Chapter two
"Sup dawg!?"
I paused, one foot suspended above the door mat. I blinked and glanced up.
My brother was draped over the couch, feet dangling over the armrest, his afternoon tea, consisting of chips, chips and chips in one hand. He grinned at me and waggled his eyebrows in the way that teenage guys do when they go to a school dance with girls.
I sighed and stepped forward, closing the door behind me.
"Would it really kill you to say a simple 'hello, dearest sister of mine'?"
I was hoping he would pick up that it was a rhetorical question.
"Yes it would sis."
Obviously next time I should just grunt something in return like a normal teenager.
I dropped my bag by the table and walked in front of him, my folder and books against my chest, the way I knew he hated.
He was always telling me that it made me look too much like a nerd. He seemed to miss the fact that I actually was a nerd anyway and how I carried my books wasn't going to make a difference.
"It's called proper English, Gary."
"No. It's the modern linguistics of adolescents adapting to today's society."
I rolled my eyes, a smile threatening to creep onto my lips. He had a brain, my brother, but did he use it? No. Of course not. That would defeat the purpose of 'teenager hood' as he told his teachers.
I don't think his English teacher was very impressed with that one.
"Any way... How are you dearest brother of mine?"
Gary was 13 months older than me but most of the time he acted 13 months younger than me.
He had movie star blonde hair, tanned skin, a well-toned six-pack, and blue eyes like me. Pretty much, to sum it all up, he was a walking, talking girl magnet. I think all my friends had a crush on him actually. Well, probably excluding Jose. Although she used to have an eye on him, at least she did until year 4.
It was my birthday party and we were out at dinner. I'd ordered fish and chips, and following suite, my friends had too. However, Jose decided to get rump steak. For a 8 year old, a large slab of cow the size of ones head and coated in a red wine, mustard, mushroom sauce would usually not be the most appetizing main course. However Jose was set on it and even then, she was as stubborn as a mule that is being shoved out into the snow after the farmer just installed a heater in the barn. But she wasn't a mule that decided it wanted to stay in the warm, she was Jose, and she chomped up every last bit of that rump steak and slurped every drop of sauce with a large helping of the mashed potatoes. It was a pretty incredible feat to watch I have to say. My brother was particularly impressed. I think however, he was not so amused after he complemented her, she grinned and laughed, turned slightly green and neatly up chucked the entire meal on his shoes. That is probably the reason she feels a little uncomfortable around him now, even if she tries not to show it.
I know for a fact that my other friends all secretly had crushes on him though they didn't tell me. I found a love note in Monique's desk once when I was cleaning it for her. It was addressed to Gary. Personally, I don't mind having an extremely 'hot, hot, hot' brother (to quote Sammie in our class). Yes, he is handsome, but yes, he is more of a complete an utter idiot than he is as charming as his looks.
"Earth to Miss Izzydaydream!"
Gary's clicking fingers snapped me out of my world of thoughts.
