Chapter Four - Thalia
I’VE LEARNED A lot about Blake tonight. She’s in a long-distance relationship with her boyfriend, who attends college in California. They’ve been together for two years. She has a cat named Phoebe. Blake is the oldest of three siblings and has a job at the library starting next week. She’s also fascinated with the fact I can speak French.
“How do you say asshole?” she asks, sitting across from me on the couch. Blake’s long red hair is pulled up into a messy bun, and she’s wearing a Duke sweatshirt.
“Connard.” I giggle right as Sebastian and Owen walk in the door from practice. “Sebastian est un connard,” I say, taking a sip from my glass of wine.
I know that Bash has no idea what I said, but based on our last conversation, he assumes it means something terrible, shooting me a glare. I smile brightly back to spite him. “Blake, meet my lovely roommate Sebastian. Please don’t confuse us for friends; we are strictly roommates with no small talk. But the other guy that looks exactly like me, except for the bush on his face, is my older brother, Owen.”
“Hilarious, Thalia,” Sebastian says, dropping his football gear by the door next to Owen’s.
“No party tonight?” Owen teases, offering me a small white flag. I shake my head, grateful he isn’t at the disappointed stage anymore, whereas Blake looks very confused.
“So I might have thrown a tiny rager last night, even though I didn’t mean to, and they were not too pleased with me about it. Don’t mind Sebastian’s face; he has something permanently stuck up his ass.”
Blake laughs, and I join her because Bash’s face turns as comically red as a tomato. Owen can’t help but laugh with us because I’m not wrong. I probably should ease off Sebastian a little, but where’s the fun in that? It’s not like we are friends, so I’m not obligated to be kind. “Owen, you’ll never believe who I ran into today.” He looks confused, and I pretend to gag. “Amelia. She acted like we were best buddies and even asked about you.” Oops, I forgot I wasn’t going to tell him about that. Too late.
“Who’s Amelia?” Blake asks. I open my mouth to speak, but Bash surprisingly beats me.
“His horrible ex-girlfriend. She fucked one of the guys on the swim team that we were friends with, and has been a leech you can’t get rid of.”
Well, we can at least agree on something. “And she tried pretending you guys were friends? That’s shitty of her,” Blake says bluntly, and I pull my hair over one shoulder to braid it.
“Cool,” Owen says, and I look at him in surprise.
“What do you mean cool?”
He stares at me with a look of indifference. “What do you want me to say? Thalia, I haven’t spoken to her in months, nor do I care to.”
I’m at a loss for words because I expected him to laugh or make fun of her. Sebastian looks relieved. “Good riddance. I never liked her.”
“So are you guys on the football team?” Blake asks, finding a more neutral conversation.
Bash shrugs. “Yep, I’m a quarterback, and Owen’s our best tight end.”
Owen smiles, returning to his usual self. “Our best?”
“Oh hell, you just gave him an unnecessary ego boost. You’re going to regret saying that, Sebastian.” I scold, opening my phone to scroll through my friends’ social media feeds back in France.
“Oh please, with hands and feet like mine, they might as well just skip the draft and sign me to the Panthers already,” Owen gloats, pulling off his practice shirt, and I cringe.
“We also have a guest; the living room is not your changing room,” Sebastian reminds him, taking a drink of water out of his water bottle. For once, I have to agree with him.
Owen flashes a flirtatious smile at Blake. “Do you mind?”
I have to give her credit. Blake handles my brother wonderfully. I’m definitely keeping her. “It’s your apartment. Besides, I like the view of my boyfriend better. He plays soccer at USC.”
“You’ll have to excuse my brother; he’s not as subtle as Sebastian with his looks,” I mumble loud enough for her to hear me but not loud enough for either of the guys to.
I love my brother, but he knows he’s good looking. He has no problem using it to his advantage either. That’s how it was throughout high school, and I do not doubt with how he’s acting right now that Owen is just as confident in himself as ever. It’s impressive having an ego that big, not that I would ever tell Owen that.
Sebastian’s different, though. I don’t know quite how to explain him, and it frustrates the hell out of me. He doesn’t have the cockiness of Owen, but the way Sebastian holds himself is alluring. I’m not the only one who has noticed. He’s aware of it but doesn’t act the same way Owen does.
Lost in my thoughts, I must miss Owen saying where he was disappearing to, because when I look back up from my phone, Sebastian is sitting at the island watching us. He’s staring straight at me as he grabs his phone, and I revert my attention to Blake.
She’s looking at me curiously before angling her head silently at Sebastian. I shake my head quickly, and Blake nods in understanding.
“Do you know what I’d be doing right now if you hadn’t bumped into me earlier?” Blake asks, pulling her legs up on the couch to sit criss-cross. I’m sure I know her answer already.
“What?”
“Sitting in my dorm room alone with my textbooks. Well, probably not alone; my roommate just went through rush and is obnoxiously decorating the room in all of her new sorority swag.” She confirms the textbook part because she told me precisely that earlier.
Bash lets out a dry laugh, opting to chime into our conversation. “I’m sure your roommate was here last night for the rager little Lia threw. What are you studying?”
I frown at how he subtly mentions the accidental party and nickname he called me throughout our childhood, but I’m glad he can at least be cordial with my friends. It’s more than I can ask him to do with me. Actually, I did ask him that, and he flat out refused. Lovely.
“I bet she was here last night since I know she didn’t get home until late. I’m studying biomedical engineering. Thalia here saved me from a Sunday night of boredom with my biotechnology textbook,” Blake answers, and I reach for my wine glass.
I wish Bash and Owen had stayed at practice longer. Correction: not Owen. I actually like him. Sebastian is the one I wish would go away and never come back. Is that too dramatic?
“When Owen gets out of the shower, you two should compare schedules. He’s a civil engineering major. I don’t know if the classes would overlap, but it’s worth a shot.” He suggests, his full lips tugging upward into a smile.
“What’s your major?” Blake asks him, and I don’t know the answer.
“Psychology. I want to know what makes people who they are,” Sebastian admits.
“Really?” I ask, unable to stop the words from coming out of my mouth. He was undeclared before I left for France, and I never asked Owen. I never asked Owen about Sebastian in general.
He looks at me, all traces of cordialness gone. “Really. I guess I’m not the dumb jock you think I am. I’d hate for you to have to lower your standards to live here.”
My jaw falls open, and I try to carefully pick my words. Blake is looking back and forth between us, quickly realizing that this isn’t a situation she wants to witness. Or I don’t know, maybe she does. I’m sure it’s entertaining, at the very least.
“Then please enlighten me as to what has made you the pompous connard que tu es?”
His eyes narrow, and I consider the idea that maybe I should have clarified I don’t think he’s a dumb jock instead of calling him an asshole again. He might not know what I’m calling him, but again, it’s not something positive. I’ve never thought he was a dumb jock; I was angry and hurt when I called him that. I didn’t know it would bother him as much as it clearly does.
His sharp jaw clenches, and he stands up abruptly from his stool. “If you’re going to insult me, at least do it in English, Thalia,” Bash says roughly, and my grip on the wine glass tightens. “Blake, it was nice to meet you. I hope to see you again, but I’m tired from practice. Being a dumb jock is hard work.”
He stalks off without another word, slamming his door behind him. It’s only fair, considering I did the same thing to him earlier. I rub my temples tiredly. How does every encounter with him go so wrong?
“Do you want to explain what happened there…?” Blake asks slowly.
“I don’t know what there is even to explain. We got into an argument before I went to France last year. I never apologized for it, but he hasn’t either. It didn’t help that I accidentally threw a party last night, essentially confirming his idea that I’m the same party girl I was when I left.”
She looks at me in surprise. “How do you accidentally throw a party?”
“No idea. It just kinda happened.” I down the last of my wine.
“Did anything ever happen between you two?”
I freeze immediately, shaking my head. “No.”
Nothing real, so it’s not a lie.
“It just kinda seems like—” Her voice drops off at the sound of footsteps catching our attention. My brother returns still shirtless, but to my dismay, his beard is still fully intact. Gross. “Blake, don’t you agree that Owen would look so much better without that stupid squirrel on his face?”
He ignores my comment, and Blake only laughs instead of responding. “Where’d Bash go? We were supposed to go over the playbook.”
“His room,” I grumble, playing with my empty glass. It doesn’t take a genius to figure out where he went. The apartment is big, but not that big, and Bash isn’t exactly small. I thought the deduction would be faster for how smart Owen is supposed to be.
Owen looks like he wants to ask more questions, but Blake interferes. “So you’re a civil engineer? What classes are you in this semester?” Blake asks so Owen can’t ask more questions. She’s perfect.
Owen looks at me with a knowing look. He’s not wrong. I am the reason Sebastian disappeared to his room. Thankfully, he lets it go. I’ll probably be questioned the second Blake leaves, but maybe Owen will forget. “I’m in mostly electives, so unfortunately, I doubt our classes overlap, but if you ever need help studying, just say the word.”
Blake looks surprised by his offer. “That’s really nice of you. Thanks.”
Owen sits in the armchair diagonal from me, spreading out. “A friend of Lia’s is a friend of mine.”
I smile at him, feeling my chaotic feelings toward Sebastian start to slip away. “Have I told you that you’re my favorite brother?”
“I’m your only brother. Blake, I hope you’re ready for the force of nature you’ve let into your life.”
“Oh, I think things are going to be very interesting. Unfortunately, I have to get a start on those textbooks, or I might be drowning when classes start,” Blake says apologetically. I wish I could protest, but I don’t want to set my new friend up for failure.
“If you must go, then au revoir. I’m glad I could steal you away for as long as I did,” I say, standing up to hug her. Tonight was…eventful, and she handled it like a champ.
“Thanks for having me. You certainly have some explaining to do, so don’t think you’re off the hook.” She whispers the last part, and I bite the inside of my cheek, nodding.
“I’m happy I bumped into you today.”
“I think the bruise on my ass wishes we’d met a different way, but I’m glad too.”
I laugh and walk Blake to the door. “Get out of here before I hold you hostage and never let you leave.”
“She will keep you here. Master manipulator here,” Owen pipes in from behind me, ensuring his two cents are heard.
“I’m not manipulative; I just happen to get my way a lot. ” I stick my tongue out at him.
“Goodnight! I’m sure I’ll see you later.”
“Let Thalia know when you get home,” Owen says, and I wave as Blake promises she will.
Plopping down on the couch, I feel the sleepy effects of the wine I drank start to hit. It’s probably a good thing I didn’t have a second glass. Red makes me tired, and white makes me fun. Actually—all alcohol makes me fun.
But now I’m responsible Thalia, or at least trying to be. I think I’m failing again.
Owen has never offered to help me in my classes, but he offered to help Blake in minutes. I don’t hate the idea, but I hope I’m wrong at the same time. “If you even want a shot with her if she and her boyfriend ever break up, you seriously need to shave that squirrel tail off your face.”
“If I had known it would bother you this much, I would have grown one a long time ago. I think I’ll keep it,” he says, pulling out his phone to type something quickly before setting it down. “Secondly, I barely know Blake. Lastly, she was clear she has a boyfriend. I’m not into girls in relationships.”
Because Owen was cheated on, I know he wouldn’t do anything to cross that line with anyone else. “I know. I just thought I was sensing a vibe.”
“What happened with Bash? I thought you said you could be polite?” Owen asks, changing the topic by quoting my exact words from the ride here from the airport.
“I also said I’m not making any promises about how your best friend will act.” I tilt my head backward to look up at the ceiling. “I did try. It would help if he weren’t such an asshole to me.”
“It might help if you stop calling him an asshole?”
A short laugh escapes me. “I doubt it. For the record, I did try apologizing this morning for the accidental party. Sebastian didn’t want to hear it or anything else from me.”
“I don’t know, Thalia. He’s got a lot on his plate right now. Try to cut him some slack.”
“What do you mean?” I ask, lifting my head to look at Owen.
He shrugs, shutting up to pick his phone up again. Of course he isn’t going to tell me. Bro code. Too bad I know that bro code has been broken before in the form of stolen kisses.
Those don’t matter anymore.
It’s as if they never happened.
Poof.