Free Out of the Shadow by Jl Paul

sheets off the bed, rolling Ren to the floor with a thump. They laughed as he stood, glaring murderously at them all before he snatched his bedding off the floor.
    “ You guys are such idiots,” he muttered as he climbed back in bed.
    “ Cheer up, little brother,” RJ said. “We’ll leave you alone now.”
    Cole’s phone rang and he jerked it out of his pocket, grinning when Ally’s name came on the screen. His heart jumped as he answered and her sweet voice filled his ears.

 
    Chapter Six
 
    Ally sipped her iced tea as her eyes gazed unseeingly at the sun’s rays sparkling on the surface of the languid lake. She set her glass on the table next to her chair, her eyes still on the water, and sighed.
    “ What’s the problem, cuz?” Jamie asked as he shook the ice in his glass. “Missing the man, I suppose.”
    Snorting, she slowly turned her head to smile. “I always miss him, you know that. I was just thinking about all the stuff I have to pack for college. I can’t believe we leave in a few days.”
    “ I know,” Jamie said. “The summer flew by, didn’t it?”
    “ Yeah,” she said. “And wow, college. It’s sort of scary, you know. Living on our own and all.”
    Jamie laughed, his brown eyes sparkling. He scooted his chair closer to hers and took her hand, his body still shaking with silent laughter. “Um, Ally, what have we been doing the last four years at boarding school?”
    She clicked her tongue and rolled her eyes. “This is a bit different, don’t you think? I mean, we’re adults now.”
    He shrugged and dropped her hand. “I suppose. But I don’t really think it will be too different from Meridian Valley, honestly.”
    She cocked her head and mulled his words. He was probably right in a way, but then she had a valid point. She didn’t think college would be like boarding school. Sure, they had their similarities, but college was a bit more grown up in her eyes. They’d have more freedom, for one thing, and more say in their classes.
    Their living arrangements would be a bit different, too. They were both going to live in the dorms for their first year – dorms that were smaller than what they’d lived in at Meridian Valley, but that didn’t bother Ally as much as the fact that she’d have to share a communal bathroom with all the girls on her floor. But they could always move off campus next summer.
    “ Have you even started packing yet?” she asked.
    “ No,” he said, a smirk lurking in the corners of his mouth. “I was hoping you’d help.”
    “ Aunt Gretchen won’t do it for you, will she?” Ally giggled.
    “ No,” Jamie pouted. “She says if I’m old enough to go to college then I’m old enough to pack.”
    Tossing her head back, she laughed heartily and after a moment, Jamie joined her. When the laughter settled and she wiped the tears from her eyes, she stood and grabbed her glass.
    “ Let’s go, cuz,” she said.
 
    ***
 
    “ Hey, Cole,” RJ hollered as he peered through the door connecting their hotel rooms. “Do you mind if I come in?”
    “ Nope,” Cole said as he typed on his laptop. “That’s why I left the door open. If I didn’t want you bugging me, I would have shut and locked it.”
    “ You’re such a comedian,” RJ said as he yanked out a chair and sat across from Cole. He gazed around the room, his lips scrunched up as blinked slowly. “Your room is exactly like mine except everything is backwards.”
    Cole snorted, eyes on the monitor. “Glad all that money Richie and Callie spent on boarding school didn’t go to waste.”
    “ Yeah, whatever,” RJ grinned. He nodded at the computer. “What are you doing?”
    Cole sighed as he sat back in his chair, raking his fingers through his hair. “Looking for a nice place to take Ally for a weekend but the only places that I can find are really cheesy.”
    RJ got up and strolled casually to the mini bar, opened it, and snatched a soda. He popped the tab and took a long drink. “Why not