The First Son's Spy (PUBLISHING)

Chapter 12

The next morning I am graced with a headache that feels like a bulldozer is smacking me in my head. I roll over onto my pillows. My alarm blares a song from the “Catching Fire” soundtrack. I pull out my phone to shut it off and notice the ten texts from my mom, dad, and sister. Sterling has not texted me though. Quickly, I text my parents and sister back about my first day of college. It is still early enough that they probably are still sleeping. Elle doesn’t have class until eleven today. Presumably, she is still in bed. Jane knocks something off of her dresser and hits our adjoining wall. She swears too loudly which earns a yell from the people next door to us. Our walls are paper thin. There are a few other loud noises coming from her room. Ignoring them I rush to the bathroom before she can make it in there. I let the hot water beat down on me. Jane is now in the kitchen making something on a skillet. Or at least that is what it sounds like. Who knows with her though. For the short time that I have known her, I know she’s a little ditzy. I get out of the shower and do my usual morning routine. An hour later I am eating cereal in an orange sundress when a knock sounds on the door. Jane has just left to make in time for one of her classes. Of course she left five minutes late for it.

I open the room to Jeremy. Today he is dressed in sports garb with running shoes on. “Hey, is Jane here?”

“Nope. She was running late to one of her classes. What’s up?” I ask him because his face looks worried.

“Family stuff.” He doesn’t add on so I don’t push him further. “Anyway, you look nice today. What time is your next class?”

I still feel a little awkward around him since I ran out on him yesterday morning. His smile started to fade the longer I stood there without speaking. “It’s at 11:15.”

“That’s good. I don’t have class until after one. I like to go for my jogs earlier in the morning, so later classes are always a plus.”

“You run? I do too.” I mentally slap myself. I don’t want him to get any ideas.

“Maybe we can run together some time.”

Too late.

“Uh. That would be fun.” Nice going Piper. Now he really thinks you’re into him even though you have a wonderful boyfriend already.

“So, what’s for breakfast?”

“Excuse me?”

“Jane usually makes me breakfast on Tuesdays. It has been a tradition since we were like ten. But it looks like she cleared out before she could even make anything at all.”

Looking in the kitchen I see a plate covered in plastic wrapping. I go over to the counter and smell the cinnamon before I can see what is under the wrap. Jane has a note attached to let me know these are what I should be giving Jeremy.

“Looks like she made something, actually.” I give him the plate of cinnamon rolls. He takes them without saying anything. His eyes meet mine and look at my cereal resting on the kitchen counter.

“I think we should share these,” Jeremy says. He makes his way to the counter and sets aside my bowl. The cereal is probably soggy already. Sitting down, he hands me a roll covered in icing. The icing seeps off the roll onto my hands. We both laugh at the mess that the rolls are making.

“Jane has never been great at making thick icing. It always comes out really light, but nonetheless very delicious.” Jeremy licks his fingers and stuffs the rest of the roll into his mouth. I can’t help but watch as he does so. Something about us eating breakfast together seems so intimate and inappropriate. Hastily I hop off the chair and make my way to the sink. I busy myself while he finishes off the second one by washing the dishes. His stare pierces my back. Willing myself to act normal, I turn around. Jeremy is standing up now. He walks to the dishes and brushes past me to set the plate in the sink. I flinch at the sudden contact of our bodies.