Page 83 of Ransom

MAVERICK: Those weren't snails, bro, those were slugs

COLTON: WHAT?

MAVERICK: They're the same thing.

KADE: Those slimy fuckers? I'm gonna puke

COLTON: I'm gonna be sick.

NICK: Guys, seriously about my pizza.

JONAS: Symptoms of food poisoning include nausea, vomiting...

NICK: JONAS, I STG.

MAVERICK: Hey, remember when Declan ate that street meat in Thailand?

KADE: He destroyed that bathroom.

NICK: I am conducting a SERIOUS INVESTIGATION here!

COLTON: Still processing the slug thing.

NICK: Can someone check the security cameras?

JONAS: Studies show 68% of food theft occurs within families.

NICK: ...that's not a real statistic.

JONAS: It could be.

MAVERICK: Guys, I ate it.

NICK: FINALLY!

MAVERICK: Sorry, was hungry after court.

COLTON: Wait, so about those slugs...

JONAS: Fun fact: slugs contain parasites that?—

COLTON: STOP!

I shake my head, putting my phone face down. "My brothers are idiots."

Then I pick it back up and type out a message:

Slugs have 27,000 teeth

then laugh when it keeps vibrating. I flick it to silent, then look up and meet Blair's questioning gaze.

I don't try to explain; I just hand her my phone with the chat open and watch her lips curve into a smile.

It’s not the wide, loving smile I remember, but it's a start.

"Are they always like this?" she asks, handing me back my phone.

"Pretty much." I tuck the phone in my pocket. "We're a bunch of kids when we're together. This chat is a reflection of that most of the time."

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