Connor was deep in thought. He and Mari had always been total opposites … Where he’d been the straight-A student, she’d struggled for C’s. He’d never found himself in any real trouble, she’d been suspended twice by the time she got out of middle school.

And since their parents had limited time for them (at best), he had to agree that the little time they did have seemed to be spent praising him and scolding her. He was fairly certain that she resented that; he probably would have resented it too, if their roles were reversed. And it bothered him too … he tried hard to make her feel important, make her feel like he cared, but she just wasn’t receptive to it.

Maybe in a few years, once we’re grown up and out of the house, we’ll be closer, he thought as he pulled plates out of a cabinet. Problem was, he had no idea how to make that happen, especially since he’d be leaving for college in less than a year.