Page 82 of Filthy Liar

“You’re the best big brother ever, I hope you know that,” I replied, uncertainty crossing his face.

“I don’t feel like it by sending them away.”

“You’re putting them before you as always. That’s what a good brother does,” I promised, giving him a smile. “Listen to Rory, though, and think about it. If they get adopted, you can’t just change your mind and demand that they bring them back.”

“I know,” he said with a small nod, glancing at Rory. “Can we have some snacks? Please?”

She grinned, seeming relieved by the change of subject. “Of course. I’m thinking we need pizza for dinner too.”

His face lit up, and I was reminded that he was just a twelve-year-old kid. Rory was giving his childhood back, and I knew if he stuck by her, he’d be fine.

“When’s Noah coming home? Frank and I want to game with him, we have a score to settle,” he said brightly, waiting patiently as Rory got to her feet and started putting together a snack tray for them.

“I’m not sure. He’s staying out of town for a while.” When I gave her a frown, she added, “The Thieves took him to Kensington in the chopper last night. He’s staying with his past foster brother, Ethan. He wasn’t sleeping well here, and I suggested maybe a break would do him some good. He hasn’t seen him since we started fostering him in November.”

“Is it safe there? I thought the gang stuff he was wrapped up in was in Kensington?” I asked with worry, knowing Noah was on edge after the attack. Zavier said the poor kid freaked and had a panic attack.

“The gang was mostly kids stuck under one asshole’s thumb, and he’s been dealt with,” she shrugged, not looking up as she started cutting up a bunch of fruit. “Ethan has some time off from college right now since he’s ahead with his classes, so he was more than happy for him to go and visit. Besides, he and his friends have motorcycles, so Noah will have a blast. They’ve been teaching their girlfriend to ride, so I said as long as they don’t do anything dumb, Noah could learn a little too. He’s surrounded by younger kids most of the time, so some guys more his age would help.”

“You trust this Ethan guy?”

“I don’t really know him, but he used to be in a home with Cruz too. Cruz vouches for him, so that’s good enough for me. I feel better having Noah away from here right now anyway, especially with the issues he’s been having at school.”

Gregory sat in the chair beside me, nudging me. “I heard about your house. I’m sorry. I’m not really sorry about your dad though. He was a prick.”

“Greg,” Rory warned, making me snort.

“Trust me, I’m not sorry about him either.”

She gave me a look of warning too, and Gregory grinned as if we were sharing secrets. He liked being a shit stirrer.

Jade brought up school, and Gregory actually seemed excited about it. Apparently, Rory had enrolled him in classes at Ashburn Valley Middle School, and with Jade taking Frank and Lara in, she was doing the same for Frank.

Gregory talked a mile a minute about it, telling me all about how Rory and Marco had taken the boys to the school to check it out, and they’d already met a few other kids their age that would be in their classes. They needed tutoring to catch them up, but the school was apparently happy with their current result from some test thing they took.

I didn’t see how. Both boys' education was basically non-existent, but they seemed eager to learn, which was all that mattered.

“Have you thought more about school, Raven?” Rory asked lightly, and I cringed.

“Not really. With everything going on, I just don’t think I can. Not to mention, it’s so much money. I really don’t want you paying for it.”

“I have more money than I can possibly ever spend. An education is a good investment,” she said seriously, bringing the platter of food over and handing it to Gregory. “Besides, you’d have to start in the new year, so you have time to prepare. I won’t throw you in the deep end just yet. Take the rest of the year to get prepared, then start in the winter. You’ve got a job here until you start, and if you want to stop and focus on studies for a while, I can hire someone else.”

“It’s so much money,” I repeated, and she smirked.

“It’s only paper with a face on it.”

“Spoken like a true rich person,” I grumbled, glancing at Gregory. “Do you think I’d be a good high school teacher?”

Rory smiled at the fact I’d chosen a path, silently waiting for Gregory’s answer.

“Are you kidding me? You’d be an awesome teacher. Can you be my teacher?” he beamed, getting excited. “High school would be so much better with you. You wouldn’t make me do homework, right?”

I chuckled, sipping my coffee before answering. “You’d better do your homework, you little shit. It would take me four years minimum to get my degree. You’d almost be finished by the time I got qualified. Besides, I kind of want to work in the Heights. You’ll probably go to Ashburn Valley High, right?”

“As long as it’s not the academy, I don’t care where I go,” he stated, getting to his feet and grabbing the food when someone called his name from the hallway. “You’d be a good teacher, I promise. I’ll see you later.”

He wandered off, and I watched him go. His energy had changed, and as much as I hated that he didn’t seem to even acknowledge his own mother’s death, I also understood it.

---