Page 17 of Lines

I hear the rustle of the sheets and paper as she gets up and collects her stuff to put it in her backpack. She opens the door and leaves them slightly ajar so that she can carry more stuff upstairs.

Rubbing my temples to try and ease the pressure behind them, I look once again through the equation and then I write down what I think is the right answer before giving up on it all together.

Just as I’m putting my things back in a drawer, I hear the doorbell ring. I’m contemplating if maybe I should get up and open the door, but I hear Brook call from somewhere, probably kitchen, “I’ll take it Mrs. C!” followed by hurried steps to the front of the house.

A loud noise wakes Lola up again and she jumps off of my lap and runs to see who came to visit us, barking excitedly.

Putting the last of my stuff away, I get up to go downstairs and help Brook when I hear her angry, but surprised shrike. “What the hell are you doing here?”

* * *

Max

Jeanette presses the bell and the sound echoes inside of the house. I switched nervously from one foot to another, rethinking again my decision to come to Lia’s house without her approval.

It’s a nice, two-story house in a decent part of the town. It isn’t something big and extravagant like our house, but it looks well maintained and homey. There is a swing on the front porch with a bunch of mismatched pillows and pots filled with different kind of flowers.

“What’s making you so jittery?” my sister asks me, not even bothering to look my way. In the last few years we lost some of our previous closeness, but the twin connection is still here, alive as ever.

“Nothing,” I lie, although I know she knows it. Anette just makes a vague sound, not acceptance nor denial, and keeps staring at the door.

A few seconds later there is shouting, the sound of footsteps getting closer, and a dog barking behind the closed door. Then they swing open and I have to lower my eyes—down, down, down—to look at the person standing behind them.

“What the hell are you doing here?” she demands angrily, her eyes throwing daggers at me. Unable to contain my cocky smile, I let it spread and look as her jade green eyes narrow at me. They reminded me of forest—dark, wild, mysterious—everything that is Brook Taylor.

“Well, hello to you too, firecracker,” I say cheerily. “Nice to see you again.”

“Don’t you patronize me, Sanders,” Brook utters through her clenched teeth. “What are you both doing here? Lia didn’t say anything about you coming.”

“That’s because she didn’t know we’ll be here,” Anette point the obvious and rolls her eyes at Brook. “Now move your butt and let us in.”

She shoves her away gently and enters in the foyer just as a small, furry ball comes racing to the door, barking loudly. Following my sister’s suit, I do the same—my much bigger body brushing against Brooks in passing—firmly closing the door behind me so that the small beast doesn’t get out. I have a feeling that won’t make Lia or Brook happy.

The beast keeps barking and jumping around us, looking for attention. His big, loopy ears hopping around his head with even the slightest of movements.

It’s one of those small, cute dog species, with an adorable face, long ears, and soft, colorful fur.Girly dog. That’s what I call them. The ones girls tend to put in the bag and carry around like an accessory. Tiny and cute and no real guy would be caught dead walking that thing around. At least she doesn’t have that rat dog.

Anette always wanted to have a dog, but Mom would rather die than allow a dog inside of our house. Longing flashes on her face, and she is pulled to squat down and caress little beast almost as much as he wanted her attention, but she stays up, looking straight ahead and ignoring beast’s not so silent pleas.

“Max ... Jeanette ...What are you two doing here?”

Lifting my eyes I find Lia standing in the middle of the stairs, her hand strongly gripping the railing. She’s wearing black leggings and pink hoodie with ‘My weekend is all booked’ written on the front. Her hair is falling in messy waves around her, and if I didn’t know better, I would say she just got out of bed where she had heated make out session with a guy. She’s a picture of genuine sexiness, and the best part of it? She doesn’t even know it.

Lia’s surprised to see us, and I can’t blame her. I should have really said something before today, but she was kind of avoiding me since the first day. A normal person would let her be, but I am not a regular guy and Lia is anything but just a girl.

She’s genuinely good and pure and there is something about her that pulls me in, makes me crack stupid jokes just to see her eyes lighten and smile spread on her face. Something about that girl makes me want to be better, want to beworthy. Lia makes me want to protect her, shield her from all the bad things in life. Something I didn’t want to do since ...

No, I’m not going there.

“Hey there, Freckles!” I catch her wince at the nickname and remind myself not to use it. “We came to snatch you to party with us.”

“What party?”

“Andrew Hill’s party.” Brook looks at her friend over her shoulder. “Who else?”

Amelia bites nervously inside of her cheek. “I don’t think that’s…”

I know what she’s going to say so I interrupt her before she even finishes. “Come on, Lia. You should come with us,” looking at Brook I add, “both of you. It’s not like we know anybody around here.”

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