New Point by Olivia Luck

swipes the tequila from the bar, downing it one solid swoop.
    “Hey! That was mine.”
    “You probably haven’t had a decent meal today. No drinking before eating,” he lectures.
    “How do you know I haven’t had dinner?”
    “Because you just told me.”
    “Hey, man, what can I get you to drink?” Jake’s back, but with considerably less friendliness. His brow is furrowed as he looks between us quizzically. Blake and I don’t look alike. I’m a pale blonde with a smattering of freckles across the width of my face, and Blake has chestnut-colored hair and a perpetual tan.
    “We’ll take two more of these. Thanks.” Blake nods his appreciation and angles his body back toward me.
    “Listen, I don’t want to be a dick, but we have a no hats policy here…” Jake hardly sounds apologetic, and his eyes flicker to mine. Before he looked at me with a sort of enthusiasm, and now he’s studying me with narrowed eyes.
    “Do you want to go?” I ask Blake softly. As soon as he pulls off the baseball cap, all anonymity will be lost.
    “No, of course not,” he insists, pulling off the hat by the bill and shoving into my purse that I stashed underneath the bar.
    A collective gasp can be heard even over the rumblings of the other Blue in Green patrons.
    Blake Campbell, son of Stewart Campbell music producer and owner of two major professional sports teams, is a tabloid favorite.Star quarterback of a college football team propelled him into the spotlight. He grew tired of the constant practice and wanted to work in management, so he tried his hand working with his father. When he’s bored with that, he trounces around the globe with his celebrity and athlete friends. Outgoing, charming, media darling – that’s my brother.
    As soon as he was granted custody of me, Blake decided it best to shield me from the persistent public. Paparazzi and media outlets never got wind of me. When I was old enough to make the decision myself, I started introducing my brother to friends. Once girls at school found out about Blake, they befriended me to get close to him. Guys asked me on dates for a chance to hang with my brother and his athlete friends. It was a painful lesson, but I learned it quickly –better to keep my relationship with Blake to as few people as possible.
    Blue in Green is the first public outing Blake and I have had in the United States, without his security present, in nearly a year. In the nine months after Clinton Smith changed both of our lives, it became even more essential to hide me from the limelight. Local news, the national morning shows, news magazines—they all wanted interviews. With the help of Blake’s team, I successfully went underground and was able to avoid the press. I was essentially off the grid until reappearing in New Point.
    The enormity of the moment doesn’t sneak past me. Any hope at avoiding the small town gossip slips away with one swoop of a baseball cap.
    Blake flashes his charming ‘ you know you love me’ grin at the women practically leaning across the bar to get a better look at him. One with glossy waves and a tank top so low cut, the edge of her bra peeks out, stares, mouth open in the shape of an O. It’s Lacey, the women who nagged Miles for his attention and is the nanny to my camper Alexa.
    “Can’t you ignore them?” I grumble to his left.
    The only response is an easygoing laugh when Jake plonks the drinks in front of us. “Serve food?” my brother asks.
    Jake presents us with a menu. “Holler when you pick something out.” His voice is tight and unfriendly now. Maybe he’s not a fan of a pseudo-celebrity in the midst of the sleepy bar.
    “No need, we’ll have nachos.” Blake’s pleasant expression doesn’t slip once, despite the coldness Jake’s emitting. “Better to be kind than spiteful, that’s what Mom always taught me,” he mumbles into my ear.
    I shake my head at the memory. “One of Mom’s favorites.”
    With the tips of his fingers, Blake