Starbird

Chapter 23

“She likes to act like she’s cool,” Zoe said. Victoria glared at the twins.

“Oh really? Why’s that?” I asked.

“She’s always reading. She doesn’t play with us anymore,” Alice told me.

“Well, reading’s not bad! What book?” Alice and Zoe scooted over so I could sit between them as Victoria looked at me skeptically. She then showed me the cover as her way of telling me.

“Shakespeare!” I exclaimed in disbelief. “Wow! I’m impressed. It’s not even Romeo and Juliet.”

“Liam says it’s good to read plays. So I started on Macbeth.”

“What part are you at?”

“It’s when Macbeth doesn’t get the award. I think... I’m not sure, but he’s really angry.”

“Macbeth terrified me.” I recounted on going to the play my eighth grade year when James was Banquo. I was definitely not a fan of him being drenched in fake blood and having his best friend kill him. Not cool.

“You’ve seen Macbeth?” Victoria’s eyes widened.

“Yeah, I was barely older than you and it scared me to death. I went to bed with nightmares. I’m pretty sure I cried at some point.” I admitted, not caring that I was very well scaring the girls surrounding me. 

“Wait... you cried?” I snapped my head to see a smirking Liam off to the side.

“It was terrifying! All the killing and ghosts and, let’s be real, there was a ton of blood -”

“Cam, could you please stop scaring my sisters?” I looked at the twins’ horrified faces.

“I’m sorry. Just... don’t read that play until you’re a bit older.” I smiled, hoping it would make them relax, then I slid over to where Liam was standing.

“Sorry ‘bout that. Just wanted Victoria to tell me about her book.”

“Nah, it’s alright. She likes it when people can talk about books with her.”

“Yeah, everyone has that one thing that they can’t shut up about. For me, art supplies. You; yourself.”

“Hey! Not true!” He defended, but he was laughing. “But seriously, Victoria hardly talks to anyone anymore because she’s always reading. So, thank you.” He was acting as if it was the impossible task to get his sister to talk to people.

“It’s nothing. I just asked her about her book.”

“And I’m pretty sure she’s going to want to be your best friend now.”

“There’s nothing wrong with that. I’m good with children.” I snorted at my own comment, remembering all the days of babysitting where the kids would practically kill me and I couldn’t gain control of them. I took a course! I wasn’t evil! Why did they hate me? “Ok, sometimes I’m good with children. Depends on the day. And the child.”

“Did you snort at your own comment?” Liam asked, an eyebrow raised.

“Yeah, so, what’s wrong with that?”

“You are a strange human being, Camille,” he snickered to himself.

“And you’re mean.”

“Just stating a fact.” He shrugged. I lightly slapped his arm.

“Jerk,” I muttered.

“Let’s call this a tie after you called me egotistical.”

“But you are!” I replied.