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"OH MY GOODNESS!" Dianne Harrington squealed as her daughter descended down the stairs — the girl's lavender dress swishing with each step she took.
"Mom," Cindy warned — eyes darting from where her mother was practically running out of the living room — to where her father and Steve were sat on the couch, expectantly awaiting the youngest Harrington's reveal.
Ron stood from where he sat, ringed fingers tapping rhythmically over his knees. Her father walked slowly toward her mother's side, smiling softly as he caught a glimpse of his daughter. A smile from her father was something rare, and Cindy felt the prick of a blush spreading across her cheeks.
Steve had followed behind their father, slowly, as if trying not to get too close. His hands were shoved deep within the pockets of his jeans, the sleeves of his maroon cable knit sweater bunched up by his elbows. A genuine smile broke out upon his lips as soon as his gaze fell to his younger sister, who suddenly not longer looked so little.
"You stay right where you are," Dianne pointed a finger at her daughter with a raised brow. "I have to get the camera. Don't move, I mean it, Cindy."
Cindy groaned, fiddling awkwardly with the skirt of her dress as her mother left to fetch the camera from the living room. It was an odd occurrence for their family to be acting as they were at this moment — like a family, excited to commemorate Cindy's first school dance.
Dianne returned, socked feet shuffling so quickly across the sleek floors of the foyer that Cindy worried she might fall and seriously hurt herself. In her mother's hands was the camera, big and clunky within Dianne's slender fingers. Cindy shot her mother a displeased glance, one in which Dianne returned with a wink and an exaggerated show of the camera perched within her hands.
"Mom," Cindy called out for the second time, throwing her hands to her sides in a plea for her to hurry.
"You know," Dianne placed a hand on her hip. "If you would stop whining we could get this show on the road a lot faster, Cindy Harrington."
Cindy scoffed, but nevertheless, allowed an overly bright smile to appear across her face.
Steve snickered, and out of the corner of her eyes Cindy could see her brother focusing his gaze on his shoes in an attempt to hide the amused smile written across his features.
"Hey!" Cindy cried out, a frown replacing her plastered smile. "Mom? You aren't going to tell him to stop?!"
Dianne shrugged, confused as she looked between her two children.
"He's laughing at me!" Cindy cried, throwing a hand in her brother's direction.
"Oh, Steve," Dianne rolled her eyes, a hand placed on her hip yet again. "Don't laugh at your sister. I just got her to smile for a picture and you're ruining my chances at getting another."
