Chapter 17
Evangeline
I push back my chair and stand up. "Thanks for the meal." Max flashes me his signature half-smile. "No problem."
"Shit." Lucas mutters. "I'm gonna be late for my shift. See you guys at home." Lucas pats my head for the second time today and sprints out of the diner.
"You wanna hit Barnes and Noble? That's why you came here in the first place, right?" Max asks. "You don't have to come with me. I'm sure you're tired."
"Nah." Chris grins. "Let's go."
-
The bookstore is huge. Tall shelves line the walls, filled to the brim with dozens of books. I walk through the store, browsing the different titles. I'm looking for one book in particular: George Orwell's Animal Farm. Asher told me that it would be in the Literature syllabus for the year, but isn't included in the booklist, so I'm here to collect copies for the both of us.
Max and Chris follow behind. It's sweet of them to accompany me here, despite their lack of interest in reading. I scan the aisles, picking up novels that I am interested in reading.
"Do you need us to carry those?" Chris asks, gesturing at the stack of books I have accumulated. "Nope." I shake my head. His lip quirks. "Okay, then."
I keep walking. I am slightly irked by the skepticism in his tone. He of all people should know that I can perfectly capable of handling my own shit.
"Aha!" I declare. The stack of books perched precariously in my arms. I and whip around in excitement with the intention of telling the twins that I located the book.
...And run smack into someone's chest. Again. The books I'm holding crash to the ground, and I land hard on my ass with a yelp. "Oh, god. Are you hurt?" The commotion has attracted the stares of a few store patrons. I look up to find a cute, older boy with reddish brown hair and the most mesmerising hazel eyes standing over me. Damn. He offers me a hand, and I take it. "Sorry. Didn't see you there." The twins come running over. "You okay?" Max wraps an arm around my shoulders.
"Yeah, I'm fine. Sorry for bumping into you." The last part is aimed at the guy. "Watch where you're going, Daniel Jackson." Chris grumbles. Daniel's eyes widen. "Chris? Max?" Do they know each other? Seeing my confused face, Max explains. "This is Daniel. He goes to our school. Dan, meet Evangeline, our sister."
"Stepsister," I correct. Daniel does a double take on me. "And here I was, wondering what the hell you meatheads were doing following a kid around Barnes and Noble, of all places!" I giggle, stooping to collect the fallen books. My brothers never say much about their school friends, so I never thought to ask.
Max and Chris chat with Daniel while I purchase the books. After paying the cashier, I skip back with two bag's worth of books. Daniel raises a brow. "You sure bought a lot."
"She likes to read." Max waves a hand dismissively in his face. "We best get going now. See you in school." I wave goodbye to Daniel, turn around, and start walking out of the store.
"Wait!"