His Little Brother

Chapter Three

"Jay-Bird?" David asked after they had settled on the Cunningham's deck for dinner.

Jazz shifted uncomfortably in her seat, still attempting to recover from her embarrassment after falling, but Dylan Cunningham was only making it worse.

"That's what Dr. Smith calls you, right?" Dylan asked Jazz, staring directly at her. His gaze was so direct that it made Jazz even more uncomfortable.

"Yes," she cleared her throat, "but Jasmine is fine."

"Really? Your dad told me you preferred Jazz or Jay-Bird. He actually said that you hated being called by your full name. Jasmine Marie, right?"

Jazz could feel her throat becoming dry again, and drank some of the cool water Mrs. Cunningham offered her. She couldn't believe her dad had told a total stranger so much about her life.

"Jasmine is fine," she assured him.

"Are you sure Jay-Bird?" Dylan pressed again with a smirk on his face.

Jazz resisted the urge to kick his shin under the table. 

He was incredibly annoying.

"Yes, I'm sure," she said before picking at her sweet potato fries again. She was starving but couldn't focus on devouring her food because Dylan hadn't shut up once about her name. He, on the other hand, had already finished eating an entire burger and was on his second one.

When Dylan finally shut up long enough for her to enjoy her meal, Jazz snuck a peak at David, who had been quietly eating his burger.

Does he think inviting me over was a mistake? She wondered nervously, taking small bites from her cheeseburger.

"So, David, what's this topic that you two are writing about?" Mr. Cunningham finally interjected, finishing off his own burger.

His dad's question seemed to wake David from his thoughts and he smiled. "Oh, uhh, we're going to discuss the evolution of Shakespearean comedy."

"That sounds interesting." Mrs. Cunningham chimed in.

"I second that." Mr. Cunningham agreed.

"Really?" was Dylan's response, before taking a huge bite of his second burger.

Jazz felt instant annoyance. "Do you have a problem with Shakespeare?" she asked, looking directly at him this time.

When David called Dylan his little brother, she imagined a miniature version of David. Dylan on the other hand, was just as tall as his big brother. In fact, the only difference Jazz could easily notice was that Dylan was thinner than David, and his eyes were not the rich dreamy brown like his brother's. They were a piercing hazel. 

"Not a problem with Shakespeare," Dylan said between bites. Jazz took another sip of water to hide her annoyance. "It's just that the topic is fairly common, don't you think? If this project is worth 40% of your grade, I would think you two would have come up with something more original. Especially since Dr. Smith is so brilliant."

A slap in the face would have stung less.

Jazz couldn't believe that her academic capabilities were being questioned. She had been a straight A student all her life. She took another sip of water, trying her best to remain composed.

"I actually think it's a brilliant idea, Jazz." David quickly chimed in before she could respond to Dylan. "We've been studying a lot of Shakespeare this semester, so it'll be good to zone in on comedy and map how Shakespeare developed that genre specifically. Besides, Jazz seems pretty excited about it, so I am, too."

All of the annoyance she previously felt disappeared when David called her Jazz. She felt so giddy that she tried her best to hide her smile with a napkin.

"If you say so," Dylan responded nonchalantly, getting up for more food, Jazz assumed. "I say, ask Dr. Smith for some advice, " he offered. 

"And I say it's none of your business," Jazz mumbled under her breath.

"What was that?" Mrs. Cunningham asked her.

"Oh, nothing." Jazz lied, forcing a smile.

She swore that she saw Dylan in the corner of her eye with a grin on his face, and knew in that moment that he was going to be a thorn in her flesh.