Page 79 of Crossing the Brooklyn Briggs
I sigh. “Yeah, I know. How’s Laketown?” I wonder if he’s actually falling in love with someone like Micah thinks, though that seems unlikely. Chad dated the same woman for six years and hasn’t been on a date since their breakup six months ago. He’s as bad at relationships as the rest of us right now.
“Laketown is…interesting,” he says.
What is that supposed to mean? “Wait, don’t tell me Micah is right about you falling in love.”
“I’m not falling in love, Blondie. I have a neighbor of the female variety, and Micah is being Micah.”
I stretch out my legs, gazing at my ankle. It hasn’t bothered me at all today, and weirdly I’m a little bummed that I can’t use it as an excuse to get Jordan to touch me anymore. “You know it’s okay if you do fall in love, right? One of us should.”
“Okay, what’s up?”
I wince. Probably shouldn’t have said that last part. “Oh. It’s nothing.”
“With you, it’s never nothing. Talk.”
Chad pretty much raised Houston and me, from the time we were seven up until we moved in with Lloyd when we were ten when our dad went to prison. Three years isn’t objectively a long time, but for me it felt like my entire childhood. Chad’s always been the one looking out for me, and he’s always noticed when something is bothering me. The fact that I’ve been able to keep so many things a secret from him lately makes me feel like a terrible sister.
“I finally talked to Mark. You know, that math teacher I like?”
Chad grunts, which probably means he’s looked into Mark at some point over the last few years. His private investigator tendencies run deep, and I don’t think I’ve ever had a boyfriend who didn’t get a full background check.
I take a deep breath. This could be dangerous, but I need someone to understand. “We went out the other night, but it turns out he just wants me to take my name out of the running for STEM Teacher of the Year so he can win.”
Chad swears, then immediately apologizes. “Sorry. I wondered if he was a tool. Now I know.”
“Why didn’t you warn me?”
“Because I don’t like to interfere.”
“You’re my brother. You’re supposed to interfere.”
“Tell that to Houston.”
I laugh. I’ve been on the receiving end of plenty of Houston’s rants when it comes to Chad offering up unwanted information. Honestly, I think Chad has brought so much stuff up with my twin because he’s trying to stay connected to Houston, but I’ll never be brave enough to ask if I’m right. Chad is eight years older than us, but he’s always tried his best to be a part of our lives. Houston doesn’t make it easy for him.
“Why did you really call me, Blondie?”
I drop my phone. How does he do that? Scrambling to pick it up, I stammer through my response. “Oh, well, I guess I… It’s just that… Jordan. And Houston. I messed up, and I’m just different. Do you think I’m different?”
Let’s see what he makes of that nonsense.
Chad clears his throat. “Different from what?”
Oh good. I’m glad he focused on that part and not the Jordan part. I don’t know how to explain the Jordan part. “From me. From how I used to be.”
I probably don’t need his confirmation. As soon as Jordan said I didn’t respond to Mark’s betrayal the way I should, I knew he was right. I guess I’m looking for a way to fix it. How do I get back to that person who knew exactly who she was and where her values lay?
“Is there something specific you’re worried about being different?” Chad asks.
I shrug. Oh wait, he can’t see me. “I don’t know. I pulled a sort of prank on Mark that ended up getting someone else into trouble.”
Humming, Chad lets a few seconds pass before he speaks. “You used to do that all the time, didn’t you? When you were living with Lloyd.”
“Yeah, because Jordan drove me crazy. It was the only way to keep him in check.”
I gasp as a realization suddenly hits me. Jordan said he had a crush on me in high school. It sounded like he hadn’t realized it, but he’s acknowledging it now. Was that why he pushed all my buttons? Because he liked me?
Chad chuckles. “Sounds like you might be coming across some epiphanies.”
