Page 46 of Forging Chaos

ODIN

A few hours later,all three of my brothers showed up to retrieve me. I didn’t even call them, but since they arrived in my car, I guess Thora had already seen them and gone.

“Hey, man,” Gunny says, sinking into the couch beside me. I don’t even have the television on. I’m just staring into the fireplace, trying to figure out where I went so wrong. Thora thinks I pity her, but the opposite is true. I revere her. I find her to be extraordinary.

That feels like a bougie word, but it’s the best I can think of. And I’ve spent hours just sitting here thinking about it.

I grunt at my brothers as the twins squeeze in on my other side.

Gunnar stretches and puts an arm around my shoulder. “Sooooo Thora stopped by…looked pretty pissed.”

I nod and cross my arms. Alder and Tucker trade farts, probably trying to get a reaction from me, but I’m used to their antics.

Gunnar sighs. “We wanted to talk to you, actually. And since you weren’t with Thora and you don’t really leave the house, we tracked your phone.”

Tucker nods. “Did you know I always know where you are, bro?”

I shrug, still not looking over at him and Alder. I’m sure Dad has our whole family tracked just in case, but I don’t say so.

Gunny sighs. “We’ve been thinking about you and your bum leg, man. And our careers.”

I frown and spare a glance at my brother. “What do you mean?”

He retracts his arm and pats my thigh. “You know hockey is different from football. I signed with the Fury two years ago.”

“I know that.” I still think it’s weird that hockey drafts guys while they’re still in college and waits around for them to finish before they start with the pros. And then it occurs to me that I think that’s weird because guys can get injured. Seriously injured. Like me. “What are you saying?”

Gunny nods. “I’m leaving school.” He points to the twins. “We all are. The twins got drafted in January. We don’t want…” He drifts off without sayingwe don’t want to wind up like you.

I pinch my lips together.

Alder winces. “We just…want at least a million bucks if we’re going to get hurt anyway.”

Tucker grunts. “Maybe you’re only getting a million.”

They start to argue about who is getting the better offer, and I hop up to my foot and extract myself from the couch.

“Odin, wait.” Gunnar looks serious. “We wanted you to know that, like, this isn’t all in vain. Or whatever.”

I close my eyes and shake my head. “Gee. Thanks. Can you take me home now?”

Alder grunts, and I stare at him. “Mom said to drop you at the boathouse.”

They start to walk toward the door of the ski house.Tucker asks, “Do you need to do anything? Burn the sheets? Scour the countertops?”

“I stripped the bed, jagoff.” I pull the door shut behind me, and Alder types in the code to lock up.

“What the hell am I going to do at the boathouse?” I climb into the back seat of my own car. Tucker drives, and Alder sits up front with him. I don’t want to interrupt their twin vibe. They’re lucky they got drafted to the same team, so they can stay joined at the brain.

They’re just all-around lucky… unlike me.

Gunny sings along to the radio for a few bars and then says, “I’m assuming you’ll explain to Mom how you fucked up with Thora. Or maybe she’ll make you work out with her. I don’t know, man. I’m just following orders.”

It’s a weird, fast drive back into the city. I fall asleep for half of it and wake up with my face pressed against the window as my brother pulls off the highway onto the bridge toward Washington’s Landing, where Mom keeps her fancy boats.

She used to take all of us out with her. Now, she mostly rows alone. But she’s waiting in the parking lot as my brother rolls to a stop. I leave my bag in the car and grab my scooter from the back as the guys wave to Mom, who blows them kisses and then turns to me with a weird smile. “Come see what I have for you.”

She heads down the ramp from the parking lot to the boat house, and I follow her, trying not to let the scooter roll away from me on the slope. Mom gestures at a boat propped on slings in the middle of the room. “Ta-da!”

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