Xandra didn"t waver, her posture became st.u.r.dier even, "I don"t go to Woodlands Academy, duh. I live with our parents. He lives with my aunt""Why is that?"
"Like I said, my brother has it tough as it is. He needs to be on his own, to man up—be strong"
Xandra sighed and stared at the floor. Her eyes watered a little thinking about how "Alex" is always alone, always avoiding confrontation and always thinking of a way around things to match "his" comfort.
When "Xandra" looked up, Logan saw the slight moisture in her eyes instantly. He gulped at the sight.
What to do? Crying girls weren"t Logan"s specialty. Was he too harsh? What did he know about twins anyway? He and his own twin brother practically had nothing in common! Someone explain that! Logan"s thoughts swirled and blurred together. He was delirious.
Xandra noticed Logan"s discomfort. She chuckled inwardly. Not missing a beat, Xandra bit her bottom lip and sniffed.
On cue, warning signs flashed in Logan"s mind. He opened his mouth,"I-I don"t think that"s working out"
Logan slapped himself. At least, he wanted to.
Xandra"s face remained solemn as she walked over to door, "It"s his choice to do what with the arrangement. It"s just something we hope for. He"s been closeted his whole life. The type of lifestyle we have is not easy. There will be times he has no one to rely on but his own. It"s hard to find people to trust, you know?"
At the last statement, Xandra made eye contact again, looking at him in search for understanding and compa.s.sion. It was easy to do too since what she said wasn"t a lie. It was the reason she fought so much for this freedom even if it didn"t turn out to what she"d hope it would be.
Logan"s shoulders relaxed, letting go of his skepticism, and he whispered, "Yeah... I know"
He"s heard of the Carter family. They weren"t agressive in expanding their business and their influence but they remained stable for decades. Such a thing was also hard to achieve. He didn"t think Alex was from that Carter family. But if it wasn"t them, who else could be pressured from the norms of high society?
Logan and Xandra stared at each other for a long time. A silent sense of camaraderie fell between them. Logan was someone who was carved in the same world as her. Might have seen what she had seen. Might have felt what she had felt.
She was right to play that card. She suddenly felt bad for using it to her advantage. Maybe in another life, they could have been friends.
Logan suddenly flashed a smile, "Don"t worry about your brother. I"ll take good care of him"
Xandra"s heart dropped. She did not like the sound of that. She stammered, "Whwhwhat do you mean?"
Her question made Logan smile wider. She did not like the look of that either.
"I"ll be his friend" Logan said then, added, "I"ll be his best friend"