Graceland: Family Affair

Chapter Twenty-Seven

"What are you girls doing snuggled up in here?" Johnny smirks, giving my open bedroom door a little knock.

"We're having a girl's night – we've ordered Chinese food!" Charlie beams.

"Did I hear Chinese food?" Jakes appears in the doorway beside Johnny.

"Yes, you did..." Charlie nods. Jakes looks at Johnny in deep thought.

"...I could eat some Chinese food..." Jakes nods at Johnny.

"Yeah, me too! Can we join?" Johnny asks eagerly, waving his finger between him and Jakes to indicate the two of them.

"...Are you girls?" Charlie raises an eyebrow.

"...No..." They both answer quietly as they shrug and look to the floor, heartbroken.

"But hey!" Johnny's head snaps back up with a smile spreading across his face as he points at me. "I was nice to you today!"

"And...and...and I did the shopping!" Jakes starts to point to. I look at Charlie.

"...Well, I mean...I guess they didn't do anything to us..." I say.

"Yeah..." She sighs. "These two muppets aren't our problem..." She points back at them. She looks back at them as the boys look at her pleadingly. "Fine...okay...you can join us. But two conditions: you go and pick up the food...and not a word of this to Paul and Mike", she instructs as she points.

"We're still kinda annoyed at them..." I explain.

"'We'? But they didn't do anything to you, Charlie..." Jakes' forehead wrinkles a little in confusion.

"Do you want Chinese food or not?!" Charlie raises her voice a little. "If you want Chinese food, you don't question our emotions. Us girls have got to stick together!"

The boys rushed off quietly, sneaking out of the house to get the Chinese while Charlie and I stayed tucked up in bed watching the TV. The returned around fifteen minutes later, managing to get the food back to our room without Mike and Paul following them. The smell of Chinese food fills the room, hitting Charlie and I like a wave as soon as they walk in.

"Shut the door before the smell travels!" Charlie loudly whispers to them, waving her hand as if she could reach the door herself. Dale kicks the door shut behind him as Johnny leaps on the bed beside me, resting his feet on the bed.

"Shoes off, J.T.!" I hit his leg with my arm. Johnny obliges, and Dale lays himself across the foot of my bed. Charlie takes the bags from their hands and starts to dish out the Chinese boxes and chopsticks.

"...Do you guys all know how to use chopsticks?" I ask hesitantly. I have never used chopsticks...this will be interesting for sure.

"Nope..." Johnny answers as he tries to pick up his noodles with the chopsticks. "But unless you want to go into the kitchen and risk running into Mike and Paul...which I'm assuming you don't...then chopsticks will just have to do!"

"Fair enough..." I nod.

"Why are you angry at Mike and Paul anyway?" Dale asks, rolling onto his side so he can face us, propping himself up on one arm, and eating with the other as he balances the box on the duvet in front of him.

"Well..." I sigh and take a breath. "Are you sure you want to know?" I squint a little, not wanting to bore him with the story.

"Just call me Dr. Dale...tell me all your problems..."

"Okay..." I hold my hands up. "You asked for it..."

I embark on a twenty minute long tirade, describing in great depth and details all my woes and problems with my dear big brother.