Page 75 of Zero Chance

Keene yawned and lifted a hand to pat at his mouth in disinterest.“Aren’t all cows basically named that?Come on, Baby Frank.I want something good here.”

“Gates Montgomery Frank,” I growled.“I swear to God, if you tell him one more thing, I will hurt you.”

“Ooh, she’s pulling out the middle name,” Keene chortled.“You must be getting close to something juicy.Come on.Spill it.”

Gates darted his gaze between me and Keene, and I could tell he was coming up with a handful of things to say; he just didn’t know which one would be the best.I pointed at him, and he smirked, turning back to Keene.“She still has a curfew.”

Keene sniffed.“Whatever.”

“I’m serious,” Gates insisted.“Midnight for weeknights.One on weekends.”

Keene’s eyebrows lifted, and he sliced me a curious glance.“For real?”

When my shoulders slumped, unable to deny it, he pulled his head back, clearly surprised.

Gah, I was never going to hear the end of this.

But Keene only turned back to my brother, shaking his head sadly.“Honestly, that’s something yourparentsshould be embarrassed about.I mean, putting a curfew on a—” Glancing over at me, he asked, “Exactly how old are you?”

“She’s twenty,” Gates answered for me.

Letting out a low, sympathetic whistle, Keene shook his head.“Yeah.That one’s on Mom and Dad right there.Not sure how they can even enforce that since she’s a legal adult.But whatevs.”He lifted his hands as if it were nothing.“This still isn’t telling me something embarrassingshedoes.”

“Okay, how about this?”Gates demanded, hoping to impress Keene.“She hangs a chart in the bathroom to keep track of her cycle.And her next period begins in two days.”

As I curled my hands into fists, envisioning my nails gouging into my little brother’s neck instead of my own palm, Keene blinked at Gates once before wrinkling his nose.“Dude.A quarter of the women on this campus are getting their period next week.How is that in any way newsworthy?”

Sinking in defeat, Gates scowled at me as if it were my fault Keene wasn’t affected by my menstrual cycle, even though I felt like I was slowly dying of mortification.Then he turned back to my ultimate crush, determined to humiliate me until I literally died on the spot.

“Well, she—she?—”

“Okay, just stop.”Keene held up a hand, pausing him there.“You clearly suck at this.I mean, you’re so bad at it I actually feelsorryfor you.”Holding the last few dollars out toward my brother, he winced.“Here.Take this pity cash and go away so I don’t have to keep being around your pathetic-ness anymore.”

Unaffected by Keene’s insults, Gates lit up, his eyes growing eagerly wide as he snatched the cash.“Cool.”As he started away, he waved heartily over his shoulder.“Thanks, Keene.”

He didn’t even acknowledge me.

Smiling proudly, Keene waved back.“Later, Butt Nugget.”

I shook my head, unable to understand how boys could insult and call each other the worst names while laughing and smiling as if it were the biggest compliment.

Suddenly, Keene spun to me, and his grin turned into a smug smirk.“So… Bessie, huh?”

I narrowed my gaze, even though my face heated with absolute humiliation.“I will hurt you.”

“Whoa, hey.”He lifted his hands in surrender, even as he kept the mischievous smile in place.“No need to get violent.”Leaning toward me, he lowered his voice.“Or is that just your upcoming period talking?”

Nostrils flaring, I picked up a nearby book and lifted it to wallop him in the side of the arm.But as soon as I started to swing it forward, it was tugged from my hand.

By nothing.

As it clattered to the floor, I jerked back in surprise and gaped down at the hardback.When I looked back up at Keene, he appeared to be frozen with guilt.

“How did you do that?”I demanded.

He lifted his hands innocently.“I didn’t do anything.You’rethe one who dropped the book.”

“I didn’t drop it,” I cried in dismay.“It was pulled out of my hand.Ifeltit being tugged free.”

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