Chocolate chip.
I haven’t had any.
If the girls have noticed my hesitation to eat cookies, they’ve been kind enough not to say anything to me about it.
“Nothing,” I say.
“What!?” Karen and Emilia shriek in unison.
“But you never like anyone,” Karen says.
“And you owe it to yourself to give it a try,” Emilia tells me.
“Okay, time for secret number two,” I say.
This one is going to be a little stranger.
“Two secrets in one night?” Karen looks over at Emilia and shakes her head. “What’s gotten into our sweet Adalee?”
“I know,” Emilia says. “Usually, she’s so tame and docile.”
I’m not even upset at how she’s describing me because I know it’s true. Those are all very fancy words to describe me. Another word would be “boring.”
“I’m only going to say it once,” I tell them. “And you can’t tell anyone.”
My heart is pounding.
Aching.
Hurting.
They’re silent, waiting for me to open my mouth and spill the beans, and suddenly, my skin goes cold, but I need to get this out before I turn into a huge chicken and flake.
Again.
“Harrison and I know each other,” I tell them. “From before Crescent Academy. We go way back. We...we were raised in the same house.”
Karen and Emilia both look confused, and then Karen starts to look sick.
“Oh my shit,” she says. “Are you trying to tell me he’s your brother?”
“What? No!”
“Stepbrother?” Karen shrieks. “That’s even worse!”
“No, he’s nothing, and shut the fuck up before someone hears us,” I say, looking over at the door. “And besides, how is that fucking worse?”
“It’s the same!” Emilia says.
“He’s not my brother. For fuck’s sake,” I jump up
and run to the door. I hear voices outside, but I don’t think anyone knows exactly which room the shriek came from. If I’m careful, we won’t get caught. The last thing I need right now is another detention.
Finally satisfied that we’re not going to be hauled off into the night, I return to the bed and sit down.
“Explain,” Emilia says.
“We were raised together,” I say. “His mom and dad raised us both. He always thought of me as like, a cousin, or a friend.”