This was strictly a business transaction, a way to score a temporary prince and maybe have a little fun at Milo’s expense. I couldn’t wait to see his expression when he saw the costume. And yeah, I’d help him with what was sure to be a futile hunt because I’d given my word and that meant something to me. But no way in hell was I resurrecting a friendship better left buried. I’d get what I needed and get the hell away.
Chapter Four
Milo
“You’re a lifesaver. I mean that.” I pocketed my phone after collecting Jasper’s number and the details for Wednesday. Wear a crown for some kids? That couldn’t be too hard. In a way, I felt bad, like Jasper was letting me off too easily. “So…uh…why can’t you dress up as the prince guy?”
“I’m another key character.” Jasper’s long-suffering expression said I couldn’t possibly understand the intricacies of this cosplay stuff. Whatever. I was known for being a good sport. Like, I let myself get talked into a costume every Halloween. Some even had masks, which I wasn’t a fan of. At least this wasn’t likely to involve fake blood, which my notoriously weak stomach hated.
“Gotcha. So which one are you?”
“I’m the Frog Wizard. The kids love it.” Jasper’s little smile was far too appealing and far too short-lived. “And at the risk of feeding your already massive ego, no one would buy me as the prince. You’ll be perfect.”
“My ego is not that big!” I felt honor bound to protest. Also, I sure hadn’t felt like all that in months and months. Being needed for something, even something silly like this, was…different. Maybe even nice.
“Yes, it is. Your opinion of yourself has always been more than healthy.” Jasper had the audacity to roll his eyes at me. I didn’t see what self-esteem had to do with being a prince unless…
“You saying the prince is a hot dude?” I mulled this over in my head. Yeah, maybe I wasn’t bad looking, but I never knew what to do when people pointed that out. Pretty boy. I had to shove George’s voice the hell out of my head, making myself focus only on Jasper. “Like, he works out?”
I wasn’t that much taller than Jasper, but I was more built. And Jasper wasn’t bad looking for a skinny guy. If you were into red hair and freckles and… Yeah. Not going there. I didn’t see how muscles made the prince, but maybe the guy was simply that ripped. I resolved to do a few more arm curls before Wednesday.
“Yeah. The prince pumps iron.” Another dismissive eye roll from Jasper as he picked up his backpack. “You can Google him. I’ll have your toga Wednesday. See you then.”
“Wait. Toga?” He hadn’t mentioned a toga. I’d been picturing some sort of velvet robe, not a sheet.
“You backing out?” Jasper raised an eyebrow, all but calling me a chicken.
“No!” Maybe. God, I really hoped not. I still needed his help in the worst way. “How much skin are we talking about?”
“It’s kids, Milo. Chill. All your essential bits are covered. You might be a little cold, but you’re not risking an indecent-exposure citation.”
“Good.” Last thing I needed was another citation of any kind, but I sure as hell wasn’t telling Jasper that. “I can deal. See you Wednesday.”
“See you.” Something about Jasper’s tone told me he was expecting me to bail on him. But I wouldn’t. Bring on the toga. Whatever it took to replace Bruno’s cards.
Satisfied that I at least had help in my quest, I finally headed back home. Well, not home. Home was a two-story blue house not too far from where I knew Jasper’s parents still lived. A new family lived there now. I’d seen them. Three kids. A mom and a dad. But not us. Bruno was halfway around the world, Mom had her small apartment, and Dad…
Well. Dad was somewhere. A better place, they said. I wasn’t so sure. But I did know that him not being here had changed everything, taken that little blue house away for good. And after my accident, I’d had no choice but to stay with Mom for a while, but I hated feeling like I was crowding her already tight space, disrupting the new routines she’d worked so hard to find. So I’d moved in with some friends. Crappy apartment on the edge of town, a complex that had never seen a good decade, with thin walls and lax management, but I could afford my share of the rent. At least I hadn’t had to worry about the whole application thing on my own.
And it was on a bus line, which was an advantage because I didn’t take my car out unless I had no choice. It was a Sunday, so I had a wait for a bus, but that was fine. I had my phone and other distractions with me. No one was around at the downtown stop, so I pulled out my pocket sketchbook, did some doodles while I waited. I roughed out some crowns, trying to psych myself up for Wednesday, but somehow my pen strokes kept morphing into cartoon versions of Jasper. Messy hair. Easy smiles. I was being ridiculous, but it passed the time until the bus finally pulled up.
As I pocketed my sketchbook, my phone buzzed with a message. Jasper, almost like he’d sensed my obsession with getting the right lift to his expressive eyebrows.
Change your mind yet?
Gee. He had such faith in me. No. You wanting me to back out? Got another prince on standby?
The reply came as I found a seat at the back of the bus. Nope. No such luck. Just making sure because Kellan says some hospital administrators are stopping by. It would suck not to have a Neptune for their visit.
What the heck? He’d said kids. But a promise was a promise.
I’ll be there, I texted even as the skin of my lower back prickled. I hated the idea of being embarrassed in front of anyone, but if this was the price of Jasper’s help, so be it. He’d probably enjoy my discomfort, damn him. And the worst thing was that I couldn’t say I blamed him. I’d been a shit to him in high school, and I’d been the one to trash the best friendship I’d ever had. No one’s fault but mine.
Eventually I made it back to the apartment. As usual, Luther and James had taken over the living room, chip wrappers and beer bottles surrounding them as they battled in some first-person shooter game.
“Hey.” Nodding in my direction, Luther stretched. The two of them had probably been at the game all day because the place reeked. Funny how they loved hating on nerds even as they were obsessed with wreaking fictional carnage. “You were late last night.”
“What the hell? You his mom now?” Not even looking up from his controller, James made a pinched face, like even this amount of interaction was physically painful for him.
“Nah.” Luther made a dismissive gesture. “I just want someone here to have gotten lucky last night. Damn sure wasn’t me.”
Lucky. My stomach gave a fresh roll. “It was all right.”