Page 46 of Honest With You

A knock on my door pulls me out of my thoughts. I grip my phone tight against my chest and call out.

“It’s open!”

Stephen swings the door open, leaning a hip on the frame. His eyes sweep me from head to toe and then he grimaces.

“A little too short for my taste, Ace.”

I arch an eyebrow at him, crossing my arms over my Britney Spears getup. It’s the exact outfit she wore for her “Baby One More Time” music video.

“I’m wearing boy shorts underneath, Stevie.”

My brother crosses the room to my walk-in closet and makes a show of looking through my clothes. “Got a pair of pants you wanna wear instead?”

I grab Katy the koala and chuck it at my brother’s head. Luckily for me, Stephen has slower reflexes than a sloth and it hits him square in the face, even after he attempts to duck. His howling laughter as he jumps onto my bed attracts the attention of Reese, who runs into my room wearing a onesie of a cartoon caricature of one of the members of her favorite K-pop band.

Tilting my head, I use my phone to point at her. “Is that your outfit for your Halloween sleepover with Kaveen and Simone?”

She grins as she flops on my bed beside Stephen. “Yup. Kaveen and Simone are wearing the other members.”

“I love your outfit, baby sis. Unlike some people, who need to choose some other Britney era to go as unless they want to give their brother a heart attack.”

I whirl around, planting a hand on my hip. I’m about to bite his head off but Reese beats me to it, smacking the back of his head.

“Shut up! Ava looks hot!”

Stephen shakes his head, playfully covering Reese’s mouth with a laugh.

Reese giggles beside him before a mischievous look crosses her face.

“Jesse won’t be able to keep his eyes off you, Ava!”

Stephen groans, using his palms to rub his eyes.

“I’ll let you drive my car for a week if you change your clothes right now, Ava Marie.”

I roll my lips, trying to stifle my laughter. I’m tempted to take him up on that offer, because his fully customized Land Rover is his baby, when my phone rings. I laugh, holding up my phone after I check who it is and respond back.

“Too late, big bro. My date just pulled up.” I turn to Reese. “You have everything packed? Got everything you need?”

She nods and jumps off the bed, pulling Stephen up with her.

“Don’t worry! Just have some fun for a change, okay?” Reese looks up at Stephen, bumping him with her hip. “And make good choices. Am I right?”

Stephen chuckles, messing up her hair before he pulls me in for a hug.

“Damn right. Have fun. Relax. Don’t worry about anything. Just be home by two, okay?”

“I thought you said midnight was my curfew?”

He smirks. “You’re actually going to a party for the first time in your life. I’m gonna let you live a little.” He scrunches his nose, his grip tightening on my shoulder. “But please, be safe.”

He emphasizes the word safe and stares stoically at me for confirmation.

I pretend to gag. “Eck! Okay, before we have the birds and the bees talk again, I’m heading out.” I pat his chest. “You got Reese?”

He gives me a thumbs up.

I motion for them to leave my room while I make sure my phone case that doubles as a card holder is intact.

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