“Morning, Jackie!” he exclaimed through a mouthful of bagel. Once again, I felt warmth creeping into my cheeks. Why did every one of these boys have a perfect set of abs?
“Um, hi,” I greeted stupidly. Katherine looked up with a start at the sound of my voice.
“Isaac!” she scolded, jogging my memory. I remembered that we were the same age, sixteen, but he was a year above me in school. “Go put some clothes on, for God’s sake! There’s a girl in the house now.”
“But you’re a girl and you’ve never had a problem with it before,” he countered. “Besides, Jackie doesn’t mind. Do you, Jackie?” He turned to face me.
What the heck was I supposed to say to that? Oh yes, Isaac. I love staring at your half-naked body? Instead, I answered like any smart girl in my situation would do. “Um…” I trailed off, looking back and forth between the two.
“See, Aunt Kathy? Jackie said she doesn’t care,” he told his aunt.
Funny, I didn’t remember saying anything along those lines.
“No, she didn’t, young man,” countered Katherine, placing her hands on her hips. “Now go get dressed before I drag you upstairs!”
Just then Alex entered the kitchen, still rubbing away his sleepiness. He was also wearing nothing but his boxers. Unlike Isaac, he slid to a halt when he spotted me. For a moment he stood frozen, his eyes wide, but then he spun around and dashed down the hall.
“See!” Katherine said when her son was gone. “That’s exactly how you should be acting in the presence of a beautiful girl—embarrassed!”
“Aunt Kathy, Jackie might be hot, you know, in a preppy, Goody Two-Shoes sort of way, but I could never be embarrassed about this,” Isaac said and pointed down at his body.
“Isaac Walter!” she said, shaking a finger and taking a step toward him. Laughing, Isaac exited the kitchen, but not before winking at me. I don’t know exactly why I blushed. It might have had something to do with Katherine complimenting me, or maybe it was because Isaac had agreed.
***
“What do you think you’re doing?” Lee demanded as I waited outside the bathroom in my robe. I was still sweaty from my run with Nathan and needed to shower before school. This time I remembered to bring shower shoes and my clothes, and was mentally preparing myself for the disgusting war zone inside.
“Waiting for the bathroom,” I answered. “I believe Cole is inside.”
“I know Cole’s inside. It’s his scheduled time to be in there,” Lee said, pointing at a piece of paper taped next to the bathroom door. He flicked his dark hair out of his eyes as he glowered at me. “I’m up next, so get lost.”
“There’s a schedule to use the bathroom?”
“Only in the morning,” Nathan said, coming out of his room already showered and dressed. “With all of us trying to get ready before school, it’s kind of hectic.”
Cole opened the bathroom door, and a wave of steam rushed out into the hall. He only had a white towel wrapped around his waist, and water droplets still clung to his sculpted shoulders and abs, making his skin sparkle.
“If we didn’t have an allotted time,” he said, trying to shake some water out of his ear, “Danny would be in there for hours trying to make himself look pretty.” Then he pushed past Lee, Nathan, and me, calling over his shoulder, “I myself don’t need much time because I was gifted with being naturally pretty.”
“Is there any way I can squeeze in?” I asked as I glanced over the schedule. The twenty-minute increments were booked all the way up until we had to leave for school.
Isaac poked his head out of the room he shared with Lee. “Has anyone seen my leather jacket?”
“It’s in your closet, idiot,” Lee told his older brother.
“Like on a hanger? How the heck did it get there?”
“Guys?” I asked.
“Your crap was all over the place and I couldn’t find my board.”
“Next time you decide to do a bit of spring cleaning, do me a favor—don’t touch the jacket.”
“Hello? Is anybody going to answer me?” I demanded, putting a hand on my hip. “I need to use the shower too.”
“Should have said something earlier, babe,” Isaac said. “We could’ve shared my shower time.” He grinned at me before vanishing back inside his room.
Lee laughed at his brother as he slipped into the bathroom and slammed the door in my face.
“Try the one downstairs next to the little kids’ rooms,” Nathan suggested. “They take baths at night, so there shouldn’t be anyone in there. Just watch out for all the bath toys. I’ve tripped on them before.”
***
Once everyone showered, ate breakfast, and hurried to finish their homework at the last minute, Katherine pushed us all out the door.
“Lee, leave that skateboard at home. If you ride it in the school halls again, you’ll get a suspension.”