He pops another strawberry into his mouth. “You go see Aiden yet?”
“Not yet.”
“You going to try to get his condo?”
I grin. “How’d you know?”
He winks. “You haven’t unpacked.”
I laugh along with him as my mom glares at me. “You could stay here for free.”
“And get killed in the cross fire between those two? Nope, I’m good. I think we should all move out and let them burn the house down.”
They both laugh along with me as the girls reenter the kitchen. Emery grabs her lunch as Stella gets her book bag. “I only have morning classes, so I’ll be at Brooks House by two.”
Mom nods. “Okay, have a wonderful day.” She then grabs Emery, kissing her hard on the head. “I love you. Be nice.”
Emery shrugs. “We’ll see how the day goes and how people act.”
Dad shakes his head as the girls say bye and leave. I look at my mom. “Aren’t you worried they’ll fight in the car and crash?”
Mom grins at me. “Stella drives like an old lady. Emery still sits in the back since she’s terrified Stella will kill them, and if she’s in the back, she thinks she’s less likely to die. Believe me, they’re fine.”
“I think they do it for entertainment,” Dad laughs, and I gawk at him.
“Stella has a scar from where Emery bit her.”
He shrugs. “A love bite?”
Maybe my parents are as crazy as the girls.
I need out of this damn house.
My first memory of Bellevue is from going to a party with Ally when I turned eighteen.
I had a tour scheduled that next Monday, but after one party, I knew I didn’t want to go here. I needed something more. I needed to be in a place where no one knew me. At Bellevue, everyone knew me. Because of Aiden. He graduated from high school early and started college right away so he could train with the Bullies’ hockey team. He didn’t even make it a full season before he was promised and drafted to the Rangers. No one has ever done that coming out of Bellevue, so it was a huge deal.
I’m actually surprised they don’t have a statue dedicated to him.
Because of him, everyone knew my name, and I hated it.
Dude, aren’t you Brooks’s brother?
Oh my God, I love your brother. You’re hot. Wanna fuck?
I love your glasses. How much did your brother sign for?
A lesser man would have a complex, but I know I am different from my brother, and I’m awesome in my own way. It’s not a competition. Aiden is the hockey player, and I’m the guy who likes the game but only for the jumbotron. I’m not called a dork for nothing, but I’m good with it. I know who I am. Here I couldn’t shine. I needed my own identity.
I needed to be Asher Brooks, weirdo. Not Asher Brooks, Aiden Brooks’s brother.
I did that, got my heart broken, and now I’m right back at the University of Bellevue. Not for me, but for my bestie. She loves it here, and I can see the appeal. I actually love the setup of this school. It’s like a mini town with everything you need, from a Dollar General to a Panera. There is a sports compound, a bunch of state-of-the-art buildings for classes, and the dorms are like little condos. It is nice, but it wasn’t for me. Not sure California was either. I got my education and I learned so much, but in the love department… That’s a whole other story.
Ah, you live and you learn. But sometimes, I’m unsure where I belong.
It’s a question I struggle with, but I’ll figure it out. I’m young, and I try to remind myself of that. I have time, but I always strive to be solid. I want to know where I am is where I am supposed to be. I want to know I can build a life, and most of all, I want to be happy. I don’t know where this need for stability comes from. My parents gave us that and more, and maybe that’s why? Maybe I’m so used to having it provided by my parents, that now that I don’t, it’s fucking with me. Or maybe I’m trying to rush it. I don’t know. I just need to know I am okay. I need a job, I need regular sex in the form of a great relationship with a straight female, and I need comfort. I may not have it all figured out—I have only been home for a few days, and I need to relax. But I know one thing. I need to leave my parents’ house. I need space. I really need to call Aiden.
I enter the gym, and the Bullies’ volleyball team is warming up as I head to the bleachers. I find Ally, and she’s directing and warming up her team. She takes up the whole court with her confidence and leadership. She doesn’t need that C on her jersey to let everyone know her role. She exudes it. Her hair is up in a tight ponytail, and she’s wearing her teal and black volleyball shirt with the number two on the back and her name, TITOV. She has on those skimpy little black shorts that a weaker man couldn’t resist.