Page 7 of Breaking the Rules
Chapter Three
Emma
My brother steps inside the house with a heavy sigh. Not anI'm tiredsigh or evendamn, it's been a long day.
That sigh is purewhat the fuck did you do now?
"Kay said something happened." He runs his hand through his dark hair. ThatI'm so beyond tired of your shitgesture.
No. That's his thing.
I think.
I can't read him as well as I used to.
I bite my tongue to keep from blurting out a defensive answer. I need tact. I need to include just enough of the truth to make this plausible. "It's not a big deal."
"Really?"
"Yeah. You can see that."
He shakes his head. "You don't give me enough credit."
"I give you too much credit."
He moves into the kitchen and grabs something from a high shelf. "I only have half an hour, Em."
"We need to find a new place."
"Why?" He pulls open the freezer door. Places exactly two ice cubes in his glass. But he doesn't go for the whiskey the way he usually does. He fills the glass with water. "What did you do?"
"Maybe your angel did something."
He steps into the main room and shoots me areallylook.
Yeah, that's not exactly a believable argument. Kaylee, my roommate slash best friend, is Brendon's girlfriend. And she really is an angel. Straight As. Perfect work attendance. Closet full of cardigans.
It's weird, him dating her.
Especially since he's my dad as much as he's my brother—our parents died when I was a kid.
It's bullshit, that he still acts allmy house, my ruleswhen he's dating a girl two months younger than I am.
But that isn't changing in the next half an hour.
Convincing Brendon this is normal is a bigger concern.
No more defensiveness.
"Management has been giving us attitude about the noise complaints." I sell my story with all the conviction I can muster.
He stares back at me.
"They didn't warn us. It was suddenly 'oh, you're playing your music too loud. You're throwing too many parties.'"
Brendon's brow furrows, but he presses on. He motions to the Bluetooth speaker on the table, the one blasting Bayside. "This the shit you've been playing?"
"If you want me to turn it down, just ask."
