Page 109 of On Merit Alone
She was quiet for a second. “Is that why you haven’t talked to me about your decision again? Because if it is, you don’t have to worry?—”
“That’s not important right now,” I cut her off.
“But—”
“But nothing. Anyway, we don’t have time to talk about it now, Iris has probably been eavesdropping since you ran out,” I said, slipping my hand down to take hers, “C’mon.”
She stopped, pulling her hand out of my grasp again. Even though I knew she wasn't mad at me anymore, the movement still managed to hurt. I grumbled and as I looked up at her, she gave me crazy eyes. “C’monwhere?”
“To meet my sister.” She squeaked in response. I gave her a slitted look, suspicious. “She already saw you, Mer. You have to meet her.”
“But she already hates me. I can just come back another time and?—”
“Now you’re being the crazy one,” I said, snatching up her hand again and lacing our fingers this time so she couldn’t shun me twice. “Iris doesn’t hate anybody… who doesn’t deserve it. Plus, I have a day planned. Anddouble plus,she’s leaving soon. You only need to say hi.”
This time, she clamped onto my hand as she followed me down the hall. I was just on my way to reassuring her that everything would be just fine when we ran into Iris herself halfway to the living room.Eavesdropping, like I suspected.
With Mads on her hip and the biggest smile on her face, my sister’s eyes bounced from me to Mer to our joined hands back to me. She squeaked just like Merit had, but this one sounded more excited than dreaded.
“I so knew it!” Iris said. “Oh my God I love being right all the time!”
I scoffed, shaking my head. “Well, I guess now is as good a time as any. Iris, this is Merit, as you well know. And Merit, this is my sister, I?—”
Merit took a step forward,a step past me,and in front of my sister. “You’re Iris King. No way.”
Iris immediately smiled, big. “You’re Merit Jones, I should be the one sounding so impressed.”
Reaching a hand between the two of them, Iris offered Merit a handshake that Mer quickly took her up on. “Gosh, Ira didn’t tell me the sister he looked up to wasIris King! No wonder.”
“Um… Six?” I asked, giving her a weird look, my neck suddenly feeling suspiciously prickly.
Iris brightened up, suddenly looking ten feet tall. “Well, Ira didn’t tell me he looked up to me at all. This and the fact that you seem to know me has me both excited and a little suspicious. What are you two up to?”
Merit shook her head. “I’m sorry. I’m being so rude. I went to your school. You were a Berkley legend.Areone, still. I had no idea you were Ira’s sister.”
This made Iris laugh and helped us all put the pieces together. “Well, after you got there, it became your school. And Ira’s not used to anyone caring who his sister is, don’t be too hard on him.”
“I didn't know she went to Berkeley too. Or else I would’ve told her.”
“You should’ve,” Merit said, getting more excited. “Do you know she broke the school record for most points in a single season her freshman year! And then every year after plus the regional record too!”
I looked from her excited eyes to Iris’s impressed ones, barely suppressing a glower. “I know, Six. But I don’t remember you being so big into stats.”
Iris smiled as Merit kept going. “I’m not big into them, but I know them, Ira. Your sister is a legend. You are so lucky!”
“Yeah, Ira, you aresolucky,” Iris laughed. “Wow, this could be the best day of my life. Ira, here—hold Mads so me and Merit can talk.”
I grabbed the baby. I had no choice but to as Iris thrust him at me and then took Merit’s elbow as she led her into the kitchen. I followed behind feeling a weird mix of emotions as I snuggled Mads close to my heart for support.
In the kitchen, Mer was just going into her favorite play of Iris’s when I couldn’t help but insert, “Six, you know I set records too? Like, a lot of them.”
Iris pressed her lips together to try and hide her smile, but the huge thing broke loose anyway. Merit on the other hand looked at me with a notch of confusion between her eyebrows.
“Yeah, I know all your stats, Ira,” she said sweetly—damn her—but then she pointed softly over her shoulder with big hopeful eyes that twisted my gut with both jealousy and tenderness. “But this is Iris King, so...”
I frowned. “I’m literally just as good as her, Merit.”
Merit looked from me to Iris to me again, before stepping up to my side and whispering. “I know Ira, of course you are. And you’re cool and all, but can you not embarrass me in front of your even cooler sister?”
