Chapter 9
Nine
We called it a day after Milo finally stopped behind the ball without falling over or accidentally nudging it forward.
It was a relief to have it over and done with.
Unfortunately, this means training him will take forever.
If the time this one skill took is any indication, we will need to dedicate entire days to kicking, passing, and dribbling.
The rest of the day played out much like yesterday. My teachers kept pestering me about my study habits and the importance of concentrating on my work. Maybe if they’d cared during the prior months of school, I wouldn’t be in this mess. Now, I’m overloaded.
And if it wasn’t annoying teachers I had to deal with, it was my lovesick best friend. Kai was constantly staring at Tabitha. Either from the lunch table, the school halls, or from his desk in class. His fingers would hover over his phone, as if he were agonizing over the perfect words to text her.
Give me a break, man.
At least it’s the end of school now. Who knew a tutoring session would feel like a relief?
“I don’t see why Mom and Dad would have a problem with you staying,” Kai says as we walk into his home after he drives us from school. “But a week is a lot more than just a weekend, so we might have to put the pressure on.”
“Pressuring Mom and Dad isn’t how you get your way,” Milo grumbles behind us.
Kai groans as we traipse toward the dining room. “Have you been living under a rock, Milo? It never fails.”
“Only because you keep arguing until they give up,” Milo bites back.
When we enter the dining room, Kai chucks his school bag in the corner and lifts his arms out wide. “Case closed.”
Milo rolls his eyes, rounding the table. He pulls out a chair, sets his bag on top, and sits on the adjacent chair.
I dump my bag and immediately pull off my blazer and necktie. How is this not the first thing Milo does? Is he so lame that he actually enjoys wearing this stupid school uniform? I mean, he does fill it out well. Wait, what was that? I guess I mean, because he’s so lanky. Yep, that has to be it.
Kai snaps his fingers. “You with us, James?”
I shake out of my thoughts. “Huh? Yeah. Just thinking.”
Kai pats my shoulder. “All you gotta do is show those sad puppy eyes.”
I pull out a chair opposite Milo. “It’s easy because I am the poor girl, living on the outskirts of town, who can’t afford her education.”
“That’s the spirit,” Kai says, sitting beside me.
Milo lifts a pen, pointing it at Kai. “What are you doing?”
He shrugs. “What?”
“I’m tutoring Jamie. You shouldn’t stick around.”
“I’m waiting for Mom to get home. Relax.”
“You’ll distract her.”
Before it gets heated, I butt in. “He’ll just stay until your mom agrees to let me stay here. I need him.”
Milo chews his lip, and then nods.
I pull out my books to impress Mrs. Nelson. If she thinks I’m eager to study, it’ll give me brownie-points to win her over. But, let’s face it, I’m not learning anything while I have an opportunity to chat with Kai.
“Hi everyone,” Mrs. Nelson says, walking through the dining room with a bag of groceries. “Oh my gosh, Kai, are you sitting down to study? Has the world flipped upside-down?”
“Chill out,” Kai says as his mom continues on toward the kitchen. “I’m just hanging with Jamie while Milo bores her to death.”
That remark brings Mrs. Nelson back into the dining room, which in turn sends Kai grinning.
“It would do you some good to learn from your brother.” She then turns her attention to me. “How’s everything going, Jamie? Is it all sinking in?”
I nod. “Yeah, kinda. I’m just getting distracted because of Aunt Maddy’s trip.”
Intrigue pulls Mrs. Nelson in. “Maddy’s going on a trip?”
“Her first ever,” I reply. “She’s going to Hawaii and leaving me alone for seven days.”
“Wow,” Mrs. Nelson says, stunned. “Hawaii. That’s amazing. But wait, you’re not going with her?”
I shake my head. “Her boyfriend is whisking her away. I have no idea where I’m gonna go.”
“Come on, Mom,” Kai pipes up. “Give her a break. Just tell her she’ll stay with us next week.”
“She can’t stay next week,” Mrs. Nelson replies, and it’s like a gut-punch. “Do you have a sieve for a memory? Your grandparents get here tomorrow night and are taking the guest bedroom.”
“So?” Kai argues. “She can stay in my bedroom. It’s not like she hasn’t before.”
Mrs. Nelson sighs, exasperated. “That was when you were little kids. I told you, once you became teenagers, no girls in your rooms.”
“Please,” Kai splutters, gesturing at me. “I don’t even think of Jamie as a girl.”
I scoff, folding my arms. “Geez. Thanks.”
Kai huffs. “You know what I mean.”
Mrs. Nelson focuses on Milo. “How do you feel about Jamie staying with us?”
Milo shrugs. “I don’t care. It’s fine.”
Kai leans forward, pointing at Milo. “Mom, he’s the one who suggested to Maddy that Jamie stays with us.”
Milo leans back in his chair, eyes wide. “It was just a suggestion if they were in a bind. I didn’t think it’d be a big deal.”
“I can sleep on the couch,” I say to Mrs. Nelson while clasping my hands together.
She shakes her head. “No way. You can’t sleep on a couch for seven days.”
Kai groans. “Then where else is she supposed to go, Mom? You want her to live alone when she doesn’t have a car and lives on the outskirts of town?”
“No, of course, I don’t want her to be alone. Okay, if Jamie’s staying here,” Mrs. Nelson says in a steady tone, “then you boys will share a room.”
“Huh?” the twins respond at once.
Mrs. Nelson pat’s Milo’s shoulder. “Milo, honey, you’ll move into Kai’s bedroom.”
Milo throws his hands up. “Why am I getting punished?”
“Your room is neat and tidy, sweetie,” Mrs. Nelson says, grinning. “That’s much nicer for a girl to stay in.”
“I’m not that neat,” I say, feeling awkward at the thought of stepping into Milo’s bedroom.
“You’ll never find anything in Kai’s bedroom,” Mrs. Nelson says to me. “Plus, you need an organized environment to study. Milo’s room will be perfect.”
Milo gives his mother an incredulous look. “But it’s like that because I use it to study. Where am I gonna go?”
His mother pats the table. “The dining room will be fine for you. Besides, I’m sure you and Jamie will continue your tutoring down here, anyway. Don’t worry, honey. It’ll all work out.”
Milo looks away from his mother, shaking his head.
I squirm in my seat, feeling like a true invader.
Milo glances my way, and I sink further down in my seat.
I want to be the one bunking with Kai. Where in the world did Mrs. Nelson get the idea something would happen between me and Kai? Eww. He’s basically my brother.
I don’t dare speak up. I just need a yes to me moving in. Once I’m in, and Aunt Maddy has landed in Hawaii, I’m sure Kai and I can protest our way into the same bedroom. Milo can then happily disappear into his “neat and tidy” room.
Kai takes a deep breath in, the sign he’s about to launch into a tirade. I draw his attention, slicing my hand across my neck. He shuts his yap, tilting his head at my signal. He relaxes on his seat and gives me a nod. I smile, happy our non-verbal communication is as on point as ever.
“Now, Kai, get going,” his mother says, shooing him.
“Huh?” Kai says, screwing up his face.
“You need to leave Jamie and Milo alone,” Mrs. Nelson says. “It’s a tutoring session, not an excuse for you two to hang out.”
“Jamie can talk while studying,” Kai protests.
“No, she can’t,” Mrs. Nelson persists. “Her aunt asked me to keep you two separated.”
“She did what?” I blurt.
Mrs. Nelson nods. “Last night when I picked up Milo, she asked me to keep Kai away while Milo tutored you. I’m happy to oblige and ensure you keep focused.”
I huff. “Ugh. She’s the worst.”
“No, she loves you,” Mrs. Nelson replies and sends me a sweet smile. “And so do I. Meaning, I’ll do what’s best and keep my scoundrel son away from you.”
Kai leaps from his seat. “Scoundrel?”
She smirks at her son. “You are a pain in the butt.”
Kai shrugs, turning away. “Fine. I’ll go upstairs and play a video game instead. Tyler is probably online.”
“Uh, man,” I whine.
“Sorry, James,” Kai says with a smirk as he backs out of the dining room.
Every thud of him jogging up the stairs is like the hammering of nails into my coffin.
“You’ll have plenty of time for games once you pass your exams,” Mrs. Nelson says, patting my shoulder and then leaving the room.
“Yay,” I grumble.
“What do you want to work on?” Milo asks.
I wince. “I don’t want to, but we should probably start with King Lear again. My brain just doesn’t compute the way they speak.”
Milo nods. “That’s fair. And it probably doesn’t help you have Kai yapping in your ear all class.”
“Well, he’s a little distracted these days, texting with his girlfriend.”
“Oh.”
“Whatever.” I pull my books from my bag. “If Kai were talking to me or not, I still wouldn’t comprehend this stuff.”
“Did Ms. Jenkins like your answers today?”
I slide my notes over to him. “See the big red smiley face she drew at the bottom?”
Milo laughs. “That’s her trademark happy face. Good job.”
“Thanks, but credit goes to you. I still don’t think I understand what I wrote.”
“Do you think you can memorize it, though? We could work on you memorizing quotes for the essay assignment.”
I blow out a wary breath. “Hmm. Maybe.”
“If you can memorize the quotes, then you can memorize why they’re symbolic.”
“Won’t that take forever?”
Milo gives me a hopeful smile. “Only until you get the hang of it. Think of it like learning how to stop a stationary soccer ball.”
I laugh heartily. “I can’t believe how hard you made that look.”
“Now you know how it feels to be a tutor.”
I hiss, feeling the heat of embarrassment coating my skin. “Geez. I didn’t realize I was so painful to watch.”
“You just haven’t tried. I really think that once you get ahead of this stuff, you’ll nail it.”
I smile and nod. “Same with you and soccer.”
“We can only hope,” he jokes.