Little Sister

Chapter 2

It's Saturday, the day before Halloween. I'm making coffee for myself since I know that I have to stay up pretty late to babysit Kevin's little sister tonight. Brittany will be over at any minute, so I clean up the kitchen a bit and freshen up so that I look okay when we leave for Kevin's house.

I know that I shouldn't care about what I look like considering the fact that I don't have anyone to impress...Kevin already has a girlfriend and he's the only guy I'll be seeing tonight since he's stopping home after he gets out of work to get ready for whatever party he and my brother are going to. But yet, I still put a little extra effort into putting on my makeup.

Just as I'm brushing through my wavy hair one last time, I hear the doorbell ring. "I got it!" I yell from upstairs and quickly stomp down the steps to open my front door. "Hi!" Britt slips inside and flips her hair to the side.

"What's up?" I smile, shutting the door behind Britt. We make our way upstairs and into my room where I am blasting Taylor Swift's new CD, Speak Now. I am completely and helplessly obsessed with Taylor Swift.

"Oh my gosh! I lovelovelove this song!" Britt exclaims, turning the volume on my CD player louder. She starts pacing around my room, singing into her hand like a microphone to the song "Dear John" - one of my favorites as well.

I giggle and get into character with my best friend like a little girl. "Don't you think I was too young to be messed with? The girl in the dress cried the whole way home; I shoulda known," I sang dejectedly to my fake audience.

"Isabella, you're coffee is ready!" My mom yells from downstairs. I barely hear her because of how loud the music is playing.

"Okay!" I call back to her as Britt pauses the tape. "Come on, I think she'll be here any minute."

"Who?" Britt asks me, furrowing her eyebrows in confusion as we make our way downstairs and into my Italian style kitchen.

I pour coffee into a travel mug. "Kevin's mom. She's bringing us back to her house." Britt nods and takes a seat at my counter, resting her chin in her hand. "Want some?" I offer her some coffee but she shakes her head no.

So give me...one good...reason, why we...need to...be like them.

My ring tone by my favorite band, Blink 182 (another obsession of mine) goes off just as I finish cleaning up the coffee pot. I look at the screen of my phone and notice that it's Kevin's mom calling me. "Hello?"

"Hey, Izzy? It's Aubrey. We're almost at your house!" a crazy voice says too loudly.

My brothers warned me about Aubrey...she likes everyone to call her by her first name. Even her kids. And she acts as a teen herself…This should be very interesting.

“Okay, we’ll be ready!” I assure her, my stomach lurching with nervousness. Not that I have any reason to be nervous…but that just happens a lot with me. Turning to Britt, I say, “She’s almost here.”

“Okay!” Britt jumps up from her seat at my counter, and we say goodbye to my parents before stepping outside to wait for Aubrey. Once we see bright headlights in the street directly in front of my house, Brittany and I make our way down my driveway.

“Hey, girls!” Aubrey greets as though she’s known us her entire life. I settle down in the passenger seat while Britt sits down in the backseat with a grinning girl whom I’m assuming is Erin, the child we’re babysitting. “So are you Greg’s little sister?” asks Aubrey as we make our way to hear house.

I sigh. I’ll always be known as “Greg and Brian’s little sister.” Always. “Yup, that’s me!” I giggle forcefully and sneak a glance at Kevin’s mom. She is dressed like a hooker wearing a tight, skinny Halloween costume - what is she, a referee? - with high heels and bright blue eye makeup. I shudder. Now I can easily comprehend what Greg was going on with about her.

“And you are…?” she asks Britt who is looking out her window, deep in thought.

Since she doesn’t hear Aubrey’s question, I answer for her. “She’s my friend, Britt.”

Aubrey nods, switching the radio station until some hip-hop song is playing. “That’s Erin,” she says, pointing to the backseat where the little girl is seated. I turn around and smile at Erin. She looks adorable…all dressed up in a Minnie Mouse costume - ears and everything! And she seems extremely shy. I can’t wait to meet her better! I love kids…

Once we get to the small white house, I am completely relieved to be able to get rid of Aubrey. It isn’t that she’s rude or anything…She’s just utterly insane. The whole ride, all she did was dance to some rap songs and talk about my brother being hot - creepy!

“Well, make yourselves at home. I’m just gonna finish getting ready for the Halloween party,” Aubrey tells us once we’re inside and makes her way upstairs.

I look to Britt who raises her eyebrows and mouths “oh-kaaaaay…”

I chuckle and plop down on their grey couch. “So, you’re Erin?” I ask the sweet little girl who fiddles with her Minnie Mouse ears. She nods shyly and places the ears over her eyes, grinning.

“Awwwwww! She’s so cute!” Britt gushes, her blue eyes sparkling.

I hear footsteps on the staircase next to me and look up to see Aubrey and some man - her boyfriend, I’m guessing - walking down together. It looks as thought Aubrey wishes she was twenty years younger. And the guy just looked…awkward and scary. He reminded me of Frankenstein, except creepier…“Well, we’re gonna get going. We’ll be home around midnight. Kevin warned me about being late…“ Aubrey tells us, rolling her eyes. “And he’ll be home after work before he goes out, too.”

“Okay, sounds great!” I say joyfully. Aubrey and her boyfriend kiss Erin goodbye and then finally leave. But as soon as the door closes behind them, Erin goes insane. She leaps up from the floor, giggling, and jumps into my lap, pulling my hear. “Ow, what are you doing?!” I try to gently pry Erin off of me, but she just continues to smother me with laughs while Britt cracks up at the scene. I glare at her. She is sitting on some lime green chair that rocks back and forth…it’s pretty ugly looking for a living room if you ask me. As soon as I get Erin off of me, she runs over to Britt and tackles her in the chair. Britt falls backwards and screams as I sit back, laughing my head off. “You get what you deserve!”

“Ewewew! She licked me!” I hear Britt’s stifled voice from underneath an energetic Erin. “Help!”

Shaking with laughter, I get up from the couch to pull off a crazy Erin from my best friend. “I thought you were sweet and innocent?” I ask the five-year-old devil who is kicking and screaming in my arms.

This is gonna be a long night…