Chapter 11

CHAPTER 11

JASPER

“ W hy do I have to talk to this guy?” Drawing himself to his full height, Theo glared at me.

I scratched the side of my nose before I turned to the coffee pot and poured myself a large cup. While I liked an espresso now and then, there was nothing to replace the feeling of pure industrial brew first thing in the morning.

When I turned, coffee cup in hand now, I found Theo still standing there in all his self-righteous fury. His eyes blazed and his mouth compressed. There was just something unimpressive as fuck about a kid with peach fuzz trying to stare me down.

“Well?” he demanded, in a voice that held more anger than petulance, but the petulance was still there. Fuck me, what a little asshole. “Are you going to answer me?”

I took a swallow of the coffee. The too strong brew ripped through my system and promised to clean all the pipes. Just what I needed. Lowering the mug, I met Theo’s pissed off gaze. “No.”

Coffee in hand, I headed over to the fridge and opened it. Leftovers had been stored in there, along with danishes that were perfect for the microwave. I debated just grabbing some Pop Tarts, but Doc stressed we needed to set healthier examples for the asshat currently trying to intimidate me.

Danishes had fruit, right?

I grabbed the box with the apple ones in it. Another swallow of coffee gave me life on the way to nuke. I slipped two of the danishes onto a paper plate and right into the microwave. The rest could sit on the counter and begin to warm.

“What do you mean, ‘no’?” Theo snapped. Oh right, he was still in here.

“Kid, I’m tired and I’m on my first cup off coffee. You need to sit down, shut up, and stop your bitching until I’ve at least finished the first full mug.” I considered the fact I’d already drunk half of this mug. “Maybe wait until I’m done with the second.”

We’d been up really late the night before, first with the party at the Hearthfire, then coming back here for pool, shooting the shit, and hanging out. It had been nice to have everyone here for a while. Theo had been fine until Lainey, Milo and the others left with Andrea in tow. Then he’d gone all sullen and pissed off teen again before he vanished down to his own set of rooms where Milo’s and mine used to be.

Were all teenagers so goddamn dramatic?

“I just want to know why I have to talk to the Reynolds guy.”

Reynolds… Who the fuck was Reynolds? I was still mining for that information from my sleepy brain when the microwave beeped. “Oh, the guy from the learning center.”

“Yes, the guy from the learning center. Some old dude with a receding hairline and he smells like bad candy.”

I needed way more coffee for this. I downed the rest of the mug before I took out the heated danishes and handed them to Theo. He stared at the paper plate then at me.

“Look, take them or starve. I don’t really care which at the moment.” I was a little hungover, running on not enough sleep, and fighting all the desire I had to break into Kellan’s room and steal time with our girl. I could be patient, didn’t mean I had to like it.

Theo huffed out a breath, but took the plate before he stomped over to the table and sat down. Thank fuck for that. Time for more coffee. I slid two more danishes in to heat and then filled my mug to the brim with more coffee. Then I started another pot brewing.

I was halfway through the second cup before I carried it and my danishes over to the table. “You need assessment tests.” It had actually taken me that long to remember what the hell we’d scheduled the appointments for. Liam had made the arrangements on Doc’s recommendation.

“Why?” Hostility vibrated off the syllable.

“Because you don’t remember the last time you actually attended a school. You speak English pretty well, but you don’t read it very well. You’re good at figures in your head, but when we were tallying something up on paper for weights on the truck, you didn’t know what to do with them.”

His expression remained mutinous.

“You also need to go to school, you need to get an education, but you need to get the one you need. Before we dump you in a school, we need to know what you need to work on and where you need more help.” I took another swallow of the coffee then set the cup down and reached for the first of my danishes.

“Nobody bothered to even ask me about it,” Theo snapped. “What if I don’t want to do it?”

“You’ll be shit out of luck.” I could play the because I said so card. But I wasn’t the one saying so. In fact, I was pretty sure it was Doc who talked to Liam after I mentioned the thing with the numbers. “You don’t have to like getting an education, but you need one.”

“It’s not like I need it for a job,” he snarled. “My brother and sister are clearly loaded. So was my father, if they are to be believed, so tell me again I why I need to go to school?”

Oh, this kid. For a moment, I considered calling Milo and telling him he was a dick for sending Theo to us. I hated school. Hated the hours. Hated the restrictions. Really hated most of the teachers. I skipped every chance I got and the minute I could get my diploma and get out, I was gone.

You couldn't pay me to go back to school. I got my CDL license and took some night courses for business. That was practical application only.

“You don’t want to have this argument with me,” I told Theo. Maybe he didn’t get it, but I did. “Like I said earlier, you don’t have to like it. But you want to be in charge and in control of your life. You don’t know enough to be left to your own devices. So, that means you do things our way until you get there.”

“I’ll just go back to New York.” The hollow threat just sort of dangled out there.

“Don’t let the door hit you in the ass on the way out,” I told him. “You’ll be going to school there too.”

“It’s such bullshit,” Theo swore as he flung himself back in the chair. Anger just shimmered in the air around him. Man, it was like looking in a dirty mirror reflection of me. I’d been this little punk.

A headache pulsed behind my eye and I stuffed the rest of the danish into my mouth to keep my next comments to myself.

“I could just leave.”

“Yep,” Freddie said as he wandered in. “If you keep shouting like that while we’re hungover, I’m going to say someone is going to help you get the hell out sooner rather than later.”

He wasn’t quite staggering. Nor was he hungover. The clarity in that blue-eyed gaze wasn’t focused on me, however, but rather on Theo.

The little shit in question frowned. Probably didn’t think the argument would turn this direction. Grateful for the backup, I washed down the rest of the danish with some coffee and rose to refill my cup.

“You don’t even know what we’re arguing about,” Theo finally settled on a new course of battle. Ugh, I owed Ms. Stephanie so many apologies. I really hoped I’d never been this bad to her.

“And I don’t care,” Freddie said. “You don’t want to do something. So you’re sitting here whining like a little bitch about it and demanding someone else fix it so you don’t have to because you think no one else should be in charge of you.”

“So?” Right, time to antagonize Freddie apparently. I debated stepping into it, but Freddie didn’t seem angry. Hell, he didn’t even look particularly annoyed. Instead of addressing Theo’s demand, he opened the fridge and took out the orange juice.

“So,” Freddie said. “If you don’t want people making choices for you, stop demanding they fix your shit too. If you don’t need the help, prove you don’t, and move on. Or here’s a thought… shut up.”

Theo’s mouth fell open and it took everything I had not to laugh my ass off at the stunned look on his face. While Theo searched for a response, I pulled another mug out of the cupboard.

“You want coffee, Freddie?”

“Not yet,” he said. “I’m going to wait for Boo-Boo to get up and then we’ll have lattes. I could eat though.”

“There’s more danishes there,” I told him. “Didn’t grab donuts yet. Figured we’d do that tomorrow.”

I carried my mug back to the table where Theo was still staring at Freddie, who opened the cap on the orange juice jug and downed about a third of it. Since the only two people present were me and Theo, I didn’t say anything.

After pulling out a couple of the cold danishes, Freddie carried them and the OJ over to the table. “Think we should make breakfast for Kel when they get up, too?”

“Only if you’re volunteering,” I said, before taking another bite of my own. Kel liked cooking and he really liked cooking for our girl, so I wasn’t taking that away.

“Point,” Freddie said before he finally focused on Theo “So, you going the shut the fuck up route?”

The kid scowled. “I don’t want to be assessed.”

“Well, nobody does.” Freddie shrugged. “But you don’t want to be stupid or helpless either. So, get assessed, figure out your weak points, then strengthen them.”

“Great, so now I’m stupid?” Was that hurt in Theo’s voice?

“Did I say you were stupid?”

“You just said I don’t want to be stupid and helpless. I’m not helpless. I’m not stupid either.”

“Okay,” Freddie said, almost too agreeably. “So, why are you so scared of meeting—who is he supposed to be meeting?”

I almost snorted a laugh at that bland delivery. “Educational assessment from the district learning center.”

“Ugh,” Freddie said, making a face. “Right. Is it here? Or does he have to go to them?”

“Pretty sure we decided to take him there, but that’s just cause we don’t need anyone else hanging out in here. We want to give him as clean and safe an opportunity as possible.” I shrugged. “Liam made the arrangements.”

“He’s some creepy old guy,” Theo admitted. “I saw him last week when Doc swung by the learning center to discuss the testing options. I told him then I didn’t want to do it.”

“What did Doc say?” I had my own ideas, but I didn’t assume with Doc anymore. I’d learned that lesson.

“Just that assessments weren’t about passing or failing. I shouldn’t worry about it and I wouldn’t be alone.”

“So Doc picked up on the fact you didn’t like the place.” Freddie scratched at his jaw. It wasn’t a question. “Is it because it’s a guy and not a woman?”

I didn’t say anything, just sipped my coffee and kept an eye on Theo over the rim.

Theo folded his arms almost defensively and shrugged. “I just don’t want to do it.”

“I get it,” Freddie said. “I had to get tested every year, but it worked out. Meant I got the right classes. Ms. Stephanie always went with me though, she sat through the assessments. She promised to be my backup and she always was.”

Freddie hated to be alone with strangers. Maybe Theo did too.

“So,” Freddie continued. “If you want, I’ll go and hang out for your assessments and I’ll be your backup. I can’t really help you cheat or anything, cause my grades were never that good anyway.” He waved it off like he didn’t have the intellectual capacity. Freddie was a hell of a lot smarter than he pretended, but he liked to keep what he could do to himself.

I respected it.

“Think they’d get pissed if I asked for someone different to do the testing?”

The almost cooperative meekness in his Theo’s tone almost knocked me over with a feather. The anger and belligerence drained away and now he just sounded tired.

“Nope,” I said. “I’ll call Liam right now and ask him to get it changed.” Then because the kid was talking, I said, “Do you want to go to the learning center and meet the other counselors and candidates, see who you click with?”

Theo rubbed at his lower lip, a deep scowl settling on his brow. “I don’t know. I don’t… I don’t know any of them.”

Fair.

“That’s why you take backup,” Freddie said. “I got no problems tagging along. We’ll check out who is there and who looks good and if they all suck, Liam can figure out another way.”

Discomfort reflected in Theo’s eyes. “Just like that?” Disbelief underscored the words.

“Kid,” I said. “Let me tell you what being a Vandal means—it means you don’t have to do shit alone. It means we will have your back every step of the way. If the path needs to be cleared, we clear it. If you need a hand, you get it.”

“It also means if you need a boot to the ass, you get that too,” Freddie said, self-deprecating grin in place.

“But I’m not a Vandal.” The emptiness in that statement cut me.

“Sure you are,” Freddie said easily. “You’re family. That makes you a Vandal.”

The hungry look in Theo’s eyes at Freddie’s statement answered the last question I had. Theo was fighting us to make us prove we were here and wouldn’t abandon him. He wanted to be here. He wanted his brother and his sister, whether he was willing to admit it or not, and he wanted to be a part of something.

“What he said,” I told him. “Also, I am the boot that is going to be up your ass when you need it. Now, eat your food. I’ll call Liam.”

“Should I go with…” Theo started to rise, but I waved him back to his chair.

“Emersyn will be down soon and I think you wanted to see her.”

He tried to cover up the flare of interest, but he couldn’t hide it fully.

“She’s going to want to see you too,” Freddie said, giving him an out and I bumped Freddie’s shoulder with my fist as I stood. I caught his eye as I turned and he lifted his chin.

He had this.

Cool.

I would get with Liam and we’d put our heads together. We needed someone who could work with Theo, but not threaten him. We were gonna find him someone we would trust to work with Freddie.