Your little brother seems like he's turned over a new leaf

"Hey Lucy." Nick flashes you a smile as he stands in the door to your apartment, backpack slung over his shoulder. It's been a while since you've seen your younger brother. Nineteen years old now, but he still doesn't quite look it to your eyes, almost a foot shorter than you and rather slight and slender. His face has a boyish, innocent charm that's gotten him out of trouble with you way too many times and you're certain his big, grey eyes with those long, pretty lashes are the reason he's so popular with a certain type of very unsuitable girl. Right now, he's wearing a black t-shirt with some band you've never heard of written on the front, and a pair of torn jeans. You hope he's brought something smarter to wear when he visits the college, or else you might have to drag him along with you by the ear on a brisk shopping trip to get him more suitably attired.

Still, he genuinely seems happy to see you, which makes you sigh with relief. Even after the nice phone call you had with him a few days ago, you were still kind of worried he was going to be as surly and annoying as he was the last time you met in person, when you tried to chide him into getting his act together for what felt like the fiftieth time.

"Come in, Nicholas." You stand to one side, beckoning him through. "You can leave your things in the living room. I've set up a bed on the couch there."

"Thanks." He steps past you into your apartment, walking down the corridor. "Woah, nice place." He gives the living room an appreciative glance. It isn't really that fancy, but you guess he's probably spent the last year squatting in some grubby hostel with his so-called bandmates, so even your pokey apartment seems luxurious by comparison.

"You got that copy of your itinerary for me?" You ask, stepping up behind him and holding out a hand expectantly.

"Sure." Without the snarky response you were still expecting, Nick swings his backpack off his shoulder, unzips it and pulls out a plastic folder from inside, stuffed with printed papers. As he rifles through it, you can see prospectuses for various different colleges, with little notes scrawled on them in your baby brother's messy handwriting. Just the sight makes you smile warmly. It really seems like he's putting some effort into this college plan, the first thing he's done to make you proud of him in a very long time.

At last, he slides out the paper you were asking for and hands it over to you, a detailed itinerary you insisted he make detailing what he plans to do with his time here. You made it very clear when you spoke that you weren't hosting him in your apartment so he could sneak into college bars or try to hook up with slutty freshman girls. Instead, the page lists the open day activities he wants to attend, as well as some meetings he's arranged with members of staff to discuss his options. Just like you insisted, his day ends at seven in the evening sharp, where he is to report back to your apartment so you can discuss together what he's learned about his plans to study here. It's the only way you could be sure he wouldn't be out causing trouble.

"This looks perfect." You nod with satisfaction. "Well done, Nicholas. I can't wait to hear what you think of the college. We've got so many great courses here, I'm sure you'll find one that suits you just perfect and sets you up nicely for the future."

"Yeah, the website mentioned." He sighs, setting his backpack down on the couch you've turned into a temporary bed for his stay here.

"Now, I know you're not interested in Biology yet, but you can stop by my offices any time for a chat if you do change your mind." You offer kindly, resisting the urge to ruffle his messy black hair with your hand. You know that embarrasses him, and he's being so good right now. "I'm going to cook us up some dinner now, so get all your things unpacked and we can talk more in the kitchen once you're done."

As he reaches back into his backpack and starts pulling out his clothes, you turn and stride back into your kitchen, a rather noticeable spring in your step. You can hardly believe this is going so well. As **** as you were to trust your little brother after being burnt so many times before, it really seems like this is going to be different, a chance for him to finally do something valuable with his life.

It was the right decision after all to focus on Nick rather than the other boys in your life at the moment. Romance can wait. For now, your baby brother needs you, and you're going to do everything you can to make sure he stays firmly on the straight and narrow.