Selling My Soul to His Royal Nerdiness.

Selling My Soul to His Royal Nerdiness. (7)

Annabel Taylor

"Are there any libraries nearby?"

"Yep." I didn't look up from the design that I was drawing. Sticking my tongue out a bit, I traced another curve in the fire. Noah fiddled with the hem of his shirt.

It was a few hours after Macey had come over. My mom was still working at the garage. This was pretty normal. She became absorbed in her cars the way someone might get absorbed in a book.

"Can you tell me where it is?" Noah asked. "You won't have to drive me."

"Oh? So the little-kid-following-his-mommy-around phase is over?" West's thumbs hit buttons on the controller furiously as he never turned his eyes away. Chance was practically pressed up against the screen, furiously trying to run away from his character.

"I have never acted like an adolescent child." I could hear the steel in Noah's voice.

West snorted, focusing on the game again.

"Leave him alone, West. When I beat the snot out of you, I want don't want you to have any excuses."

West snorted. "Like that'll happen. I'm the best there is."

A few minutes later Chance was throwing down his remote and West was leaping up, whooping. "In your face!" he cackled. "I am the undefeatable, the great, the incredibly awesome West Taylor!"

"Weston is not an incredibly awesome name," Kolbie pointed out.

"Neither is Kolbie," West shot back.

"Whatever."

"I want to go again," Chance said firmly. He looked at West, close to a pout.

I raised an eyebrow at my twin. "You want to get your butt kicked again?"

"I'm going to win this time. I know it."

"You said that last time," Kolbie said.

"It's...appalling how unsupportive you two are of your brother."

"I'm sorry, Noah, exactly when did you become my mother?" Kolbie tilted her head, brown eyes wide and sarcastically innocent.

"Lay off, Kolbie," I shot her a look and glanced at Noah. "Are you sure that going out in public would be the best idea? You still look like the Bamencian prince."

"You took me out," he argued.

"Yeah, but no one would be looking for you at an Italian Ice shop," I pointed out. "Seriously, Noah, I'm not in the mood to get chewed out by Harrison again. It's not going to happen."

"But--"

"The closest library is about ten miles away from here, you should see the sign near the shopping plaza that I'm assuming Anna took you to. You can take my car, keys are in the bowl." Chance stretched and flopped down onto the couch, scooping the controller off the floor.

"Thanks, Chance."

"Chance! What is wrong with you?!" I exclaimed.

"That's for being unsupportive." He flashed me an apologetic grin. "Sorry, sis."  

"Which set are they?" Noah called from the doorway.

"What's going on?" Macey came back from the bathroom, a puzzled expression on her face.

"Aha!" I jumped up and pointed at Noah just as he picked up a set of keys with a football keychain on them.

Startled, Kolbie jumped. "What?"