Page 139 of Boys Who Taint

“I’m amazed you and Heath have the same mom,” Ivy jokes. “You’re nothing alike.”

“Excuse me, are you slandering our family?” Heath joins the conversation, and he throws his arm around Orion.

“No, just making observations.” Ivy winks.

“Say, why is it that only you, Apollo, and Atlas have those Greek names?” I ask Orion.

“Oh, our mom wanted to stay in the Greek theme, since she’s with Ares too,” he replies.

I glance at Heath. “But you’re … just Heath.”

Heath laughs. “You think my dad would agree to name his kids after some Greek philosopher bullshit? Not one fucking chance.”

“They’re gods. Not philosophers,” Orion says, rolling his eyes.

Heath sighs. “Whatever.”

“At least you guys have names that fit your personalities,” Sunny says, inspecting her sharp black nails.

“What do you mean?” Orion asks, tilting his head while smiling.

“Do I look like a goddamn Sunny person to you?” she barks back, throwing him such a violent look that he immediately steps back.

“Well, you are the star of the campus,” Heath says.

“That’s just my friends.” She shrugs, oblivious to how many people look up to her just for her sass. “Anyway, I’m off. Have some classes or some shit. Bye.” She winks, and her heels clickclack on the pavement as she walks off, her hair swaying in the wind, but Orion is still staring.

Ivy snorts. “Apollo, Atlas, Orion … and ‘just Heath.’”

“What’s so funny about that?” He approaches her and steals her away from us. “Should I be twisting your nipples already?”

“Oh my God, Heath!” she says as he drags her away, while the rest of us laugh.

“My family are absolute animals,” Orion mumbles as he walks off. “Animals, I tell you.”

“At least they know where their names came from,” Océane mutters under her breath.

“What do you mean?” I ask.

“I only have my mom. She gave me my name.” She smiles. “I don’t know who my father is.”

“Oh … I’m sorry,” I reply.

“It’s okay. I mean, Mom never wanted to tell me anyway, so I figured she must’ve had her reasons.”

“Maybe she will, someday,” Ivy says.

“I don’t know. I’m too old to care now. I don’t really need a dad anymore. I mean, look at me … I’m in college, I have a great boyfriend.”

I can see the hurt in her smile, so I sit closer and pull her in for a hug.

She sighs. “It is what it is. Besides, I love my mom. She’s the best.”

“True. My mom’s always praising her ability to stay calm,” I say, chuckling.

“Wish our parents told us more about their lives before we were here,” Océane mumbles.

“I don’t think we’re supposed to know,” I say. “Just like I’m never going to tell my parents all the shit we do.”

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