Demitris Part 2

Seeing that she had noticed me, I quickly tried to look away, not out of embarrassment or anything like that. I just didn’t want her to recognize me and try to strike up a conversation. I was definitely not in the mood for talking. Not that I usually was any other day.
“Hi,” she said, doing exactly what I didn’t want her to do.
“Hi,” I grunted back, finishing my last sip of coffee and checking my phone to see that the ride I’d ordered was already driving through the campus gates.
“I’m glad I ran into you because... I need to tell you…”
Thank you.
“For what?” I asked, dismissively, still not looking at her.
“For what you did yesterday. For standing up for me.”
How ridiculous... She had clearly misunderstood the situation.
“I didn’t stand up for you. And I don’t deserve thanks for not being a xenophobic asshole.”
That was probably the first time in my life someone thanked me just for not being a jerk. But I had to consider that such moments represented less than one percent of my waking hours.
“Still,” she continued, “you could have just stayed out of it. But you chose to be a decent guy.”
I finally looked at her, diverting my attention from my phone.
“Let me tell you something, girl. I’m not exactly a decent guy. You seem like the good girl type. So take my advice: stay away from delinquents like me.”
She looked shocked by what I said but didn’t have time to respond as the car I’d ordered pulled up next to us. I paid for my coffee and got into the vehicle, which drove off as soon as I was inside.
I thought that talking to her like that, no matter how ignorant it might have seemed, was probably the second not-stupid thing I’d done in the past twenty-four hours. I didn’t usually have those moments of clarity, but I figured I’d want someone to talk to my sister in just that way if she ever tried to strike up a conversation with a guy like me.

The car dropped me off in front of a mansion, and I got out, typing in the code for the electronic lock to open the gates. I entered the spacious yard and walked to the garage, where three cars were parked. In one of them, a driver was opening the back door for a ten-year-old girl to get in.
When she saw me, a huge smile spread across her face.
"Dimitris! You came!" she exclaimed.
I offered one of my rare, light smiles before responding:
"Isn't it our agreement? You know that on Tuesdays and Thursdays, I’m the one who drops you off and picks you up from school."
"I thought you might have forgotten this time."
"I never forget about you, Iris."
She ran toward me and hugged me.
I might be a mess to everyone else in the world, but for Iris, I tried to be the most present brother I could be. Since our family fell apart, I was the only person she had. And she was the only scrap of sanity I had left.