I nodded as she sighed. As soon as Mom picked me up from school earlier she had peppered me with questions about my day. Not sure how to express my feelings without hurting her, I took a page from my new friend Katie’s verbal handbook and answered in one-syllable words. I could tell Mom was disappointed that I wouldn’t open up to her, but better she was disappointed than hurt.
Mom finally gave up and I felt a pinch of regret. I wanted to tell her everything. To spill all the sordid details, but I couldn’t risk the consequences. She would either hate me or just want to ship me away. It wasn’t worth it. Eventually, she would stop asking.
Jacob was climbing from his car with pizzas in hand when Mom pulled into our driveway ten minutes later. The passenger side of his car opened and a familiar figure stepped out. I’d barely talked to him a few nights prior and really didn’t even thank him appropriately for pulling me out of the pool.
“Hey, Kevin. How’s your mom liking her new job?” Mom greeted him as we all entered the house together.
“She’s in heaven. Dad says she could be picking up litter on the side of the road and she’d still be happy to be out of the house.”
“After six years of taking care of triplets, I can’t say I blame her. Are the younger kids enjoying school?”
“They are. They might be driving their teacher into early retirement, but they love it.”
Mom laughed again. “They are a bit rambunctious.”
Kevin grinned at Mom as she turned on the kitchen lights. “You can say it. They’re Tasmanian devils. Sorry, we haven’t met officially. I’m Kevin,” he said, addressing me.
“Mia,” I answered, sliding my hand into his. His hand was easily twice the size of mine. It reminded me of Gunner’s. It felt rougher though, covered in calluses and dry cracks. “Thanks for the other night, by the way.”
“No problem. I consider it a perk of being a lifeguard to save pretty girls.” He winked at me.
I blushed as Jacob punched him in the arm. “Dude, you didn’t seriously just hit on my sister. I’ll take you out at the knees,” Jacob said, cracking his knuckles menacingly.
“You wish, bro,” Kevin laughed, winking at me again. “We both know I’d wipe the floor with you.” He flexed his bicep for emphasis. Jacob took a swipe at him and the next thing I knew they were rolling around on the floor. At first it looked like they really were fighting. I wasn’t sure what to do, maybe yell out to Mom for help.
She walked into the room, interrupting them. “Boys, dinner.” She moved to my side and linked her arm through mine. “And you know there’s no roughhousing in here,” she added. She gave me a squeeze of reassurance. “Boys,” she said, shaking her head.
I glanced back at Jacob and Kevin who were already on their feet talking about some game that was on television the night before. There was no anger in their voices and all signs of their scuffle were gone. The fist-sized knot in my throat unraveled. I didn’t understand what had just transpired, but obviously they weren’t really mad at one another.
“So, Mia, what did you think of Dewy High?” Jacob asked, passing out cans of Coke from the fridge.
I sat down at the table, accepting the plate Mom handed to me, searching for the right answer. “Um, it was okay,” I finally said when all three of them turned to look at me.
Kevin snorted, but tried to cover it up as a cough when my eyes met his. He winked at me again. Why did he keep doing that? Did he know it distracted me?
“Uh-oh,” Jacob said, taking two slices of pizza from one of the boxes.
“What?” I asked.
“Okay is a telltale way of saying it sucked.”
Mom pulled out the chair next to me and sat down. “Did something happen, Mia?” she asked, looking concerned.
This is what I wanted to avoid. I didn’t want her to think she always needed to worry about me, but with all three of them staring at me expectantly I had no choice but to answer. “Not really,” I replied, picking a pepperoni off my slice of pizza.
“Was it your classes?”
I shook my head. “No, those are okay. Pretty easy, actually. It’s everyone else,” I said miserably. I only wished Kevin hadn’t been there to hear me complain. Some things were better left between family members.
“Were they jerks?” Mom asked in a high-pitched voice.
Jacob snorted. “Momma bear engage,” he said, elbowing Kevin. “Tell me who it was. Kevin and I will have a little talk with them.”
“I don’t know their names and it’s too many anyway. Everyone knows who I am. They think I’m messed up.”
Mom clucked her tongue angrily next to me. “You’re not messed up, sweetie,” she reassured me. I looked up in time to see her and Jacob exchange a look. I was about to ask what the look meant, but Mom’s phone rang first.
“Hello, Blake,” she said, rising from the table as she answered the phone. She moved into another room for privacy.