Page 287 of Silver Sweet

Once they’re gone, I put on socks since today’s adventure is going to call for footwear. I hear a pair of knuckles at my doorframe.

“Everyone is so polite today. Knocking.” I look up.“Ben Pirrip, what can I do you for?”

“You left these in my closet.” He hoists my old sneakers. “Not that I mind storing your Converses, but I figured you’d want them in your new room.”

I try not to think too hard about how I’m in need of shoes and Ben shows up with three pairs. I might actually start believing I have real godly powers, and that’s just too far for me. There is a limit.

“Forgot I had those,” I say. “You can set them near the dresser. Thanks, dude.”

He puts them down. Like Phoenix, his gaze drifts around the charcoal walls. “Foam boards are new?”

“Yeah, they got installed this morning. I haven’t told Phoenix yet, but there’s enough room for a drum kit in the corner. Perks of not sharing a bedroom. Not that I didn’t love our time together.” I hold his gaze. “Priceless, and I mean that. Like times a bajillion.”

Ben smiles, warm and genuine. “Yeah, same, man. I don’t take any time spent with you guys for granted.”

That feels good to know.

He sits beside me on the bed. I like that he’s hanging out here for a second.

I lift my sock up my calf. “I wish Dad heard me use a made-up word so I could see his eye twitch.”

“It does do that when you say gazillion-bajillion.”

I laugh. “I knew it.”

Ben smiles wider. His eyes seem brighter as they travel around my things, landing on my framedSilver Sweetalbumvinyl on the wall. “It’s definitely an upgrade from Eliot’s.”

Eliot gave me his room. I painted over the red walls, and there’s no ginormous four-poster bed engulfing the space or thick, heavy drapes obscuring the window.

Ben fits on a baseball cap backward and adds guiltily, “Don’t tell him I said that.”

“He won’t care,” I remind him. “You could literally call him an ugly grotesque monster, and he would not take a single word personally.” I tug the leg to my jeans down and stand. “What he knows about himself cannot be weakened or damaged by the opinions of others.” I tap my temple. “Strong mind.”

“What’s it like having one of those?” he banters.

I try not to look disturbed, but his morbid humor has high shock value, being my sunshine baby brother.

A smile plays at his lips. “Joking.”

“Stop coming for my comedic crown, Ben Pirrip,” I warn.

“I don’t think I’m much of a contender.”

“Not with that attitude.” We share a laugh, and I remind him, “And dude, youknow what it’s like having a strong mind. You and Beckett have the strongest minds of us all since your brains are in constant battle.”

Ben leans back on his palms. “I like how you view the world.” It’s one of the most out-of-pocket nice things anyone has ever told me. That’s just Ben.

“I’m glad we still live in the same apartment so you can keep telling me awesome things about myself,” I say. “One of the many reasons.” The other reason comes hopping into the ajar door. “My nephew. Come to visit.” I outstretch my arms to Mister Feathers.

Ben is laughing as the white cockatoo hops past me. He flies up to Ben’s shoulder and head-butts his cheek. Then he chirps, “My home, my home.”

Good choice.

Though I have my ways with the bird. I unpocket dried-fruit treats and feed him from Ben’s shoulder. We chat about how Harriet has braved a return to the Honors House. She said most of her dormmates haven’t brought up the ordeal. Those that did just blamed her mom for causing drama.

“For a minute there, I thought she was about to move in with us,” I tell Ben.

Ben has a soft smile. “I never doubted that she’d go back. Fisher is tough.”