The Danger With Fireworks - Robin Daniels Page 0,2

sink; the mirror above it was lined with clear globe lights. It looked very much like a performer’s makeup station.

I was the first person to arrive, so I claimed the single bed by throwing my stuff on it. “Is this the bathroom?” I asked, pointing at the door next to the sink.

“Sure is.” Chloe turned the brass knob and pushed the door open. I peeked inside to find a standing shower, a toilet with a window over it, and another door on the opposite wall. She must have seen the question on my face, because she answered it before I could ask. “Yes, we all share a bathroom.” She frowned. It was the first time since we met that I’d seen her smile slip. “It’s my least favorite part about this place. The only way it works is if everyone adheres to the strict potty policy.”

“Potty policy?” I asked, raising my eyebrows and pulling a funny face. Despite my levity, she remained dead serious. I bit down on my twitching lip.

After a second, she started ticking the rules off on her fingers. “Lock both doors when in use—it sucks to get walked in on. I know from experience. Keep your shower under five minutes. Replace the TP if you take the last of it. And, for heaven’s sake, open the window and use the air freshener when you poop.” My mouth dropped in shock. I choked out a strangled laugh-snort combo. Chloe cocked her head to the side. “What?” she asked.

“You said poop,” I squeaked.

She threw her hands on her hips. “Would you prefer I used the cruder term?”

“No.” I laughed. “It’s not the word itself, it’s that you brought it up at all. Abby would rather die than broach that subject. Most girls would.”

Chloe arched one brow, pursed her lips, and stuck her nose in the air. “Well, I’m not most girls. And I’m definitely not Abby.” She stared me straight in the eye, daring me to compare her with her sister again. This delicate, willowy-looking girl was a little bit frightening. I don’t know if she expected a response, but my brain chose that exact moment to shut down. Luckily, the creaking of the screen door drew her laser vision away from my rapidly heating face.

A short, skinny guy with a fair complexion and thick, shaggy brown hair stepped in. He was sporting aviator glasses, cargo shorts, flip-flops, and a T-shirt that read Hey Man, Bach Off! “Matt!” Chloe yelped. He dropped his bags on the floor and opened his arms. She rushed him for a hug. “Oh my gosh, I’ve missed you so much.”

“I can see that.” He chuckled, peeling her away from him. He glanced at me, a friendly smile spreading across his face. “Is this my new brother?”

She bobbed her head and bent over to grab Matt’s bag. It took considerable effort on my part to avoid checking out her butt. Dang those frayed cut-off shorts. Chloe spoke as she lugged his duffle to the bottom bunk. “Matt, this is Garland, our new theater geek.” She spun around, just in time to see my face scrunch up, and smirked. “Garland, meet Matt, the music nerd.”

“Hey, man.” Matt held out his hand. I shook it. He didn’t seem the least bit offended by Chloe’s introduction. She had this peppy snark thing going on that made it hard to tell if she was trying to be funny or masking an insult with a joke.

“Nice to meet you.” Matt glanced at the mattress where Chloe had set his stuff. He looked at her in awe. “Am I not relegated to the top bunk again this year?”

“Nope,” she replied with a pop of her p. “You two are it.”

“Sweet!” He hissed and lunged onto the bed, shoving all his bags back to the floor so he could sprawl out. Then he turned to me and said, “I always get stuck on top.”

“If you want the single, I could pull rank and make him trade you,” Chloe suggested as she eyeballed me.

Matt gasped in mock incredulity. “Power hungry much? Am I going to regret requesting you as my mother?”

“Not if you’re a good boy,” she replied with an evil grin.

“And what happens if I’m naughty?” He grinned back.

“I’ll turn you over my knee and give you a whoopin’.”

“Promise?” he challenged. Their repartee sounded like hardcore flirting, but it lacked the charge of pheromones one would expect to accompany such a topic.

“You better believe it.” She air kissed him, then giggled.

There