Morgaine 'Morgan' Roberts
I sigh and blink at the screen. If I wasn't so stubborn, I'd give up on my goal to get through the list of movies I found. It was advertised as five hundred movies you must see; as if missing out on a single one would make your life worse.
So far, a couple of them have been great, most of them are watchable, but quite a few are outright boring. Like this one. It's some war movie from the eighties, and I couldn't care less about the characters.
But, I made up my mind, so I keep watching.
When I hear someone outside my dorm, I'm relieved that the tedium has been broken.
Kat is chatting with Brick as they open the door.
"Morgan. You dyed your hair."
She looks so happy. I get up and hug her. Kat reminds me of a delicate flower. Her dirty blonde hair is always styled, and she wears just enough make-up to get a glowy, fresh look. She's shorter than me by a couple of inches and, unlike me, she loves to wear colorful dresses.
"You're back. How was the trip?"
Brick comes inside with her bags and puts them down. Brick is her hockey goalie boyfriend who only has eyes for her. He's much taller and larger, but anyone with half a brain can tell she's in charge.
"It was great." Kat smiles at Brick under her lashes and I almost roll my eyes at their affection for each other. "It was so much fun seeing where Brick grew up and his mom is so nice."
"She really liked you," Brick says and kisses her head. "They all did."
"And hopefully, my parents will like you just as much when they meet you."
"When they're ready," he says effortlessly.
Kat had wanted to bring Brick home for Christmas, but JD and her parents wouldn't hear of it. As a compromise, she flew down to spend new year's eve with Brick's family.
"How was your new years?" Kat asks.
I laugh. "You already know I spent it with my family. I sent you pictures."
Kat had sent me some pictures as well. I had no idea Brick's family was rich-rich. But the enormous fireplace, the curved staircase and the size of the rooms at his grandparent's place had made my jaw drop. Someone had taken a picture of Kat and the whole family on a balcony looking out over a lake reflecting fireworks.
And she fit in perfectly.
"But you didn't send me pictures of this." She reaches up and touches my now blue hair.
"Would you believe I got bored with the pink? I needed a change." I check my hair in the mirror. It's new and I'm absolutely in love with the dark ashy blue.
"It looks so good. I love the color."
"Thanks. I think I'll keep it for a bit. But as I was getting the supplies, I was so tempted to do some form of rainbow hair."
She shakes her head. "You're so brave."
There's no stopping the laughter. "It's not brave when there's nothing and no one holding me back. Then it's just change."
Kat's phone buzzes, and while she checks it, I turn to Brick. "So, you never said you grew up in a mansion with a private lake?"
He blushes a bit. "The lake isn't private. There are several properties lining it."
"I'm still jealous. It looked gorgeous."
"It used to be my favorite place." He looks at Kat and I know I'm going to regret asking.
"It's not anymore?"
"No, she is." The smile is so goofy, I fight the urge to make a gagging noise.
"JD is coming over," Kat says. Clearly, she missed the comment. "So I guess you should leave." She looks up at Brick, who nods.
"I'll text you later." He kisses her and heads out.
"Is it still that bad you don't want them in the same room?" I ask and sit on my bed.
"It's getting better." Kat starts unpacking her bags. "Brick says he hasn't taken it out on him during hockey, so I guess that's something."
"Yeah, because you threatened to never speak to him again. Your brother is still an asshole."
"He's just protective."
"You keep making excuses. But he knows Brick. They're on the same team. I don't get how he thinks he can still control your life."
She stops shaking out a dress and studies me. "Morgan. I really want this year to be less confrontational than last. Can you play nice?"
"I'll try. But I still think he's a misogynistic asshole. He needs to learn that women aren't so weak that they need protecting."
"That's not true," Kat says. "He has plenty of respect for women. It's just that I'm his little sister."
"His 'respect' for women is questionable. All he does is sleep around."
"Morgan." Kat sounds exasperated.
I hold up my hands. "Ok, ok. I'll play nice. I won't bring it up."
There's a knock at the door.
"Thank you," Kat says and lets him in.
"Why was Brick leaving your room?" JD asks immediately. He has a way of scowling that makes him look like the villain in a fantasy novel.
"We were going to have a threesome," I say loudly from my bed. "But he forgot the sacrificial goat and chainsaw, so we had to reschedule."
Kat glares at me, and I give her a small grimace. Right, I was supposed to play nice.
"It's nice to see you too," she says to JD.
"He really shouldn't be in your dorm." JD's scowl has turned to me. Teasing him is too much fun.
"Why not?" I ask. "Do you think he's going to jump her in front of me?"
JD snorts. "Who knows what he'll do?"
"I know," Kat says angrily. "And right now, I trust him a lot more than I trust you." She turns away from him and I can tell she's annoyed. So I get up and step past her to confront him.
I lower my voice. "You do know that they're a couple, right?" I say and stand so close to JD I could reach out and touch his flat stomach and what is no doubt hard abs under his shirt. "He's her boyfriend."
"That doesn't mean..."
I raise an eyebrow. "That they'll sleep together. You know they will. Here or somewhere else. I bet they've even done it at the hockey house with you in the next room."
JD goes pale. "That's my little sister."
"And Brick's girlfriend." I snap my fingers. "Oh, that's right. You don't do girlfriends. A girlfriend is a woman you want to sleep with more than once. Someone you love and respect and want to be loyal to. I understand that concept is difficult for you."
"Morgan," Kat sighs.
"I know what a girlfriend is," JD grits out between clenched teeth.
"Oh, I thought it might be confusing for you, since you seem to ignore them after you've slept with them."
"I wish I could ignore you." He's turning red, so I consider my work done and go back to my bed. I pick up a book and too late realize it's one of Kat's. I skim the pages.
"The only ones who have a say in whether or not Brick is here are me and Morgan," Kat says. "Not you. So if I want him here, he'll be here."
Pride fills my chest at Kat's assertive tone. It took months before she started standing up to her brother. And now she knows what she wants and goes for it.
"This is all your fault," JD says and squints at me.
"Oh?" I say, but don't hide the smile.
"She didn't use to be like this."
"Her own person, you mean? I've worked very hard to bring out the real Kat. You should be thanking me."
JD snorts and turns to Kat.
"What do you think grandma would think about you acting like this?"
I see the low blow hit Kat harder than she wants to let on and get up again. She's made a lot of progress, but JD is an ass for bringing up their recently deceased grandmother.
"You think she would have had pointers for Kat's sexlife?" I ask and step in front of her, bringing me much too close to JD. "As far as I know, she wanted Kat to be independent. So, I think she would have been thrilled. And who knows, maybe your grandma could giver her tips on how to tie someone up."
JD stares at me with his full lips parted.
"What I don't understand is why you are so interested in your sister's relationship? Don't you have puck bunnies knocking down your door?"
"I'd like to tie you up," he mutters, just loud enough for me to hear.
For a heartbeat, the words hang between us, and I forget to breathe.
"Maybe you should leave before I forget my promise to Kat and break your nose again."
His hand flinches as if to protect his face, but he lets it fall back down by his side.
"You're lucky I didn't make you pay for the visit to the emergency room."
My stomach tightens. I'm only here because my grandmother pays my tuition. Unlike most other students at UNI, I don't have a trust fund or an inheritance to fall back on. My parents struggle to give me enough to survive. They don't want me taking out a loan or having to get a job that will split my focus, but any unexpected expense would put me in a very difficult position.
I don't know how much an emergency visit costs, but I'm already struggling to pay for everything and have some form of social life.
I try to shake it off. "You're lucky I didn't break more than your nose."
"Nobody is breaking anything more," Kat says and puts her arms between us so I'm forced to step back. "And nobody is making anybody pay for anything. She only broke your nose because she was protecting me, so if you want, I'll pay for the visit."
"No, it's fine," JD says, and looks slightly sheepish.
Maybe Kat has made him promise to behave as well. It wouldn't surprise me. And now I feel bad for not making more of an effort to get along with JD. There's just something about him that makes me see red.
"Tell mom I'm fine," Kat says and pushes JD towards the door.
"She wants a photo." JD grabs his phone and Kat leans in so he can snap a selfie.
"Bye." Kat pushes him outside and relaxes her shoulders as she turns to me.
I bite my lip. "I'm sorry. I'll try harder next time I see him."
She rolls her eyes. "Tell me all about your break while I unpack. Believe it or not, but I'm glad to be back."