He smiles and touches his thumb to my cheek. “I know,” he whispers. “Do me a favor?”
I lean into his touch and smile. “What’s that?”
“Don’t keep anything from me,” he sighs. “I know eventually it’ll be next to impossible, but please don’t shut me out,” he pleads. “I like that you’re weird. I like that you and your brother are strange, and almost inseparable. I wouldn’t change a single thing about you.” He smiles my favorite, knee-knocking smile that lights the gold flecks in his eyes and makes it seem like they’re glowing.
“Okay,” I whisper.
He leans toward me, and I meet him half way. His hand stays on my cheek, enticing tingles, as his lips move against mine. Our kiss is cut off, again, by the sound of the sliding glass door banging open. Simultaneously, we turn to see my brother, Tony, and Flynn jump off the deck and run towards us, each sporting a super soaker.
We jump to standing position, and I look for an escape path. A shiver crawls through me as I realize the only escape is jumping in the lake or running directly to the boys with squirt guns.
“The jig is up fool!” Henry shouts, trying to sound like a “gangsta.” “Hand off my sista and no one gets hurt!” He points his super soaker at Seth, and I roll my eyes.
“Nevuh! I’ll nevuh let her go!” Seth shouts, sounding equally lame.
“Why don’t you let her make that decision, punk? Or are you scared she won’t choose you?” Flynn asks.
“She can make her decision, but what will you do when she chooses me over you?” Seth fires back.
I groan. I’m surrounded by cheese heads.
“What’ll it be, Princess?” Tony puts me on the spot with his gun aimed at me. “Come with us, or watch your boy toy go down in a puddle?” He scrunches his face, and I have to bite the inside of my lip to keep from laughing hysterically, because his face resembles Alex’s poop face.
I swallow my laughter. If I play along, maybe I can come out unscathed. “Oh, what ever shall I do?” I ask dramatically, in my best “damsel in distress” voice.
“Just to help make your decision, these guns are locked and loaded with the most lethal pop on the planet,” Henry pauses for dramatic effect. “Diet cola,” he says, and pumps the soaker for good measure.
“Why didn’t you say that to begin with?” Seth shouts and shoves me toward Henry, the traitor! At the same time Seth shoves me, Henry pulls the trigger, spraying me right in the face with, yup, diet pop.
Tony and Flynn let loose on Seth, who runs towards me and yanks us both behind Henry, making them squirt each other.
Seth and I just look at each before backing away from them, heading towards the deck. They don’t seem to notice so we turn and run.
I glance over my shoulder in time to see Tony notice our escape, and they chase us, squirting at our backs. I get up the steps first and run through the door, shoes squeaking towards the bathroom.
If I’m going to get them back, I have to do this right.
Thinking on my toes like my dad taught me, I grab five towels, one for each of us, and the baby powder bottle from the shelf. I dump baby powder on three of the five towels and then wrap a clean one around my neck.
I peek out through the door to see them laughing and talking on the deck. So I sneak down the hallway without being seen, to find Barry and Skeeter.
Hearing Alex giggling from the rec room, I yell down to them. “Hey!”
A few seconds tick by and Barry and Skeeter holding Alex, come to the bottom of the steps. They both smile, which falters a little at the sight of me. Yeah, I know, I look horrible. I already feel sticky.
“Uh, what happened to you?” Barry asks with a wolfish grin on his face.
“The drowned-rat look? Definitely out,” Skeeter says with a laugh.
“We were hit with soda soakers, but I have powder towels,” I raise the three towels. “Grab a camera!” I holler, then dart towards the deck. Skeeter and Alex come out as I quietly hand Seth the clean towel, and the guys grab the others from my arm.
“Who was the mastermind?” Skeeter laughs.
“Me.” Flynn whoops out with a huge shit-eating-grin on his face. He swipes the towel across his face, leaving behind streaks of white powder. I’ve no clue how they can’t smell the baby powder.
Skeeter sets Alex on the floor of the deck and nearly doubles over in laughter. “You all are . . . ” she pauses for a breath. “Bee food!” she shakes her head.
I look around to the guys. They each have streaks of white powder on their faces or in their hair. I have to bury my face in my towel to hide most of my giggles.
Skeeter pulls herself together and whips out her phone. “Alright guys, bunch together. I want a picture before you bring the bees down on us!” she pinches her lips together as her shoulders shake again.
I stand between Henry and Seth, as Flynn and Tony stand behind us. After she clicks a few pictures, Barry comes trotting out the door, camcorder in hand.
“Hey, Flynn!” Barry announces. “You got shit on your face,” he laughs.
Flynn groans and swipes the side of his face with the towel, leaving behind more white powder.
Tony points and laughs. That’s when he notices a streak of white on his arm. “She got us back!”
“You powdered my towel, too, didn’t cha?” Henry asks. I nod. “Did I not tell you she’d get us back?” He laughs and hangs the towel over the banister.
“I knew coming over here would be better than sittin’ at home, watchin’ the tube,” Skeeter says.
Seth tilts his head my way. “How’s my towel?”
“Clean,” I smile and kiss his sticky cheek.
After we all clean up, we watch movies and play games in the living room until we all just crash out on the floor or couch.
***
Standing in the driveway, staring at my old house, the memories bombard me, making it impossible to shut my brain off.
One day, very soon, I won’t be able to walk through this door and smell the scent of home.
Henry walks the three steps to my side, puts his arm around me and kisses the top of my head as I lean on him.
Flynn coughs.
Pulling away from Henry, I take a deep breath and go unlock the door.
I breathe in the scent of home and make my way to the kitchen, not paying attention to knick-knacks, photos, or anything at all.
Skeeter and I start the coffee and prepare Gatorade and iced tea. We hear the guys thump up and down the stairs to the basement. Skeeter’s eyebrows rise with how much noise they are making.
“Henry’s weight bench is down there,” I say, as I stir the last jug of Gatorade.
She nods. “Is that going to your uncle’s or getting sold?”
“Leland said they can add it to his weight room,” I say.
“Gotcha,” she says. She puts the jugs in the fridge and starts pulling out the condiments from the shelves, checking the expiration dates. “Hey, Henry said you haven’t been in your dad’s office since they passed away,” she says, as she chucks the jar of mayo in the trash. I nod. “I’m here if you need me. I’ll go with you if you want.” She shoots me a small smile, and I nod and smile back.
I grab some bags and boxes, and Skeeter follows me up to my room. There really isn’t much left in there, since I took most of it when we left for Leland’s, but it needs to be done.
Skeeter and I start pulling my books from the bookcase and load up four boxes. Yep, nerd, that’s me.
Seth comes in and grabs a box already labeled to go to Leland’s. On his way out, he blows me a kiss and then goes cross eyed before nodding at Skeeter. I giggle, I can’t help it.
Skeeter sits on my rocking chair and chuckles at me before shaking her head. “Don’t take this the wrong way, Jazzy, but I always thought I’d feel bad for the girl that got stuck with Seth.” My mouth pops open, and she rolls her eyes. “I’ve known Seth since we were little. Our parents are close. We vacationed together and stayed close throug
h moves. Seth was always chill, but he rarely got worked up or excited. He’s always been dull, usually just seemed bored with everything while keeping his hotness and sweetness.” I put down the stack of CDs I was going to sort and give her my full attention. “He’s weird,” she raps her knuckles on the arm of the rocker as she glides back and forth. “You bring out the best in that boy,” she smiles. “I have never seen him smile so much, and he gets so worked up over you. It’s amazing to watch. It’s like,” she pauses. “Getting to know a whole new Seth,” she says with a grin.
I take a minute to process this.
From the moment I met Seth, he was far from dull. He was mysterious, strange even.
I plunk a CD case into the empty box in front of me.
He is definitely sweet, totally hot, but never dull.
I crack open a CD case, it’s empty so I toss it in the trash bag.
He is how he is today, because of me? Adventurous, fierce, fun.
No, it’s not me. It’s our bond. Being connected just polished what was already there.
The last three CD’s I toss into the box and face Skeeter with a smile. “Thanks.” I remember a few of the comments regarding Skeeter and her joking ways. “No wonder you are the way you are! If Seth was that boring, I’d have to stir up trouble, too!” I laugh and toss a stuffed animal at her.
She catches it and throws it in the box with the CDs. “The stories I could tell you . . . ”
She’s interrupted by Henry shouting that Mom’s finally arrived.
We make quick work of the introductions, so that Leland could give everyone a quick rundown of which vehicles will deliver what, and to where.
I can’t keep my giggle quiet when Leland uses his pep-talk-voice. Are we supposed to huddle up, slap hands and yell “Go Team!”?
Mom clears her throat to get my attention and shoots me a dirty look. I work on trying to hide my smile.
When Leland shoos us all away, Seth and Skeeter help me finish up my room.
The next room I’m to tackle today is Sophie’s room.
I scrub my palms over my eyes and swallow my growl. I really do not want to go in there.
Will the privacy agreement she made me sign when I was six still hold true? If I enter her room without her permission, will I turn into moldy cheese, with broccoli for legs, and spaghetti squash for hair? Will my Prince Charming want to kiss moldy cheese?
I peek from my hands to Seth, and see him flash me my favorite smile.
The image of him giving me a kiss flashes into my mind.
I guess those thoughts he heard. At least, that’s something I don’t have to explain.
Seth comes over and runs a hand up my arm, igniting the buzzing tingles along the way. “Coffee?” he asks and nods his head towards the kitchen.
I nod, and let him pull me to heaven-in-a-cup land.
He pours me a cup of coffee, and I add my cream and sugar.
“You’ll be fine,” he says, as he pours himself some Gatorade.
“I know.”
He looks at me sideways and smiles. “Did I ever tell you about my first concert?”
I shake my head. “Nope.”
“It was Alan Jackson, and the girl beside us was so excited when he came on stage that she wet her pants,” he laughs.
I almost choke on my coffee. “No way!” he nods. “Alan Jackson?” he nods again, and I laugh. “Did that really happen, or are you just trying to make me laugh?”
He grins. “It happened, but I did only tell you to get you to laugh,” he wraps an arm around my waist.
We finish our drinks and climb the stairs again. I reach Sophie’s door and freeze, with my hand on the knob. I half expect her to yank open the door and ask what I want. But I know that won’t happen, ever again.
I take a deep breath and glance to Henry, holding up the wall and looking as apprehensive as I feel. We lock eyes for a minute. He takes a deep breath and closes his eyes. He reaches over, grabs my hand, and together we open the door.
I freeze just inside the doorway.
Pink.
My stomach rolls. And the coffee I just finished? Churns.
Sophie’s, very pink, room is pink and black animal print.
Dad used to say I hated pink because Soph loved it so much.
I don’t think she loved that color all the time. She probably just kept up with pink to keep me away from it.
I imagine my memories and emotions as clothes and knick-knacks, and mentally stuff everything into boxes.
I need to get through this room. Preferably, tear-free.
I grab a box that says ‘Leland’s’ on it, and stuff in pictures and scrapbooks. Next, I toss the magazines and research notes in the trash, sort her jewelry box, and move to her night stand. Clearing it off is the easy part. I grab a sticky note, pre-marked ‘Sell’, and slap it on. Now, I have to sift through the junk in these drawers.
I slide over two empty boxes and the garbage bag. Who knows what I’ll find in these drawers. I open the top drawer and just before I grab the pink fuzzy item I see, I stop and actually look at it.
Gasping, I slam the drawer shut.
Of course, I just caught everyone’s attention, and now they’re waiting for an explanation.
“What’s in there?” Henry asks when I don’t say anything.
“Nothing,” I squeak, and he rolls his eyes. He reaches for the drawer, and I stop him quickly. “It’s just . . . It’s not exactly what I was expecting,” this isn’t something he should know about! “It’s nothing really, just finish taking the boxes out, I’ll be fine.” I smile.
He crosses his arms defiantly. “Tell me what’s in the drawer, Jasmine.”
Aw shit, he never calls me Jasmine. I sigh. “Henry, please. Just trust me. You do not want to know,” I say, trying to put authority into my voice. Judging from the look on his face, I’m not very convincing.
Skeeter starts chuckling and sits on the bed, watching the two of us. I glance to Seth for help. His eyes are twinkling with amusement and he’s fighting a smile.
Gah!
Henry’s jaw ticks. He’s getting frustrated. “Just tell me,” he snaps. “It can’t be that bad, Jaz.”
“Henry, the items in that drawer . . . It’s something no sibling should ever find, especially a brother.”
I can only imagine the threats she would make, if she knew either of us found the things in that drawer.
“Seriously, it’s Sophie! What could it possibly be?” he demands at a near shout.
I grumble out a curse. “Let’s just say that she was safe,” I hope he catches the innuendo. Please just leave it alone!
Skeeter snorts in her laughter.
Henry gives her a dirty look before focusing on me again. “Jasmine, what’s in the damn drawer?”
“Oh, for shit’s sake!” I shout. “Did you drink a cup of stupid this morning? Our sister has a drawer full of fuzzy handcuffs, lube, and some other “entertainment” items. Are you happy with that mental image I tried to spare you?!”
Henry’s face goes pale and his wide eyes fall to the floor. He clears his throat, stands and walks out silently. Seth smiles, but holds back his laughter.
“You help out downstairs. I’ll bring these boxes down in a few!” Seth shouts after Henry, who mumbles something in return.
My heart squeezes. Right there, he had the opportunity to tease Henry, much like the other guys would do, but he didn’t.
He’s amazing.
‘Poor Henry, I wouldn’t want that image of my sister, if I had one.’
I smile at him, and refocus on the task at hand. I try to keep the memories at bay, but it’s tricky. I have to pause every few minutes to focus on my breathing. I ignore my surroundings, and sing in my head. Skeeter’s almost endless chatter helps, too.
Opening Sophie’s closet, seeing her clothes, shoes, and bags, the mental box decides to dump out all those memories I boxed up.
I remember her and Mom flitting around me, in this room
, the night of my first dance in the seventh grade. Sophie was so excited, because I would never let her dress me up like a “girl.”
I remember sitting on her bed with her all cuddled up, the night Marcus Jones dumped her for her best friend, Sarah Wallace. I tried so hard to cheer her up. I was eleven then. So I didn’t really understand much, but she liked that I stayed with her until she fell asleep from an ice cream overdose.
We fought a lot. Usually over stupid things like, who had better taste in clothes, music, movies, or chores. One time, I think we even fought over birthmarks.
I wipe the tears from my face, and force myself to remove the clothes from the hangers.
As I box the last item, Mom yells for Henry and me. I hand the tape to Skeeter and let her tape up the last box, and head down the stairs.
“Guys, I have about an hour and a half until Leland takes me back. I’d like to start on the office, if y’ins are ready.”
We start walking towards Dad’s office, but I freeze just before the door and start backing away.
“I’ll just . . . ” I back up a few steps. “Grab a few boxes,” I say and slink back down the hallway into the living room, grabbing a few bags and boxes.
I make my way back to the office, slowly. Seth and Barry join me just before I reach the door. I put on a brave face just for them and push the door open.
The three of us freeze just inside the door.
Mom’s at the desk crying, and Henry is sitting on the floor, next to the desk with his head in his hands.
What the hell happened now?
Chapter 15
The Halfling
“Mom? Henry?” I ask hesitantly.
Mom looks up and motions me to come over to her.
Holding my breath and squeezing my hands behind my back, I slowly walk to her. I can feel myself coming undone at the sight of her tears. But before the tears can leak out, I concentrate on Seth, our bond, and feel the warm brush of calm wash over me.
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