Page 12 of The Goat in the Bedroom
The words hung in the air, electrified. Around us, I noticed that Dad, Nana, and the aunts were all wearing identical expressions of barely contained excitement.
“Jules,” I said slowly, “what are you trying to tell us?”
She threw her arms wide like she was presenting a game show prize. “Haven't you guessed? I threw a whole-ass themed party to celebrate. I'm going to UCLA, boys. I'm headed to Cali with you weirdos.” Blue and gold confetti rained down upon her courtesy of two confetti poppers that Kelsey and Willa had seemingly pulled out of thin air.
The explosion of voices from every brother was immediate.
“What?”
“Since when?”
“How long have you known?”
“UCLA? In Los Angeles?”
But underneath the chaos, I caught Dad's voice, “That's my girl.”
Jules stood in the center of the commotion, grinning like she'd just scored the winning touchdown. Finally, she raised her hands for quiet.
“I applied to UCLA back in the fall. It's where Mom went to school.”
Oh. My sweet baby sister.
“But why didn't you tell us?” Isak asked, looking a little butt hurt.
Jules slugged him in the arm, but with a gentle smile. Being the two youngest, they were pretty close. “Because you never asked, numbnuts.”
Isak pouted but pulled her into a big hug. “Didn't think I had to. You know all my secrets.”
“You all just assumed DSU,” Jules said, but gently. “When's the last time anyone asked me what I wanted to do instead of telling me what I should do?”
Umm... never. No one told Jules what to do.
“I'm proud of you,” I said, meaning it. “Really proud.”
“Even if it means I'm cramping your bachelor-pad style?” she asked.
“Especially then,” Flynn grinned. “Someone has to keep us in line.”
The conversation shifted to logistics and congratulations, but I took a step back from the celebration for just a minute. Jules in Los Angeles. My baby sister, following her dreams just like the rest of us. Having another Kingman around was going to begreat. Now if I could talk the rest of the family into moving to California too, everything would be perfect.
“Your sister never fails to surprise, does she?” Artie's voice made me turn. She'd appeared beside me with two fruity drinks decked out with umbrellas and all. She had on her Jules designed graduate shirt too. Only hers read “Now I'm Even Hotter By One Degree”.
Not wrong, Jules, not wrong.
“No kidding.” I accepted the drink and sucked about half of it down. “I guess Flynn and I are gonna have to look for a three-bedroom condo or something. You had any luck finding a place yet?”
“I've been chatting with a couple other girls who are moving out to train with the Olympic Elite team too.” She kind of waved it off like moving halfway across the country was no big deal. But, of course, she'd moved halfway around the world before. Several times. I'd never lived anywhere but here. “Hopefully I can room up with some of them. I'm so not ready to pack though. I can't believe how much crap I've accumulated in the last six years.”
“Ugh. Do not talk to me about packing. Can't I just buy new stuff when we get there?”
“I guess that all depends on how much your damn signing bonus is.”
Right. “The second we win our first Big Bowl ring, I'll buy you all new stuff too.”
“You mean when we win the gold medal at the Olympics and I get some badass endorsements that will put yours to shame.”
I nodded sagely or risked getting slugged. “Yep, you're right. That is exactly what I meant.”
