The Distance Between Us

not, why does his family act like this is so normal? Like they don’t care that Xander picked up some girl off the street and is now hanging out with her, flying her around in the family’s private jet? Something isn’t adding up.
    Lucas and Xander start catching up on life as though they haven’t seen each other in months. Maybe they haven’t.
    “Is Dad making you fly home for the benefit?” Xander asks as we come to a black SUV parked on the street.
    Lucas sighs. He doesn’t look at all like Xander. His hair is blond, while Xander’s is brown. His complexion is fair, while Xander’s is olive. But they both have the same air about them. “Yes. Do you think I could hire a body double?”
    “You know this is Mom’s baby. I talked once at the breakfast table about how I was dreading it and she almost broke down in tears. Now I pretend like it is the most exciting thing ever. That works better.” Xander opens the passenger-side door and waits like he expects me to get in the front. I smile. “You can sit by your brother.” I open the back and climb in.
    “Mom just stresses,” Lucas says when we’ve all taken our seats.
    “I know.”
    “Is Scarlett going because I don’t know if I can put up with her this year?”
    “I don’t know. She was at our house last night and didn’t say anything. I’m sure Mom tried to convince her. She talked to Mom and Dad without me for a while.” Xander glances my way and smiles, and I realize Scarlett must’ve been the girl who interrupted our phone call last night, not Sadie. “But I’m sure she’ll have some gossip about everyone at the benefit. She’s like our own personal source of awful information. It wouldn’t be the same without her.”
    Lucas looks over his shoulder at me. “We shouldn’t talk about it like this or we’ll scare poor Caymen. Don’t worry. You’ll like it. Lots of creepy old men who will want to dance with you. Lots of food that looks like it might crawl off your plate. And the band is so exciting they don’t even need a lead singer.”
    “I’m in that band. I’m glad you like it,” I say.
    Lucas stutters. “No. I mean, yes. The band is great. I was just being stupid. I’m sorry.”
    Xander laughs. “She’s just kidding, Luke. She’s not in the band.”
    Lucas shakes his head and meets my eyes in the rearview mirror. “You said it with such a straight face I thought for sure you were serious.”
    “She’s really good at sarcasm.”
    I tap the back of Xander’s headrest. “I thought we agreed on the word ‘exceptionally.’”
    “I’m trying not to encourage you.”
    “And does it work?”
    Lucas smiles. “Maybe the benefit won’t be as boring as I thought. She’s sitting at our table, right?”
    “Caymen is smart. She refuses to go with me.”
    “What?” Lucas punches Xander in the arm. “Has that ever happened before? Do I need to write this down somewhere?” He looks around and then ends up grabbing his phone from the center console and holding it to his mouth like a recording device. “A girl refused to go somewhere with Xander. Alert the media.”
    “Whatever,” Xander says.
    “And while we’re on the topic. Two weeks in a row? Pretty impressive, bro. I must be too boring for them to care about these days.”
    “What are you talking about?” Xander asks.
    “Starz.” He rolls his eyes with a sigh when Xander looks oblivious. If I didn’t know exactly what Lucas was talking about I might look oblivious, too. “The magazine. You. Front page.”
    “Seriously?” He sounds more angry than surprised.
    “Yes. They have you dating Sadie again.”
    “What?” He points past the light where we’re stopped and to the Quickie Mart on the opposite corner. “Stop there.”
    Lucas shrugs and obeys the directions, parking the car. Xander barely waits for it to stop moving before he jumps out and disappears into the glowing store.

Chapter 29

    W hile we wait in the car Lucas turns all the way around in his seat, resting his arm across the back. “What’s that about?”
    My heart is racing. The girlfriend “secret” is out, and I wonder what Xander is going to say or do now. “He must be mad that they printed something about him and Sadie.”
    “You’re probably right. I just thought he knew.”
    “Me, too.”
    Minutes later a Starz magazine is slapped against the window next to me, making me jump in surprise.
    “You read this?” he yells through the window. I can barely hear him.
    He opens