Two Can Keep a Secret

2- The Hughes

When my feet hit the cold hardwood floor, a shiver goes up my body despite the warm temperatures outside. I grab an old sweatshirt from my closet that happens to be one Fin's football sweatshirts from high school. I also put socks on my feet so my toes don't freeze off.

When I get downstairs I realize that I'm the last one to be up. Dad is going in out of the house with various tools, no doubt working on some project for the house. Finian is eating breakfast at the table, scrolling on his phone. Nolan is somehow shoveling eggs into his mouth while putting on shoes.

"Where are you going Nol?" I ponder with a yawn. I walk over to the fridge and pull out the milk to have with my breakfast.

"I'm going to the Hughes. We're gonna go out on the lake." Nolan responds with food still in his mouth. I drop the milk so fast that it almost spills. I spin around, gaining not only Nolan's attention but also Finian's attention. Finian raises an eyebrow in curiosity and Nolan stops eating.

"Let me go," I say. Nolan rolls his eyes and starts to shake his head. "Please? They're my friends too! And I haven't seen them in forever, please Nolan?" I exclaim before Nolan can deny. Finian starts to laugh, holding a hand to his mouth to stop food from spilling out.

"It's not just going to be the Hughes. Some hockey friends will be there too," Nolan points out, going back to shoveling food in his mouth.

"I don't really care." I sigh, my shoulders deflating. The Hughes are like brothers to me, I spent the entirety of my childhood and high school attached to them. Plus Mrs. Hughes sort of stepped in as a mom for me. Nolan hogs them though because 'he met them first'. Cue the eye roll.

"Nolan let your sister go." My dad says from the doorway. I didn't even realize he was there the whole time. He's measuring the doorframe, scribbling measurements into his notepad. After Nolan left for college and I was able to drive myself places, dad got bored. He put all of his time into remodeling the house even though it looks perfectly fine.

I look to Nolan who has a very dramatized annoyed expression on his face. I roll my eyes and stick my tongue out at Nolan. He groans loudly, head banging onto the table. "Are you going in your pajamas? 'Cause I'm leaving in like 5 minutes and if you aren't in the car when I leave, I will leave without you." He gives in with a tug on his hair.

I don't bother responding to him, I just sprint up to my room and get dressed. Since we'll be on the lake I put on a cute floral bikini. I cover up with jean shorts and a white button up, leaving the button undone and revealing the bikini top. I put my hair up into a bun while I go downstairs.

Nolan's gone and I spot him outside, standing against his car. I take off in a sprint, knowing that Nolan probably will leave me. I slip my feet into flip flops and run outside, ushering a goodbye to my father.

Nolan looks up from the ground when he hears me and gives me another annoyed expression before getting in his car. I decide just to ignore his stupid face and get in the passenger side.

On the way to the Hughes, which is only a 10 minute drive, I blast some Morgan Wallen. Nolan acts like he hates it but secretly I know that he likes Morgan Wallen.

     "Who's all going to be there? Just the Hughes?" I ask Nolan after the first song ends and a new one starts to play. I know that Jack always seems to have old teammates over all the time, my brother included.

    "Cole and Alex will be there, oh and Trev I'm pretty sure," Nolan answers me. He turns down the radio so that we can have an actual conversation. I let the music play low because we're almost to the Hughes anyway.