The New Boy

chapter 30

"Wait, what?" I asked, confused. "You have a sister?" The girl couldn't have been more than four, which explains why I didn't remember her from the New York days.

"Yeah." He muttered sheepishly, trying to get Katie's attention as she buried her head into his shoulder. "Katie, this is my... friend, Olivia."

She poked her head out timidly and gave me a tiny smile that mirrored Asher's. The two were practically carbon copies of each other, despite the gap in age and gender. Katie's light brunette hair blended into Asher's as she rested her head against his, peering at me with the same curious stare. Her eyes had slightly more flecks of aqua and cerulean, but were filled with emotion just as her brother's frequently were.

"Hi, Katie." I smiled at her invitingly and waved. This action seemed to cheer her up. Jumping out of Asher's arms, she walked toward me until she was right in front of me, her steps surprisingly fluid for someone so young.

"Hi, Livia." She stuck her hand out for me to shake adorably. I grabbed it response and bent down so we were at eye level.

"It's very nice to meet you."

Behind her, Asher shifted awkwardly from foot to foot while he judged by reaction. The worry hidden inside his happy expression reminded me of something.

"I thought your parents didn't move here with you?" I asked him, standing back up to my normal height. If his parents weren't here, was he raising Katie himself?

"I promise we can talk about this, but I need to get her to sleep." Asher answered. I nodded in response, glancing up at the clock behind him. It was already past 11:00. 

Asher picked Katie back up at gestured for me to follow him as he walked back down the hall. He stopped at the door that he had shut earlier, answering my questions about what was inside. The inside was light blue, with a tiny white canopy bed and a few dolls spaced throughout the room. It was kept neatly, further evidence that Asher's sister had not fallen far from the tree.

After tucking her into bed and turning on a dim, butterfly-shaped night light, Asher closed the door and headed back upstairs to the loft.

"She wasn't supposed to be here tonight. She was supposed to be staying at a friend's house." Asher blurted out.

"Why?" I had a horrible feeling that it had to do with me. "Did you not want me to know you had a sister?"

"It's not that, exactly." Asher patted the spot next to him on the bed, but I remained standing. He frowned at my reaction but went on. "I didn't want to freak you out."

"How would a little girl freak me out?"

"Olivia, I'm Katie's legal guardian. That's why she lives with me, and why she moved here with me." Asher sighed.

"Her- her guardian?" I asked. "Why?"

Asher motioned for me to sit down again, but I didn't move. "You know the giant navy base here, right?" I nodded in response. Most people at our school had parents who were stationed there. It was only around thirty minutes from my house.

"My parents were stationed there before I was born. They're both in the navy. When I moved to New York, it was because they got sent there." That must have explained why I didn't remember much about Asher's parents; they were probably busy all the time.

"They liked New York, even though they preferred Hawaii. They took a lot of time off with me in the summers, which was nice. I was lucky that they rarely had to travel for long periods of time, but when they did, my cousins lived nearby and I could stay with them."