Chapter Thirty-four #2
“Pinky promise.” He winked back, tugging her close to his side. “Let’s find Rex and get out of here. Zrazduel is accommodating but if you keep it up, I’m definitely getting a public indecency charge or something!”
Katarina howled the whole way to the bar where they found Rex chatting it up with the bartender.
They were pouring over designs he’d drawn out on drink napkins, having made a map across the bar.
If it weren’t for the fact there were five other bartenders, all putting out drinks like clockwork to waitresses, Jessie wouldn’t have believed that his brother was able to distract one enough to converse about stuff.
Not until he came up alongside him with furrowed brows. “What is that?”
“Oh! Jessie! Look, this is Koby, he’s in the mechanical engineering program at Ark-U.
I was poking his brain about the prototype.
You know, see if he knows anyone capable of this kinda stuff.
And Koby says the design is similar to this theoretical project one of their special lecturers talks about every year.
” Rex pivoted on his barstool to show off his hand drawn design.
While Jessie wasn’t sure what it was, as that wasn’t his area of expertise, it looked like Rex knew what he was talking about.
Jessie glanced up from the bar top covered in napkins to Koby. He smiled at the satyr warmly. “Who does the lecture?”
“Oh, every year Councilman Bjorn Lawmen, of the Commerce Council Department, comes to talk to us about the applications of Magical Engineering in the world. Like ways to apply our degrees. And he talks about this major project of his like it’s a defense mechanism, something that keeps us safe, kinda thing.
” Koby shrugged his shoulders before grabbing a new glass.
“Look, I gotta get back to the line. But man, if you ever think about putting your money where your mouth is, you’d do fucking numbers in the program.
I’m telling you. Call administration and get yourself admitted for the fall. Hope to see ya there.”
Jessie’s eyebrows shot up on his face as Koby and Rex shared a special kind of handshake before the satyr went on his way. Staring down at his brother, he had a moment of pause. Does Rex want to go to college? Is he wasting his talents here with me?
“So, what’s next?” Rex asked before tossing back the last bit of liquid in his tumbler. Wait! Fuck!
“Wait,” Jessie barked, snatching the glass from Rex. “What was in this? You better not—”
“Grapejuice and soda, Jessie, jeez. Calm down,” Rex huffed. “I’m not an idiot. I know I can’t have alcohol.”
“Why can’t you drink?” Katarina blurted out, furrowing her brows. Immediately, she flushed and laughed, waving her hands in front of her. “Oh, that was none of my business. I’m so sorry. I’m nosey.”
“Nah, it’s alright,” Rex chuckled. He swiped up all his napkins into a wad and tucked them into his pockets. “I’m on medication, is all. Not like a sobriety thing, I just got a condition.”
Jessie clamped a hand on Rex’s shoulder and squeezed. “Sorry, Rex. I didn’t mean to bite your head off like that. I just—”
“You worry, I know.” Rex rolled his eyes, hopping off the barstool. “I’m not a toddler who can’t breathe or a teenager who can’t tell when someone’s spiked the punch anymore, Jessie. I’m kind of an adult now, if you haven’t noticed. I know how to take care of myself.”
“I know,” Jessie confessed, letting his brother shrug off his touch.
Dragon’s breath, when did you grow up? Jessie felt guilt eat him alive as he stared at Rex with an apologetic look plastered to his face.
When did you stop needing your big brother to take care of you?
When did you stop asking Elliot for help with homework or me for advice with cars?
Damn. Maybe I am holding you back. “Rex, did you want to go to college?”
Rex’s eyes exploded wide open in his face as he twisted to Jessie. “Why? Nik talk to you?”
“Uh, no?” Jessie squinted. “You told Nik before you told me?”
“Well, yeah, cause Nik’s not like my boss or my big brother. He listens.”
“I listen!” Jessie scoffed, throwing his hands out to the side.
“Uh-huh,” Rex snorted.
“I listen! Tell him Katarina.” Jessie twisted to find Katarina snickering into her palm.
He scowled. After a moment, and minor self-reflection, it dawned on him, he was his own problem.
Again. Inhaling deeply through his nose, he settled his own attitude before answering him.
“Rex, if you want to go to school, then we’ll send you to school.
Once I get rid of this Executive guy, I’m looking into putting you in school.
But if you’re gonna do this, Rex, you’re going to do this for real.
You’re gonna lock in and study your fucking brains out and you’re gonna make cool shit, you got it? ”
Rex froze, arms out like a goose caught in the act of stealing someone’s shoes. “I mean, I’ll try.”
“No, there’s no try, Rex. You’re gonna do it. And you’re gonna do it for real. Swear it.”
“I swear, fuck, Dragon’s breath, Jessie,” Rex whined.
“That’s what I’m talking about.” Jessie clapped a hand onto his brother’s shoulder again, twisting him and shoving him forward.
They got to the front desk where Katarina was collecting her purse and Rex his jacket when Jessie’s phone rang.
He plucked it out of his back pocket and peeked at the caller ID.
Picking up, he felt his blood go cold. “Ma?”
“Hey Jessie, I hate to do this to you, but I just got called in. My patient went into labor and she’s high risk. Your father’s fine to watch Bella till you crawl in, but would you mind taking her? Your fathers already agreed to help Elliot tomorrow with something or he’d just take her himself.”
Jessie let out a sigh of relief, “No, Ma, that’s totally fine. We’re actually leaving now. I’ll have Rex drop off everything you both baked tonight and bring her after we wake up in the morning.”
“Oh, that’s perfect. Thank you, Jessie. Love you.”
“Love you too, Ma.” He hung up, take a deep breath to regulate his heart again. This Executive or Bjorn guy is really fucking with my heart rate. Katarina spared him a confused, furrowed brow but he waved off. There would be time to explain it in the car.
Rex popped back up next to Jessie, tugging his jacket on. “All good?”
“Perfect! You got a bake sale in the morning and we’re going to go scoop up the kiddo on our way back home.” They’d drop him off, pick up the bug, go home for some quick shut eye—hopefully Nik would make his way home at some point—and then they’d go from there.
“What? Why!” Rex whined, head back and full childish stomp forward toward the doors. “This house is a prison!”