Letterman Jacket

26 / twenty-four days before

thank you for reading!! as always, let me know your thoughts and comments uwu

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"How is that Foster boy doing, darling?"

I sighed. "Mom, for the last time, it's Faust."

She placed the carton of milk on the table with a sheepish smile and settled on the seat across from me. "Silly me. I keep forgetting."

"He's fine," I answered flatly, picking at the food on my plate. "I think. I'm still mad at him."

"That boy should know better than to piss off a Simmons girl," Mom said, shaking her head. "Or a Simmons in general."

Despite my sour mood, I managed a small smile. "He knows better, trust me. It's just a little complicated."

"What did you two argue about? Maybe I can help. You've been really down since Monday, honey."

"I wouldn't be if he answered his phone," I grumbled, stabbing a strip of bacon with my fork. "If he came to school yesterday. This is so frustrating."

"Carter's doing a lot of things I'm not happy about, Thea," my brother said as he entered the dining room, a frown on his face. "His truck is still in our driveway. I'm going to have a word with him when he gets back and it's not pretty."

"Just a word," I mumbled. "Not a punch, okay? Besides, he didn't even...hurt me much. Not unlike last time. It was just an argument I'm sure we'll settle soon."

"Last time? You had a fight then, honey?" Mom inquired, lifting her eyes from her phone with furrowed eyebrows. "What did he do?"

"Nothing, everything's fine now, Mom," I quickly answered with a smile. "It's nothing to be worried about."

Theo rolled his eyes and leaned over my chair to grab a waffle. "Have you tried Romero? They missed training yesterday and Coach isn't happy about it."

"Nico isn't my boyfriend," I mumbled, pouring milk into my glass. "But he's not answering me anymore, either. I'm worried about them."

"Both?" my mother asked. "Who is this Nico Romero guy? His name sounds hot."

I promptly choked on my drink. Theo laughed loudly. "Mom! You're not allowed to say things like that!"

My mother raised an eyebrow. "And why not? I'm just stating a fact. Who is he?"

"Shut it," I warned my twin, grasping the bottom of his shirt to pull him closer to me when he opened his mouth to answer. "Shut. It."

"You don't even know what I'm gonna say," he mused with a grin, looking down at me with a half-eaten waffle in his hand. "Why so defensive, sister?"

I groaned and pushed my chair back. "I'm not defensive! Just—he's Faust's best friend alright? My friend, too. That's it."

Humor lined Mom's expression as she nodded. "Alright then. By the way, just a warning—I'm going to be swamped with work for the next few weeks, kids."

Theo swatted my arm away. "New case?"

"And an interesting one at that," she said, standing up and tightening her bun. The gray blouse she wore was tucked outside her pencil skirt, and I resisted the urge to laugh. "I'm the prosecutor for this one. It's been so long—how exciting!"

My brother clicked his tongue. "Do you have to stay somewhere else while you're working?"

Mom waved her hand. "Apparently, they're already here. Both of you better leave for school soon, but finish your breakfast, Thea. You haven't eaten anything properly since yesterday."