Chapter 7 Kai #2
“It’s bull,” Jamie complains, wiping her hands on her half-apron.
“Now, now, champ.” Jake says in a cooling tone. “Why don’t you concentrate on being the best girl on your team?”
Jamie smirks and winks at Jake. “Easy done.”
Jake sends me out of the kitchen with my burger, and I plonk down in a booth. Coach is on my case about what I eat, and Mom follows it to the letter. Maddy’s cool. She’s only twelve years older than us and I wouldn’t use the word strict to describe her.
“Oh, look,” Maddy says, looking ahead at the front door. “Kai, your brother is here.”
My eyebrow rises, but I hold back my grimace.
Maddy leaves the counter, and my gaze follows her up the aisle until she meets Milo by the coat rack. “Hey Milo. Good to see you. What have you been up to?”
I drop the tension in my shoulders when Milo lifts a bag with the nearby bookstore’s logo on it. The way my brother barely makes eye contact with Maddy is a relief. He doesn’t want to be here any more than I don’t want him here.
“Aunt Maddy thinks Milo is so great,” Jamie says, hanging by my booth. “She always says, ‘Why can’t you and Kai be more like Milo?’” Jamie claps her flattened fingers against her anchored thumbs in a mock yapping motion. “’Study more like Milo.’ ‘Read more like Milo.’ ‘Be boring like Milo.’”
As Jamie continues to make her hands yap, she mouths, ‘blah, blah, blah,’ with a ridiculous expression. It cracks me up, making me spit-take part of my burger.
“Look at her,” Jamie says, gesturing toward her aunty. “Have you ever seen more fake sucking up? She couldn’t give a crap about what Milo was up to. ‘He’s just a good boy. Why can’t you be good like Milo?’”
“Pfft.“ My lip upturns. “We are good. We’re the best.”
Jamie huffs, throwing her hands up. “That’s what I keep telling her.”
“You want a shake?” Maddy asks, walking Milo further into the cafe. “It’s on the house.”
My groan reverberates in my throat. Is she treating Milo like family just because he’s my identical twin? That’s so unnecessary.
“Oh, I’ve still got cash,” Milo says, digging his hand into his pocket for his wallet. “I didn’t drop it all at the bookstore.”
“There’s a first,” I blurt.
Milo stumbles on his footing at the sound of my voice and almost stacks it in front of my booth.
My eyes can’t help rolling. My brother, ladies and gentlemen.
The straight-A student who got an F in walking and standing still.
Seriously, if there’s not a day where this genius doesn’t trip somewhere, it’d shock me.
Milo steadies himself and shrugs. “They didn’t have the book I wanted. I had to order it.”
I nod at his white canvas tote bag. “Looks like it didn’t stop you, though.”
Milo chews his lip, looking down at the bag. “Well, I was in the bookstore.”
I fake sneeze. “Nerd.”
Maddy passes behind my seat and whacks the back of my head. “Be nicer to your brother. I think it’s admirable how much he reads outside of school assignments.”
Jamie subtly yaps her hands together behind her aunt’s back, and I involuntarily let out a snort.
“Jamie,“ Maddy scolds without having to look.
“What?“ Jamie squeaks. “I’m not doing anything.”
“Mm-hmm. Tell that to your tone,” Maddy says, going behind the counter and grabbing a large silver milkshake cup. “What’ll it be, Milo?”
My head pings with the answer, “Strawberry Shortcake,” just as my brother says it.
“Can read you like a book,” I mutter at him.
Milo’s eyebrows raise over the top of his glasses. “Oh, you know how to do that?”
Maddy bursts into laughter as she scoops strawberry ice-cream.
Jamie folds her arms, eyeballing me as she cheers, “Burn.”
I roll my eyes and stand up. “Whatever.” I grab Milo by the shoulder and turn him toward the opposite side of the booth. “Come on. Sit down while we wait for Mom to arrive.”
“Aunty, can I go with them?” Jamie calls behind us.
“Have you finished cleaning your section?” Maddy calls over the top of the milkshake machine.
Jamie answers with a drawn-out grunt. As I sit across from Milo, I watch her grab a cleaning cloth and spray bottle and trudge toward the tables.
“Isn’t it service with a smile, James?“ I tease.
Jamie liberally sprays a table with a cleaning solution and huffs. “This isn’t service. This is where I find out just how messy our customers are.”
Milo sits taller in his seat. “I won’t make a mess, Jamie.”
“I would hope not, with a milkshake.” The corners of her mouth curl upward. “Although, Milo, you’re such a klutz. It wouldn’t surprise me if you spilled strawberry liquid everywhere.”
At that, Milo goes back into his usual hunched position, his floppy hair hanging over his glasses. It’s easier to see how no one mistakes us for each other. I like standing tall and letting my presence be known. Milo is a background blender.
The milkshake machine stops buzzing, and soon Maddy makes her way to our table with Milo’s milkshake.
I whistle at the sight. “Geez, Maddy, you outdid yourself.”
The milkshake is topped high with cream, cake pieces, and sliced strawberries. Through the large serving glass, there are chunks of cake and strawberry swirled amongst the creamy liquid.
“Thanks,” Maddy says proudly, sitting the glass in front of Milo. “Enjoy, Milo.”
“Thanks.” He smiles up at Maddy. “Looks great.”
“Aunty,” Jamie whines from another table. “Once I get all the tables clean, can I go with Kai back to his place?”
“You can’t just invite yourself to…”
I cut Maddy off. “Yes, she can. You know Jamie unofficially owns our guest room.”
“Yeah, see, Aunty,” Jamie says, bouncing on the balls of her feet.
Maddy shrugs. “Well, it doesn’t bother me. As long as it’s cool with Mr. and Mrs. Nelson.”
“It is,” I blurt.
“You haven’t even checked with Mom and Dad,” Milo says flatly.
“Just drink your milkshake,” I order.
Milo looks up to the left, unbothered to do a full eye roll, and leans forward to suck his milkshake through the red-striped straw.
“David is dropping off Chinese food later,” Maddy tells Jamie. “Did you want him to order you something?”
Jamie pokes two fingers in her mouth, making a gagging face. “Gross. You can pick me up after dinner.”
“David is a nice guy,” Maddy complains. “You should give him a chance.”
Jamie makes more gagging noises, spinning in her sneakers to clean another table near my booth. “Dude, you gotta save me from Mr. Stuffy. I’d actually like to eat dinner and instead of hurling it up.”
“I got you.” I wink at her. “You could move in for all I care.”
“Thanks,” she says with a laugh. “But I’ll be jumping off a cliff before David moves into our place.”
I snigger at the comment as Jamie moves further onto a table that actually needs to be cleaned.
“Umm,” Milo starts, tapping the sides of his milkshake glass.
“Ugh,” I huff. “What, Milo?”
His lips twist, trying to avoid the question. But it’s Milo. He can’t help himself. “Are you… Are you sure there’s nothing going on between you and Jamie?”
“Yuck, no!“ I grimace as a wad of saliva rolls to the back of my throat. “Eww, why would you ask that? That’s like asking if anything is going on between me and you.”
Milo shudders, raising his palms in defense. “Eww, okay. Just checking.”
“Why would you ask that? You know, Jamie and I are friends.”
“Yeah, but sometimes, friendships turn into more.”
“And how would you know? How many girlfriends have you had to make you an expert?”
Milo huffs. “It’s not like you’re one to talk.”
“I know enough not to mistake Jamie for my girlfriend.”
“Okay,” Milo grunts, swirling his milkshake straw. “I’m sorry I asked.”
“You should be,” I say at a higher volume than I meant.
“Boys.” Maddy’s voice is full of concern as she moves over to our booth. “What’s the matter?”
I fling a hand at my brother. “Boy-wonder here asked if there was something happening between me and Jamie.”
As Maddy cups a hand over her mouth and shoulders shake in a silent laugh, in the background, Jamie’s disgusted voice yells, “Eww!”
Maddy turns around, padding the air with her hands. “Jamie, volume.”
“Sorry, Maddy,” Jamie replies. “Just vomiting last night’s dinner.”
Maddy rolls her eyes. “Charming.”
“See,“ I tell Maddy. “You think my brother’s a genius, but he’s not. You shouldn’t want us to be more like him.”
Maddy smiles kindly at Milo. “Maybe he’s just a born romantic.”
Again, a guttural groan comes from Jamie. “Eww.”
Maddy leaves us, and I can’t help smirking at Milo. “Idiot.”
With an eye roll, Milo sucks from his straw and then mutters, “Good one.”