Chapter Text
Jeremy leaned forward on the couch cushion, bouncing his leg. His mind raced as he continued to process the bombshell his dad has just dropped on him. Mr. Heere sat in front of Jeremy on one of their kitchen stools. He had pulled it away from the island to have a short sit-down with his son. He gulped as he glanced at his phone. Five minutes of silence. Could be worse.
“She has a what?” Jeremy asked, hushed.
Mr. Heere nodded and rubbed the back of his neck. He had told Jeremy his plans to marry his girlfriend months ago. However, he neglected to mention one very important detail. A detail that should’ve come up a million times over. Though, it was hard to grasp any major details from the long-winded rants and raves Mr. Heere went on about Heidi. It took Jeremy until two weeks ago to learn Heidi’s job. But of course, Jeremy could perfectly visualize her round hazel eyes thanks to Mr. Heere’s 2AM rant in the kitchen over a bowl of cereal.
“A son,” Mr. Heere reiterated. “He’s moving in too.”
Jeremy looked down and took it all in. How had his stepmom’s child never come up? He and his dad had talked many times about Heidi and her habits, how she was scraping up as many college credits as she could and her taxing job. How on earth did her kid evade these discussions?
Jeremy felt conflicted. He was all for his dad falling in love again, all for having a maternal figure in his house again, so long as she knew her boundaries. But a stepbrother? A tinge of worry sparked deep in the teen’s belly. What if his dad neglected him in favor of the new addition?
“Do I have to share my room?” Jeremy asked, hiding his worry.
“No, Evan’s going to be in the room down the hall from you. The one on the other side of the bathroom,” Mr. Heere gestured to the upstairs hall, excited.
Jeremy smiled and rolled his eyes at his dad’s enthusiasm. The room in question was large, a bit bigger than Jeremy’s. The only reason it was the guest room was the lack of a closet and the shortage of outlets.
“So, I get to be a big brother?” The fear began to wash away, anticipation taking its place.
“No.”
Jeremy laid back on the couch. He wasn’t sure if he was disappointed or not. Jeremy made eye contact with his dad. A thought raced through his mind. That didn’t make any sense.
“Wait,” Jeremy paused.
“But you said-”
“O-oh! No.” Mr. Heere waved his hands in an apologetic gesture. His smile turned into a nervous grin.
“He’s going to be your big brother.”
Jeremy glared at his dad. Surely he was Joking. He himself was about to turn 18. There was no way this Evan was older and still living at home. Unless-
“So, he’s a senior like me?”
Jeremy feels a smile spread across his face. Having an older brother so close in age would be so cool! They’d have the same teachers, maybe the same friends. He could teach the Texan all about the New Jersey lifestyle, where to find the best snacks and weed, what time of day the seagulls left. Maybe Evan could even teach Jeremy about the south.
“Well...no,” Mr. Heere’s voice paused Jeremy’s train of thought.
“He graduated last year. He’s not in college yet, but he’s going to try and find a job and save up,” Mr. Heere explained.
Jeremy’s smile fled. Why wouldn’t he be in college? Didn’t he have scholarships? Letters of recommendation? Anything a normal teenager would have prepared? Jeremy bit at the inside of his cheek.
“Why isn’t he in college? Shouldn’t he have his own place?” He asks.
“Jer, he has severe anxiety. Both Heidi and I agree, he’s going to live with us until he can get on his feet,”
Jeremy crossed his arms. He began to paint a pretty undesirable picture of his new brother. A part of him just knew this kid would be a freeloading jerk using his dad’s kindness toward his mental illness as an excuse to live rent-free. On the other hand, maybe Evan really was struggling to get on his feet. Jeremy was just so afraid of his dad getting hurt.
“Jeremy,”
Uh-oh, Dad voice. Jeremy looked his dad in the eyes. Mr. Heere looked disappointed. He must have made a face.
“I expect you to respect your stepbrother.” Mr. Heere warned.
“I will, Dad. Promise.” Jeremy assured him.
Mr. Heere jumped as his phone began to ring. He pulled it out of his pocket and smiled. It was that wide, soft, in-love smile Jeremy didn’t realize he missed seeing. Mr. Heere jumped up from the stool and answered the phone, unconsciously straightening his back.
“Hey, Heidi! … Really? Great! When do you think you’ll be here?”
Jeremy watched his dad head into the office. He smiled and tugged on his cardigan. Jeremy couldn’t wait to see Heidi make his dad that happy every single day.
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“Yep, see you in three days, Steve,” Heidi smiled as she hung up.
She locked the door for the very last time and sighed happily, putting her phone away. Looking to the U-Haul truck, she saw Evan standing beside it as he talked to Jared. The nervous blonde would occasionally snatch a glance at the truck behind him. Heidi decided to triple-check the cargo as the boys finished their goodbye.
“Jeremy. Heere?” Jared lets the name spill from his mouth for the hundredth time.
“Yes. Heere. Like here.” Evan sighed, his patience slowly slipping.
Jared snorted and zipped up his hoodie. He stopped it just before the tip of the triforce emblem print.
“Evan fucking Heere.” Jared reached out and squeezed the taller boy’s shoulder.
“Hey, bright side, you can finally make a new Facebook account,”
Evan rolled his eyes as Jared let out his signature laugh. He placed a hand over Jared’s wrist. There was a sadness brewing in his gut that refused to digest. He didn’t want to say goodbye.
Sure, their relationship was ragged at best, and Evan was certain Jared didn’t forgive him for the Connor incident, but Jared grounded Evan. He was Evan’s constant in life. His lifeline. Someone he could talk to at all hours. Evan couldn’t help but feel the two were more than family friends. Maybe even...best friends?
“So,” Jared ripped away his hand, leaving Evan’s cold.
“Expect a package in a week,” Jared gave a coy and knowing smile.
“Wh-what?” Evan asked.
“At your new house. Expect a surprise.”
Both boys flinched as Jared’s alarm went off. He pulled out his phone and turned the blaring music down. He hissed and shoved the phone back onto his pocket. Jared adjusted his glasses and avoided eye contact.
“I gotta go,” He grumbled.
“Class?”
“Class,” Jared nodded and groaned.
Evan began to shift his weight from foot to foot. This was it. This was goodbye. He was going to be friendless. Evan could feel his pulse in his ears as they burned. His palms began to sweat. What should he say? What should he do? This could be the pivotal moment in their relationship. What if-
“Text me.” Jared quickly raised his hand before dropping it in a half-hearted wave.
He quickly turned and swaggered off to his car, unnaturally happy to be saying goodbye. Evan stiffened. Was that it? What if Jared wanted to ditch Evan like that long before the Connor project? Was he a burden to Jared since they met? Would he even be needed now? Did Jared start paying his own car insurance? Why did it feel like his heart was breaking? Did Jared-
Heidi’s hand on Evan’s shoulder snapped him back to reality. He wiped his hands on his jeans and looked at his mom.
“Ready to go, champ?” She asked.
“Y-yeah.”
Evan climbed into the U-Haul truck, after making sure the car trailer was actually secure. Heidi checked her phone and confirmed a GPS route to the first stop. Evan buckled his seatbelt and took a deep breath. On to New Jersey...and his new family.
He hoped the Heeres would like him.