Her eyes go wide. “Are you kidding? He went berserk, nearly calling the cops when I stormed out of the house for a few hours! Can you imagine what would happen if I left for a whole weekend? He’d drive to Indiana and drag me back kicking and screaming.”

“What do Rob and Mandy have to say?” I ask, wondering for the millionth time why her parents aren’t the ones having this conversation with her. And with Devin.

She groans. “Nothing. They’re sweet and supportive and tell me I can be anything I want. But what does that matter if I leave and my giant butthead of a big brother never wants to speak to me again?”

I reach out and squeeze her knee. “He’s pissed, but I think he’s hurt and scared more than anything. He’s not going to cut you out of his life, you have to know that.”

She looks down at her hands and her eyes get watery. “I don’t know, Jessie. Some of the things he said last night…”

“You guys both said some stuff you didn’t mean.”

She nods, swallowing to hold back the tears.

“You’re going to Notre Dame and Devin’s going to be okay with it,” I tell her, my voice light and enthusiastic.

Becs stares at me like I suggested we climb Mount Everest butt naked.

“I’m dead serious. We can make this happen. Apply a little time and a bit of pressure and that brother of yours cracks open like a cheap piggy bank. Trust me.” I give her a wicked grin.

“Pressure I’m fine with. But I don’t have time. Freshman orientation is next weekend.” She deflates.

“Then I’ll go for you.”

“What?” She pops up, spilling her now lukewarm coffee over the front of Michelle’s lion onesie.

“You just need someone to show up and sign your name, right?” She nods vigorously, spilling more coffee. I pry it out of her hands and stare at those big, pleading eyes. “Then I’ll go for you. You’ll keep your spot and we’ll work on warming Devin up to the idea.”

“You’d do that for me?” Her lip quivers.

“Anything for you, BB.”

She shoots across the couch and tackles me in a bear hug, spilling my coffee this time.

“Thankyouthankyouthankyou,” she says all in one breath. “You know Devin’s going to be pissed at you for this, right?”

I wince. “Maybe we wait to tell him until he’s had time to adjust to the idea of you going away to school.”

“He likes secrets about as much as he likes change.”