Half of My Heart ✔️

18 | home sweet home

I meet Levi outside of my dorm building at 7 am. I yawn, unlocking the Mustang and opening the trunk. "Tired?" He asks, amusement laced in his voice. This early in the morning, his voice sounds a bit deeper and raspier from sleep.

I nod, rubbing my eyes aggressively. "I got in about four hours of dance yesterday. Last hurrah before leaving," I say as he throws his black duffel bag into the trunk.

Levi doesn't say anything, just shakes his head as he goes to the passenger seat. I put my bags in the back and get in as well.

"Where's your brother? Is he walking home?" Levi asks.

"No, he has basketball practice today and tomorrow morning. He's coming tomorrow around noon," I explain. I leave out the part about Jack being the one driving both of them to our house, leaving Levi to fill in the blanks however he pleases. Thankfully, he doesn't press the subject.

Since Archer dropped the car off yesterday, the radio is tuned to some random station when I start the car.

"Oh no," Levi says when rap music starts playing through the car. He puts his face in his hand dramatically. "Crimson, I don't know if I can handle three hours of this shit."

I don't have the energy to laugh, so I just turn the radio to another recently played station. Levi groans when the rap music is replaced by Taylor Swift. "Hey, don't hate on T-Swift. She is a pioneer," I say, turning off the radio.

I see him smiling in the corner of my vision. "So I'm going to be meeting the male, Taylor Swift-and-rap-music-loving version of you?"

"I mean, that's one way to describe him." I give him a quick apologetic look. "Archer also happens to be the best friend of . . . Jack. So there's that," I say sheepishly.

"This is psychological warfare. You're trying to kill me," Levi says. "So is Archer gonna try to finish what Jack started the other day?"

I press my lips together. "Actually . . . Archer kind of doesn't know that Jack and I are a thing," I explain, thinking it'll be good for him to know, just so he doesn't expose me and Jack to the rest of my family. "Besides, Jack didn't start it. Technically, you pushed him first."

"Yeah, and it didn't do much damage. I swear, dude's made of pure muscle," Levi laughs dryly. "Some guys are all brawn and no brains, I guess."

I glance at him, taken back by the cruel jab, before focusing my attention back on the road. Levi looks over at me and notices my uncomfortable silence.

"That was unfair," he admits, brushing my hand with his to get my attention. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have said that."

"You don't know him. So I'd appreciate it if you didn't make petty assumptions about him," I say seriously. "And the same goes for Jack—I'd get mad at him if he judged you unfairly."

Levi doesn't reply, looking out the window.

"There's no reason to worry. This week is gonna be great," I assure him, wondering if he's second-guessing his decision to come along.

"Sure, sure," he says. "Is there anything else I need to know about the Maddoxes."

I think for a second, wondering where to start. "Well it's not just the Maddoxes that will be present on Thanksgiving. My Aunt Pey, her wife Aunt Sadie, and their four-year-old, Sienna, will be there. Aunt Pey used to play on the USWNT, so if you ever find yourself alone in a conversation with her, talk about that. They have two dogs too, so you can ask them about that."

"Holy shit. USWNT? That's insane."

"Yeah, she's kind of a badass. Also, my Aunt Violet and her husband, Uncle Tommy, will also be there. They have a son that's a year older than Dani, Kato. Kato is some sort of prodigy, so don't get in a one-on-one conversation with him unless you want to talk about tennis or electromagnetic physics or multivariable calculus."