"Bye, Talan!" I said with a laugh, giving him a hug. I still couldn't believe that he refused to change his ridiculous attire.
"See ya, Cind!" he replied with a grin, "Take care of your kids!"
Talan was still suffering regarding his love life, and had gone through a depression once he was told that he was unable to have children. Prince and I had helped him through that, and he was slowly recovering, thank goodness. Talan truly was my first and one of my best friends, and I would hate to lose him due to suicidal means.
I headed back inside and decided to check up on the kids. I opened the door the bathroom and was relieved to see that Andy was bathing. "I'm glad that you're finally washing all of that BO away!" I laughed. Andy cowered under the bath water.
"Mo-om! I'm taking a bath! I'm naked!"
"That is normal."
"Right, well you can leave, please?"
"I just wanted to tell you that your new clothes are in your dresser," I informed him before leaving him to his bath. My children got embarrassed so easily!
"Buzz, you need a bath!" Sandy exclaimed. The two of them were sitting down, doing their homework together.
"For crying out loud, Sandy, Andy is the one who stinks, not me," Buzz whined.
I poked my head into the dining room. "Your twin is right, Buzz. You stink," I said, pinching my nose. Buzz glared at me; Sandy grinned at me.
I headed over to the television and flickered through some channels. I came across an exercising channel, so I quickly headed upstairs to change. In the middle of my warm up, my phone rang. "Hello?"
"Hello, is this Mr. or Mrs. Casmin?"
"Speaking," I said, not bothering to identify which one I was. If whoever on the other end thought that I was a Mister, they would probably not be worth my time.
"This is Dr. Cooper. We have the Mr. Casmin's test results."
Prince had gotten one of his regular check-ups, so this came as no surprise. The next bit of news did, however. "It's not a big problem though, right?" I asked worriedly.
"As long as he relaxes, he'll be one hundred percent okay," Dr. Cooper confirmed. We chatted for a few more minutes before I hung up.
"Hey mom..." Andy said, approaching me with a face that told me he wanted something.
"Yes, Andy?" I said briskly. I had no time for him to beat around the bush. He seemed to get my point, as he continued with his request very quickly.
"I've been thinking. Since we don't really celebrate birthdays with gift-giving, and I'm not interested in any gifts... I was wondering... When I'm older, can I have a bit of money for a house of my own?"
Crapcrapcrapcrapcrap. How was I supposed to explain this one?
"Andy, darling, why would you buy a house of your own?" I asked nervously.
"Because I..." the excitement drained away from his face as the realization dawned on him. "Oh."
"Andy, hon, I'm sorry. But from now until you get married to a man, you have to stay in this house. If you were to get married to a woman, you would have to stay as well, since you would be king. It's just the way it goes."
"I'm sick of all of this, mom. Why does it matter? Why are king and queens even needed?" Andy asked sadly.
I patted his shoulder. "Andy, I know. You didn't ask for this life. But you have no idea how good you have it. When I was a kid, my evil step-mother and step-sisters forced me to clean and cook. I had to make their beds, cook breakfast, lunch, dinner. For a large part of my life, I was forced to sleep on the couch. I had to clean toilets, clean sinks, clean bathtubs. Every day, I was verbally abused. Occasionally, even physically abused." I had never told any of my kids this much of my life. Normally I just stuck to the story that I 'had it hard as a kid'. Andy's face grew soft as he listened to me.
"Mom, I had no idea-"
"I know you didn't," I cut him off, "And it doesn't matter now. Now, I have a great husband, three fabulous kids, and the life every little girl dreams of having. I wasn't grateful at one point in my life, and I made a mistake. I hope you don't do the same thing."
Andy bit his lip. "I won't. I know I have it better than most kids. Hell, almost every kid," Andy said, looking down.
"It's alright. I'm a strong woman. I managed. My step-sisters are still in a rut. Anastasia has been trying to improve herself, though. I have hope yet," I said with a sigh. Anastasia kept me updated on life back at home. Drizella never contacted me and refused to talk to me. I didn't mind. "But it's late. Off to bed with you, Andy, hon," I said, and Andy nodded.
I made sure Andy went to bed, then went upstairs to try and find Prince. I needed to inform him about the phone call. "Oh, my! It's not every day a woman finds her husband doing laundry in his underwear!" I said playfully, smacking Prince's nicely formed butt. He grinned naughtily at me.
"Just your average husband trying to earn brownie points," he teased, kissing me.
"Not now, Princey-boy, I have something to discuss with you," I said, ignoring his puppy dog eyes. "I got the test results back from the doctor. He said that you have chronic stress and you need to chillax a little."
"The good doctor did not say that I needed to chillax," Prince laughed.
"He said that the stress is making you vulnerable to infections, diseases, the whole bit," I continued, "So you need to lay off a bit on all of the stressing you've done over your book. I know you enjoy writing, but Dr. Cooper suggested that you take up a hobby of some sort. We're not pressed for money-you don't need to worry about your book. Write it how you want to write it. And fire your damned publisher, for heaven's sake. He gives you hell way too often. You have power, dammit! Use it!"
Prince grinned at me. "I never liked that guy anyway."
Soon, I got Prince all set up with a canvas on the easel, a paintbrush in one hand, a palette in the other. I checked up on him a few hours later. "How's it going?"
"It's okay," he sighed, "But I'm not really enjoying it. All I want to do is write."
I glanced at the random marks on the canvas. "Okay, fine then. Not your book though," I warned as Prince grinned, "Start a blog or something. Nothing that you can make money off of."
"Don't worry, Cindy. I'll do my best to lower stress," Prince promised.
"Good, I wouldn't want to lose you any time soon," I cooed, sidling up to him. "I think the good doctor said something about certain activities helping lower stress as well..."
Prince got my hint and we, uh, helped him reduce stress.
"Buzz, you need a bath!" Sandy exclaimed. The two of them were sitting down, doing their homework together.
"For crying out loud, Sandy, Andy is the one who stinks, not me," Buzz whined.
I poked my head into the dining room. "Your twin is right, Buzz. You stink," I said, pinching my nose. Buzz glared at me; Sandy grinned at me.
I headed over to the television and flickered through some channels. I came across an exercising channel, so I quickly headed upstairs to change. In the middle of my warm up, my phone rang. "Hello?"
"Hello, is this Mr. or Mrs. Casmin?"
"Speaking," I said, not bothering to identify which one I was. If whoever on the other end thought that I was a Mister, they would probably not be worth my time.
"This is Dr. Cooper. We have the Mr. Casmin's test results."
Prince had gotten one of his regular check-ups, so this came as no surprise. The next bit of news did, however. "It's not a big problem though, right?" I asked worriedly.
"As long as he relaxes, he'll be one hundred percent okay," Dr. Cooper confirmed. We chatted for a few more minutes before I hung up.
"Hey mom..." Andy said, approaching me with a face that told me he wanted something.
"Yes, Andy?" I said briskly. I had no time for him to beat around the bush. He seemed to get my point, as he continued with his request very quickly.
"I've been thinking. Since we don't really celebrate birthdays with gift-giving, and I'm not interested in any gifts... I was wondering... When I'm older, can I have a bit of money for a house of my own?"
Crapcrapcrapcrapcrap. How was I supposed to explain this one?
"Andy, darling, why would you buy a house of your own?" I asked nervously.
"Because I..." the excitement drained away from his face as the realization dawned on him. "Oh."
"Andy, hon, I'm sorry. But from now until you get married to a man, you have to stay in this house. If you were to get married to a woman, you would have to stay as well, since you would be king. It's just the way it goes."
"I'm sick of all of this, mom. Why does it matter? Why are king and queens even needed?" Andy asked sadly.
I patted his shoulder. "Andy, I know. You didn't ask for this life. But you have no idea how good you have it. When I was a kid, my evil step-mother and step-sisters forced me to clean and cook. I had to make their beds, cook breakfast, lunch, dinner. For a large part of my life, I was forced to sleep on the couch. I had to clean toilets, clean sinks, clean bathtubs. Every day, I was verbally abused. Occasionally, even physically abused." I had never told any of my kids this much of my life. Normally I just stuck to the story that I 'had it hard as a kid'. Andy's face grew soft as he listened to me.
"Mom, I had no idea-"
"I know you didn't," I cut him off, "And it doesn't matter now. Now, I have a great husband, three fabulous kids, and the life every little girl dreams of having. I wasn't grateful at one point in my life, and I made a mistake. I hope you don't do the same thing."
Andy bit his lip. "I won't. I know I have it better than most kids. Hell, almost every kid," Andy said, looking down.
"It's alright. I'm a strong woman. I managed. My step-sisters are still in a rut. Anastasia has been trying to improve herself, though. I have hope yet," I said with a sigh. Anastasia kept me updated on life back at home. Drizella never contacted me and refused to talk to me. I didn't mind. "But it's late. Off to bed with you, Andy, hon," I said, and Andy nodded.
I made sure Andy went to bed, then went upstairs to try and find Prince. I needed to inform him about the phone call. "Oh, my! It's not every day a woman finds her husband doing laundry in his underwear!" I said playfully, smacking Prince's nicely formed butt. He grinned naughtily at me.
"Just your average husband trying to earn brownie points," he teased, kissing me.
"Not now, Princey-boy, I have something to discuss with you," I said, ignoring his puppy dog eyes. "I got the test results back from the doctor. He said that you have chronic stress and you need to chillax a little."
"The good doctor did not say that I needed to chillax," Prince laughed.
"He said that the stress is making you vulnerable to infections, diseases, the whole bit," I continued, "So you need to lay off a bit on all of the stressing you've done over your book. I know you enjoy writing, but Dr. Cooper suggested that you take up a hobby of some sort. We're not pressed for money-you don't need to worry about your book. Write it how you want to write it. And fire your damned publisher, for heaven's sake. He gives you hell way too often. You have power, dammit! Use it!"
Prince grinned at me. "I never liked that guy anyway."
Soon, I got Prince all set up with a canvas on the easel, a paintbrush in one hand, a palette in the other. I checked up on him a few hours later. "How's it going?"
"It's okay," he sighed, "But I'm not really enjoying it. All I want to do is write."
I glanced at the random marks on the canvas. "Okay, fine then. Not your book though," I warned as Prince grinned, "Start a blog or something. Nothing that you can make money off of."
"Don't worry, Cindy. I'll do my best to lower stress," Prince promised.
"Good, I wouldn't want to lose you any time soon," I cooed, sidling up to him. "I think the good doctor said something about certain activities helping lower stress as well..."
Prince got my hint and we, uh, helped him reduce stress.
**Andy's POV**
Nearly a full year had passed. Buzz and Sandy were ecstatic that they would soon be aging up. I was pleased that I would soon be fifteen (the legal driving age where we lived). Grade nine had been a blast, really, but it had been immensely embarrassing. I was asked out at least once a week by different girls. No, seriously. I didn't know I was that cute. Instead of telling them that I was gay, I just explained that I wasn't 'looking for anyone'. They took this as a challenge, obviously, and started doing all kinds of things to try and impress me. Once, a girl locked me in a classroom with her and stripped down naked while my back was turned! I was so horrified that I felt the need to tell her that I was indeed gay. The girl was mortified.
Once, when I was telling a girl that I wasn't interested, Leon caught my eye. He winked at me and bit his lip seductively. Still, though, nothing had happened between us, and it was frustrating. I was ninety-nine percent sure that Leon was just teasing me.
A loud farting noise erupted from the corner of the room and I turned sharply. "Jessie!" I yelled. It wasn't the farting noise I was worried about-that came from one of Buzz's pranks-it was the fact that she was in the room while I was about to change. "Out!"
"Sorry, sorry!" she cried, embarrassed, and flew out of the room. Buzz, who was climbing down the ladder on his bunk bed, started laughing maniacally. I gave him the stink eye.
I grabbed one of the dresser drawers and tugged on it, but it was stuck. This wasn't surprising, considering Buzz and I stuffed all of the clothes that we owned into the dresser. Except this time, it wasn't just stuck. It was really stuck. I put all of my body weight on it as I pulled backwards. Finally, it opened, causing me to lose my balance and go flying on my butt. "Nice one!" Buzz chortled as grabbed his clothes from the dresser while I got up.
"Outta my way, twerp," I teased, pushing Buzz aside like a fly.
"Just you wait," he grinned evilly, "In less than a month, I'll be just as big as you."
"Never be as strong!" I bragged, flexing a non-existent muscle. Buzz and I both started laughing.
"Dude, seriously though, you need to start working out," Buzz said, "How else will you get all of the chicks-er, guys, to like you? All about the abs, man." Buzz patted his stomach for effect.
"Maybe," I said sadly, "But right now I don't have anyone to impress."
"What about Leon?" Buzz teased in a sing-song voice. I burned bright red.
"What about Leon?" Buzz teased in a sing-song voice. I burned bright red.
"Shut it, brat," I muttered, quickly changing.
When I was done changing, I quietly closed the drawer. I really liked the clothes that mom had bought. My favourite colour was red, so of course everything was styled red. My cool red shirt, my faded jeans, and my awesome red converse sneakers. I liked how I had done my hair-even Leon said it was cute.
"Done admiring yourself?" Buzz sneered, jabbing me in the side with his fingers.
"When I'm this hot it's hard to not stare," I mocked, pinning him down to the ground.
"OUCH! Get off of me! You're so fat!" Buzz gasped, trying to push me off of him. I was sitting on his stomach. He struggled before going limp. Alarmed I jumped up, but Buzz didn't move.
"Buzz? BUZZ!" I shook him. His body was limp. "Oh my god, Buzz," I freaked out. I couldn't have suffocated him, right? I put my ear to his mouth to listen for signs of breathing. To my intense relief and annoyance, Buzz emitted a loud belch in my ear.
"Something wrong?" he asked as I bolted off of him, rubbing my eardrum. I flipped him the bird before going down for breakfast.
"Andy?" Jessie said shyly.
"Yeah?"
"I'm sorry about intruding on you. I didn't even realize it," Jessie said bashfully.
"No worries," I said, before being engulfed in a hug.
"I love you," Jessie said softly. Her words tingled my ears. Her hug was tight, as if she never wanted to let go.
"I love you too," I whispered back, and the words sounded funny, as if from a different tongue. I quickly released myself from the hug which lasted just a wee bit too long, as if guilty. I let my thoughts wander back to Leon as I gave Jessie a brief goodbye before heading downstairs.
I had another half an hour before school started, so I used it for... recreation activities. Don't get me wrong-I wasn't a perverted boy who only thought dirty thoughts. But I was a hormonal (and sometimes horny) teenage boy with needs. And if I had to fulfill those needs by standing over a toilet for ten minutes thinking about Leon, then so be it. There wasn't a doubt in my mind that Leon didn't do the same thing. Except obviously not thinking about himself... that would be really weird.
Either way, I did feel guilty after it.
"Did you eat something spicy?' I teased them as they chugged water.
"Oh, stuff it, Andy," Buzz choked out. Once their throats cooled off, Sandy and Buzz grabbed their plates to wash in the bathroom sink, and I trailed behind them.
"Buzz!" mom yelled as he walked in. She was bathing, apparently, and she cowered in the tub.
"Sorry, mom," Buzz said, rinsing his plate off in the sink, "But I need to wash it."
"Now you understand why we don't want you coming into the bathroom when we're bathing?" Sandy said, coming in as well. Mom just sank deeper into the bathtub, shielding herself with her hands.
"Don't be brats," I chided, grabbing the plate from Sandy and washing it for her. "Go do your homework now." Buzz and Sandy gave me a weird look before doing what they were told. Oh. Well, I was the older brother. Sometimes I had to pull out that card.
"We need to do our homework anyway," I heard Sandy saying, "So don't complain."
"But isn't it weird that he told us to? He's only a year older than us," Buzz whined.
"Not really. We were acting young for our age."
"We look young for our age," Buzz corrected.
"Not for much longer," Sandy said defiantly. "Now, what did Mrs. Weir ask us to write for the French assignment?"
French was the first class that the twins had been put in together since grade six. Even though they weren't particularly close, my parents didn't want them in the same class because they could cheat answers off of each other, which would be terrible.
"Hey, Sandy, what'cha reading?" I asked a few days later, finding Sandy sitting on her bed, holding a book open on her lap.
"Chess strategies," Sandy replied, not looking up from the book.
"Have you ever played chess before?"
"No. Mom and dad promised to give me one for my birthday party, though."
"Who are you inviting to your party?"
"No one, yet. I think mom is inviting a load of her friends. I don't really have any friends," Sandy said sadly, "And I'm trying to convince Buzz to invite the girl he likes."
"What's her name?"
Sandy looked up from her book. "It's kind of a funny name-Charmaine Chamberlain, I believe. Bit of a mouthful. She goes by Char for short."
I nodded, asked her a quick question and then left her to her own devices.
I changed into my pajamas and laid in bed while I waited for Buzz. It was early-maybe just quarter past six, but I was tired. I half-slept, half-daydreamed while I waited for Buzz. Finally, just when I was about to be lost to the world of unconsciousness, Buzz snuck in.
"Buzz," I whispered hoarsely, "I have something important to tell you."
"Yeah?"
"You know how Leon is a few years older than me? Well, he pulled some strings, and he was invited to grad by a friend, and somehow, he was told that he was only allowed to come if he brought a date... So he asked me to prom."
"As his date?" Buzz whispered excitedly.
"As friends," I clarified, though I knew in my heart Leon and I thought of each other as more than that. "I hope something with transpire, though."
"Me too! This is exciting news!"
"I wanted to ask you something, though. Prom is the night of your age up," I said, taking a breath. "I wanted to know if I had your permission to attend prom instead of your party."
There was a silence and I lost hope. I didn't mean to offend my little brother, but this meant a lot to me. "Dude," Buzz said slowly, "I'm going to have the lamest party ever. You'll see me once prom is over. If you missed prom because of some crap party I'm having, I'd never forgive you."
I grinned. I should've counted on Buzz to be okay with it. When I had asked Sandy, she was completely cool with it, too. "Thanks, Buzz! I really appreciate it!"
"You're going to have to ask mom, though. She might be pissed." Buzz had a point. Mom was very defensive about family outings, since she never got enough chances to have a family when she was a kid.
"It can be my birthday present," I said, "Since I never got one."
"Sounds good. Listen, man, I'm wiped. See you tomorrow though, 'k?"
"'K. Good-night, Buzz."
"Night, Andy."
"Buzz? BUZZ!" I shook him. His body was limp. "Oh my god, Buzz," I freaked out. I couldn't have suffocated him, right? I put my ear to his mouth to listen for signs of breathing. To my intense relief and annoyance, Buzz emitted a loud belch in my ear.
"Something wrong?" he asked as I bolted off of him, rubbing my eardrum. I flipped him the bird before going down for breakfast.
"Andy?" Jessie said shyly.
"Yeah?"
"I'm sorry about intruding on you. I didn't even realize it," Jessie said bashfully.
"No worries," I said, before being engulfed in a hug.
"I love you," Jessie said softly. Her words tingled my ears. Her hug was tight, as if she never wanted to let go.
"I love you too," I whispered back, and the words sounded funny, as if from a different tongue. I quickly released myself from the hug which lasted just a wee bit too long, as if guilty. I let my thoughts wander back to Leon as I gave Jessie a brief goodbye before heading downstairs.
I had another half an hour before school started, so I used it for... recreation activities. Don't get me wrong-I wasn't a perverted boy who only thought dirty thoughts. But I was a hormonal (and sometimes horny) teenage boy with needs. And if I had to fulfill those needs by standing over a toilet for ten minutes thinking about Leon, then so be it. There wasn't a doubt in my mind that Leon didn't do the same thing. Except obviously not thinking about himself... that would be really weird.
Either way, I did feel guilty after it.
"It's weird how much taller you are than me," Buzz noted.
"No, what's really weird is how I still sit in the front seat with my little brother," I remarked.
Sandy snorted from behind us. "That's the one problem with having assigned seats, eh?"
The bus driver, for whatever bizarre reasons, had felt compelled to give a bus filled with annoyed high school students assigned seats. I sat with Buzz in the front seat and Sandy sat a few rows behind us and on the other side. It was only because we were the first kids to be picked up, though.
"How was your day, ma?" I asked, once I had returned home for my snack of a bowl of cereal.
"Average," she grumbled, pouring more cereal into my bowl. "The raccoons got into the garbage again, so I had to clean it up."
"Raccoons are very creepy," I said, recalling my earlier experience, "And feisty."
"For sure," mom said, adding more milk into my bowl. "I mean they knocked over the entire garbage can. I'm still confused on how they can do that."
"Mom, stop giving me more food," I said, slurping the cereal.
"What're you talking about?" she said, wiping up some spilled milk with a tissue. "Anyhow, the trash can was pretty heavy when I lifted it up."
"Mom I can see you pouring the cereal into my bowl," I pointed out.
"I paid the bills and checked the mail," she said, completely ignoring me.
"Find anything of interest?" I asked, finally turning away with my bowl in hand, cupped under my chin.
"Weirdly enough, Talan sent me a letter and some gifts..." Mom's face blanked for a moment. She glanced down at me.
"What did the letter say?" I encouraged.
"Something about how he... his... never mind," mom said softly. I let it slide, knowing that my mom would deal with it.
"What gifts did he send?"
"It was really odd-two maps of some Egyptian fortress type thing. He didn't explain it, and I'm not sure of their significance, but I decided to honor it and I hung them up in my room."
"I want to go to Egypt." I had yet to travel. Same with mom.
"Keep dreaming, buster. There are so many viruses and diseases you could contract there. You're staying right here."
"Is there anything of particular interest that happened in your day?" I inquired, filled with boredom.
"Yes! I went to see a festival show! It was quite exciting! Tons of people were performing, and I learned all kinds of cool things to remember while I was there," mom said ecstatically.
"Like what?"
"Well, don't fall asleep like Wylie Luck did."
"What?!"
"Becky's husband-he's a vampire, right? Well, he was staying out in the sun too long and that made him dizzy... so he fell unconscious. Another lady, too. Luckily, the lady running the show was prepared for such situations, and gave them so blood packets to drink and called taxis to take them home."
I frowned. "Aren't vampires dangerous?"
Mom shrugged. "When people were secretive about them, yes. But now, there are loads of vampires running around, and the only harm they do is turning other people into vampires."
"Isn't that bad enough?"
Mom bit her lip. "That's a debate that has been going on for years. Vampires can live ages longer than humans, but because of the species of vampires we have, they can't live forever. They also learn new things faster, and run as fast as the wind. But obviously, there's the disadvantages-they need to drink blood to survive, and sunlight burns their skin."
"On another note, I watched an acrobat perform. It was super cool! He was juggling knifes, jumping through hoops on fire... Also, I noticed that the cockatoo was there again... the one that never leaves?" mom continued.
"I don't understand why it's always there!" I exclaimed, "the living conditions aren't the greatest for a bird."
"Another performer-Bryce Savage, or something-was a werewolf, and he was pulling off the coolest stunts, even as an old dude. Although it's not the best job, I'd love it if one of you kids got a job-" mom stopped and shook her head. "Never mind. I want you kids to get secure jobs that can support you. None of this silly 'flexible hours' type job."
I rolled my eyes.
"In between acts, I was allowed to sing for tips. So, I changed into my ridiculous doctor-type outfit, put on my wig, and sang. And Andy," mom exclaimed, grasping my hand, "Someone I don't know tipped me! She tossed a giant wad of money into my tip jar. At least twenty bucks!"
I stifled my laughter. My mom, who was the queen, who was immeasurably rich, was getting excited about being tipped twenty dollars. But hey, good for her for getting a job that she loves.
"One more thing, before you go," mom said, pulling me back down as I went to put my bowl in the sink, "They added a crap load-oh damn, sorry-a giant load of new stuff in the park. Maybe later we can go see. One of the things they added was a roller rink! It's perfect! Even though I'm not athletic, I got hang of it really quickly."
"Cool, mom," I said, giving her a peck on the cheek, "But I've got to go now. Talk to you later."
"Yo, dad," I said casually, catching up with him.
"Yes, Andy?" he said, turning abruptly. He looked like he was in a pleasant enough mood. I decided to give it a shot.
"Will you teach me how to drive?"
"Uhh..." Dad blanked out for a few moments, staring at me with wide eyes. "Right now?"
"If possible, yes. Please?"
"I don't see why not," dad said, but his face was full of dread. "Let me just..." he searched around for a reason 'why not'.
"Dad? You don't have anything better to do. I need to learn eventually."
"I guess," dad said, collapsing. His shoulders drooped, and he looked like someone who had just lost his best friend. I rolled my eyes. It wouldn't be that bad.
After running through the different uses of each button, gear, and pedal (which took nearly half an hour), dad finally handed over the keys to let me drive. "Check your rear view mirror," dad commanded. I checked my rear view mirror, which was adjusted for my easy access, and then my side mirrors.
"All clear," I said, and pulled the car into reverse. Dad spent a few minutes lecturing me on the proper way to exit the driveway. I was itching to actually get on the road and go though, so I had ignored him.
"WATCH OUT FOR THE TRASH CAN!" dad yelled, and I jumped a few feet out of my seat and slammed my foot on the break pedal, even though we were probably going about one kilometer an hour. He scared me! I thought it was a person. While my dad gave me the evil eye and my heart slowed back to its normal pace, I eased the car out of the driveway and onto the road. "And this is how I die," dad said gravely, "While teaching my incompetent son how to drive."
"I'm not incompetent," I protested.
"You're right, sorry," dad muttered sorrowfully, biting his nails. An hour later, both my dad and my nerves were jittery, and we called it a day.
"Thanks, dad," I said.
"You can thank me once you get your driver's licence," dad chuckled.
I hustled inside and went to find the twins. I sat on the far end of the dining table and did my homework as they ate. "This is really good, Sandy," Buzz was saying as he hungrily scooped up some food on his plate, "What is it?"
"Firecracker shrimp, or something," Sandy replied, just as eager to eat it all, "Someone brought it for Andy's party."
They finished eating in silence, thankfully, giving me the peace and quiet I needed to do my homework.
The twins gulped down the rest of the hot sauce and shrimp, and then glanced at each other. "Is it just me," Sandy began, her eyes watering.
"Or was that really spicy?" Buzz continued, and shouted out, "I think we ate a ghost chili pepper!"
Known to be one of the hottest peppers of all times, ghost chili peppers often made their way into everyday food items because of an event that happened a few years back. Small town thieves were using ghost chili pepper powder as the powder of small hand grenades. They were easy to get and easy to hide. However, police almost caught them once, so the thieves dumped hundreds of the peppers into everyday pepper selling stands to get rid of the evidence. People were often getting ghost chili peppers when they really just wanted an average one.
Buzz and Sandy, were, of course, on the receiving end of the pain of ghost chili peppers, and raced to the kitchen to gulp water down by the liters.
"Oh, stuff it, Andy," Buzz choked out. Once their throats cooled off, Sandy and Buzz grabbed their plates to wash in the bathroom sink, and I trailed behind them.
"Buzz!" mom yelled as he walked in. She was bathing, apparently, and she cowered in the tub.
"Sorry, mom," Buzz said, rinsing his plate off in the sink, "But I need to wash it."
"Now you understand why we don't want you coming into the bathroom when we're bathing?" Sandy said, coming in as well. Mom just sank deeper into the bathtub, shielding herself with her hands.
"Don't be brats," I chided, grabbing the plate from Sandy and washing it for her. "Go do your homework now." Buzz and Sandy gave me a weird look before doing what they were told. Oh. Well, I was the older brother. Sometimes I had to pull out that card.
"We need to do our homework anyway," I heard Sandy saying, "So don't complain."
"But isn't it weird that he told us to? He's only a year older than us," Buzz whined.
"Not really. We were acting young for our age."
"We look young for our age," Buzz corrected.
"Not for much longer," Sandy said defiantly. "Now, what did Mrs. Weir ask us to write for the French assignment?"
French was the first class that the twins had been put in together since grade six. Even though they weren't particularly close, my parents didn't want them in the same class because they could cheat answers off of each other, which would be terrible.
"Hey, Sandy, what'cha reading?" I asked a few days later, finding Sandy sitting on her bed, holding a book open on her lap.
"Chess strategies," Sandy replied, not looking up from the book.
"Have you ever played chess before?"
"No. Mom and dad promised to give me one for my birthday party, though."
"Who are you inviting to your party?"
"No one, yet. I think mom is inviting a load of her friends. I don't really have any friends," Sandy said sadly, "And I'm trying to convince Buzz to invite the girl he likes."
"What's her name?"
Sandy looked up from her book. "It's kind of a funny name-Charmaine Chamberlain, I believe. Bit of a mouthful. She goes by Char for short."
I nodded, asked her a quick question and then left her to her own devices.
I changed into my pajamas and laid in bed while I waited for Buzz. It was early-maybe just quarter past six, but I was tired. I half-slept, half-daydreamed while I waited for Buzz. Finally, just when I was about to be lost to the world of unconsciousness, Buzz snuck in.
"Buzz," I whispered hoarsely, "I have something important to tell you."
"Yeah?"
"You know how Leon is a few years older than me? Well, he pulled some strings, and he was invited to grad by a friend, and somehow, he was told that he was only allowed to come if he brought a date... So he asked me to prom."
"As his date?" Buzz whispered excitedly.
"As friends," I clarified, though I knew in my heart Leon and I thought of each other as more than that. "I hope something with transpire, though."
"Me too! This is exciting news!"
"I wanted to ask you something, though. Prom is the night of your age up," I said, taking a breath. "I wanted to know if I had your permission to attend prom instead of your party."
There was a silence and I lost hope. I didn't mean to offend my little brother, but this meant a lot to me. "Dude," Buzz said slowly, "I'm going to have the lamest party ever. You'll see me once prom is over. If you missed prom because of some crap party I'm having, I'd never forgive you."
I grinned. I should've counted on Buzz to be okay with it. When I had asked Sandy, she was completely cool with it, too. "Thanks, Buzz! I really appreciate it!"
"You're going to have to ask mom, though. She might be pissed." Buzz had a point. Mom was very defensive about family outings, since she never got enough chances to have a family when she was a kid.
"It can be my birthday present," I said, "Since I never got one."
"Sounds good. Listen, man, I'm wiped. See you tomorrow though, 'k?"
"'K. Good-night, Buzz."
"Night, Andy."
That night, I dreamed of being voted Prom King.
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