Rhett (Rhett #1)(24)
Author: J.S. Cooper

"Duh." Jake shouted back with a huge grin. Jake was 18 and a recent high school graduate. I’d always felt like he was my little brother as well and I did my best to make sure he stayed on the straight and narrow. I tried to hang out with him at least once a month and was planning on letting him room with me when he started college in the fall.

"How’d your date go with that girl?" I shouted to him.

"Which one?" He winked and we both laughed.

"Rhett, I wish you wouldn’t turn Jake into your mini me." Clementine shook her head.

"Hey, the girls love him. What can I say?" I grinned at her and she groaned.

"Okay, do we have teams?" I looked around and counted how many people we had. "I want Jake. Clementine and Penelope can be on the other team."

"That’s not fair." Clementine put her hands on her hips and shook her head. "How are the two best players going to be on the same team?"

"I thought that was fair." I ran over and ruffled her hair. "The two best players on one team and the two worst on another. I’ve already got the team names picked, the winners and the losers."

"You’re a loser." She stuck her tongue out at me.

"Don’t let the wind change on you now or that’s the face you’ll end up with."

"You’ll still be stuck with me, tongue out and all." She grinned and I pulled her towards me and grabbed her as I fell into the ground.

"Try and get rid of me."

"Guys, you’re being so childish." Penelope’s voice was irritated as she walked over to us. "Clementine, this is what I mean. Guys who see you acting like this with Rhett are going to get the wrong impression."

"What impression is that?" I looked up at Penelope and then jumped up, pulling a giggling and guilty looking Clementine up with me.

"That you guys are either dating, sleeping together or have some other weird relationship. Or," and she looked at Clementine. "That you’re both really immature."

"Clementine is immature." I shrugged with a straight face.

"Shut up, Rhett." She punched me on the shoulder. "Penelope, Rhett is my best friend, he’s like my brother, and we’re always going to be close and goofy. The guy that comes into my life will have to accept Rhett."

"No guy is coming and staying as long as Rhett’s around." Penelope shrugged. "But hey, maybe that’s what he wants."

"Penelope." Clementine exclaimed and gave me a look. I shook my head and walked over to Jake.

"Hey bro, let’s decide our team." I rolled my eyes at him. "Your sister and her new friend are debating our friendship."

"You know Penelope doesn’t get you guys." Jake laughed. "I think she’s has the hots for you."

"Who?" I froze, my heart thudding fast. "Clemmie?"

"No." Jake gave me a weird look. "Penelope. That’s who we were talking about."

"Oh yeah." I made a face. "No thanks."

"Not even for one night?"

“Not even for ten minutes.” I laughed.

"What about a million dollars?" He grinned at me and I grinned back.

"That’s the beauty of being rich. Not even for a million dollars."

"Show-off." He laughed. "I’d make out with her for ten bucks."

"Jake, don’t lie. You’d make out with her for free."

"True that." He threw the softball at me. "You want a glove?"

"Nah." I shook my head. "Where are the ‘rents?"

"Grocery store." Jake rolled his eyes. "Dad wanted more beer and mom wanted some nuts, but she didn’t trust dad to get the right ones."

"Ha, sounds about right." I threw the ball back at him. "You talk to them about staying with me next year?"

"Dad thinks it’s great." Jake nodded. "Mom not so much."

"Why not?" I frowned.

"She said Clemmie doesn’t think it’s a good idea."

"What why?" My frown deepened. Clementine hadn’t said anything to me.

"She thinks it’s too much." Jake shrugged. "She says it’s not right to live with you for free." He made a face.

"Are you joking?" I looked back at Clementine as she talked to Penelope and my eyes narrowed. I bet I knew why Clementine didn’t think it was a good idea all of a sudden. "Don’t be ridiculous, you’re my brother from another mother." I gave him a look. "You’re staying with me."

"It’s a great saving." He nodded. "Dad’s already worried about having both of us in college at the same time." He looked around and chewed his lower lip. "Clementine’s even looking into transferring to a school where she can get a scholarship." He made a face. "I’m not meant to say anything."

"Why hasn’t she told me?" My heart dropped. "I had no idea."

"Yeah, it’s pretty recent." He shrugged. "I guess her new friend told her about it."

"Penelope?"

"No, her boyfriend, that guy she’s seeing."

"What guy?" My voice rose. "Clementine doesn’t have a boyfriend."

"Yeah, I guess it’s new. Some guy called Elliott."

"Elliott?" I frowned and immediately thought back to seeing Clemmie kissing him the other night. "Not that loser she met online?"

"I dunno." Jake looked like he regretted bringing the subject up. "I guess you’ll see tonight. He’s coming."

"She invited him to the barbecue?"

Jake nodded and I frowned.

"Excuse me a second." I threw the ball back to him and ran over to Clementine. "Hey, we need to talk." I grabbed her arm.

"Huh?" She looked at me in confusion.

"We need to talk!"

"Now?" She looked at Penelope and then back at me. "We were kinda in the middle of something."

"That can wait," I looked her in the eyes. "We. Need. To. Talk. Now."

"Listen to your husband, Clem." Penelope rolled her eyes. "Oh wait, he’s not your husband or your dad."

"Clementine," I gave her the look. It was something we had come up with as kids so we could let each other know that it was imperative we talk right away.

"Fine, excuse us." She gave Penelope a quick smile and grabbed my arm and dragged me into the house. "What’s going on, Rhett?" She sighed as we walked up the stairs and went into one of the spare bedrooms that Nanna always had ready and waiting for guests.