Page 18 of No Rhyme or Roughing
He crossed his arms, steam practically pouring from his ears. “Is that so?” To his credit, he didn’t pull out his patented Sydney screech—the yell that always warned me of his anger when I was little and had stolen something from his room or tattled to Mom.
“We were watching videos and fell asleep, and?—”
“Stay away from Ryder.” With that, he turned on his heel and walked out.
Stay away from him? I wasn’t ten years old anymore.A smart person would have taken the lack of a fight as a win, woken sleeping beauty, and sent him on his way.
But I’d never claimed to be smart.
I marched after Teddy, following him down the stairs into the kitchen, where Rowan was cooking at the stove. I knew little about the goaltender, but he was about to find out more about me and Teddy than he’d signed up for.
“Stay away from him?” I growled when Teddy finally stopped. He’d known I was following him. He always knew.
His shoulders tensed, and he gripped the counter in front of him, his back still to me. “You heard me.”
“I’m—”
He cut me off, whirling to face me. “Not a child?”
“I wasn’t going to say that. You can’t?—”
“Tell you what to do?”
“Stop it.” I stomped my foot, very aware of how childlike I appeared. “You think that just because you can predict what I’m going to say, you know me. But you don’t. Not anymore, Teddy. We haven’t lived in the same city since I was ten years old. Well, guess what—I grew up. You can’t boss me around anymore. If I want to fall asleep with your—” I winked,“—very large friend, I will.”
Red crept into his cheeks. Whether it was from anger or embarrassment, I couldn’t tell. He pointed a finger at me. “See? We may not have lived near each other as you grew up, but we used to talk every day, Syd. I know you. I know how you are with… relationships. You’re shy and closed off, and you think that makes what you do okay. But really, you’re a?—”
“Don’t say it.”
“Destroyer of worlds.”
I scrunched my face.
“See!” He threw his hands up. “You can’t even disagree. I don’t care who you screw, Syd, as long as they’re not on my team. Especially Ryder. He’s…” Teddy sighed. “Delicate.”
I snorted. “He isn’t a flower, Ted.”
He waved away my implied question. “It doesn’t matter. Just… not him.” His eyes met mine, softening. “Please not him.”
His tone was sincere now, pleading, and my irritation drained away. I wanted Ryder, sure, but Teddy was my brother. The only person who had always wanted me around. Mom often wished I wasn’t there, but never him.
I reached for him, and he pulled me into one of his patented Teddy bear hugs. Most people only saw the side of him that didn’t care about anything, but I knew better. He cared too much. I just hated that he felt the need to protect Ryder from me.
A throat cleared behind us, and we turned to see Rowan shaking his head. “Never thought I signed up for rentanda show.”
Teddy and I sent him matching scowls, but then I let my face soften and pulled away. I dipped into a playful curtsy and walked off, feeling more exhausted than anything.
When I got back to my room, the bed was empty and made with perfect precision.
I heard the shower running in the hall and tried not to imagine stepping into it with its current occupant.
“I’m so screwed.”
I heardyou’re in town.
I stared at the text from Mom, trying to read between the lines. Figuratively, of course, since it was the only line of text she’d sent me in months. Teddy just had to tell her. Next, he’d probably let our sisters know.
The same sisters who blamed me for our parents splitting up.
