to
updating my music blog.
I’d gained ten followers that week,
which made me want to dance for joy. It
didn’t sound like a lot, but for being
relatively new, I was gaining followers
pretty steadily. My happy was taken down a
notch when I saw how many stupid spam
comments I had to delete.
“Jos!” Renee yelled from upstairs. I had
my headphones around my neck and my
music on low, so I was able to hear her over
my new Lenka CD.
“Yeah?” I yelled back.
“What are you doing down there?”
“Nothing.” This was ridiculous. I went to
the top of the stairs. “Why?”
“You’ve just been down there forever.”
“Well, I’m not setting my hair on fire or
slitting my wrists, if that’s what you were
worried about.” I leaned in the doorway.
She was killing my blog-updating
momentum.
“No, I just think it’s silly for you to be
down there alone.”
The living room was full of people, as
usual, and also full of half-done homework,
open books and too many highlighters.
Darah had a thing for using different colors
for each class.
“Maybe I like being alone.”
She didn’t have an answer to that.
Renee hated being alone. Being raised with
so many siblings had had the opposite
effect on me.
“Oh, come on, Little Ne. Why would you
want to be alone when you can hang out
with us?” Mase was twisting Darah’s hair
around his fingers, and she was trying to
concentrate on a textbook open in her lap.
They weren’t going to leave me alone,
so I went downstairs, got my laptop and
came back up. Mase moved over so I could
squish next to him on the couch.
“See how much more fun this is?”
Hunter and Taylor were sharing her
e-reader and he kept yelling at her for
skipping to the next page too fast. Once she
was sure I was within her eyesight and not
doing anything bad, Renee went back to her
books and Paul did the same.
Just another night at Yellowfield House.
I turned my music back on and put my
headphones over my ears. With them on, I
couldn’t hear any conversation around me,
even if I wanted to, so it was kind of like
being alone, except for when Hunter stole
the e-reader and Taylor chased him around.
She eventually got a hold of his ear and
twisted it until he gave it back.
“You play dirty, Miss. I might have to
punish you for that.”
I was mentally gagging.
“Shh, that’s the kind of thing we don’t
talk about in front of everyone,” Taylor said,
sitting back down on the couch.
I had no doubt that they normally talked
like that, but me being there put the kibosh
on the sexy talk.
“You guys know that I am aware that
you all have sex with each other. I mean,
not at the same time, because that would
be super creepy, but I’m not an idiot.” All
eyes turned toward me. “I can hear you
when I’m down there.”
Ha. They all looked sheepish. Even
Mase.
“I’m not saying that I care. I’m just
saying that I’m aware of it. I mean, Taylor
and I are nearly the same age. You guys
have to stop treating me like a child.”
Mase cleared his throat.
“You’re right, Jos. I think it’s that we all
sort of went into protective mode when you
came here.”
“I wonder where you got that idea
from,” I said, glaring at Renee.
“What am I supposed to do? You are my
little sister. I’ll always think of you that way,
even when we’re old and gray.”
I was a bit uncomfortable talking like
this with everyone watching, but it was
bound to happen sooner or later.
“I know that.”
“You could loosen up a little, Ne,” Paul
said. I was surprised. He never usually
provoked Renee if he could help it.
I’d have to thank him later.
“Okay, everyone gang up on me—that’s
awesome.” She got up and stormed up the
stairs. Yup, I could have called it.
“Sorry, Jos. I was trying to help,” Paul
said, getting up and going after her.
“I know. Thanks, Paul.”
“I don’t get what she’s so bent out of
shape
updating my music blog.
I’d gained ten followers that week,
which made me want to dance for joy. It
didn’t sound like a lot, but for being
relatively new, I was gaining followers
pretty steadily. My happy was taken down a
notch when I saw how many stupid spam
comments I had to delete.
“Jos!” Renee yelled from upstairs. I had
my headphones around my neck and my
music on low, so I was able to hear her over
my new Lenka CD.
“Yeah?” I yelled back.
“What are you doing down there?”
“Nothing.” This was ridiculous. I went to
the top of the stairs. “Why?”
“You’ve just been down there forever.”
“Well, I’m not setting my hair on fire or
slitting my wrists, if that’s what you were
worried about.” I leaned in the doorway.
She was killing my blog-updating
momentum.
“No, I just think it’s silly for you to be
down there alone.”
The living room was full of people, as
usual, and also full of half-done homework,
open books and too many highlighters.
Darah had a thing for using different colors
for each class.
“Maybe I like being alone.”
She didn’t have an answer to that.
Renee hated being alone. Being raised with
so many siblings had had the opposite
effect on me.
“Oh, come on, Little Ne. Why would you
want to be alone when you can hang out
with us?” Mase was twisting Darah’s hair
around his fingers, and she was trying to
concentrate on a textbook open in her lap.
They weren’t going to leave me alone,
so I went downstairs, got my laptop and
came back up. Mase moved over so I could
squish next to him on the couch.
“See how much more fun this is?”
Hunter and Taylor were sharing her
e-reader and he kept yelling at her for
skipping to the next page too fast. Once she
was sure I was within her eyesight and not
doing anything bad, Renee went back to her
books and Paul did the same.
Just another night at Yellowfield House.
I turned my music back on and put my
headphones over my ears. With them on, I
couldn’t hear any conversation around me,
even if I wanted to, so it was kind of like
being alone, except for when Hunter stole
the e-reader and Taylor chased him around.
She eventually got a hold of his ear and
twisted it until he gave it back.
“You play dirty, Miss. I might have to
punish you for that.”
I was mentally gagging.
“Shh, that’s the kind of thing we don’t
talk about in front of everyone,” Taylor said,
sitting back down on the couch.
I had no doubt that they normally talked
like that, but me being there put the kibosh
on the sexy talk.
“You guys know that I am aware that
you all have sex with each other. I mean,
not at the same time, because that would
be super creepy, but I’m not an idiot.” All
eyes turned toward me. “I can hear you
when I’m down there.”
Ha. They all looked sheepish. Even
Mase.
“I’m not saying that I care. I’m just
saying that I’m aware of it. I mean, Taylor
and I are nearly the same age. You guys
have to stop treating me like a child.”
Mase cleared his throat.
“You’re right, Jos. I think it’s that we all
sort of went into protective mode when you
came here.”
“I wonder where you got that idea
from,” I said, glaring at Renee.
“What am I supposed to do? You are my
little sister. I’ll always think of you that way,
even when we’re old and gray.”
I was a bit uncomfortable talking like
this with everyone watching, but it was
bound to happen sooner or later.
“I know that.”
“You could loosen up a little, Ne,” Paul
said. I was surprised. He never usually
provoked Renee if he could help it.
I’d have to thank him later.
“Okay, everyone gang up on me—that’s
awesome.” She got up and stormed up the
stairs. Yup, I could have called it.
“Sorry, Jos. I was trying to help,” Paul
said, getting up and going after her.
“I know. Thanks, Paul.”
“I don’t get what she’s so bent out of
shape
Similar Books
