Mandy put a stilling hand on James’ arm. “She doesn’t mean anything.”
James ignored the blonde at his side, keeping his gaze fixed on Ally’s conflicted eyes. “I’m sorry,” she repeated. “I didn’t really think about it.”
“Well, think about it,” James said. “Really think about it for a change.”
The room sank into uncomfortable silence, with Grady, Finn, and Mandy exchanging questioning looks. James’ words were both harsh and cold – something he usually reserved for enemies, not his sister.
Jake was the first one to break the silence. “You know he’s just screwing with you, right?”
“What?” Ally was flabbergasted.
“He’s trying to get under your skin for a change,” Jake said. “I’m guessing you irritate him every chance you get. You might want to avoid getting under his skin by using his girlfriend as a weapon – at least for a little while. He doesn’t seem to have much of a sense of humor about it.”
Ally, confused, narrowed her eyes. “Are you trying to teach me a lesson?”
James smiled widely, popping a piece of pepperoni from Mandy’s plate into his mouth. “It’s not fun, is it?”
Ally squealed irritably, launching herself from her chair and into her brother’s direction. “How could you do something like that? You know I’d never hurt her.”
James tangled with her, wrestling both of her wrists into his right hand. “I know,” James said. “I still don’t want you bringing it up again. Be nice to my blonde.”
“I loved her long before you did,” Ally said. “I have certain rights as the best friend.”
James shook his head, refusing to fall prey to Ally’s twisted logic. “Yes, but as the boyfriend, it’s my job to protect her. As your older brother, it’s my job to both protect and torture you.”
“I hate you,” Ally grumbled.
With one hand controlling Ally’s wrists, James used his other to tweak her nose. “Just be nice to my girl and I won’t have to embarrass you.”
“You can’t embarrass me without embarrassing her,” Ally said, her face smug. “Every embarrassing thing I’ve ever done has been with her.”
“She has a point,” Grady said. “I can’t think of one funny Ally story that doesn’t involve Mandy.”
“Like the time they toilet papered the principal’s house because Ally was convinced he was looking down Mandy’s top in his office one day,” Finn suggested.
“What?” James looked disgusted.
“You were already gone,” Finn said. “And that dude was a total pervert.”
“He looked down your shirt?”
Mandy shrugged. “That’s what it seemed like.”
“How old were you?”
“I was fifteen.”
James was furious. “Why didn’t you tell me? I would have handled it.”
“You were already gone,” Mandy said. “And Ally and I took care of it.”
“By toilet papering his house? That doesn’t seem like a very good punishment.”
“We started the toilet paper on fire when we were done,” Ally said, her face red from the exertion of trying to escape from James’ grip.
“Wait, is this when you got arrested for arson? Mom wrote me about that when I was in Afghanistan. I guess I missed out on some of the key details.”
“We were never charged,” Ally said. “Dad took care of it. The principal didn’t want it to come out in court that he was looking down Mandy’s shirt, so he refused to swear out a complaint.”
“It’s too bad you didn’t burn his house down,” James grumbled.
“The point is, I’ve had her back longer than you have,” Ally said. “I’m allowed to tease her.”
James tickled Ally’s ribs. “No. Tell me what else the two of you did while I was away. I like these stories.”
“We didn’t do anything,” Ally argued. “That was the only thing.”
“What about the time you two conned the quarterback by saying you both wanted to sleep with him and then stripped him naked and stole his clothes so he had to walk home in the buff?” Grady suggested. “I love that story.”
James wrinkled his nose, casting a curious look at Mandy, who was studiously looking at an empty spot on the wall. “Who was the quarterback?”
“No one.”
“Kip Jones,” Grady said.
“Isn’t he doing a dime up at the state pen in Traverse City for rape?” James asked.
“He is.”
James furrowed his brow. “Did he hurt one of you?”