the first one • j. hughes

8

"Where's Jack and Luke?" I ask. The other bed in my room was shockingly empty. Ki got to take over Penn's bed because she has guest rights.

Now, there is the master bedroom and guest suite. But it's like... an unsaid thing that those are for the parents. And no matter how much Luke and Quinn both deny it, they love sharing rooms. Especially Luke. He loves it. Especially with me. No matter how many times he claims I take too long to fall asleep and that I talk too much while he's trying to fall asleep.

"They'll be back anytime now," Quinn says. "They went to get breakfast."

I throw my head back dramatically, plopping down onto the couch next to him as I do it. "I don't even get a home-cooked breakfast for my first day as a twenty-one-year-old? Seriously?"

"Nate offered and the boys said no."

"Man. You're the only one actually up and around?"

He puts an arm around my shoulders and pulls me into his side. "Don't sound so disappointed."

"Oh, I'm ecstatic," I say. "You're my favorite oldest Hughes."

"Must be a close race," he jokes.

"You're winning by a mile."

"Happy birthday, Dee." His hold on me tightens for a second. A squeeze.

"Thanks, Quinner."

The front door opens and there's what can only be described as a ruckus in the foyer. Their voices bleed together and I can't even tell who's saying what but there has to be three people. Shoes are being kicked off. I look up at Quinn to see his reaction. All I see is a smile. The door is shut. Gently. Just means Jack closed it.

"Honey, I'm home!"

"I thought you couldn't make it," I call back. They can come in here.

They do and that's when I jump up off the couch and barrel into Trevor's open arms. He gasps out a laugh before wrapping his arms around me as tight as mine are around him. "I got scared I'd miss you doing some stupid shit while legally shitfaced for the first time."

"Yeah, okay," I say with a roll of my eyes.

Trevor and I are an interesting duo. When Jack first introduced us—which feels like forever ago—I could not stand him. The feeling was mutual. One time he pushed me in a pool while I was fully clothed 'cause I apparently looked at him like I was going to do that to him. Everyone was really shocked by it because I rarely meet a person I couldn't find something to like about. Like, I once brute force befriended a kid who teased me mercilessly because she had a nice laugh.

But with Trevor? I hated him. For a long while. At some point, I got fed up and told Jack that if the dude so much as looked at me again I was going to punch him into another state. So being the lovely guy Jack is, he and Alex Turcotte locked us in a room together. I yelled at Trevor for a good half hour and then he yelled at me right back for his half hour and then somehow we were pals.

"I'll do some stupid shit just for you," I tell him, pulling out of the hug and practically skipping over to the kitchen where Luke's pulling breakfast out. Thank god they were actually getting breakfast too.

"What do you want?"

On instinct, I punch his arm. "I can't believe you made me wake up alone on my birthday."

"I can't believe you're so codependent," he says.

"Big word for you, eh? Sure you know what it means?"

He ignores me, calling out toward the living room, "Are you guys gonna come get food or what?"

"Don't pout, Moose."