“I’ll hang up on you right now.”
“Do it.”
“I will.”
“Fine.”
“Fine.”
They glared at each other.
Joy caved first. She grinned. “I miss you, big bro.”
“I miss you too.” Blake’s sister was a pain in the ass, but she was also one of his best friends and he loved her. Most of the time.
Some of the time.
“How’s Shanghai?”
“Great, for the most part. A bit noisy and polluted, but…” Blake shrugged. “You can’t have it all.”
He was happy to be in Shanghai—to be anywhere except Texas, really—but, truth be told, he found China strange and overwhelming. The food was weird, people stared at him wherever he went, and there was a lot of everything everywhere, all the time.
Noise. Lights. Cars. For a boy who grew up in the quiet suburbs of Texas, Blake felt like someone plucked him out of a fishbowl and dropped him in the middle of a highway during rush hour.
Not that he’d ever tell his family that. They gave him enough shit about his decisions as it was.
Besides, he arrived less than a week ago. He had plenty of time to get acclimated to Asia.
“You ready for TSU?” he asked.
“Of course. I’ve been preparing all summer. Besides, I’ve visited you on campus enough to know what it’s like.” After a stint at the local community college, Joy was transferring to TSU for her sophomore year. “Cleo’s been amazing. She gave me the lowdown on everything I need to know. Which classes I should take, bars I should go to, boys I should meet.”
Wariness settled in Blake’s stomach. “I didn’t realize you two were spending so much time together.”
“Um, she’s practically my sister.” Joy gave him a pointed look. “She’d be my actual sister—well, sister-in-law—one day if you hadn’t fucked things up.”
Here we go again. “Don’t start.”
“I’m not starting anything.”
“Good.”
"All I’m saying is, Cleo is the best girlfriend you could’ve asked for—”
Blake groaned. “For God’s sake, we’ve been through this.”
“—and you broke up with her.” Joy shook her head. “What were you thinking?”
“I was thinking it’s my love life and none of your business.” This was one of those times Blake did not love his sister. She’d been on his case about Cleo all summer. He thought she’d be over it by now.
Apparently not.
“Mom and Dad are pissed.”
“Tell me something I don’t know.” Between quitting football and breaking up with Cleo, Blake hadn’t exactly endeared himself to his parents this year.
“Joy? Is that your brother on the line?”
Joy smirked. “Speak of the devil.”
“Who are you calling the devil?” Blake’s mom scolded playfully. She poked her face in front of the screen. “Hi, dear.”
“Hi, Mom.”
“Are you eating enough? You look skinnier.”
Joy snickered. “That’s my cue. I’ll let you talk to Mom.” She stood up. “Don’t be a stranger, danger.”
“That makes no sense.”
“Whatever. Byeee!”
Blake’s mom wasted no time getting down to business. “How’s the food in China? Is that why you’re not eating? Oh Blake, you should’ve studied abroad in Europe.”
“I have been eating, and the food is fine.” It took some getting used to, was all. Turned out General Tso’s chicken was not a thing here, as Blake discovered when he tried to order it last night. “Don’t worry.”
Helen Ryan pinned her son with a glare. “I’m your mother. It’s my job to worry, especially when you’re spending a year in some strange country across the world.”
“Technically, any country except the U.S. is ‘strange,’” Blake quipped. He was the first in his family to travel outside the U.S. and Western Europe, so he understood their concern, but they acted like he was studying in a war zone instead of a major international city.
“You know what I mean.” Helen twisted her bracelet around her wrist. “I’m sure the people are lovely, but couldn’t you have gone somewhere more…familiar? London, for example. They speak English there. It might not be too late to switch programs for the spring.”
“Going somewhere unfamiliar is the point.” Not to mention Shanghai was way farther from home than London. “Besides, Chinese is a useful language to learn.”
“I suppose you’re right.” Helen sighed. “I’m worried about you, Blake. You’ve been acting strange all year.”
“I have a few things I need to figure out.” Like what the hell he was going to do with his life now that football was out of the picture. “I’ll be fine, I promise.”
“All right.” His mom didn’t appear convinced, but she dropped the issue. “Do you want to talk to your father? He’s around here somewhere.” She turned toward the living room. “Joe!”
“No!” Blake cleared his throat. “I mean, another time. I have an orientation thing soon.”
“This late at night?”
“Uh, yeah. We’re going to a…night market,” Blake fudged.
“Oh, ok.” Helen looked disappointed. “Have fun. I’ll talk to you soon. I love you.”
“I love you too, mom.”
Blake signed off. That was a close call. He didn’t need to speak with his father when Joe Ryan’s voice already echoed in his head like a bad dream.
Are you STUPID? Did you get hit too hard in the head during the game...Can’t quit football, it’s the only thing you’re good at…Quitters are losers…
A dull ache blossomed behind Blake’s temple. The mere thought of his father drove him crazy.
A loud slam caused him to jump. Blake thought the sound was an alarming escalation of his headache until he saw his roommate in the doorway.
“Sorry.” Luke Peterson grimaced. Standing at 6’2” and north of 250 pounds, he looked every inch the rugby player he was. “Had a few too many drinks.”
“It’s cool.” Blake eyed his roommate’s flushed face and short brown hair, which stuck up all over the place. “Where did you have drinks? A wind tunnel?”
“Har-har.” Luke smoothed a self-conscious hand over his hair. “I was pregaming the pregame in Courtney’s room. They’re at Gino’s now, but I forgot my wallet.”
Gino’s, a dive bar near campus, was fast becoming FEA’s favorite pregame spot. The food was crappy, but the drinks were cheap, which was all a college student could ask for.
Blake didn’t care about the food or drinks, really. He went to bars for the energy and solidarity. There, strangers could bond over the simplest things, from mutual love for a song to a goal scored by their favorite team on TV. Everyone was welcome, regardless of whether they were there to hang out, hook up, or drown their sorrows.
“Perfect timing.” Blake stood up and pulled his sweatshirt over his head. It got crazy hot in Gino’s. “I was about to head over there myself.”