Page 25 of My Life with the Walter Boys
Chapter 5
After school, I locked myself in my room and set to work unpacking, determined to keep my promise to Sammy. I would settle in and make the most of my situation. On my bed was a checklist so that as I unpacked, I could make sure all my belongings were here and organized.
Even though it was only spring, the house was hot. The Walters didn’t seem to understand the benefits of air-conditioning, so I had my window shoved up all the way to let what little breeze there was inside. I’d been at it for almost an hour, moving my clothes from boxes to the dresser that Katherine had managed to squeeze into the room, when I heard voices drifting up from the backyard. There was a splash of water, then another. Wiping the sweat from the back of my neck, I peered out the window and spotted two people in the pool.
“You look so sexy when you’re dripping wet. I just want to run my hands all over you.”
It was Erin speaking. She was treading water, her long auburn locks swirling out behind her like mermaid hair. Her fingers worked back and forth as she rubbed someone’s shoulders. He wasn’t facing me, but I recognized his red swim trunks immediately.
“Sexy, huh?” Cole drawled. “Tell me more.”
“Really, guys?” another voice said, and Alex stepped into view on the deck, also wearing swim trunks. He kicked off his flip-flops. “I don’t want to barf in the pool.”
“The chlorine will kill it. Stop being so prissy,” Cole said, but he untangled himself from Erin.
Giving his brother the finger, Alex stepped up to the side of the pool and curled his toes over the edge.
“Alexander James Walter!” Katherine called from somewhere out of sight. “Shouldn’t you be rewriting that history paper?” It wasn’t a question. Alex looked up at the sky as if to ask “Why me?” before slowly turning away from the pool.
“On it, Mom. No need to cool off. It’s only like a hundred degrees inside,” he said sarcastically.
“Good, and when you go upstairs, ask Jackie what type of dressing she likes on her salad. We’re eating dinner in half an hour.”
Slipping his sandals back on his feet, Alex headed toward the house, and a few seconds later I heard the screen slide shut.
“Alone at last,” Cole said, his voice low. He swam over to Erin and folded her in his arms.
“Jackie?” she said, pushing away from him. “That girl who sat with us at lunch yesterday? What’s she doing here?”
I froze at the sound of my name.
“Yeah, her,” Cole answered. “She’s living with us.”
“Un-flipping-believable,” Erin said loudly, her face twisting in anger. “That’s why you’ve been spending time with her. You like her, don’t you?”
Cole didn’t answer. The following silence was static and uncomfortable, unbearable even, and I stared at Cole, willing him to answer.
“I barely know her,” he said eventually.
“You obviously know her well enough to invite her to sit with us at lunch.”
“You know me,” he said back. “It’s no big deal.”
“Not a big deal? Are you serious? She’s living under the same roof as you,” Erin hissed.
“Yeah, I’m completely serious. Why are you overreacting? It’s not like you’re my girlfriend.”
It was the wrong thing to say. With a splash, Erin swung around and swam to the edge of the pool. When she started climbing out, Cole groaned and chased after her.
“Babe, are you really going to act like this right now?” he asked, trying to pull her back into the pool.
Erin shook his hand off. “Until you startingactinglike my boyfriend, don’t call me that. I’m leaving.” She plucked a purse off one of the pool chairs and stomped down the deck steps into the backyard before disappearing around the side of the house.
There was silence again, and in that moment, I realized that Nathan might be wrong about some of the girls at Valley View High. Erin didn’t seem very accepting of Cole’s player behavior. Maybe I stood a chance after all.
Cole slapped the surface of the water before raking his fingers through his hair. Even from a distance I could see his lips curl in anger, and as if sensing me, he looked up at my window. I barely ducked in time, and with my heart racing against my chest, I retreated toward my bed and out of view.
***
