Page 16 of The Score We Never Settled

No, he’s fuckin’ not.

“Briggs ain’t comin’,” Adeline drawls, wrapping up her loaf of bread with her back still turned. “He can’t seem to control himself lately.”

“I can control myself just fine,” I retort. “As long as he doesn’t…”

Exist?

I don’t know, but I don’t like it.

“Briggs,please,” Everly begs me, pulling at my sweatshirt to get my attention. “I was so excited that you were gonna finally meet him.”

Fuck me.

I’ve never been one to disappoint my sisters.

Well, except for when I get into a fight during a game…or outside of a game.

So, Everly asking me to chill out and focus on what she’s got going on, I have to. I have to because I need to stay connected and in the know.

But I wasn’t in theknowabout the boyfriend.

“He make you happy?” I force from my lips even though it doesn’t matter. He’ll disappoint her, and she’ll be heartbroken.

“Yes,” she replies without hesitation. “Very happy.”

“He smart?”

“I’d say so.”

“Unlike you,” I hear Adeline mutter, back to fixing whatever it was she was making.

I ignore her.

“He go to school?”

“He graduated already.”

I glower. “How old is he?”

“Twenty-five.”

“Adeline…”

“He went to a four-year community college, Briggs,” she drawls. “Shut up.”

“Briggs,” Everly pleads, this time with her eyes, and she pushes her lips out just a little, and I don’t know if it’s on purpose or organic. “I promise he’s like no one Adeline’s has dated.”

Said sister turns on her heels and pops a hand on her hip. “Excuse me?”

“Sure,” I manage to push past clenched teeth to save my youngest sister from our older one’s wrath. “I’ll meet him, Ev.”

Then bury him.

“You’ll like him,” Everly insists, as if it’s going to convince me otherwise. “He’s like you.”

“You’re makin’ it worse,” I answer honestly, glancing down at her because, fuck me, I hope not.

If that kid reminds me of one piece of my DNA, he’s done. One slip of something I would say, if he likes baseball, he’s definitely out, and—fuck it, I’m never going to like him.