By the time he’s finished, my schedule and map look like a three-year-old went to town on it with a box of highlighters, but I don’t want to be here longer than I need to be so I just pick up the papers, nod, thank him and leave.

It’s only a little after eleven a.m., but with no classes today and no real interest in meeting new people, signing up for any clubs or societies or running into Courtney again, I grab a couple of prepacked sandwiches and three bottles of water from the cafeteria and start to walk back to the house.

“Hello, little sister,” a voice says from behind me a moment before a heavy arm lands across my shoulders.

Freezing, I snap my head around and find myself looking up at Evan, a smug smirk etched across his face.

“Jesus, it’s like blast-from-the-past hell,” I mutter. “Hello, Evan.”

“Got to say, sis, I’m disappointed you haven’t come to say hi, we are family after all.”

Shrugging, I dislodge his arm and then step to the side and out of his reach. “We’re not family, our parents just got married, that doesn’t make us”—I motion between us—“anything.”

“Harsh,” Evan laughs. “Your mom is my mom now, that makes us siblings.”

“Stepsiblings at best, and it hardly counts when we live in different states and don’t spend any time together. You’re my mom’s new stepson, and we’re just people who went to the same high school for a few months.”

A look, that if I didn’t know better I’d say was hurt, flashes across his face. “She misses you.”

“Who?”

“Your mom. She misses you.”

“She chose not to speak to me for a year, not me.”

“You left.”

“I don’t want to discuss this with you. It’s none of your business,” I snap, increasing my pace and hoping he’ll leave, but instead he just walks quicker, staying at my side.

“Of course it’s my business, she’s a good person, she didn’t deserve you treating her like that.”

Stopping, I spin around to face him. “I’m glad she’s with your dad, I’m glad she’s happy and that you and she have a good relationship. That was all made easier by me not being in the picture, so I’ve actually done you a favor. My relationship with my mom ended when your friend told me if I left him he’d take everyone I loved away from me. He won, he did take her away, but she let him. So this is where we are. My choice, his choice, her choice, they led me here and her to your dad. I was happy living with my dad, she was happy falling in love and getting married. Everyone’s a winner.”

“Starling”

“Look, Evan, it is what it is. We’re not family, we’re definitely not friends. I’m assuming my mom asked you to look out for me or something, but you don’t need to. I’m never going to tell anyone you’re my mom’s husband’s son, and you don’t need to worry about me trying to cash in on your name here, because I won’t, ever. So how about we just pretend like we’ve never met and if my mom asks, then I’ll tell her we have lunch together once a week, or something.”