9. Highlighter
HIGHLIGHTER
AUbrEY
“You’re flunking English Lit?” Liam exclaims. His head swivels like an owl, moving from one person to the next.
The four of us are spread out in the living room as we all update Liam on Reid’s English Literature issue and Reese’s lack of a referral.
After, Reid asks, “Can someone please explain who Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy are?”
I snort. They are really making Reese work for this recommendation—Reid’s never going to pass if he doesn’t even know who one of the most infamous couples in literature is.
“Good Lord, the team is really screwed,” Reese exclaims. “Pride and Prejudice—you know, the classic novel by Jane Austen! They’re the main fucking characters!” Reese finishes as she tosses her hands in the air.
Since when does she cuss? That’s new.
Reese runs a hand down her face. Pride and Prejudice is her favorite novel, so I know it’s killing her that Liam and Reid aren’t catching on.
Reid points to her, “Hey! I’m not stupid—I know it’s a book, thank you very much!
” Reese rolls her eyes, hands over her chest. Liam side eyes me, and I know we are thinking the same thing: how the hell do these two get any studying done?
They can’t stop bickering, let alone have a cordial conversation.
“Oh, well, look! Maybe you haven’t taken one too many high sticks to the head!” Reese exclaims.
Reid grins, his dimples pressed deep in his cheeks. “High sticking? I love it when you talk hockey to me.”
Bile climbs up my throat. Suddenly, I don’t feel the best because…
What the fuck did he just say to her?
“But—” Liam starts, clearly still in shock to learn his best friend is flunking a class. “Let’s back up a bit here—I thought you were, like, a genius?” Liam questions, staring at his friend.
“Athletic.” Reid flexes. “Good looks.” He points to his face. “Brains.” He taps the beanie covering his head. Does he ever take that fucking thing off? “A true hat trick.”
Liam goes silent, his hands running through his hair.
I hold back laughter at Reid’s cringey joke. But Reese leans forward. Her chest heaving.
On instinct, I take a step toward her.
“I think—” her voice breaks off, and I narrow my eyes as Reid looks like he’s about to cross the room to her. But I know where this is going, so I relax. “I think I’m gonna be sick.”
Reese fake gags, flipping Reid the bird. He waves her off, rolling his eyes.
“Yeah, I would love to see you two alone in a room together.” Liam frowns.
Reid’s stupid fucking teeth spread across his face as he looks to Reese. “What do you say, wanna let ‘em watch?” He winks.
I can’t help but laugh, watching Liam’s face lose its color.
“NOT LIKE THAT!” Liam corrects.
Reese was always like a little sister to him, so I’m surprised when Liam allows Reid’s joke to slide with no more than a twisted expression.
After a few seconds, I note, “What are you doing here, though? I figured you’d be half-blasted at Melbourne’s already?”
Reid shifts in the recliner across from Reese. She’s swirling a piece of her hair…she only does that when she’s nervous.
“I’m cockblocking her,” Reid grumbles at last.
“Pardon?” I blurt, craning my neck toward my cousin.
“Don’t look at me! You’re the one who made me promise I’d let June set up an account! And, well, I did, and she finally found me a date.” Reese slumps her shoulders. “Only took like two weeks…”
I clap my hands, jumping up and down, unable to suppress my excitement.
“Yeah, well, don’t be too happy cause I’m not going,” Reese adds.
“Why?” I question as I eye Reid, who I’m certain has something to do with this.
“Cause she matched with Lawrence’s defensemen, Thatcher.” Reid’s blue stare finds Liam—as if he knows he’s going to need the backup for the ass-kicking he’s about to receive for fucking this up.
“OH. HELL. NO.” Liam shouts, shaking his head as he paces into the kitchen. “No way in hell am I letting you go anywhere with that guy! I think he’s been arrested like three times!” Liam says in Reese’s direction—like he really is her older brother, preventing her from going on the date.
My heart does a little flip—I ignore it, or at least pretend to.
Reese looks at me, eyebrows raised, silently saying: See. Not going.
“Wait, how did you even match with him? I thought the app was for Delleth students only?” I question through furrowed brows.
“There are ways around it,” Reid explains, simply. Too simply.
We all look at him. Someone is clearly familiar with doing it—at away games, it seems.
“What?” Reid stills. God, is he seriously that oblivious to his reputation?
“You’re a pig.” Reese looks at him, disgusted.
Reid smiles, a slow devilish grin, really trying hard to deepen those dimples, “More like a horse.”
Reese coughs, eyes rolling back as she chokes on his words.
I eye them suspiciously then—
“But how’d you know about the date?” I inquire, thankful that Reid somehow found out and kept Reese from going out with a guy who clearly has a questionable past. But what surprises me the most is that Reese matched with him anyway—considering her strict list of preferences, I’m kind of surprised she found someone who met them at all.
“I came over to drop off our matching Halloween costumes for next weekend and insisted she show me a picture when I found out she had a date. I’d recognize that ugly ass face anywhere.” Reid explains.
Reese tosses her arms in the air, like he’s given up some inside secret.
“He’s not ugly!” Reese exclaims, arms crossing over her chest.
“Yeah, well, he’s missing half his fucking teeth—so if that’s what you’re into—”
“Oh—don’t pretend like you have all yours. I think we all remember you walking around with that giant gap last year.” Reese chuckles before, “You know, how did you get your front tooth knocked out? I don’t think I’ve ever heard that story, Morgan—”
Oh shit, did she just call him Morgan? And he let her?
Reid shifts uncomfortably in his chair, not answering Reese’s question. But I’m too busy watching Liam’s head shift—like he’s watching a fast-paced tennis match as his head goes back and forth between the pair.
A thought hits me.
Wait a second…
Did Reid say matching costumes? “Whoa. Whoa!” I say, holding out my hand. “Let’s back up. Matching costumes?”
My cousin takes a deep breath. “He found out I’m going to June’s Halloween party, and I lost a bet...so now he gets to pick what I wear. He decided on matching costumes because he likes pissing me off.” Reese frowns, but Reid is grinning ear to ear.
“But what happened to dressing all slutty?” I stomp my foot like a child, disappointed that Reese isn’t putting herself out there like she promised.
Reid slaps the armchair as he stands to leave. He hovers by the door as he looks back at me.
“Come on, Aubrey,” he glances at Reese and back to me. “Have a little faith in me—because of course, I picked something slutty—didn’t I Highlighter?” he winks in Reese’s direction before looking directly at her, “You sure you don’t want to come?”
What the hell did he just call her? I question silently. And since when is he offering her to hang out with him outside of tutoring?
Did he not take my threat seriously?
But Reese only shakes her head.
Reid waits at the door for a few seconds before finally saying his goodbyes.
Before he’s even out the door, my attention turns to my cousin. Her face is red, her leg bouncing up and down.
But it’s Liam who says what I’m thinking. “Highlighter?” His mouth drops open. “He fucking nicknamed you Highlighter?” Liam runs his hands through his short hair.
Reese giggles, standing from the couch. “His nicknames are the absolute worst.” She shrugs. “I have no idea where he comes up with them.”
But before Reese hides away in her room like usual, she wraps her arms around Liam in a long hug. “I’ll leave you two alone,” she says, embracing him. “But I just wanted to say that it’s so good to see you—I missed you!” she adds, and I swear it sounds like she’s tearing up.
She releases him, walking down the hall, as I look to find Liam smiling. Which is weird, because I’m pretty sure we should be concerned about whether or not Reid and Reese will kill one another before the end of the semester. But instead, he looks at me and admits, “I miss this.”
And my heart stops cold—because I do too.
After a few minutes of sitting in the living room in awkward silence, I invite Liam up to my room, carrying our now-cold takeout upstairs.
I can see the hesitation in his every motion, how his hands fidget at his sides. It was stupid to ask him for burgers, I know that. But where I really crossed a line was inviting him in.
Because now we can’t escape one another. Well, he could storm out to his Jeep and leave, but still...
After seeing his face when the game buzzer sounded, all I could focus on was him. How pale he became, as if he saw a ghost.
I knew he was struggling, and I couldn’t think about anything but Karen, her calling me the next day in tears, asking why her son wasn’t picking up his phone.
My head throbs at the thought. I won’t let that happen again, regardless of whether we are together or not. I care too much for Karen...for him.
I know I’m likely the last person he wants to babysit him. But I also know there are other issues we need to address, not just me attempting to keep him close tonight.
When he walks into my room, he stands at the door, his eyes flickering around every surface. “It looks the same,” he states, and I wonder if he knows he said the words aloud.
“I’ll eat on my bed if you want the desk,” I offer, quickly curling up on my comforter.
Reaching for my remote, I find the power button and turn on the TV. I flip through the channels. I can’t help but blame it on fate when I see the perfect thing for us to watch.
Liam takes a bite of his dinner before spinning in my desk chair to see the TV. And for a second, I think he’s going to spit out his food.
“What the hell were we thinking? Screwing like rabbits to this shit,” he declares with a mouth full of food.
Titanic flickers across the screen, and I take another large bite of my own food as I laugh.
“Okay, even I’ll admit this is far too sad for trying to set the mood.”
“Oh!” He escalates out of nowhere. “Yeah, now it’s all making sense.
I totally understand what happened,” Liam mumbles, and I can see he’s finally starting to relax, his back leaning against my chair instead of sitting upright.
“You played this for Pierce. Trying to sex him up, and he kicked you out because he was too busy crying.”
I gulp down my food in one swallow.
The last time Liam and I talked about my absolute trainwreck of a date, we ended up screaming at one another, which afterward felt good—to release some anger bottled up from unresolved emotions over the last year.
But tonight…tonight I don’t want to argue. I don’t want to talk about Noah, or hockey, or fucking Titanic.
I just want to know he’s okay—that’s all that matters.