Page 22 of It's in the Contract
“There you go again, the little surprise,” Zeke says, tickling her in the belly. Mia dissolves into a fit of giggles.
“Don’t call her that!” Caroline pulls butter from the fridge and gets out a clean mixing bowl. “You’re going to give her a complex.”
“But it’s true!” Zeke grins and stops tickling. Mia catches her breath. “There’s Will, Dan, me, and then this little caboose.” He pokes her in the stomach again.
Caroline rolls her eyes, and I can’t help but smile.
Zeke hurries to stand. “I’m so sorry, Callie. I promise we’ll get right to work.”
“It’s okay,” I say. “It’s nice to meet your family.”
Mia resumes her work with the stickers, but her sweet big eyes are still full of tears. I dig around in my backpack until I find a pack of peppermint Altoids. I pop open the lid and hand one to Mia.
She looks from my hand to me and then snatches the mint and stuffs it in her mouth. “Mmmm,” Mia says, sucking.
“What do you say, Mia?” Zeke asks.
“Thank you.” A Rainbow Dash sticker is placed on the couch.
I follow Zeke down the hall to his room. I don’t know quite what I was expecting—a huge TV and a bunch of video games, maybe anime posters all over the walls. But that’s not it.
There is a modest TV and a few video games lined up on a bookshelf next to several thick fantasy books that I could do bicep curls with, but most of the room is dominated by a large table covered in what look like maps, character sketches, and tiny fantastical figurines. A twin-sized bed rests against the opposite wall with the dark blue comforter neatly made. Boxes are stacked everywhere, some open and some still taped shut. Besides the TV, the walls are bare.
“What is this?” I walk over to the table and pick up a figure. It’s a goblin . . . thing.
“This is Dungeons and Dragons. I’m in the middle of a campaign right now.”
“You really are the quintessential nerd, aren’t you?” I smile to show I’m teasing, and Zeke smiles back.
“Yeah, that’s me. Anything nerdy, I do. Name something.”
I look up. “Video games?”
Zeke nods. “Yes.”
“But a lot of people play video games. They’re notthatnerdy.” Noah and Troy like to play on the weekends. I’ve never understood the appeal, and I always chose to turn on a romcom with Suzy rather than watch them play. Maybe if I had been interested in more of his hobbies, we would still be . . . I shake my head. I can’t think like that.
I walk across the room and take a look at his games. Multiple versions of Zelda, Pokémon, Minecraft, and more. “You like building and puzzle games.” I shake my head. “Extremely nerdy.”
“But they’re so fun!” Zeke’s eyes light up. “I could show you sometime, if you want.”
“Noah has tried many times to get me to play video games, and he’s never succeeded. Anime?” I ask.
Zeke shrugs. “I enjoy some of it. Naruto and One Piece are awesome.”
“And you’re obviously super smart,” I say. “Nerd.”
I take another look at the intricate set up on the gaming table, the many characters and villains laid out. “Are you playing with someone else right now?”
Zeke picks up a sheet of paper—a character sketch of an elf, I think. “My brothers and I play virtually. It’s not quite as good as when they’re here and we can play in person, but it works, and I get to see them every week.”
I give him a small, sad smile. “Zeke. I’m sure there are other people at school who are into this. You should give them a chance. Find your people.”
“I’ve done the friend thing. Not again. Though my parents would agree with you.”
I swallow a lump in my throat. It makes me sad for some reason to think that this sweet, funny, super nerd will not have any friends here. “They pressure you a lot?”
Zeke sets down the paper and sighs. “Yeah. They’re threatening to take away my gaming systems if I can’t make some friends.”
