I’d go, but I wouldn’t be happy about it, and I sure as shit wouldn’t try to impress her.
What did he say her name was again? Bree? Yeah, I think that’s it. Bree.
Kyle went on, “She, uh, doesn’t get out of the house much, but she’s nice.” Again with the nice comments. It made me wonder if she was some overweight ogre who I’d immediately hate Kyle for trying to set me up with her.
I had a type, okay? Every guy did.
“So is she a recluse, or what?” I asked, resisting my urge to roll my eyes.
“No, she goes to SCC. She just…doesn’t get out much.”
Sumit Community College, the local school meant for kids who either wanted to get their general credits done cheap or those who didn’t know exactly what they wanted to do with their life. Great. A college girl that was, quote, nice.
My brother was really talking her up, wasn’t he?
I got up, went to the restroom after pushing past him, and checked myself in the mirror. My blonde hair was only a shade or two darker than being white, a natural color, something I’d gotten from our mom. Kyle’s hair was a dirty blonde, though we did both share the same blue eyes. I wore a t-shirt and jeans, nothing fancy, nothing special. It was a bit cool outside, so I’d probably throw on a hoodie and call it a night.
Hey, I meant it when I said I didn’t want to dress up and try for this stupid date.
Kyle was already downstairs when I came down, talking to Mom in the living room. It was already early evening; we wouldn’t be back until late, until after she was asleep. Mom was bundled up in her blankets, tea sitting before her on the coffee table. Her eyes, the same color as ours, were vibrant and smiling as she looked between us.
“Have fun you two,” she said, totally unaware that this date was the last thing I wanted to do. She probably thought this date would be good for me, get my mind off Hilary. Which, okay, maybe it would, but at the same time, Kyle hadn’t exactly talked up Bree.
Nice. That was all I had to go on. She was nice—oh, and she hardly ever left the house.
Ugh, she’d probably be some reclusive paranoid or something. A freak. Definitely not my type.
Apparently I liked the bitches who cheated on you with your best friend, but that was neither here nor there. I would not think about Hilary or Trent tonight. Tonight would be spent hating my little brother for dragging me out on this date.
We were seven years apart, so by the time he grew up, I was already a teenager, already flexing my muscles to the girls and chasing them. We were never super close, but we were brothers. You tended to be close no matter the age difference, especially when you were older. We were all we had, minus extended family we never saw much, except for holidays. Dad was out of the picture for years now; I didn’t even want to think about that fucker.
I grabbed my keys as Kyle and I headed to the door. I’d be driving; no way in hell would I sit in the passenger’s seat and let Kyle drive. At least this way I felt like I had some control over the situation, even though that control was only the mode of transportation.
This sucked. I didn’t want to go on this stupid date. Right now, I really hated Kyle.
My brother was content as he got into my car and buckled his seatbelt. He noticed I glared at him, and he blinked. “What? Dude, stop being a baby. You’ll be fine. Bree is nice—”
I started the car, the engine flaring to life before us. “Yeah, you keep saying that. Nice. She sounds very nice.” I bit out the words, not bothering to hide my unhappiness. Had to get it out now, otherwise I’d be rude on the date.
Kyle said nothing after telling me which restaurant we were meeting his girlfriend and her sister. I was twenty-five fucking years old and being set up by my eighteen-year-old brother. What in the absolute fuckery was this? When did I take a turn and become a loser?
The sun was setting by the time Kyle and I arrived at the restaurant, a local place that had booths aplenty. Kyle and I went in, secured a table, and then we waited. We got a corner booth, and I chose the side tucked neatly away, so I could see his girlfriend and her sister walk up to the table, give myself more time to mentally prepare as they walked up.
Kyle sat across from me, his nose in a menu, even though he got the same damn thing every time, no matter what restaurant he was at. Chicken fingers with fries. Yeah, my brother was a picky eater, and a juvenile one, at that.
The waiter came and took our drinks, not our food orders since we were still waiting. I’d be lying if I said my heart wasn’t beating a little uneven. Being on a date so soon…it didn’t feel right, even if nothing would come of this, even if this was all a mistake and Bree and I didn’t click. I hadn’t been on a date in…God, I didn’t know how long. A while. Over a year, since that’s how long I was with Hilary.
Fuck. I wasn’t ready for this. Why did I agree to let Kyle drag me into this? This was a mistake—
It was as I leaned forward, about to tell Kyle that I wanted to go
