(hi hello vote if u feel so inclined to do so :D )

I hated shopping.

No, that's too vague.

I hate shopping with other people.

No, more specifically: I hate shopping with other people against my will.

Not that anyone asked me. I would wear the same three outfits for the rest of my life if the world didn't deem it 'unsanitary'.

What? It's recycling. Aren't we trying to save the planet here? I should get bonus positive points for that, in fact. Look at my green thumbs, I'm practically a walking Save the Whales sign.

But, no one asked me, like I said.

Which is why when a long black hover vehicle was parked below the marble steps, the entire thing slick as oil, I immediately made a move to turn around. 

Theo caught my arm though. Like a jerk.

"Release me from thou hold," I said.

"That's not what 'thou' means."

"Thou is interpretive."

He snorted. I glared.

The vehicle floated a foot above the ground, rimmed with pulsating light. The front window was rolled down and Raj was waving at us. Her hair fell in curtains around her face, matching the car's color, and she grinned brightly, ringing her horn again. Because Raj, even with her newly re-invigorated bubbling and reconciled relationship with me, still seemed to have it out for me in one way or another.

"Let's go, let's go, Hunters!" she said. 

The window disappeared to show Cole and Kate in the middle seats. Cole whooped loudly and Kate pointed behind them with a dead face.

"We're wasting energy," she said. "Get in."

Theo waved, grinning as if this was something completely normal. Which made me remember that for him, it was. Which then made me wonder if he was wearing another brooch hidden beneath his clothing. Which in turn made me decide some things are just better left forgotten. I could only handle so much angst in one day.

We made our way towards the vehicle and the door lifted up. Theo scooted in and I sat next to him. Raj spun around, grinning.

"Are you excited?" she asked. "We're on operation Makeover Briar."

"Discharge me immediately," I said, reaching for the door handle. "This is more like Operation Mega Makeover No One Asked For Or Wanted."

The click of a lock made me groan. Cole turned in his seat as the car rumbled and Raj put in the destination.

"Ready, birdie?"

"Not a cat person," I snapped.

"I'll take that as an enthusiastic sí." He grinned. "See that?"

"You're white."

"There were white Spaniards."

"I'm Mexican."

"Totally, hermano."

I really hoped he pronounced the h as a joke.

Kate hit him on the back of his head and he cursed, spinning around to glare. She shook her head and sighed.

"If you're gonna be a white person at least be a decent one," she said.

"I don't see color, okay?"

Kate shook her head. "Stop embarrassing yourself." 

Theo patted my shoulder. "Ignore him."

"I was planning on it," I murmured.

Theo snorted and said something to Kate in fluttering foreign language, gesturing at Cole and then me. She laughed brightly, and it almost startled me. Kate laughing in any tone but condescension or dismissal seemed contrary to her everything since I'd met her. But considering Raj's double-edged sword of a personality, I guess 'face value' didn't mean much here.

Theo smiled. So punchable.

Kate replied in the same tongue and I tilted my head slightly. Cole waved it away.

"They're always talking shit about us in Chinese because they know they can't say it out loud," he said.

"It's Korean," Kate said, rolling her eyes.

He held up his hands. "Forgive me."

"No, but nice try." She glanced at me. "We can kick him out if you want."

The vehicle was already zipping through the streets so I said, "Can you?"

"Hey!" Cole exclaimed, whirling around. "Bro code!"

"What bro code? I've known you for less than two weeks!"

"You and Theo have bro code."

"Theo and I have mutual understanding code."

Theo shook his head. "It's bro code," he said.

"Stop talking," Kate said.

Rah nodded in agreement at that, then waved us away, turning up the bass-heavy music as the hover vehicle drove itself north. My eyes followed the blurred buildings and people as they turned into melted colors and unidentifiable shapes.  These vehicles always went so fast. I wish it would slow down this time so I could avoid shopping even longer.

Raj was showing various videos and pictures of outfits to Kate from Postic. She only occasionally looked up from the outfit projections on her own watch, and it only occurred to me then they were already searching for things to stuff me in.

I eyed the door handle with serious consideration. Locks on doors were made to be only controlled by the front person a few decades ago though, so I was at a loss. Maybe I'll bust through the window. Or try to and then maybe the impact will knock me unconscious.

"Don't even think about trying to escape," Theo said. "Or trying to knock yourself out."

That charming little shit. I take everything nice I said about him back. Forget him not being an asshole. I rescind such a statement. JJ was getting a rant letter today.

"I wasn't," I lied. "I was thinking about...brownies."

Theo grinned. "Brownies."

"You made all those analogies, you have only yourself to blame."

He nodded. "That's fair enough." Then he said, "We should make them some time."

"Or you could just make me some and give them to me at school with as little verbal interaction as possible," I said.

He bust into laughter at that. "You're quite the case."

"I get that."

"I will bring you brownies if you can get a B on your next pop quiz," he said.

"I'm better off trying to make them."

"B for brownie. Think of it like that."

"What's this about brownies?" Cole asked, turning around.

"About my brownies," I said.

He shook his head. "Nope. You gotta share. It's team policy."

"What—team policy? What's the team policy"

"Sharing is caring," Cole said.

"But I don't care," I replied. "I care about my brownies."

"Yeah, Cole," Raj said, then turned to give me a starry look. "You care about me, right?"

"Not enough to share my brownies," I muttered.

Kate nodded to that as she swiped past another outfit. "Truth."

"You can get some."

She cracked a grin at that as Raj and Cole exchanged offended expressions. Theo only laughed, calm as ever.

The vehicle slowed. I craned my neck away from their chatter to peer out the window.

My heart skipped a beat.

A gargantuan building with gargantuan windows and gargantuan doors and a gargantuan neon sign that read in bright, bold, gargantuan letters LE VERRE like a public service announcement to the world, faced right back at me. I'd seen lantern crafts with smaller announcements. It could have fit half my apartment building. It could have been fit half of my utter shock.

Le Verre. I knew that brand name. I knew that brand name and I knew it was something but my tongue couldn't find the information from my brain.

Raj pulled me out from the vehicle. Theo took my bag and tossed it inside before the door closed.

"Wait, my wallet is—"

"Briar, Briar," she said, grabbing my chin and making my head turn to the front. "Look."

I did.

The entire block was full of white towers and ebony buildings. Crystal windows covered the front with white signs that lit up the black tile ground or glowing script that raced above the silver-lined doors. Every vehicle parked on the street was dark as a shadow, and the people that exited or entered were covered in prim wealth and gold.

A single white droid was at the front of every store, sleek and shaped like a cone with a small head. It echoed an automated greeting to every person that stepped inside before turning its gaze back to the street. I squinted and saw two sets of black sensors above and below the door. But other than that, the security was loose.

"Huh," I muttered.

"Ah," Raj said, grinning at Le Verre. "Come on. First thing we need to change is your outfits, then we can get to accessories."

"Uh, I don't know about—"

Kate pushed me forward. "Less arguing, more shopping."

"I wouldn't have pegged you as a shopper," I said, glancing at her.

"I'm not a shopper,"  she said. "I'm a fixer."

"My clothes are not that bad."

"Keep telling yourself that."

We stepped up the marble stairs. Mannequins decorated the front of the store, clothed in tight dresses with golden roses stitched into the fabric or long coats that had Le Verre's logo emblazoned all over.

I pressed my finger to the glass, the design of three circles swimming around in my mind in foggy memories.

Le Verre.

"Sweet mother of pickles," I whispered, whirling to Raj. "We have to go."

"What? Why?" she asked, looking at the window, wrinkling her nose. "Did they try snakeskin again? I get it. Their last collection was just wrong, to say the least. Don't worry, we'll stick to more solid colors—"

"No, no. This is Le Verre."

She nodded. "Correct. Now, come on, they have these really pretty shirts but they sell out fast so we have to—"

I stared at her. "Raj, I can't shop here. I couldn't even afford a wallet if I wanted to."

I'll explain.

Le Verre was the third most expensive store in the nation. Where the poorest of people had to go to walk in stores because their neighborhoods couldn't afford shipping for online—or technology to even order online in the first place—Le Verre was the first store to make it a luxury for the first estate aristocrats.

It was also way out of my price range, to say the least. It was out of any of my ranges. They should have their robot just grab me and throw me back in the car while it's early.

She shook her head. "No, no. Why do you think I had Theo take your bag? I'm paying. My treat for  what happened the other day."

Charity was for dying children and cancer. I was neither of those things. Internally dying, but it doesn't count.

"It's okay, Raj," I said. "I don't need new clothes."

"Says who?"

"Says me."

"Overruled."

"Wait, you can't do that—"

"I'm paying. We're revamping you, freshie," she said, linking her arm with mine. "It'll be fun."

"Raj—"

"Nope! No talking! Just shopping!"

With that, she hauled me inside.

The first floor.

"I think I'm gonna throw up."

Raj glared at me. "Do not throw up on this shirt. It's from their winter collection."

"Who wore it? A dead queen?" I flapped my arms and the large, puffed sleeves looked like bird wings. "Isn't this from the women's section?"

"Men wear women's clothes all the time in fashion," she said.

"I don't wear any fashion to be honest."

She spun me around and pushed me out through the curtains of the dressing room. Le Verre was five stories high, each level complete with hundreds of clothes and several wide dressing rooms with wall-to-wall mirrors. There were white couches outside to present yourself to whatever poor soul you had brought with you and the employees waited patiently to consult you—secretly judge you—along with.

It made me decide that I hated this place. Sure I've only been here for twenty minutes, but I'm a quick thinker, okay? All the crystals probably blinded me anyway.

Cole and Kate were trading her phone back and forth when I stepped out, but looked up at my entrance. Cole raised his eyebrows and nodded, then looked at Raj.

"Isn't that from the women's section?"

"Don't be rude," she said, then gestured at me, grinning. "Doesn't he pull it off well?"

Kate nodded, holding a thumbs up. "Cinches your waist well."

"What waist? Ow." Cole rubbed his arm. "I mean, yes. She's right. Cinches."

Theo smiled at me and put down a glass of water he was drinking on the glass table in front of them. "You look good, Bri."

"Don't call me Bri. Sounds even more like a girl name."

He paused. "You look good, Bri."

"That's homophobia."

"How in the world is that homopho—"

"Focus," Raj said, clapping her hands. She turned her gaze to the two female employees. "Mara, Jesse, what do you think?"

They both nodded and smiled. I wondered if it hurt with how tight their buns were on top of their head.

"You look wonderful, sir," one said.

"Very sophisticated," the other added.

"Mara, Jesse, you're great," I said. "But nope. Raj, direct me to the hoodies."

"Put on another hoodie and I'll  drop you off the fifth floor," she said, spinning me around and shoving two more pants and shirts at me. "Go on."

"How much more of this?" I asked Theo.

He smiled. "Her average is ten outfits."

"In total?" I asked hopefully.

"Per floor."

Fuck my whole fucking life.

The second floor.

Don't judge me.

But this is actually not that awful.

Who knew shopping without clicking something into a virtual bag could actually be enjoyable? Not me. Yet here I am.

The first floor was all school casual and practical—as practical as impractical could get—clothing. Which meant Raj was onto her second category: party outfits.

As much as I thought they were nice clothes, and as much as I liked eating up compliments, there were two problems.

One? I don't go to parties.

Two? If I did, I wouldn't go wearing this.

And yet, it wasn't horrible.

Maybe all my organ shifting from this morning messed up something in my brain.

"This shirt is worth more than my life," I said to her, lifting my silk-covered arms as I stood in front of the Hunters.

Raj shook her head. "You look very grown up. The pants tie it together well."

"I think the colors are bit flashy, Raj," Kate said. "Try it in red."

"Please don't make me try it in red."

"I think the turquoise brings out his eyes," Raj argued.

I turned around, rolling my eyes and changing into the next outfit with excruciating tediousness.

"You look very good in all of them, sir," said Jesse.

"Agreed," said Mara.

"Yeah, man," Cole called, clapping. "You rock that shit."

"I'll wring your neck," I said.

"Can you reach?"

"Why you—"

Raj shoved me back in with the next outfit.

The third floor.

Formal wear.

No, sorry, change that.

Torture clothes.

"Why do I look like a well-dressed chocolate cake?" I grumbled.

"This jacket is very in right now!" Raj argued. "It's double breasted and look at the details. Very vintage."

"It's very beautiful," said Jesse.

"Very beautiful," said Mara.

"Be meaner," I told them.

Theo smiled at me. "I think you look pretty."

"Pretty," I mouthed.

"It's a compliment."

"Yeah, no."

He snorted. Kate pointed at a pair of tall, sheer black boots. Raj raised a brow, eyes lighting up. I snapped my fingers.

"Don't even think about it," I said. "I think you've already put America in debt another several million dollars."

She waved me away, pointing at a much tanner pair of boots and a few tight, flared-sleeved shirts.

"The price of beauty, my dear!" she said, pushing the articles at me. "Come on, come on."

I grabbed the price tag but she slapped my hand away. "Enjoy yourself, not the price."

"I am not enjoying myself," I said. Which was sort of a lie.

What? We're all self-indulgent. Don't even deny it.

I huffed. "I'm not wearing these boots. They have heels."

"And?"

"Do I look coordinated enough to walk in heels?"

"They're one and a half inches, drama queen. And besides, we'll have more options on the next floor."

"Trust her, Bri," Theo said, making me turn. "If Raj knows anything, it's outfits."

"And if you know anything, it's how to tick someone off," I mutter.

"What was that?"

"Absolutely nothing, I'm shutting up immediately."

I pulled the curtain as he chuckled behind me. I tried to slam it, but slamming a curtain was harder than it looked, so I only hurt my knuckles in the process.

Fucking rich people.

The fourth floor.

I don't know if I should be proud of myself or start digging my own grave.

Fourth floor. Shoes.

Hundreds of shoes.

I don't think I'd ever seen so many expensive shoes in one place. I don't think I ever will again. Stilettos, boots, flats, sneakers, pumps. Knee high, ankle high, thigh high. Laces, straps, buckles, none at all. Blue, white, green, black, pink, brown, taupe, clear, reflective, neon, jeweled, glittery.

I picked out a pair of plain black sneakers.

Raj pointed at the large window across from me and I put them back.

She gave me a pair of blue boots instead.

Then I pointed at the window myself.

She put them back.

"You can't wear sneakers forever, B," she said. "At least get some dress shoes. How about these? They're limited edition silver Streaks."

I shook my head. "I like the black sneakers."

"I don't even think those are supposed to be here," she said, staring at the shoes.

Mara rushed over, grabbing them and laughing awkwardly.

"Those are my son's, sorry," she whispered, rushing back.

"Well, dammit," I muttered.

"Cole, go check out the boots. Kate, grab me some actual good sneakers. Top shelf, the bottom ones are ugly."

"The bottom ones are fine," I said.

"Don't listen to him."

"I'm gonna be wearing it!"

"Exactly."

I heaved a sigh. "I wanna die."

"You love it and I can tell," she said. "See? Retail therapy."

"And just like therapy, it's expensive."

Raj sighed, draping herself over my shoulder. "Stop thinking about money. You're so obsessed with prices." She pushed me forward. "Don't be so concerned about cubes and corners all the time, Briar."

Cole and Kate handed me several boxes of shoes in my size. I glanced at Theo, who was close enough to overhear the comment Raj made.

He took some of the boxes from me and guided me towards the dressing room. As I stepped up, he grabbed my arm and pulled me towards him.

"Come with me after," he whispered quietly.

I frowned at that, but he let me go before I could ask.

I took the shoes and set them down, looking in the wall-to-wall mirror of the dressing room. The chips in my neck glowed brighter against the white light from above, lighting up every pore and line and mark on my body.

My fingers grazed the faint outline of the chips.

"Hurry up, we don't have all day," Kate called.

I removed my hand and pushed my feet into the shoes.

Every move, every word, is monitored.

I got up, looking over the shoes. Clean and pristine and bright. I wanted to hate it.

But I didn't.

The fifth floor.

Theo had managed to convince Raj, Cole, and Kate to go back down to the second floor and get me more clothes for the shoes I—Raj—chose, which stole away time for him to grab my hand and yank me upstairs.

Depending on what genre I interpreted this event in, he was either leading me to a beautiful hidden garden of fairies and tell me the tragic backstory of his friend, Pamela the Pixie, or he was just hiding a serial killer's knife in the pocket of his coat. Either one would be more exciting than what Raj was having me do, so I followed him without protest.

We walked up the marble stairs, Mara and Jesse several feet behind us. We were the second group in the stores, but the other one was dawdling on the first floor, so the fifth one was empty, and completely black.

The other floors had been a combination of light colored walls with lighter colored lights, but the fifth floor was black from floor to wall to ceiling. 

It was as though we had stepped inside a blank computer screen, or a black hole, or the end of the day. The windows were shut by black curtains, and the only light came from floating spheres above our heads, white light piercing through pitch darkness.

Mara and Jesse quickly came up to us. Mara cleared her throat.

"Apologies, sir, but you need a—"

Theo held up a paper thin, crystal clear card, the only visible print on it a trio of golden circles with a geometric clover in the center, LE VERRE printed beneath it in white. There was another name under that one as well but he put it down before I could make it out.

Mara quickly bowed her head. "I am very sorry, I didn't mean to assume."

Theo shook his head, smiling. "Don't worry about it." He pointed at the right wall. "Can you open this one?"

Jesse turned around and slipped into a door by the stairs that I hadn't even known was there until she disappeared behind it. Several seconds passed before a series of whirrs and clicks and beeps caught my attention, making me spin on my heel.

The black glass covering the right wall lifted away. Once, twice, three times, before a clear glass wall lifted away and revealed the hidden gems behind it.

Hundreds of shelves were filled to the brim with jewels and rare metals, carefully molded and crafted and shined to glint in the glowing orbs' light.

Brooches, necklaces, earrings, anklets, rings were scattered all across. Each one had individual gems and handcrafted designs, swirls of silver and dots of gold. Animals ranging from tropical birds to cat faces, flowers ranging from roses to calla lilies.

"What in the world?" I muttered, gaping.

Theo gestured at the beginning, walking over and pointing at a small, gold swan pin, a single diamond cut to act as its wing.

"Raj can get all the shirts and pants and boots she wants," he said. "But I think these are more important."

"More important?"

"To an outfit," he said.

I frowned at that. "Why?"

He pointed at a beetle brooch that was slightly larger than the others. Emerald lines ran down its elytra, its eyes a ruby red and its legs dotted with crystals.

"That one's nice," he said.

"It's a bit big."

He gestured at a small crystal bee with emerald eyes. "She's pretty."

"She," I said. "You know the gender?"

"'Beautiful' usually means 'she'," he said.

"He's right," Mara said behind him, which he laughed at.

I snorted, then turned to look at Theo, brushing hair from my forehead. "Is this where you buy all those brooches?"

He whipped his head to me, eyes curious. "You noticed those?"

"Yeah. Was I not supposed to?"

Theo didn't answer for a moment. "Here," he said, tapping the glass. "This one is small, but it's pretty. A peacock."

I peered closer at the pearl and emerald pin. "Why do you like these so much?" I asked.

"They're pretty," he replied.

"That's it?"

Theo turned his gaze to me, brown eyes warm like coffee. He grinned at me and shrugged.

"They're better than flashy clothes in my opinion," he said. "I think they give you more character, more definition than just some rich boy."

"I'm not a rich boy though," I pointed out.

"Even better," Theo said. "They're annoying."

"You're a rich boy."

He only smiled wider.

"What about a sparrow?" he asked. "Amethyst."

"I hate purple."

He did a double take like I had offended him. "You don't like purple?"

"Whoa, calm down. Is your favorite aunt named Purple or something?"

Laughter broke the air. "No, that's just an odd color to hate."

"It's not," I defended. "Purple goes with nothing."

"Purple goes with a lot of things."

"Nothing that I own."

"Purple and black. You wear black."

"Purple and black? What am I, Halloween?"

He shook his head. "Okay, what colors do you like?"

I considered that. "Green."

"Is that why you like pickle jars?"

"Pickle jars are clear."

"So your favorite color is clear?"

"Since when did you become such a smart ass?"

"What about a lobster?"

"I take offense to that."

Theo chortled, shaking his head.

"What?" I asked, peering at a rooster brooch with diamond eyes.

He sighed, turning to join me at looking at the rooster.

"You're quite the character," he said.

"Guess I should pick quite the pin then," I said.

Theo's eyes remained on me for a few more moments before he reached up, ruffling my hair slightly, his hand lingering atop my head for a second.

"You should," he said, and gestured to the very top shelf. "How about that one?"

I looked up, and saw a small, emerald and crystal brooch sitting there patiently.

It was a pickle.

Raj had me wait outside with Cole and Theo while she checked everything out, although Theo had been the one to buy me the brooch. He didn't let me look either. The jerk.

Mara gave me the brooch in a black box inside a white bag, tied tightly at the top. I fiddled with it delicately, feeling the weight of its contents in my hands.

It was evening by the time we left and the sun was setting low, scattering pinks and tangerine ribbons onto the ground. I couldn't remember the last time I had stayed out late with friends. G always went home early to cook her family dinner, and Martinez worked evening shifts. Rarities. One by one, rarities were dissipating right before my eyes.

And I didn't hate it.

"So, how was your first shopping trip, birdie?" Cole asked.

"Eventful," I said. "Expensive."

"Always so obsessed with the numbers," he said, shaking his head. "Don't worry. You can pay us back by actually wearing them."

"Is it customary to makeover new recruits?" I asked.

"It's optional, but we prefer it. Kate got a makeover."

"Doesn't Heather get a makeover too?"

"Heather has a sense of style," Raj said as she stepped down from the marble steps, several full bags of clothes and shoes adorning her arms. Kate had the same get up and Mara and Jesse were behind her with the same large shopping bags, too.

Heather doesn't need it, was hidden in the folds of that.

"How much did you buy?" I asked.

"As much as necessary to redo your closet," she said. "I want all your old clothes thrown out by next Saturday."

"Okay, Mom."

"I'm serious, B," she said. "We have the opening banquet then."

"Opening banquet?" I asked.

"It's a banquet for the first game of the season," Theo explained. "Old tradition."

"But still tradition," Raj said.

Kate shook her head at me as they began to load the bags into the trunk of the hover vehicle waiting by the side of the road. "It's just dressing up and talking with officials no one wants to talk to," she explained, then added, "But it is tradition."

"We all sneak out for drinks when they start making speeches," Cole said. "So it's really fun."

I snorted at that. "Yeah, sounds like a blast."

"Hey, it totally is. Especially since I'm here." Cole stretched out his arms. "And I'm always a good time."

Kate opened her mouth to comment, but closed it and sighed instead. 

Theo patted his shoulder. "Of course, Cole," he said, then gestured to the vehicle. "Come on. Let's get going. Tomorrow's a school day anyway."

We clambered into the vehicle. Raj immediately turned on some song she had been rambling about to Kate and Cole joined as they screamed along to it. I waved goodbye to Mara and Jesse.

"Thank you," I called, bowing my head slightly.

They glanced at each other, surprised, then back at me, with confusion scrawled over their faces, before their eyes crinkled in a smile and they waved, bowing deeper.

"Thank you for shopping," Jesse said.

We zoomed away.

Cole turned around and gave me a look.

"Don't tell me you're into one of those girls," he said.

I did a double take. "What? Where'd you get that?"

He scoffed. "You waved at them."

"And?"

Cole tilted his head to the side. "And...?"

"I can't wave?"

He glanced at Kate who had taken notice of our conversation and gestured for Raj to turn the volume down a bit.

"Is he for real?" Cole exclaimed.

"What?" Raj gasped. "He does like one of them?"

"I don't like anybody," I said. "I just said thank you."

"You don't have to say thank you," Cole said.

"It's their job," Kate said, scrolling through Postic on her phone. "Why would you thank them for it?" She gestured to Raj. "Turn it up, I like this song."

I stared at the two of them as they moved on from me, singing and dancing along with the music in their seats. Raj laughed and swayed, nodding in beat with Cole.

"Ignore them," Theo said next to me. "They have awful taste in music."

"Is it weird to thank people in your neighborhood?"

He frowned. "It's just that they didn't do anything really extra to help us."

"Do they have to?"

"No. So why thank them?"

He turned his head towards the window, watching blurring lights and people pass him by. I watched him, like I was waiting for him to turn around and say just kidding! and agree with me instead.

He didn't.

The vehicle pulled up in front of my apartment complex last. Apparently Theo had been the one to order it because he was last with me, everyone else returned to their luxury estates.

"I'll help you with the bags," he said.

It took three trips for us to get all the clothes up the stairs to my apartment. Once they were all up, it was night, and the sun was fully gone, replaced with the moon and the sky's stars. Theo leaned on the wall across from me.

"I should take these back," I said.

"Raj will kill you," he replied.

I stared at him, then asked, "Why'd you drop me off last?"

Theo frowned. "Jump headfirst in, huh?"

I shrugged. "I don't really like small talk, I guess."

"You seem like the person who wouldn't."

"Do you always determine what people seem like when you first meet them?" I asked, making a face.

Theo huffed a small laugh. "I've met you before."

"Yeah. Less than two weeks ago."

He shook his head. "No. Before that. When Henry was on the team."

I frowned. "I don't remember you."

"Probably because every time I tried to talk to you, you'd have your Adagios in your ears and your head down," he replied, amused.

My head tilted to the right. "When?"

"Opening banquet when Henry first joined."

"Did you revamp him too?"

Theo shook his head. "He always found a way to outrun Raj. She gave up."

"Did he like them?"

"He didn't talk to them," Theo replied. "Henry was always about business. The team didn't like that, because they're sort of everything but business the moment they're off the rink, so I think they didn't mind not hanging out with him. They never got along that well; he was too serious for them, and he never trusted anyone outside of the second estate. He never liked them."

"He never talked about them," I summarized. Then I asked, "How did you get him to like you?"

Theo laughed. It echoed lightly in the hallway. "I don't know, to be completely honest. I asked him once, but he never really answered." He hummed. "I don't think he trusts any of us though. Which is understandable."

"Do you like him?" I asked.

"I like his drive," Theo said. "But I think he regrets not making more friends because of said drive."

"Sounds like Henry," I said.

"It's why you two being brothers is so right and so weird at the same time." He crossed his arms, the pin on his jeans appearing again. "You're never all business, in fact your focus and drive is the real thing that could use revamping. You constantly think last minute, which Henry hated."

"He still hates it," I said.

Theo smiled. "But you're both very—"

"—very much total assholes?"

"You both know what's important, I guess," Theo said.

I made a face. Then I asked again, "Why did you drop me off last?"

He didn't hesitate. "Because I know you don't want them knowing he's your brother. They know his apartment number and floor."

"They knew he lived in Moneda?"

"He was never ashamed of it."

"Raj has gone through two of us and she still makes those comments," I muttered.

"She's been swallowing them for the past several years," Theo said. He sighed. "It's late."

I pointed down the hall. "Yeah. Get out of here."

He laughed, turning on his heel as I opened the door to stuff the bags inside. Something that resembled guilt tugged at my stomach as I heard his footsteps go down the hall. I clutched the bags by their strings.

The plan seemed to be working better than I thought it would, but a part of me didn't like that it was. Which was bullshit, and likely karma. Theo was nice, very nice, but where he was didn't mean he got there by being that nice. Anyone could be nice when chips were in your neck. Anyone could be like Raj, with her sweet face and corrosive core. What would happen if the chips were gone? If he said everything honestly? Would he really be so great?

The feeling didn't subside.

"Briar."

I turned around. Theo waved from down the hall.

"I'll bring brownies for Thursday," he said.

"Better not be blondies."

He shook his head and laughed. "Come on. Double chocolate chip is the only right answer."

Stupid fucking dimples, was one thing I could have said.

Stupid punchable face, was another.

Stupid sweet persona, was a good thought.

Instead, I just said I'm sorry. Only it came out as, "Awesome."

He grinned. "Totally awesome."

Forget letters to real people.

By the end of this, I was going to be writing a letter straight to hell.

(hey hi. thanks for reading. you're a kind soul.

If ya like it, give it a vote. If not, ouch but understood!)