Chapter 9

9

Benji

The countdown is on. In a few hours, Miles, Sean, and Kade will be home from the car show. Miles will listen to Grace's bad experience with the idiot roommate and then I'm sure he'll drive her home and I can breathe a huge sigh of relief.

Thankfully, this day has gone quickly. After the Chinese food last night, Grace headed upstairs and never came out for the rest of the evening.

Today, she's been in her brother's room. The door is cracked and every time I've walked by, she's been at his desk, laptop open, and watching what looks like a lecture while taking copious notes in a notebook.

I'm loading the dishwasher when I hear the guys coming through the front door. Kade enters the kitchen followed by Sean and Miles.

Kade goes directly to the refrigerator and opens the door. "What's to eat? I'm starving. You make something?"

"Just a sandwich," I reply as I put a plate on the bottom rack of the dishwasher.

"Sandwiches? That's it?"

Sean chuckles. "We stopped for tacos an hour ago. How can you be hungry already?"

Kade pats his firm stomach. "I'm a growing boy."

Miles looks out into the living room. "Where's Rush?"

I shrug, close the door to the dishwasher and lean against the counter. "With Adison, I assume. Haven't seen his ass all weekend."

Sean grabs an apple out of a fruit bowl and plops himself down on a bar stool. He takes a big bite of the apple. "Now since he's getting it on the steady, he isn't going to show up here."

Miles points to the fruit bowl and Sean throws him an apple. Miles catches it, tosses it above his head then takes a bite. "Is Grace still here?"

I cross my arms over my chest. "Yeah. She's been in your room studying most of the day."

"Hope you didn't corrupt his little sister with your entourage of scantily dressed salacious women running around the house." Kade chuckles.

I shake my head. "Where does he come up with this stuff," I mutter.

Miles takes a bite of the apple. "You have anyone over this weekend?"

"Of course not." I tug at the collar of my shirt.

Miles lets out a sigh. "Good."

Kade pulls a bottle of beer from the refrigerator and pops the cap off. "Miles was worried you were going to corrupt his baby sister."

"Shut it, asshole," Miles teases.

"Too late." Sean grins. "I've already been hooking up with her."

Miles charges over to the barstool and grabs Sean by the neck. Sean laughs and fake cries when Miles rubs a fist all over Sean's head. "Help," Sean cries. "He's hurting me."

I laugh at these clowns.

Kade shakes his head as he leans against the counter next to me and takes a pull from his beer bottle. "No class."

Once the antics cease, Miles turns to me. "Hey, man. We were talking on the trip home."

Miles is serious. Not sure where this conversation is headed.

"You know Grace has been having trouble with that roommate of hers— having that boyfriend over and then wanting Grace to sleep in the commons area. It's total bullshit and Grace has tried talking to the RA. They just tell her she can't really make any moves until the end of this semester." Miles shakes his head. "I mean school's only been going on for a month and I don't know how she'll be able to put up with this for an entire semester. I was hoping to ask a favor of you."

"Sure. Name it."

"I'd like to move Grace in here… with us." Miles holds up his hand. "I know what you're thinking… just hear me out."

I shrug. "I'm not thinking anything."

"Sean and Kade are okay with it and of course we'd have to clear it with Rush, but I thought maybe we could clean out that game room for her."

Adrenaline shoots through my veins like a volcanic eruption and suddenly it's hot in here. The overhead kitchen lights feel like a police station interrogation room.

"No one's really using it anyway," Sean chimes in.

"We could move out that nasty pull-out sleeper couch and all of our video games." Kade nods in agreement. "Besides, between football, classes, and homework, who's had time to play any games. Am I right?"

"We thought Grace could use that as a bedroom. Maybe we could find a bed to put in there and she can share my bathroom with me."

The second floor of this house has three bedrooms— one for Miles, me, and the third bedroom we use as our game room. The third floor —where Rush sleeps— is smaller with just one bedroom and a bathroom. Kade's bedroom is in the basement and includes a bathroom.

I shrug. "Sounds like you've got a plan."

Miles studies me. "This is your house too. If you don't want Grace?—"

"Hey, I don't have a problem with it." I hold my hands up in surrender.

Kade takes a pull from his beer bottle. "Since this coming weekend is Labor Day and we won't have classes, I can check with my parents to see if we could get some furniture at their place."

Kade's parents own a furniture store in Alabama. When we moved into the house, his parents were generous and sold us our bedroom furniture dirt cheap.

"I can ask them. They might have some floor models they'd be willing to give away. It wouldn't be brand new, and most likely, discontinued models." Kade shrugs.

Miles raises his eyebrows. "They'd be willing to do that? It doesn't matter if it isn't new. If they have anything available, I'd be willing to make the trip and we could load it up in my pickup."

"If you guys are up for a road trip," Kade says as he tosses the empty beer bottle into the recycle bin. "I'm down for it." He turns to Sean. "What about you, Pipe?"

"Sure, I'll tag along," Sean agrees with a nod. "What about you, Benji? You up for a road trip?"

"I wouldn't mind going but I have to write that plan for my semester project, remember?"

Sean tosses an apple core from his seat at the barstool, and it hits my shoulder. "I thought you were done with that paper."

"Oh yeah— like you'd be done already." I toss the apple core his way and it hits him in the chest.

Sean grabs his chest. "You hurt me," he teases. "Someone call 911. I'm clearly having a heart attack here."

"You're such a tool, Pipe."

Miles aims his apple core toward the trash can.

Sean jumps off his bar stool and hurries over to take off the lid. "O'Leary is at the free throw line, but the question is, can he make the shot. The score is tied."

Miles tosses the apple core halfway across the kitchen and lands the core in the bin.

"And the crowd goes wild," Sean says as he sets the can back in its proper spot and hurries over to high-five Miles.

The two jump up and do a chest bump.

Kade shakes his head. "No class."

I let out a chuckle.