Theirs to Keep

“Hop in.”

They looked sweet and innocent, but also a little mischievous. And that was probably because they were grinning. Smiling in a way that wasn’t exactly happiness, but more of an inside joke that I wasn’t a part of.

“No thanks,” I huffed, still catching my breath. “I was just—”

The girl in the back leaned forward, and I saw her face. It was Bryce’s face. Almost to a T.

“Wait, you’re Bryce’s sister,” I said. “Aren’t you?”

They three of them laughed. Together they said the same thing: “Yup.”

My eyes widened. “Wait, all of you?”

“She doesn’t even know he has three sisters?” the driver rolled her eyes. “Yikes. That’s not a good start.”

Her hair was darker than the others, but the features were unmistakably the same. It was easy to see now, that they were all sisters. Each of them shared similar facial characteristics, and mannerisms as well.

“Well I knew he had sisters,” I said, a bit defensively. “I just didn’t realize they traveled in packs.”

The blonde in the back laughed. The others eyed me over.

“Was there a memo I missed?” I chided. “Because if you think I somehow—”

“You’re dating our brother,” the girl in the passenger seat said matter-of-factly. The others nodded beside her. “We’re here to determine whether we’re okay with that.”

“Okay with that?” I laughed. “Is that how it works?”

“Yes.”

“It’s pretty standard actually,” said the girl in the back seat.

“You’re not the first,” the driver said. She shrugged. “You might not be the last, either.”

I ignored the statement. “And how do you know I’m dating your brother?”

“He told us.”

“He tells us everything,” said the cheerful girl in the back.

I reached up and mopped the sweat from my brow. “Well I can assure you, you don’t know everything. And I’m not sure I should be—”

The driver’s laughter stopped me mid-sentence. Her eyes flared. “Oh wow, she thinks we don’t know.”

“Really?” said the girl in the back. She seemed incredulous.

“Look,” I said, “if this is some game you guys play or—”

“We know all about Camden,” the driver said abruptly. “And Roderick. And our brother’s… proclivities for sharing.”

It was impossible to hide my shock and surprise. I didn’t even try.

“So…”

“So we know how this whole thing works,” the girl in the passenger seat went on. “It was the same deal with Madison, although she asked a lot less questions than you.”

“She also got in the Jeep a lot quicker too,” the driver added.

They stopped talking for a moment, and a somber silence settled over us. I tried imagining them doing this with Madison, so many years ago. They seemed to respect her at least. That much was obvious.