Jack yelled for me, I stopped what I was doing to go see what he wanted. But when I stepped into his room, I didn’t see him anywhere. Then his closet door popped open and he stepped out, buttoning up his shirt.

“I can’t believe she said yes,” he said as he finished getting dressed.

“Bullshit,” I said, calling his bluff. “You said you weren’t going to let her say no.”

“I know,” he said with a shrug, and averted his eyes. “But now that she’s said yes, what if she hates me and never lets me see her again?”

I snorted. “She won’t.”

“How can you be so sure?”

“Because you’re actually taking a girl out on a date, Jack. In public. At dinnertime. I haven’t seen you do anything like that in years.”

It was true. Jack hooked up with girls all the time, but this wasn’t a hookup. This, whatever it was, wasn’t his usual MO. Everything about this was different, not to mention the fact that he actually seemed nervous. Girls didn’t make my brother nervous, but for some reason, this one did.

When he pulled a paper bag from his dresser and rolled it up to stuff it into his pocket, I squinted at him. “What the hell is that?”

He smiled. “Quarters.”

“Quarters?”

“The first time I met her at that party, she told me it cost fifty cents every time I touched her.”

“So?”

“So this right here”—he shook the paper bag at me, and it jingled—“is a shitload of quarters . . . for a shitload of touching.”

I shook my head, both impressed with his resourcefulness and half shocked with his gal. “Nice.”

“She’ll love it, right?”

“Who wouldn’t?”

Jack looked at himself in the mirror one last time before turning to me. “How do I look?”

“Hot,” I said in a high-pitched voice, trying to hold a serious expression.

“You’re no help. Keep your phone on in case something happens and I need you,” he said as he stepped into the hallway.

“First of all, why would I turn it off? And second, why the hell would you possibly need me?”

He shrugged. “I have no idea, just tell me okay.”

“Okay,” I said, hoping to calm his jitters. “Have fun. And use your manners,” I told him with a laugh, and he flipped me off. “That’s not them!”

Once Jack left, I pulled out my phone to text Melissa. I figured since both of us would be alone tonight, we could be alone together.

 

Dean: Want to study tonight?

Melissa: On one condition.

Dean: ?

Melissa: You bring me a cherry Slurpee from 7-Eleven.

Dean: Seriously?

Melissa: Do I sound like I’m kidding?

Dean: Why cherry?

Melissa: Because I’m craving it and you’re on your way here and it’s on your way and pleeease? I’ll make you brownies.

Dean: Deal.

Melissa: Sucker.

 

I smiled at her last text as another one followed with her address.

Pumped up, I headed for the living room to ask if I could borrow the Honda. Gramps was there as usual in his favorite chair, watching TV.

When I asked, he said, “Of course. Where are you going?”

“Remember that girl I pointed out to you at the game the other day?”

“Isn’t that who Jack is out with tonight?” His eyes narrowed as he peered at me over his glasses.

“Not the blonde, the other one. They’re roommates,” I explained.

He scratched his chin before nodding. “Okay.”

“We have a class together, and we’re going to study.”

“Study, huh? Is that what they’re calling it now?” He huffed out a laugh.

“Seriously. We’re just studying.”

Gramps gave me a small frown and turned back to the TV. “Sounds boring. Be safe.”

“Thanks, Gramps. I will.”

“Don’t be late, Dean,” Gran called out from the kitchen.

“I’ll be home before Jack,” I yelled back.

That was most likely the truth. The only way I’d be home after Jack was if he did something stupid and pissed Cassie off. For some reason, she didn’t seem to have a high tolerance level for his shit.

• • •

With a giant cherry Slurpee in one hand and my notebook in the other, I kicked on Melissa’s apartment door and waited for her to answer.

She threw it open and squealed when she saw me. Before I could get too excited at her enthusiastic welcome, she snatched the drink from my hand and began sucking it down like it was her savior.

Not me; the damn drink.

Her face scrunched up almost immediately and she stomped on the floor. “Brain freeze, brain freeze, brain freeze!”

I laughed, but when the smell of fresh-baked brownies assaulted my senses, I sympathized with her sudden craving.

“That freaking hurt!” she said, clearly recovered. “Come in.”

I stepped through the door and leaned down to wrap her in a hug. She gripped my back tightly, her fingertips digging into my muscles, and I wished I had the balls to try to kiss her. It would have been out of nowhere, but being this close to Melissa made me want to do all sorts of things to her.

Our eyes met for a second before she looked away, releasing me from her embrace and breaking our connection completely.

“The brownies smell incredible,” I said, practically drooling.

“Still have twenty more minutes to go, but they do smell good, huh? Thank you for my Slurpee.”

“You’re welcome. How was Jack when he got here?” I cut straight to the chase, wondering if my brother seemed nervous to her or not.

“Ha!” She laughed. “Good. Cocky as ever.”

“Was Cassie excited?”

“I’m not sure that’s the right word,” Melissa said as she walked into her kitchen. “Can I grab you something to drink? I have water or soda.”

“I’ll take a soda. Do you think they’ll be okay?”

She tossed me the unopened can, and I knocked on the top of it with my knuckle before opening it.

“I don’t know, he’s your stupid brother. Do you think he can act like a normal human being for one night?”

“Probably not,” I said with a chuckle.

“Didn’t think so. Here, sit.”

She waved at the kitchen table, covered with a mess of papers and textbooks, and I added my notebook to the pile before I sat down. Other than the table, the apartment appeared spotless, which was impressive.

I couldn’t even keep my room clean, let alone multiple rooms. Gran was always yelling at me and Jack to pick up our stuff, to wash our dishes and put them away. I wanted to be neater; I just didn’t see the mess. When Gran looked around the kitchen, she saw every single glass and utensil out of place. Me? I only saw food. The other stuff never concerned me, but I promised Gran I’d try to do better, and had to repeat that promise every other week or so.

“How long have you and Cassie known each other?” I asked.

Aside from flirting with each other in class, I didn’t know much about Melissa. Not to mention the fact that we didn’t get much alone time, and the one time when we had been alone at the student union, it hadn’t lasted more than five minutes.

“We’ve been friends since high school.” She smiled. “I came here right after graduation, but Cass’s parents forced her to go to a junior college instead. She’s only been here since this year.”

“Why’d they make her do that?”

Melissa looked me square in the eye. “Money.”

I nodded slightly in complete understanding. “But your parents let you come right away?”

“Yeah. They don’t have money issues,” she said with a shrug.

“Are your parents still married?”

“They are. Are yours?”

The question rattled me. The fact that our parents had abandoned Jack and me wasn’t something I told most people. And my sharing that with Melissa would mean she not only knew something extremely personal and private about me, but about Jack as well. So I thought better of it.

“No, they’re not.”

“I’m sorry. That sucks. But I guess it’s rarer to have parents still be married than anything else, these days,” she said, and I nodded.

“Do you get along with them?” I wondered what it was like for her, to have rich parents who were still together.

“Oh my gosh, yes. They’re the greatest. We have the best relationship, honestly. My mom owns a PR firm in Hollywood, and I work for her every summer.”

“Is that what you want to do? Work for her once you graduate?”

She nodded. “Yes and no. I want in the family business, for sure. But I want to start my own firm in a different location. I think it would be cool to expand, but I think it makes my mom nervous. It’s okay, though.” She waved her hand. “I still have time to convince her.”

I loved seeing this side of Melissa, and hearing about her determination and ambition. It made her even more attractive in my eyes. Plus, I had to admit that the whole idea of Jack and me dating best friends was appealing. We used to joke when we were kids about how cool it would be if we ended up dating girls who were sisters. I think it was more me suggesting it than Jack, but he agreed that it would be fun. Two girls who were best friends seemed like the next best thing.

“What about you? I know you’re only a freshman, but any idea what you want to do?” She cocked her head to the side.

“No. I wish I did, but I just don’t know yet,” I admitted, hating how indecisive I sounded.

“That’s okay. I don’t think most people know what they want to be when they’re eighteen. Those of us who do probably aren’t normal.” She laughed.

“You’re definitely not normal,” I teased, and she narrowed her eyes at me.

“Ha-ha. You’re hilarious.”

I swallowed, thinking about her and Cassie again. “I bet it’s cool to have your best friend with you at college.”

“You would know.” Her cheeks pulled in dramatically as she sucked on her Slurpee. “I mean, I just assumed that you and Jack were that close.”

“We are.”

Jack had always been my best friend, and while we both had other acquaintances or teammates, it wasn’t the same as having a brother who shared your family history. We were bonded by blood, but stayed close friends by choice.

“But we still live at home, so it’s not like we’re out living on our own like you girls are.”

“Yeah, it’s pretty awesome to be living together, to be honest.”

I leaned my elbows on the table. “So, I have a question for you.”

“Another one?” She quirked an eyebrow.

“Yeah. How did I get lucky enough to have you in a freshman class with me?”

“Oh.” She laughed. “I still had one general ed course to take, and so I picked that one.”

“Lucky me.” I was trying to be charming, which was really my best Jack impression.

“Are you flirting with me?”

“I’m damn well trying. I don’t know if I’m very good at it, to be honest. I have a horrible teacher,” I said, referring to Jack.

“The worst.” She agreed quickly, but her cheeks turned pink. “But I like it,” she said. “The flirting, I mean. Not your brother.”

The buzzer went off in the kitchen, and I silently cursed it as Melissa hopped out of her chair and ran in the kitchen. I couldn’t figure this girl out, and I was too nervous to come out and ask.

“The brownies are done. Yeah!”

“Anyone ever tell you that you’re crazy?” I called out from the dining room as she buzzed around in the kitchen, moving from one side to the other like someone with wings.

“No.” She stopped flying. “Why, did you hear something?” Then she doubled over, laughing at her own joke before she pulled the brownies from the oven and set them on top.

I waited patiently for her to come back to the table, but when I glanced back at the kitchen area, she was nowhere to be seen.

“Melissa?” I shouted.

“I’m in the bathroom. I’ll be right out,” she called out, her muffled voice coming from somewhere else in the apartment.

At the sight of the pan of brownies on top of the oven, I seriously contemplated cutting myself a large piece, but thought better of it when I imagined how pissed off she’d be. Melissa was cute, but feisty, and I imagined that she probably had the temper of Tinker Bell. Everyone always loved that fairy, but I seemed to be the only one who remembered that she was mean.

Why the hell am I thinking about a cartoon fairy right now? And why the hell do I know so much about Tinker Bell?

I smacked the side of my head as Melissa reappeared, bearing gifts.

“Beating yourself up while I’ve been gone? It can’t be that bad.”

“Ha-ha.”

She placed a small plate in front of me with three perfectly cut brownie squares on top. “Be careful, they’re still hot.”

I didn’t listen as I shoved one into my mouth. “Shit,” I yelled around the molten lava now burning up the roof of my mouth, but too hot to chew or swallow.

“I told you they were hot,” she shouted before pointing at an unopened can of soda she’d set on the table in front of me.

Frantic, I leaned my head back and opened my mouth wide while I breathed quickly in and out, hoping to cool the bite off. When I finally took a chance on chewing, I was relieved to find it no longer felt like I was trying to eat something straight out of a volcano.

Melissa was grinning from ear to ear. “Now I know what I must have looked like when I had brain freeze earlier. That was pretty entertaining.”

We hunkered down for a while, going over notes for the test and quizzing each other. I tried to let her know that I was interested in her, but her reactions to me were always hit or miss. Sometimes she would reach over and touch me when she didn’t have to, and other times she kept her distance when I was certain she’d come close. I tried not to read too much into it, but I couldn’t help myself.

An hour and a half later, I said, “I’d better get going. Thanks for helping me.” I pushed back from the table and stood up, stretching my arms out over my head.

“You didn’t need my help. You just wanted to come over,” she said playfully.

I leaned down and picked her up while I hugged her tight. When our heads pulled back slowly, our faces were so close that I could have kissed her if I’d had the nerve. She tensed slightly in my arms, and I allowed the moment to pass. The last thing I wanted was for her to be uncomfortable around me.

“I’ll see you tomorrow,” I said lightly, not wanting to push her.

“Okay. Thanks again for the Slurpee and for hanging out tonight. I had fun.”

“Me too.”

Frustrated, I pulled her apartment door closed behind me. That hadn’t gone how I expected. Then again, I wasn’t sure what I thought would happen.

As I pulled out of the parking lot, I noticed Jack and Cassie pulling in at the same time. Jack didn’t see me from the driver’s seat of his lifted vintage Bronco, and I headed home, hoping he wouldn’t be much longer. I wanted to hear all about his date with Cassie.

• • •

When I got home, I hung the keys to the Honda on the key organizer beside the front door and tiptoed to the bathroom. Gran and Gramps had already gone to bed, and I didn’t want to wake them.

The front door opened and shut when I’d almost fallen asleep. A little drowsy, I rolled out of bed and shuffled down the hallway to meet Jack outside his room.

“You’re still up?” he asked.

“I was waiting.”

He snorted. “You’re such a girl.”

“I feel like one right now. I want to hear everything,” I said, not caring what he thought about me.

“Let me grab some water, and then I’ll come in your room.”

I yawned and headed back to my bedroom, where I sat on my bed to wait for Jack. He came in carrying two glasses of water, and handed me one.

“Thanks.” I placed the water on my nightstand. “So? How was it?”

“Epic.” He plopped down onto the bed next to me.

“Epic? How? Why?”

“Shit. First of all, listen to this.” He shook his head. “I got into a damn fight at the restaurant. That dickhead Jared came up and tried to start something. I was going to let it go, but then he started saying stuff to Cassie, and I lost it. I just wanted him to shut his fucking mouth.”

“Jesus, Jack.” I rubbed my hand across my forehead. “You sleep with a guy’s girlfriend, and then you hit him?”

“Yeah, and I couldn’t stop hitting him, but only because of what he said to Cassie. But before that, everything was great. And after that it was great too.”

“Cassie wasn’t pissed? She seems like the kind of girl to get pissed over something like that.”

Jack nodded. “I think under normal circumstances she might have been. But this wasn’t normal. He was a dick. She didn’t say so, but I think she was happy I hit him.”

“How’s your hand?” I glanced at his left arm. His throwing arm.

“Hurts like hell. But I hit him with the right, so it’s all good.”

“I saw you guys come home,” I said with a smile of my own, and he cocked his head to the side.

“What?” He gasped. “Were you with Melissa while I was out with Cassie?”

“Yeah, but nothing happened. I can’t tell if she’s into me or not,” I said, hoping he’d have some insight.

“I can ask Cassie, but Melissa seems stubborn. Like she might be a tough nut to crack, little brother.”

“You might be right. Good thing I’m a patient guy. Cassie’s cool, though?”

Jack breathed out a long breath, and then smiled. “She’s beyond cool. She’s so normal. She doesn’t care about the baseball aspect at all. I mean, she cares, but only because I do. She doesn’t see me the way other girls do, you know? She’s smart and opinionated and gorgeous. She has all these rules that she lives by, and I’m going to prove to her that I can live by them too.”

“Wait, wait, wait.” I put my hand up to stop his Cassie-filled love rant. “Rules? What kind of rules?”

“Oh, just these four like, I don’t know, rules. Don’t lie, don’t cheat, don’t say things you don’t mean, and don’t make promises you can’t keep,” he said, rattling them off as if he’d memorized them for a test.

I was lost. “And you’re supposed to prove them all to her?”

“No. I mean, well, yeah. She has a fucked-up relationship with her dad, and so I think that’s where they came from. Shouldn’t be that hard; they’re pretty normal requests for any person.”

“You’re right. I’ve just never met a girl who had rules before.”

Jack shrugged and his face turned serious. “I told her about Mom and Dad.”

My jaw fell open. “Wow. Really?”

We rarely ever told anyone about our parents, especially girls. Jack and I had worked hard to keep our personal life private, at least when it came to our childhood. What had happened to us in our past wasn’t something we enjoyed sharing. Of course, people asked questions about why we lived with our grandparents, but we avoided those mostly, only offering bits and pieces of the truth.

“Yeah. I mean, I hadn’t meant to, but the timing and the conversation just evolved and . . . I don’t know.” He pulled at his hair. “It just felt right. Are you upset that I told her? It involves you too.”

“No, I’m not upset. I trust your judgment.” And I did. If Jack wanted to confess to Cassie about how our parents ditched us when we were kids, who was I to stop him?

“Do you think it was a mistake to tell her?” he asked.

“Do you?”

“No,” he answered without hesitating. “I wanted to. It felt good to talk about all that crap with her. I don’t know why, but I felt relieved once she knew.”

“I think you might really like this girl,” I said, stating the obvious.

Jack met my eyes and nodded. “I think I might be in serious trouble when it comes to this girl. And I’ve never wanted to get into more trouble in my life.”

“Did you kiss her?”

He laughed and slapped my knee before using it to push off my bed. “You know who I am, don’t you?”

“So that’s a yes?” He hadn’t really answered my question.

“That’s a yes, little brother. And it’s more than you did with little Funsize tonight. I expect more from you.”

“Challenge accepted.”

As he walked out the door, I wondered how in the world I was going to get that beautiful little pixie to want me back.

Jack poked his head back in my doorway as I was getting settled underneath my covers. “Cassie tried to say that our kiss changed nothing, but I told her it changed everything.”

“Did it?”

“Yeah.” He nodded. “But she asked me to prove it.”

“Because she doesn’t believe you?” I shook my head, half-amazed at the things that came out of that girl’s mouth. Even more surprising was that it didn’t send my brother running for the hills.

“Exactly.”

“How the hell are you supposed to do that?”

“I have a few ideas, but I might need your help,” he said before disappearing without waiting for my answer.

He knew I’d do anything he needed.