Someone banged on the door and Gabe nearly jumped out of his skin. He just managed to yank the paintbrush away from the wall before he accidentally painted a thick brown line from the rock he was shading all the way up to the sunset.
“f**k!” he yelled, dropping the paintbrush to the newspaper he’d put down to protect the floor. “Hype! How many times have I told you that you don’t need to bang the door down?”
The door eased open, but it was Jake standing there looking chagrined, not an unrepentant teen. “Sorry,” he said. “I wasn’t sure you’d be able to hear me. I know I’m early, but Rob said it was okay to come up. But I can come back later if you’re busy…” He didn’t move out of the doorway, as if he wasn’t sure he’d be allowed in.
“No! No, it’s fine,” Gabe said quickly, instantly going
