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he hates it.
    “Brea?”
    I lean back into the window. “Yeah?”
    He puts the iPod down, and his soft brown eyes meet mine. The tiny flutter turns into a whopping tornado.
    “You’re not stupid. Don’t ever think that again, ‘kay?”
    His words melt my stubbornness, and it’s out before I can stop it. “Adam…I need help.” I close my eyes and squat down, holding onto the car window to keep me stable. “Will you please help me?”
    I hear a car door open and slam shut, then arms wrap around my shoulders and instead of the car keeping me up, it’s a warm cotton T-shirt and a hard chest.
    I mentally shout at my eyes to keep those tears back.
    He squeezes me tight and answers into my hair. “Consider me your on call tutor.”

Chapter 5
    Brothers need to act more like friends and less like bossy buttheads.
     
    We don’t own a dinner table, but Mom—with major backup from Levi—insists we sit together as a family and eat. I personally think you can eat PB&J anytime, anywhere, but I’m outvoted.
    Levi’s in his blue button-up, tie slung over his left shoulder as he eats over his plate. The gold Cineplex manager name tag is clipped to his front pocket, and the sun keeps hitting it and reflecting in my face. I’ve shifted in my chair about twenty times just to get away.
    “What time are you off tonight?” Mom asks Levi, moving her plate to look over a stack of papers on the side table. She’s in the lawn chair we use as furniture with her feet kicked up on the edge of the couch next to my leg.
    Levi puts his hand to his mouth, holding up a finger. He chews, swallows, and drops his hand. “Last show is at ten-thirty, so after count and closing, probably around one.”
    Mom purses her lips, and I know she’s holding back how much she wishes Levi was working the day shift for longer hours. By the look on Levi’s face, I know he knows it too. I bite my tongue because Mom spent all day by the phone waiting for a call from the temp agency. I’ve offered to go with her to the mall or to a few grocery stores to grab applications. Heck, I’ve actually picked up those applications, and they sit on our kitchen counter completely blank.
    Levi clears his throat and picks up his glass of water. “I’m working fifteen hours of overtime this pay period though, so it should make up for the short shifts.”
    Mom nods, fanning out the bills on the table. I take another bite of my sandwich and mentally scold myself for not looking for a job either. This weekend for sure. I’ll be on that Monster.com like Adam on a book sale.
    Levi gets up from the couch and washes his plate in the sink. Mom sniffs a few times, and I refuse to watch her tear up like she does every time around the first and fifteenth of the month. It almost has me filling out those applications for her myself. Not sure if she’s used to having Levi handle everything, or accepted it, or what. I know Levi doesn’t think it’s a big deal anymore, but he also hasn’t told Mom his plans to move out at the end of the summer. He doesn’t want to rock the boat, and he knows we can’t make it without him.
    Besides, Mom’ll get a permanent job. I have to believe that, even if I don’t witness any effort on her part.
    “Hey, Brea…” Levi says as he puts his now clean plate in the cupboard. “Sierra said her midterms came today. You get yours, too?”
    Way to swing the subject off our money problems, bro. Now the heat’s gonna be on me.
    There’s no use in lying either. Between Adam and Sierra, he’s going to figure it out sooner or later.
    I make sure all my tears have been pushed back as far as they can go—think I’m good—and I nod at the crust on my plate. “Yeah, I got them.”
    They wait, and I grudgingly put the crust in my mouth and chew. I can’t waste food even though I’d rather chuck it in the trash.
    “Well…?” Levi prods, crossing his arms and leaning against the counter.
    I shrug and swallow. “Could be better.”
    Levi