Nix has always kept his hair buzzed while Colt grows his out at the top. Besides that, they look almost identical with their piercing blue eyes, dimples, and athletic bodies. In school, they were regularly mistaken for twins, though they were actually born ten months apart.
“Boys,” he warns. “Be nice. Please, Leni, excuse these knuckleheads. Sometimes they forget their manners.”
Once again, I’m left shocked by the way James so easily takes my side, almost as if he is protective of me. Maybe he is just being courteous, but with only us four in the room, there is no one to put on a show for.
James takes a seat at the head of the table while I stand in the doorway with my feet cemented to the ground.
“Come on, Leni. Sit with us,” Colt invites, but I don’t miss the undertone of sarcasm nor the devilish smirk on his lips.
It takes me another few seconds before I’m able to make my legs move and slowly make my way to the chair farthest away from Colt and Nix. Dropping my backpack on the floor next to me, I sit down, looking around the room to avoid looking at them.
“So Leni, how was your summer? Did you have a good time with your grandmother?” James asks curiously.
“Sure. It was nice. I hadn’t seen her in a long time.” I’m very cautious not to give too much information. In high school, I learned the hard way that bullies will use everything against you. It’s better to keep to yourself. Stay quiet, hidden, invisible. That’s where I’ll be safe.
“Do you have any plans for the rest of your break?”
“Not yet.” I need to get a job as fast as possible, so I can get out of here. I have less than a hundred dollars left from helping my grandma’s neighbor with yard work and cleaning houses. That’s not going to get me far.
“Well, I’m sure you’ll find something to fill your time. Or you just relax until school starts. We have a pool, you know? You are free to swim whenever.”
Relaxing? Unlikely.
“Yes, maybe we can go for a swim after dinner,” Colt chimes in.
“I don’t have a bathing suit,” I blurt out a little too fast. Lifting my gaze to the brothers, my blood boils when I see their smug faces.
“We won’t look.” Nix smirks. “We can go naked as well if it’ll make you feel more comfortable.”
Instead of giving him a snide remark, I grind my teeth together and hold my tongue. Under the table, I fist my hands and dig my nails into my palm. I concentrate on that pain just so I won’t feel the emotional agony bubbling up from being in the presence of Colt and Nix.
“I hope you guys are hungry.” My mother’s cheerful voice breaks the awkward silence.
She walks into the room holding a large serving bowl, and James immediately jumps up to grab it from her. I also moved to get up and help her, but both James and my mother tell me to sit down. Together, they quickly grab everything from the kitchen and set the table so we can eat.
I can’t remember the last time I sat at a table with my mom and ate a meal that didn’t come out of a microwave. I didn’t even know she could cook food that tasted better than a piece of cardboard. When I was training for the Olympics, and she would prepare my meals, it was about nutrition and not taste. Boiled chicken, steamed vegetables, and tasteless protein shakes were my daily life for years.
If it wasn’t for Colt and Nix sitting across the table and ruining my appetite, I would wolf this down like a starved animal. But thanks to their presence, each delicious morsel lands heavy in my empty stomach.
Completely oblivious to the tense mood in the room, my mom goes on about how great of a week she had. “I just love working at the office. Everyone is so nice. It makes the day go by in a breeze.”
“Everyone is nice to you because you are so amazing.” James smiles, placing his hand over my mother’s, who giggles like a little schoolgirl.
They look so happy, and I am glad my mom finally found someone who makes her feel this way. I just wish he didn’t have kids, or at least different ones.
CHAPTER3
“Are you sure you don’t want me to help you clean up?”
“Yes, I’m sure. You just go and settle into your new room. We moved all your stuff from your old room. Well, everything that survived the move. We had to replace a lot of stuff.”
“Oh…” I’m not sure what to say. I wasn’t particularly attached to my old furniture, but with all these sudden changes, I was kind of looking forward to my familiar bed. “You didn’t have to do that.”
“We didn’t want your moldy old furniture in our house—”
“Nixon!” James snaps at his son. “Stop being so rude.”
“What? It’s true.” He shrugs, completely unapologetic. “Maybe we can replace some of her clothes too?” He looks down at my shirt in disgust.