Page 497 of The Bonding Games: Part 1

I frown. “My Score is one point higher than yours—”

“—my birthday is the fifth of April—”

“You sure it’s not the first?”

My gaze rams into Cooper with the force of a hurricane. “What the fuck did you just say to my brother?”

His eyes blow wide. “What—”

I shove to my feet, chair scraping across the floor with an ear-splitting shriek.

“Wait! Jesus fuck, man—calm down! I didn’t realise how that sounded! I didn’t bloody mean it like that! I just meant he’s really upbeat! It’s not a bad thing!”

Stilling for a moment, I scrutinise him.

“It’s fine, big bro. Coops is a real one. All cool beans.”

“I told you not to call me that,” the man in question groans, scrubbing his hands down his face.

Grunting, I make myself sit back down after another narrowed-eyed look at him.

“Sure, sure, Coops.” Tiger waves a lazy hand.

Cooper sighs but says no more.

“Anywayyyyy . . . I’m from EvTS 308—came with my brother, obviously. My favourite colour is . . . hmmm . . . gold!”

“Any particular reason?” Tate drawls, seemingly entirely uninterested in this conversation but involving himself anyway for the hell of it.

A scoff. “Dude, I’m not that arrogant.”

Cooper asks, “Have you ever even seen gold before?”

My brother’s expression morphs into one of extreme concentration, and a second passes before he chirps, “Yup! There’s pictures online, like the ballroom for the Halfway Ball that has gold everywhere!”

“And that’s enough to make it your favourite colour?”

“Uh, no. I just have a good feeling about it.”

He stops for a moment to shove a sausage into his mouth, and, for some reason, we all wait patiently for him to finish his mouthful.

“Okay! You go on, brother!”

With a small shake of my head, I yield and say, “I’m Scotty, and I’m twenty-two.”

They all stare at me.

“What?”

“Is that all?” Tiger pushes.

“Yes? There’s not exactly much to say, is there?”

His eyes roll dramatically. “You’re really not selling yourself here, brother.”

I shrug.

He groans but moves on. “Whatever. Alby, your turn.”