Page 14 of Cloudless
Her scowl and crossed arms fall away to be replaced by a splitting smile as I emerge through the crowd. “‘Bout time, little brother. I’m starving.” The intensity of the natural red streaks of her chestnut hair, that’s only visible in the bright light, move in and out of focus as she closes the distance between us.
The top of her head barely reaches my chin as I pull her into a crushing hug. “I’ve been yourbigbrother since we came out of the womb, Shrimp.” The old nickname hits its mark. Her eyes flare as she pushes out of my hug and punches me in the arm. “Hey! That hurt.”
It did actually hurt. Growing up with an older brother like me didn’t leave her much of a choice in the self-defense department.
Her eyeroll is legendary. “You get much worse than that on the ice,Goose.” She raises her eyebrows, daring me to challenge her use of my childhood nickname. Her head tilts and her smile falls as my eyes roam around, scanning the surrounding faces. Her voice is quiet as she says, “She didn’t show.” Ellie’s jaw tightens as a hardness shadows her eyes. “Don’t give Mom the satisfaction, Kam. She’s not worth it.”
I nod as I force a smile back to my face. “You ready to head to The Penalty Box? I’ve got a basket of fries with my name on it.”
She nods as the shadows leave her eyes. “Let’s get going. Are we meeting the guys there?”
“Sure are. They should be on their way already.”
I curse as I emerge into the blinding light of the evening sun. Pain erupts at the back of my eyes and my bag falls from my shoulder to the nearest bench with a solid thunk. My fingers quickly shift through the bag's contents in search of my sunglasses. A sigh escapes my lips from the cool metal of my sunglasses settling on my face.
The worn fabric of my bag’s straps falls from my fingers as Lila comes into view. Waves of long, blonde hair cascade down her back, shining like a beacon in a field of asphalt and dust.
My feet are moving before I give them permission. My sister and my hunger forgotten in favor of my classmate and the open hood of her car.
The delicate strands of the white ribbon in her hair reach for me in the evening breeze. They pull me to her like the tide pulls shells onto a beach.
She turns at the sound of my footsteps. Tears leave streaks of wetness in their wake as they fall silently down her beautiful face. My gut twists as her red-rimmed eyes meet mine. “What’s wrong, Sunshine?”
Jasper answers for her as he emerges from the shadow of a nearby tree. "Our car is broken."
Lila's frustrated breath blows a few strands of hair out of her face before they stick to her tears. “It won't start. I don’t know if it’s the battery or what, but it was fine when we got here. I just, I don’t know what to do. Normally I would call my dad, but I—I can’t do that anymore.” Her voice breaks, defeat ringing clear in her tone. She brings up her shaking hands to cover her face. Her voice is muffled as she rambles, “I’m so embarrassed. I don’t know why I’m crying. I think I've hit my limit for today.”
I wrap my calloused hands around her delicate wrists and pry her hands away from her face. “There’s nothing to be embarrassed about.” A warm breeze blows through my damp hair. Tendrils of her blonde waves reach toward me as the scent of mangos fills my lungs. My shoulders lose some of the tension I didn’t realize I’ve been holding as I breathe her in. “I won’t leave you here until we get this figured out. Okay?”
Her shoulders sag with relief as her chin wobbles. Dark dots appear on her red SSU shirt as fresh tears drip off her chin onto the cotton. “Really?”
“Really.” I reluctantly release her. A chill replaces the warmth from her skin despite the blistering August air. “Let’s take a look.”
I ruffle Jasper’s hair on my way to the driver's side door. “Hey, Tank! Did you have a good time at the game?”
He grins as he takes the place of my shadow and follows me to the car door. “The best time ever!” My eyes fall to the black puck clutched firmly in his little hands before returning to the splitting smile on his face. “You played so good! That goal at the end was awesome! I didn’t doubt you for a second.” His voice drops to a whisper as he gazes down at the puck in his hands. “I can’t believe you gavemethe puck!”
His genuine praise is in such stark contrast to the meaningless congratulations I just received in the atrium. “Thanks, Tank.” I clear my throat to usher away the sudden emotion. “That, uh, that means a lot to me.”
The driver's seat squeaks as I push it back as far as it will go. The scalding air trapped in the car hits me in the face as I fold my limbs to fit in her miniature seat.
A rapid clicking noise fills the air as I turn the key. Lila appears next to the driver's side door with red-rimmed eyes. A crease appears between her brows. “What does that mean?”
“It means your car battery is definitely dead.” Her eyes shine with oncoming tears once again, so I hurry to say, “But I have some jumper cables in my Tahoe. It’s an easy fix.”
A huge smile accompanies the wave of relief that takes over her face. “Really? That’s great! Thank you so much!”
I have to suppress a groan as I unfold my sore muscles from the cramped space. “It’s no problem. Just let me bring my car over real quick, and we’ll get you all fixed up.”
Jasper’s hair sways on top of his head as he scratches his chin like he’s a scientist staring at a whiteboard. “Are you going to fix our car, Kam?”
“Sure am, buddy.”
He shouts over the top of the car to the passenger side. “I told you he would fix it.”
Lila’s mini-me materializes out of the shade of the nearest tree that lines the parking lot. The ribbon tied around her pigtails matches Lila’s. “Good. I’m tired of sitting out here. It’s too hot, even in the shade.” Her crystal blue eyes lift to meet mine. Her brows draw together, and her eyes fill with scrutiny as she walks to her brother’s side. “Who are you?” She crosses her arms as she glares at me, waiting for my reply.
I can’t help but smile at the snark oozing from the very essence of this little spitfire. “I’m Kam. It’s nice to meet you, Posey.”
