Kelly was grinning.
I ran down the porch and grabbed him by the shoulders. “Did you do it?” I demanded. “Did you figure it out?”
He rolled his eyes. “Yeah. But it’s a secret.”
I scowled at him. “I told you mine!”
He laughed at me.
Dad was watching the two of us. He looked like he was going to say something but shook his head instead. “Who’s hungry?”
But before he could follow us into the house, a man appeared. I didn’t like him. He made my skin itch.
“Osmond,” Dad said.
Osmond glanced dismissively at us before looking back at Dad. “We need to speak.”
“Can it wait until tomorrow? We’re about to have dinner.”
“It needs to be now.”
Dad sighed. “All right.” He looked at us. “Go inside. I’ll be back shortly.”
I watched them walk away.
“Let’s go!” Kelly said from the porch.
That night there was a knock at my door. It opened slightly, and Kelly stuck his head in. “Stop jerking off.”
“Fuck you,” I whispered, loud enough so he could hear but not so loud that Mom or Dad could.
He snickered and stepped into my room, then closed the door behind him. He came to the bed, motioning for me to scoot over.
“You have your own bed,” I grumbled.
“Yeah, yeah, move your fat ass.”
I hit him in the face with a pillow.
He laughed before lying down next to me, stretching out his arms and legs. I heard his back pop before he relaxed, leg over mine.
I waited.
He said, “It’s you.”
I could barely breathe. “What is?”
“You know what.”
I did, and I wanted to howl and shake the house to its foundations. “Are you sure?”
“Yeah, dude. I’m sure.”
“Oh.” Then, “Why?”
He turned his head to look at me. His eyes glittered in the dark. He said, “Why am I your tether?”
“Because you’re my brother.”