Page 132 of Something in Between

“Is that you, Jasmine? Where’s Kayla?”

Wait a minute. I know this voice. It’s not Royce. “Mason? What are you doing here?”

He steps out of the shadows like he’s been in a fight. His hair and coat are rain-soaked. He stumbles over a loose brick on the walkway. He’s obviously been drinking. “I came to see my girl.” He spits as the rain pours behind him. “Go get her now.”

“She’s not your girl,” I say.

“Jealous are you? I knew it.” Mason grins. “Come here, baby.”

“Mason, stop it!” I say, when he tries to put his arms around me.

“You think you’re too good for me, don’t you, National Scholar. But you’re just a mail-order bride and that’s all you are. I can’t believe my brother hasn’t seen through you. You should have been long gone by now.”

“What are you talking about?”

Mason snickers. “After I sabotaged that private bill Dad was working on, I thought for sure you’d be on a boat back to China or wherever you’re from. Honestly, I don’t know what’s taking so long.”

My anger boils up through my twisting gut. So do tears. I don’t say anything. I don’t do anything. I’m numb.

“What did you say?” a voice asks from behind Mason. It’s hard to see in the rain, but I’d recognize that voice anywhere.

Mason addresses the darkness. “Well,someonehad to leak the story or her illegal family might have been allowed to stay here. Even Dad was on her side, and that’s just wrong, to put aside his political beliefs just for his family. No one should get what they want.”

Suddenly, Royce, also soaked, is behind his brother, grabbing him by the shoulder. “THAT WASYOU?” he yells. “YOU LEAKED IT?”

“Surprise?” Mason laughs.

Mason liked taking away my toys and making me cry,Royce said the other day. Is that what I am to Mason? A thing?

When you’re privileged, your life becomes a collection of things. Nothing’s real. Not people, not their feelings.

Sabotaging my family’s private immigration bill was a joke to him. My family’s life, my future, was just a toy to be played with.

Royce punches Mason in the face but Mason ducks and hits Royce in the gut, sending him falling into the bushes.

“Royce!” I scream. “Don’t hurt him!” I yell at Mason.

“Come on! Get up! You’ve never beat me in a fight!” Mason says, dukes up.

“Mason! What are you doing here?” Kayla says, appearing in the doorway. “Stop or I’ll call the police!”

Royce gets up but this time he doesn’t swing or kick. Instead he speaks calmly to his brother. “This isn’t about me at all, is it? Or Jasmine. It’s about Dad. You leaked the article to get back at him. You’re using Jasmine to make a statement. You hate when anyone else gets attention from him.”

“Spare me your five-cent therapy,” Mason says.

“Mason, please. Dad loves you. I love you. You don’t have to do this. You don’t have to be this way.” I’ve never seen Royce look so destroyed. First I broke his heart at the courthouse and now this. I want to help but I don’t know how.

Mason stumbles backward, still cursing at Royce.

But Royce is adamant that Mason hear what he has to say. “I know you’ve been angry ever since he started spending all his time in Washington, but he still loves us.”

“What are you talking about?” Mason says. “Want me to hit you again?”

“I’m talking about your feelings about Dad,” Royce says.

“Feel this!” Mason punches Royce again, who goes down hard.

I start to help Royce but he waves me off and gets up again. “He loves you, Mason,” Royce says. “I know he does.”

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