The new boy talking to my little sister was almost too good looking, a fact that had certainly not escaped her attention. She gazed up at him, hanging on his every word.

He was a novelty—one of the few people we’d never seen at a University of St. Catharine’s event before. I could see why he’d caught her attention, and it wasn’t only because he was a fresh face.

His light brown hair had a bit of a curl, lending him a playful look. His skin was evenly tanned, as if he’d spent all summer outside, flashing his charming, slightly-crooked smile at all the girls. He was wearing loose shorts and a baggy T-shirt and looked about my height, which was unusually tall at six foot three.

As my sister spoke, he positioned his body to shade her from the sun, still listening attentively to whatever it was she had to say. I narrowed my eyes at them. Where had he come from? What was his interest in my sister?

He looked too young to be a college student, although there was a chance he was. The university was holding its annual welcoming event for professors and their families, so he had to be related to the faculty somehow. Regular students weren’t invited.

I debated joining my sister and her new friend to find out more about him. I had no doubt she’d already whipped out her phone to capture the moment.

I gave her a half-wave to get her attention, but she flipped her dark hair over her shoulder and turned her back on me. They were far enough away that it wasn’t necessarily deliberate, but I decided to give them space. I’d have a chance to talk with the new boy eventually.

The weather was fantastic, even if it was a little bright. The last of the Canadian summer was still in the air. The grass was soft and green. The few clouds in the sky looked like they’d been painted on purely for artistic effect. The red brick buildings with ivy-covered walls and white-trimmed windows dated back to the early 1800s. They’d held up remarkably well over the years.

I spotted my mom standing near Old Main, the administrative center. As head of the humanities department, my mom was one of the main hosts of this thing, and there was almost always something that needed doing.

My mom’s bleached blond hair was pulled back into a large clip at the nape of her neck. Hopefully, she’d remembered sunscreen. With our fair skin, we burned at even the hint of sunlight. She had allowed my beauty-obsessed sister to do her makeup, and her nails were perfectly manicured—which would last about a day.

She waved me over. “Hey, Theo!”

A box full of brightly colored chalk-ends and a handful of smudgy terry cloth rags sat on the ground in front of her. She tapped it with her foot.

“Would you mind bringing this down to the sculpture garden? The art history department is giving prizes for the top three sidewalk art drawings this year, and I told them we could supply the materials,” she said.

“They don’t need me as a judge, do they? Because I didn’t sign up for that kind of drama.”

My mom laughed. “Don’t worry. The fine arts staff has it covered. But you should think about entering.”

“Yeah, right,” I scoffed. Although I’d practically grown up in art museums and enjoyed looking at art, I hadn’t inherited any of my mother’s artistic talent.

I carried the box of chalk and rags toward the pavement surrounding the sculpture garden. A few groups, mostly families with young kids, had already gathered there. I recognized almost everyone, even if I didn’t know them by name. They all knew me as Professor Stafford’s kid.

“Thanks, Theo,” said one of the studio art professors as she took the box off my hands.

The professor turned towards the crowd and raised her voice.

“Groups of three or more. You must have at least one person under the age of ten actively participating. I will be the judge of participation, and my will is law. The judging criteria are clearly posted. Paper copies are available to groups who would like them. Final entries are due at two o’clock. Any questions?”

I didn’t stick around to help with the details. My curiosity about the mystery boy could no longer be contained, and I’d given him and Nadine enough time to themselves.

When I walked back up the hill, I saw him laughing about something my sister had said. It couldn’t possibly have been that funny. I knew my sister.

“Nadine, who’s your new friend?” I asked.

“There you are!” My sister said, grabbing me by the arm. “Come meet Lex. He and his parents just moved up to Rockville from Michigan.”

Lex. He didn’t hold out his hand for me to shake. He nodded instead.

“You must be Theo. I see the resemblance.”

Nadine and I took after our dad with his fair skin, dark hair, and blue eyes.

“It’s good to meet you,” Lex continued. “Apparently, we’ll be classmates this fall.”

“At Rockville?” I asked. That wasn’t much of a surprise. A lot of Saint Kate’s faculty had kids at the nearby high school. “You’re a senior?”

Lex nodded.

Out of the corner of my eye, I could see Nadine beaming. Lex had clearly made quite an impression already.

“Kind of sucks to start somewhere new as a senior,” I said.

Lex shrugged. “I could have found a way to finish out senior year at my old school, I suppose. But then I would have been stuck in Detroit. Have you ever been?” he asked.

I shook my head.

“Well, it’s no loss on your part. Anyway, I figured I was up for one last adventure before starting college next fall,” he said.

“Tell me something about yourself,” I asked.

I hadn’t missed the way my sister’s eyes remained glued to Lex the entire time. I suspected she was going to make him my problem one way or another. I thought I should find out what I was getting myself into.

“Is this a job interview?” Lex joked.

I smiled my most disarming smile to put him at ease. “No, not at all. I’d just like to get to know you better.” I wanted to know if my sister had any reason to be looking at him the way she was.

“Well,” Lex began, leaning toward me conspiratorially. “I’m a Cancer, so you know I’m emotional, sensitive, and a caregiver.”

I tried not to roll my eyes. “Did you grow up in Detroit?”

“No. I didn’t spend much time there at all. My mom has worked as an adjunct professor at a lot of different universities, so we’ve moved around a lot. All around the Midwest: Chicago, Madison, Des Moines… This is a tenure track position, though, so it should be longer-term.”

I nodded. “And your dad? Is he in academia?”

Lex scoffed. “Hardly. He dropped out of college after one semester and enrolled in culinary school.”

“He’s a chef?”

Lex nodded. “Not a famous one. He usually ends up working at some luxury hotel.”

“Hobbies?” I asked.

“My dad?” Lex asked, looking confused.

I smiled. “No. You.”

“I’m a bit of a gamer, I suppose.”

I raised an eyebrow. “Casual or competitive?”

My sister tugged on my arm. “Honestly, where is this interrogation going? Leave the poor boy alone.”

Lex jumped in. “No, it's fine. Casual. Very casual. I haven’t even hooked my console up yet.”

I nodded. I was comfortable with casual gamers. They had room in their lives for actual human interaction. “Sports?”

“Sports… Well, let's clear one thing up right now: not hockey,” Lex said, laughing softly. “I don’t mean anything by that. Hockey’s great. It’s fine. Watching hockey is thoroughly enjoyable. But playing hockey? Not a skill set I have. I can’t move along ice wearing machete boots even if I’m not carrying a stick.”

Nadine laughed. “We can always teach you.”

“You can always try,” he replied, grinning at her before turning back to me. “How about you? Hobbies? Sports?”

Nadine answered for me. “Theo played hockey when he was in elementary school, but once he had a growth spurt, the basketball coaches snatched him up.”

“You play?” Lex asked.

“Not anymore. Height will only get you so far. Beyond that, you apparently need to demonstrate some skill,” I said.

Nadine punched me in the arm. “You weren’t that bad.”

I rolled my eyes at her. “Yeah, I was.”

The noon bells began to chime, signaling that it was time for the campus caterers to roll out the lunch buffet.

“Maybe I should check in with Mom and see if she needs me to do anything,” Nadine said. “Do you know where she is?”

“Last I saw her, she was near Old Main, but I’m sure she’s moved on since then.”

Nadine nodded. “You two stay here. I’ll just take a quick lap and see if I can find her. If not, we can head over to load up on high-quality food.”

When Nadine was out of earshot, Lex grinned at me. “So, did I pass?”

I raised an eyebrow. “Did you pass what?”

“The interrogation? Or the job interview? Although I’m not sure what job I’m meant to be interviewing for.”

“You’re too old for her.”

“What?” Lex’s eyes went wide. “I’m not—”