s as good as he can be. Alright? Things have gotten better. And, I mean, they were always kind of better for me anyway.”

She’s not wrong. And it doesn’t make me mad that she knows it—it does kind of make me sad, though. You shouldn’t ever have to feel like you have it better than your sibling when it comes to your parents. I feel like it might be just as bad knowing that you’re the favorite as it is knowing you’re not. Although it wasn’t even like that, exactly. I don’t think they ever actively liked her better than me. They just left her alone.

And because she’s so much younger than me, she doesn’t remember how things used to be. Howheused to be.

“I don’t want to leave you again,” I tell her, my voice cracking a little. “I’m your brother.”

“And I’m your sister. And we’ve beenoverthis, Bry. You needed to get out. I understood, alright? I was just…ten. I didn’t really get what was going on.”

I drag a hand over my face, grimacing at the reminder. “I know.”

“I, personally, would much rather have a brother with a shot at winning than one who stays home eating all my food. This way I can actually watch you skate on TV without being embarrassed.”

I can’t help it; I burst out laughing. “Shut up.”

“Yeah, right! You’re gonna need me to keep your ego in check when you get to the Olympics with this girl.”

I snort. “When?”That’s very optimistic.

“Mm-hm.” There’s a clattering in the background. “I gotta go finish my homework, alright? Go call Lee.”

I exhale heavily. “Yeah.”

“Be more excited. This is gonna be good, I have a feeling.”

“Oh, like the good feeling you had when you brought home Francine the Raccoon?”

“I was nine!”

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