STAMP OF APPROVAL - a selection story

"i'm gonna teach you to skateboard"

But it works. I begin to visualize Charlotte in her dress, dancing with me around the ballroom, her little nose scrunch she gave me when she told me she missed my leather jacket. I honestly don't think she looked any prettier.

"Your descriptions could use a little work, but I think we got the picture," Abri interrupts my thoughts, she has a too smug expression for me not to entirely suspect this was all for me.

Emmie gives Abri a dreamy smile. "I wanna go to a gala. It sounds so cool."

Abri shrugs. "I'd rather not."

This doesn't faze Emmie. "But dancing, and dressing up, and getting your hair done, and having a dance partner who could sweep you off your feet... it sounds amazing."

Abri wrinkles her forehead. "It sounds painful. And boring."

I hide my grin. We really are alike.

"What sounds painful? Having fun?"

"Having to get your hair and makeup done, which takes forever by the way," Abri points out to Emmie, who doesn't wear makeup, and never has, and her usual short straight hair doesn't change. I think her parents have something to do with that. "Wearing fancy shoes, wearing too tight of a dress, having to dance in said outfit, and they always serve such weird food."

"If Abri threw a gala, it would actually turn out to be a rager," I throw in.

Abri grins. "Better than a gala," she snaps back.

"You've gotten your hair done? And worn makeup?"

Abri snorts. "Once. Mom made me. She was invited to one of Hailee and Olive Leckie's parties when I was ten, and she made me dress up for it. It was the first time I wore heels, and there was not an inch of leather on me."

"You wore leather when you were ten?" I tease.

"I started young, Levi. You would have known that," she says it with a smile, but there's a regretful edge to her tone, and I look away.

Emmie doesn't seem to notice the change in the tone. "I remember your leather gloves you loved to wear. Your mom didn't want you to wear them?"

Abri is smirking when I glance back up at the screen. "No. She said they weren't fancy to wear to their party. I was gloveless the whole evening."

"Wow, that is sad."

"Tell me about it," Abri mumbles, clearly still upset by the memory.

I glance toward the screen and meet my sister's gaze. I can tell there are some things she'd like to hide, and maybe the fact that she still dislikes that I left, but I see straight through them. But I can tell that with me being gone it's even harder for her. She was alone before, and I know she hates that more than anything.

I wish she could be here every weekend so she wouldn't have to be.

But I'm hoping that spending the night at Emmie's or Onyx's helps. She seems to be doing okay.

"How are your parents, Emmie?" I ask, wanting to change the subject into something lighter. "Are they still okay with Abri spending the evenings at your house and having her sleep over?"

Emmie opens her mouth, a frown in her brow, but then Abri clears her throat and gives her a look, which vanishes soon after. Emmie nods, her expressions transforming into a smile. "Yeah, they're fine with it. They haven't said otherwise."

I narrow my eyes. Abri sends me a smile.

"Good," I reply, but keep my eyes on my sister.

"Well, Levi, we should get going. I'll talk to you next Sunday, right?" Abri's hand hovers over the computer, as if ready to close it.