Page 12 of The Handoff

Chapter 6

Daxon

“David’salwayswhining,”I said as I put on a shirt and realized only Dane was in the living room. Still lying down, I remembered hearing David say something about Dane masturbating out here.

Dane sighed. “Like a bitch, I hear ya. I know. It’s like he’s taken on the role of a dad. Well, not our dad, but one would wonder if it’s sexual frustration that has made him that way lately.”

I checked and his hands were out in the open, which meant he’d stopped whatever he was doing earlier. He was probably waiting for me to leave, which I had to do in a hurry. Shit, I can’t believe I overslept again. Whatever happened to the shitty alarm on my phone?

I laughed. “I thought he was only interested in fucking a calculator.”

We both laughed. Our brother was a dork. He spent way too much time in front of the computer or working things out whenever someone posted some calculation in his online group that he couldn’t figure out.

He took everything too damn seriously. Mom said he took enough for both Dane and me, which was true because we were laid back and he was far too uptight. Even though David wasn’t our dad, that didn’t stop him from behaving like him. I grabbed Dane’s phone and walked out of the door.

“See ya later!” I took my other phone and slipped it into my pocket. We had to pretend to be one, which meant we had to have the same number, and Dane had to part with his phone so we could keep up the disguise.

I slammed the door shut, headed to the elevator, and down to the garage. No doubt David was in the car impatiently waiting for me.

He said nothing as I hopped into the gray SUV and shut the door. He merely started the car and headed out of the parking lot. David drove in silence, which most likely meant he was pissed or was thinking about some mathematical equation. I put on the radio, something he hated because none of us shared the same taste in music.

Our brother was a nerd, there was no getting away from that. He would have the same square glasses and long hair before coming to UCLA if he could, but seeing as we needed to pretend to be Dane, he had to change his look. He wasn’t happy about doing it, and like me, he felt the pretense at first felt like some kind of game. It meant we didn’t have to go to class every single day like normal kids and we could get away with sleeping or, in my case, spending more time working on my music—my one genuine passion in life.

It didn’t take long, seeing as he drove as if he was Lewis Hamilton in a Grand Prix to get me to class on time. Time was everything to him; he said there was no point in existing if you couldn’t keep to a schedule. I felt it was a little dramatic, but like everything in life, David was a little OCD about every single thing, from what he did to what he ate.

“Right, got here on time. Hopefully, you can get to class on time, too. If you don’t get distracted.”

“Yes, Daddy.” I saluted him. It seemed to wind him up even more.

“You getting out of the car or what? Some of us have things to do.”

“Geez, can you please take a chill pill!”

“Why the fuck do you and Dane keep telling me to do that? I’ve never once taken drugs in my life, and being agitated and someone telling me to take a pill just winds me up even more. Get out!” he barked at me.

I jumped out of the car, and as soon as I shut the door, he peeled out of the parking lot as if his life depended on it. I did as he asked and ran to class. Dane was the athlete of the three of us, and running was something I did to keep in shape, but I hated it. I didn’t do early morning jogs like Dane or even go to the gym like David. I lifted some weights, but most of the time, the only running I did was to class. The only reason I was going to class was because Mom felt it was important for us to have some sort of education.

“Even if David is taking all your classes, it doesn’t mean you shouldn’t get some sort of education,” she complained whenever I said I didn’t want to go. Back in high school, going to class and hanging out at the cafeteria was fun, but at UCLA, it was hard work. And David didn’t choose the easy classes; no, he chose the tough ones. I didn’t mind at first, knowing I wouldn’t be sitting for any of the exams, but sometimes I just felt dumb. Sitting and taking notes from professors and not having a clue what they were rambling on about.

I bumped into Lisa just as I was going into the building. Well, not exactly bumped, but I saw her sitting and talking to some girls on the squad. Penelope, in particular, who waved at me.

“Hey, Dane, you have class?” she asked, and for a split-second, I completely forgot myself. Shit, yes, I’m on campus and my name’s Dane.

She was looking at me, but my eyes were fixed on Lisa. She had a sparkle in her eyes and a shyness about her—something no one in the cheerleading squad possessed. They seemed to think that because they were a cheerleader, they ran the campus and everyone bowed down to them.

“Yeah, I’m late. You must be Lisa, right?”

She blushed, which answered the question for me.

“Dane… you’ve already met,” Penelope said.

Shit!

My cover was nearly blown again. I really needed to think before I speak sometimes.

“I need to get going. Sorry, it was a late night. Laters.”

I could hear them giggle as I rushed past. I’m sure they giggled the same way whenever Dane walked by. I only had that effect when I sang and played a song, which I don’t do on campus anymore. Dane told me one time they went out to a club and everyone was talking about him getting on stage and singing, and my brother’s voice sounds like a cat being strangled to death. I’ve heard him sing… it was fucking deafening. It didn’t sit well with me, which was why the moment Dane graduated, I would be out of here. Our goal was to get him into UCLA, play professional ball so he could help the family out. Maybe afterward, David could go to college and Dane could pay for it. I would pursue singing and playing the piano. First on Dane’s list should be to buy me a piano, a real one. A keyboard was fine, but I was an old-fashioned kind of guy.

As I finally made it to class and opened the door, Professor Humphries looked at me and said, “Dane James, nice of you to join us. I don’t take tardiness in my class. Go sit down before I change my mind about letting you come in.”

I did and flashed a couple of smiles at my classmates. One thing was for sure, unlike David, I came to class to show my face and to keep Mom happy. I had no intention of paying attention. As I sat down and recorded the class—so David could follow it—I would try to take something in, if I could, because at the end of the day, my passion was only studying music. Nothing else!

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