Different

Ruby

Thursday afternoon
"Yes, I've completed all of my work that I need to before Monday." I patiently tell my mother before she can ask the question. "Glen will be there and he won't let anything happen to me. It will all be just fine." I add a smile for better assurance.
She finally submits and smiles back at me, "alright, honey." She kisses my forehead. " Don't think that I'm not happy for you to be getting out and enjoying your junior year outside of school some."
"Thank you, mama." I say gratefully.
"I love you, my sweet girl." She tells me and kisses my forehead once again.
"I love you too, mama." I clean up the kitchen for her and check the clock. It's nearly dinner time and my brother still hasn't come home yet. Every day this week, he and Jai have been going straight to the Hangout after school. Seems that he comes home later every day.
"Where is he?" My mother asked as if she is the one that can read minds.
"I'm sure he's just not paying any attention to the time." I tell her. "What do you want me to make for dinner?" I ask her.
"Pizza!" My brother announces as he comes in the front door.
"Pizza?" My mother chuckles.
"Sounds good." I laugh as my brother brings the pizzas to the table. Not just pizzas. Jai follows behind him. His eyes search for me as soon as he's in the room.
I know this because he's thinking, where is she?
My heart seems to be in my throat and I fight the smile on my face and burning in my cheeks.
"Ay, Roo." He flashes his smile and then strides over to my mother to give her a hug. "How ya doin', Second Mom?"
He's called her that since he was nine.
"I'm good, Jai. Thanks for asking. How are you?" She smiles warmly at him.
"Can't complain." He smiles back at her and quickly glances at me.
"Let's eat." My brother says, his full attention on the food. We all dig in, no questions asked.
~

After all the food is gone, I clean up grease stains, paper towels, and paper plates. Glen and Jai were in Glen's room as soon as the food disappeared and mom went to bed early. Once everything was cleaned up, I went to my room and couldn't help but slow down to a complete stop outside Glen's door when I heard Jai's voice.
"I'm sure she gets tired of cleaning up after you guys every day. No offense." He mutters.
"You're probably right. But I'm sure she's already finished. We only had pizza so there's no dishes." Glen assumes.
Jai agrees. "Yeah."
There's a long silence.
"Wanna smoke?" Glen whispers.
"Sure." Jai answers, but he thinks, I'm going to stop soon. I know she doesn't like it, and it isn't good for me. It's only making things worse. I just hope Glen won't be mad I won't smoke with him anymore.
"Well," he says aloud.
"Well, what?" Glen asked. He probably felt his discomfort.
"I think I'm actually going to quit." He mumbles in answer.
"Oh." Glen sounds a little sad. "Well, that's fine, bro. If that's what you wanna do. What made you decide that, though?"
He's my best friend. Should've already told him this anyway.
Told him what?
Jai takes a long audible sigh before saying, " I've been seeing a shrink."
"Really? Why?" My brother asks, but I can tell he already knows the answer.
"I've been depressed." Jai answers simply. My heart breaks. "She told me that marijuana can cause it or make it worse. I know it hasn't caused it, but I do believe it could be making it worse. I mean, sure, when I'm doing it and when I'm high, it's great, but after I just feel like shit."
Glen is lost for words.
"But, it's all good." I can hear the smile in Jai's voice.
I wonder if that was my brothers' powers doing or Jai's own power to make himself smile.
"Have you guys got any twinkies?" He asked and his voice is closer to the door.
Oh, crap!
I silently start my run down the hall to my room and hear Jai opening the door before I even got halfway there. I turn and using my telekinesis to close the door right on his nose.
"Ah, fuck!" He yells out. I felt so bad instantly.
"What did you do, dumbass?" My brothers' voice is muffled through the walls but his deep laugh is booming through the house.
"Language!" My mother yells.
"Sorry, ma!" He yells back.
"Shut up, dickwad. Your ghost is back. Busted my nose."
"You're bleeding on my floor, go to the bathroom!" Glen complains and is still laughing at his poor best friend.
It's entirely my fault that Jai thinks there's a ghost in our house. Ever since we were little, I've done small things with my powers just to mess with him a little bit and my brother and I would snicker about it later. It's the meanest thing I've ever done. However, for the most part, I don't feel bad about it. I'm a terrible person.
I decide to "figure out what all of the yelling is about" and head to the bathroom as Jai left the door open. I cringe at the blood in the sink. He stands in front of it and he is sticking toilet paper up his nostrils. He notices me standing beside him and nearly jumps out of his skin.
"I'm not picking my nose." He says quickly. I laugh once and cover my mouth.
"What happened?" I ask.
"The door," he points at it accusingly, " hit me in the face."
"The door... Hit you in the face?" I raise an eyebrow and on the inside I'm dying.
"Never mind." He told his watering eyes and laughs.
"My nose is just gushing." He complains and gets another wad of toilet paper to shove up his nostrils.
"Here." I take my hand and replace his on his nose and gently push his head back so that his nose is in the air.
Shit. She's standing too close to me.
I realize now that I was practically touching him and blushed and try to discreetly give him some room.
"Now I'm drowning in my own blood." He complains again and coughs once.
"Do you want to gush out your nose or down the back of your throat, you pick." I laugh. He groans and doesn't move from his current position.
He usually is the one to initiate conversation, and the silence is actually making me uncomfortable so I say, "I would recommend not trying to fight a door again."
He laughs once, "noted."
Another minute of silence passes as I hold his nose for him for some reason as if he isn't capable. He doesn't mind though. I know this as he thinks to himself,
I'll have to fuck up my nose more often.
"I think it's stopped." He says and straightens his head back up slowly. He searches my eyes for a second before smiling and saying, Thanks, Roo." I smile back and grab a washcloth from underneath the sink and wet it with warm water to wipe the dried blood from his face. "No more getting roughed up with inanimate objects." I say and fight laughter on my way back to my room.
He watches me the whole way and thinks, she really is something else.