Page 32 of Rumi: The Hawthornes

“Rumi doesn’t know any better.”

“I kind of like it,” I mused, taking another bite of my pizza. “They’re like a big family, you know? Everyone looks out for each other.”

“That part is good,” Bird conceded.

“Why aren’t you hanging with a friend tonight?” I asked, changing the subject. My little brother had always been a little suspicious of the club Pop and Rumi’s family belonged to, debating it for the tenth time wasn’t going to change that.

“Carter’s at his dad’s house and Logan is grounded,” Bird replied with a sigh. “I swear, No, his parents ground him if he crosses his eyes.”

“Logan’s a little delinquent,” I pointed out.

“Okay, yes,” he said, crossing his arms. “But grounding him isn’t stopping that. Maybe if his mom wasn’t screwing the mailman, he wouldn’t be so pissed off all the time.”

“His mom’s screwing the mailman?” I gasped, my eyes wide.

“Figure of speech.”

“That isnota figure of speech.”

“His parents cheat on each other all the time,” Bird said with a dismissive wave of his hand. “I don’t know if she’s been with the actual mailman.”

“Jesus.”

“Can you imagine if Nana or Pop cheated?”

“It would be a bloodbath.”

“At least the bloodbath would be somewhere else if Nana cheated,” Bird joked. “Pop would kill the guy… Nana would kill Pop.”

“Ain’t that the truth.”

“Was Mom like that?” Bird asked nonchalantly. His eyes were on the paper in front of him like it didn’t matter, but I knew it did. We’d only seen our mom a few times since she’d taken off and never more than a couple days at a time. Bird barely remembered what life with her had been like.

“No.” I shook my head. “Mom was never in a serious enough relationship for it to be considered cheating.”

“Really?”

“There was one guy that she was with for a while,” I replied, thinking back. “But he eventually bailed. I don’t think she ever cheated on him, though. But I was pretty young, so who knows.”

“I don’t get that,” Bird said, shaking his head. “If you wanna be with someone then you be with them. Cheating is just stupid. If you want to be with someone else then cut the person you’re with loose first.”

“I agree,” I replied, dropping down onto a kitchen chair. “Adult relationships are complicated as fuck, though.”

“It’s basic human decency,” he said flatly.

“Fair enough.” I smiled at him. Sometimes I could almost forget that he was only eleven. Firebird was an old soul… with the mouth of a long-haul trucker.

“So why aren’t you hanging out with Rumi tonight?” he asked.

“I don’t know.” I shrugged like it was no big deal even though I’d checked my phone twice since I walked in the door. “I haven’t heard from him.”

“That blows.”

“Yeah, kind of. It’s cool, though. I don’t mind hanging with you.”

“Who said I want to hang with you?” he asked, laughing when I kicked him under the table.

“You love hanging with me,” I argued, kicking him again. “I’m your super awesome big sister and you love me.”

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