sleep on.
Jim shrugged. “Honestly, we don’t
really know what’s up with Laney,” he answered, talking to her as if they were
old friends, steering the huge truck easily through the tiny on-campus streets.
“She’s like this weird little wonder child or somethin’, but she’s got an old
soul, I guess you could say.”
“You love her.”
He looked at her and smiled an
endearingly crooked grin. “Who doesn’t love their little sister?”
So, that’s what it was like: a
brother-sister thing , she thought, sorting things out. He didn’t respond.
“How about Zoey?” She asked
cautiously.
“Ah,” he replied. “She’s different.
She doesn’t say much, but when she does, you'd better listen.”
Sophie nodded. They continued in
silence until they reached her building, but thankfully, it was a comfortable
silence. As soon as he cut the engine, Jim looked around them, inspecting
everything down to the very shadows for anything unusual.
He came around to the passenger
side of the truck and hustled her indoors as quickly as possible, keeping a
hand on the small of her back. Once inside, he maintained his vigilance,
quickly double-checking all of the dark corners in the hallways.
Sophie would get in so much trouble
if one of the resident assistants found out she had a guy up there, but tonight
she didn’t care. That fate was much safer than not having Jim check her place
out, hoping that nothing was waiting for her inside. How quickly her priorities
had shifted. Ascending the stairs, she let them both into her room.
He held his hand out to her. “Lemme
see your phone.”
She silently handed her cell phone
over to him. His fingers moved over the keys quickly before he handed it back
to her. She raised an eyebrow and looked at him for an explanation.
“I programmed our phone numbers into
your cell,” he explained. “Call us if y’ need anything or if you change your
mind before tomorrow morning. You’ve got mine, Zoey’s, Laney’s, Dante’s and
Alexander’s in there.”
She unconsciously grimaced at the
mention of Alexander’s name.
“You know, you should really let up
on Alex,” he said all of a sudden, “or… Alexander . Don’t let him hear you
call him Alex. He doesn’t like it.”
“What are you talking about?” She
was puzzled, but his mind was silent to her.
Jim sighed and then he smiled. “He
really likes you, is all,” he supplied, his tone softening into brotherly
affection.
“Yeah, right ,” she mumbled,
toying with her phone absentmindedly. It hardly seemed possible, and she was fairly
sure that she didn’t want him to think of her like that.
“You might be surprised, kiddo,”
was his response.
She frowned. “But he’s so…” Irritating,
angry, disgruntled, grumpy … The words shot through her head before she
could make them stop. She looked at Jim warily.
He frowned. “You really don't know what you’re talking about,” he warned in a calm voice, coming to Alexander’s
defense. He spoke with the kind of calmness that shot more of a warning through
her body than any shouting could have done.
“Sorry,” she muttered.
He shrugged. “I’ll be back in the morning
to get you,” he said, sure that she would make the decision to join their
family.
Sophie simply nodded.
“We’ll be around, you know, keeping
an eye on everything,” he said, looking meaningfully towards the window before
opening the door to leave.
“Thanks, Jim,” she replied, looking
down at her hands. “And,” she added quickly as he stepped out, “it’s really
good to meet you.”
“You too, kiddo,” he replied and
stepped through the doorway, closing the door silently.
Sophie sighed when she was finally
alone, and probably—hopefully—safe. It felt like her legs were made of lead as
she walked slowly to her window and gazed out at the courtyard below. The
Jim shrugged. “Honestly, we don’t
really know what’s up with Laney,” he answered, talking to her as if they were
old friends, steering the huge truck easily through the tiny on-campus streets.
“She’s like this weird little wonder child or somethin’, but she’s got an old
soul, I guess you could say.”
“You love her.”
He looked at her and smiled an
endearingly crooked grin. “Who doesn’t love their little sister?”
So, that’s what it was like: a
brother-sister thing , she thought, sorting things out. He didn’t respond.
“How about Zoey?” She asked
cautiously.
“Ah,” he replied. “She’s different.
She doesn’t say much, but when she does, you'd better listen.”
Sophie nodded. They continued in
silence until they reached her building, but thankfully, it was a comfortable
silence. As soon as he cut the engine, Jim looked around them, inspecting
everything down to the very shadows for anything unusual.
He came around to the passenger
side of the truck and hustled her indoors as quickly as possible, keeping a
hand on the small of her back. Once inside, he maintained his vigilance,
quickly double-checking all of the dark corners in the hallways.
Sophie would get in so much trouble
if one of the resident assistants found out she had a guy up there, but tonight
she didn’t care. That fate was much safer than not having Jim check her place
out, hoping that nothing was waiting for her inside. How quickly her priorities
had shifted. Ascending the stairs, she let them both into her room.
He held his hand out to her. “Lemme
see your phone.”
She silently handed her cell phone
over to him. His fingers moved over the keys quickly before he handed it back
to her. She raised an eyebrow and looked at him for an explanation.
“I programmed our phone numbers into
your cell,” he explained. “Call us if y’ need anything or if you change your
mind before tomorrow morning. You’ve got mine, Zoey’s, Laney’s, Dante’s and
Alexander’s in there.”
She unconsciously grimaced at the
mention of Alexander’s name.
“You know, you should really let up
on Alex,” he said all of a sudden, “or… Alexander . Don’t let him hear you
call him Alex. He doesn’t like it.”
“What are you talking about?” She
was puzzled, but his mind was silent to her.
Jim sighed and then he smiled. “He
really likes you, is all,” he supplied, his tone softening into brotherly
affection.
“Yeah, right ,” she mumbled,
toying with her phone absentmindedly. It hardly seemed possible, and she was fairly
sure that she didn’t want him to think of her like that.
“You might be surprised, kiddo,”
was his response.
She frowned. “But he’s so…” Irritating,
angry, disgruntled, grumpy … The words shot through her head before she
could make them stop. She looked at Jim warily.
He frowned. “You really don't know what you’re talking about,” he warned in a calm voice, coming to Alexander’s
defense. He spoke with the kind of calmness that shot more of a warning through
her body than any shouting could have done.
“Sorry,” she muttered.
He shrugged. “I’ll be back in the morning
to get you,” he said, sure that she would make the decision to join their
family.
Sophie simply nodded.
“We’ll be around, you know, keeping
an eye on everything,” he said, looking meaningfully towards the window before
opening the door to leave.
“Thanks, Jim,” she replied, looking
down at her hands. “And,” she added quickly as he stepped out, “it’s really
good to meet you.”
“You too, kiddo,” he replied and
stepped through the doorway, closing the door silently.
Sophie sighed when she was finally
alone, and probably—hopefully—safe. It felt like her legs were made of lead as
she walked slowly to her window and gazed out at the courtyard below. The
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