Best Friend's Brother

- 10 -

WHEN CHRISTIAN AND I SET off into the dark night, I had one thing on my mind: my sisters. My sisters weren't the best sisters—I knew "best sisters" didn't exist—but I still loved them. Sylvia looked after me and Frida, well Frida did too, in her own way. Even though they would chastise me for little things like using their hairbrush, they always cared for me, no matter how imperfect I was.

   My house was only about a five minute drive from the Thompson Residence. It was a white colonial house with black window shutters. It was two stories with a attached two-car garage that had a black garage door. I saw the living room lights turned on and Sylvia sitting on the steps with a blanket draped over her shoulders. Her hair was up and she was wearing the same blue Adidas soccer shorts and white tank top she was wearing earlier when she dropped me off at the Thompson house. She was barefoot and her bright orange nails glistened under the moonlight.

   As soon as Axle killed the engine of his motorcycle, I got off and ran towards my sister. Sylvia stood up and pulled me into a hug. "Oh Ri—Oh baby." She kissed my head and smiled when she pulled away. "Is everything all right?"

   "Yes. Of course." I rubbed a rogue tear out from under my eye. "How are—"

   I would've continued by my sister was facing Christian Thompson, her ex boyfriend, with her lips pressed into a straight line and her arms crossed. "Christian Thompson."

Axle jammed his fists into the pockets of his jeans. "Hey Sylvy. What's—"

Sylvia slapped Axle across the face as hard as she could. The sound of the slap echoed through the neighborhood. "That's for being a dick all those years ago." Then, she did the unthinkable: she hugged him. "This is for actually fixing your act up." She pulled away and punched his arm playfully. "Ew. You smell like cigarettes."

Axle chuckled. "You're still the same old."

I smiled. "So—"

"Now, I must ask this, Christian," Sylvia paused, looking for the right words, "how did you make my li'l sis fall in love with you?"

He grabbed my waist. "What's there not to love about Riley, Sylvia? I've always loved your sister. Always."

   "And you've watched over her, right?"

   "Always."

   Sylvia looked at me. "Can I even ask what happened at Riley's accident?"

   I shook my head. "That's more of a private conversation, Sylv."

   She nodded. "Yeah. You're right." She looked at us and smiled. "Let's come inside. Mom just went to bed with Dad. The twins are still awake. We might be able to talk before Frida gets here."

We started going up the stairs to the front door when we heard a car door open. "Axle." She squeaked. We turned around and saw Frida, standing there while Andrei was pulling Frankie into his arms. "Oh Axle." She started running but Axle moved behind Sylvia and sighed.

"Hi Frida." He said, reaching for me.

   I didn't reach for him. I reached for my sister. "Frida." I tried to hug her and she pushed me away.

   "Don't try to play the good sister now, Riley." Frida scuffed.

   Andrei stood behind Frida with my nephew in one arm and a face full of concern. He reached to touch Frida's shoulder but my sister pushed him away. With his free hand, he rubbed his face and his hair and I could tell that he was trying to make it through tonight without getting eliminated.

   Andrei Michini was tall and muscular. He was lean like a string bean with corded muscles climbing up his legs and his arms. He had olive skin that made him stick out, especially with his thick black curls and his big nose. He had a hard jawline that was so sharp, it could cut through anything. His eyes were a hazel color with amber mixing in. Frida said girls used to watch him from afar hoping he'd look towards them so they could look at his eyes. He had on a black V-neck, a pair of joggers, and some Adidas slides.