Page 82 of Tell Me When It's Over

Chapter Twenty-Two

Kyler / 21

The kid doesn’t squirm. Not once. He gets points for that, but only small ones. Microscopic. It’s Mia who smacks me out of the stare down and shakes her head in exasperation, then yanks me away from the person in question.

Mia snorts. “You’re an idiot.” We walk into the kitchen, plopping down on the stools and watching Beth do her thing at the stove. It smells like she’s making her famous cream of chicken soup, and my stomach instantly reacts to the salty smell in the air.

“I know his type,” I defend, even though I don’t have to. How is she not worried? He’s a fucking Reeves, someone she didn’t even blink twice over when he walked through the door knowing who his sister is.

“He’s a kid, Kyler.” That comes from Beth, who’s now looking over her shoulder pointedly at us. Her hair has gone white over the years, but she still dyes it blonde because she says she’s not ready to look her age. “Give the poor boy a chance before you start threatening him.”

That makes Mia snort louder. “Too late.”

Beth sighs.

I decide to point out the obvious. “He’s on the soccer team.” When neither of them says anything, my brows lift in disbelief. “Am I the only one who remembers the guys that got suspended for the list they made?” The list consisted of all the girls they hooked up with and then rated. In great detail. The kind of detail that had investors in the school threatening to pull out when they saw their daughters’ names listed.

My sister’s eyes spark with humor. “That happened when I was in high school,” she chortles, shaking her head. “There is no way that any of those guys are even still there.”

“They have siblings.”

Her eyes roll. “Again. You’re an idiot.”

I throw my hands up when Beth laughs, wondering how I’m the only one who’s being cautious of Beckham fucking Reeves. I eye my older sister. “You of all people should want to watch out for Leighton. There’s no way in hell you’ve magically forgotten Hannah since the media has been all over that story since those rumors have leaked.”

Those two girls were joined at the hip until Mia decided to break the “hoe code” as she calls it and started dating an ex of Hannah Taylor. Except, they weren’t exes at that point, which is something the media has latched onto. After that, Hannah divulged some nasty secrets on Mia that I, as her brother, never wanted to know about my sibling. It got ugly. Fast. And all because of a guy.

A guy that Mia is insistent on marrying someday.

So, yeah. It’s highly doubtful that she forgot about her precious Hannah Banana, a nickname that always made me roll my eyes.

“Beckham isn’t Hannah,” she tells me, shrugging like it isn’t a big deal. Sure, it might not be yet, but I know what it’s like to look out for your siblings.

I didn’t even know Len had more friends than Nora until one day out of the blue when she’d asked her mother if she could hang out with a group of people at Beckham’s house. Sure, it was to study, but it still didn’t sit well with me. Never once had she mentioned hanging around with boys, and the second I asked about, her cheeks tinted red, and I swear the color spread all the way to her ears when Mia asked, “Do you have a crush, Lenny Lou?” She did. She liked the douche currently in our house. Leighton says they’re friends, but just friends my ass.

Beth steps in again after turning the burner on the stove off and moving the large pot to the back burner. “Your sister is right, Kyler. This boy doesn’t deserve to be judged before you get to know him. He makes Lenny smile. Isn’t that good enough to give him a shot?”

I hate when they gang up on me. Where is Harry when I need him? He didn’t even care when I brought up Leighton’s request that Beckham spend the day here. Her mother, big shocker, thought it was a great idea. Ever since Len brought up Beckham, her mother has looked at her with a newfound pride. Because of a damn boy. Not because of her grades, or the way she’s settled in or made friends—but a boy. “I’ll give him a chance, but don’t come crying to me if this ends badly. I won’t hold back on saying I told you so.”

A quiet voice that I know belongs to Lenny without turning around asks, “What did you tell them?”

Mia cocks her head, grinning at me in a way that makes me want to glower. “Yeah, Ky. What were you telling us?”

“Nothing,” I grumble, nostrils twitching.

Leighton shifts on her feet. “Is it still okay if we use the pool?”

Before I can answer, Mia chirps, “Yes! I can grab some towels while you get changed. Does your friend need swim trunks? I’m sure Kyler would let him borrow some.”

Over my dead body. But I grind out, “Sure.” The forced word is unconvincing.

Beth’s lips waver upward, but she doesn’t say anything. Instead, she makes herself busy while Lele explains that he brought some with him. Good. I don’t want to help the kid anyway.

The rest of the day I keep a close eye on them, never too far away from the backyard where there’s laughing and talking. It isn’t until Harry and Katherine get home from some charity event, dressed to the nines, that I take a breather. Even though I don’t want to talk to my sperm donor or the person he slapped a ring on, it’s more than necessary.

Fortunately, I don’t have to bring up the boy in the backyard before he notices. “Who the hell is in my pool with Leighton?” His tone says it all. He’s not pleased, and for once, I’m in agreement with the graying man.

Mia pops out of nowhere. “That’s Beckham, Daddy. Remember? We told you he was coming over to hang out with Lenny Lou.”

---