23. Brothers
twenty-three
Brothers
I look up from my book, glance down the road, and re-read the same page for probably the hundredth time.
I’m sitting by the living room window, pretending to read, mostly just waiting.
The Ricks boys and their mom, Trina should be here by now.
The anticipation is killing me. It’s been a long time since I saw Gage or Nathan.
I wonder what they look like. I wonder what it’s going to be like to have them around again.
The roar of Jacob’s car brings me outside. I stand on the edge of the porch and lean out to see. My stomach clenches in anticipation as the car turns down our long driveway.
“Mom, they’re here,” I yell over my shoulder. I should go into the house and come out casually when Mom calls me. I can’t do it. I want to be here when they get out of the car. Mom comes out on the porch, and we both watch the car pull in front of the house.
Jacob gets out first. He waves to us and walks around to open the door for his mom.
From the back passenger side, a guy who seems to be all legs climbs out.
He’s blond, and he’s wearing a dark blue t-shirt and basketball shorts.
It has to be Nathan; blue eyes like his mom’s, pale, and he’s gotten tall.
The other door is slower to open. Gage untangles himself from the rear seat and steps out, blinking and yawning.
He's a younger version of Jacob, but his hair is darker and longer. It curls up around his ears. He has his mom's blue eyes too, but they stand out against a darker complexion. Despite the rain, he isn’t wearing shoes. He has on a pair of low-rise jeans and a black t-shirt that’s tight enough to show off a muscular, though not so well-defined chest as Jacob’s.
Trina gets out, and Mom rushes over to give her a hug.
I follow, feeling everyone's eyes on me. After Trina hugs my mom, she stands back and looks at me. “Jessica, is that you?" She drawls. "Why, you’re just a doll, come over here.” She wraps her arms around me. I’m taller than Trina now. She doesn’t look like she’s aged at all.
She’s still tiny and thin with the same blonde hair as Jacob and Nathan.
When I turn, I catch Nathan staring at me in disbelief. “Jessica?” he says. He breaks my gaze and looks down.
“Hi Nate.” I walk over and give him a hug. It feels appropriate, with all the hugging going around, but it’s a quick hug, and stiff.
When I step back, Gage is looking at me closely, almost as if he’s checking me out. He whistles—low and slow. “Wow Jess, what happened to you? When did you turn into a babe?”
Our mothers stand in shocked silence, their mouths hanging open. I laugh. There’s something cool about Gage’s complete lack of formality. “You turned out pretty okay yourself.”
"Yeah." Gage is obviously 100% sure of his own looks. “We gotta hang out while I’m here. I mean, like, a lot.”
“Gage,” Trina sounds tired and her voice is full of warning.
“C’mon, Mom. Aren’t I allowed to have some fun?” Gage grins at her. “Besides, Jess is a good girl. She’ll keep me out of trouble, won’t you, Jess?”
“Sure.” I’m trying to decipher the look on Trina’s face something between worry and relief. I’m not sure I want to spend the rest of the month, maybe even the rest of my senior year, being Gage’s babysitter.
Gage picks me up off my feet in a big hug, longer and definitely friendlier than the one I got from Nate. He sets me down. “So, when can we get started with the hanging out?”
I guess he was serious. “I don’t know. Tomorrow night?”
He leans against Jacob’s car. “Cool, but you’ll have to provide a car and tell me what you want to do, because I don’t know where anything is around here anymore.”
I glance at Trina and then at my mom. They both look concerned. “Okay, Gage. Do I have to pay too?”
“That would be great. I’m a little low on funds right now, thanks to a minor problem with my dad’s car.”
I glance at Jacob over Gage’s shoulder. Our eyes meet and he shakes his head. I'm not sure if he's shaking it at me, or at Gage, or both. He ducks down to get the suitcases out of the trunk of his car. Nathan steps to the back of the car to help him.
"Gage, get over here," Jacob barks.
Gage leans in closer like he has a secret to tell me. "Tomorrow. Promise."
"Sure," I answer.
"Gage!" Jacob yells. "I'm not carrying your crap into the house."
"This month might not be a total bust after all," Gage says as he moves to retrieve his suitcase.
I'm not sure how to take that or how to interpret the dark expression Jacob gives his little brother.