Gazing out of the window wasn't that interesting, and Masha eventually grew bored of the scenery. The trees and the river had long lost their charm, not as exciting and beautiful as they initially were. Now, she could only rest her chin on her hand, letting out deep sighs of boredom while the scenery continued to pass before her eyes.
As she wondered how to kill time, Masha glanced at the two boys sitting on her left. She didn't like to read, so she thought of asking them to play a game.
However, one was absorbed in thought, while the other was deep asleep, his breathing slow and even. Seeing her brother's peaceful sleeping face, Masha couldn't help but smile and stretch a hand to push a few rebel strands of hair behind his ear.
Gabriel, who had seen her fingers approaching from the corner of his eyes, swiftly turned his head toward Masha and mouthed, "Don't wake him up."
The teenager's pleading eyes almost made Masha burst out laughing; she had to bite her lower lip to stifle her laughter. Only after seeing her nod did Gabriel heave a sigh of relief, finally convinced that she wouldn't cause trouble. Then, he refocused his attention on the scenery, paying her no more heed.
Masha pretended not to notice his rude behavior, used to it. She lowered her eyes and looked at her brother a bit longer, letting her mind wander.
She had tried to talk with Misha many times this past month, wanting to ask about what Gabriel had noticed the day they went to the amusement park. However, the few discussions they had did not lead anywhere, leaving her with more questions instead.
When she asked how school was and how his schoolmates were this year, Misha had responded by staring at her with a blank expression, not saying anything for a long time. And when he finally answered, he talked in a slow voice as if unsure of what to say.
"Pretty normal, I guess?" was his answer.
"No one bullies you in school?" Masha directly inquired since asking in a roundabout way didn't seem to work. "You have to tell me if other children are mean to you, you know?"
Following these words, Misha seemed to be deep in thought. A while passed before he tilted his head and answered, a touch of hesitation in his voice, "I don't think anyone bullies me? Even if they do, why should I care about what they say? I only care about what my family thinks of me!"
As he uttered these last words, he puffed out his small chest and cheeks, making Masha chuckle and smile from ear to ear. She patted his head and said that he was right. What others said didn't matter.
Her brother obviously didn't want to talk about school, so Masha decided not to pursue the matter further. Of course, the boy's evasive answers made her suspicious, but whenever Misha was dead set on keeping his mouth shut, she wouldn't get anything from him, no matter how much she nagged him. Stubbornness ran in the family, and Misha hadn't been spared from it. Instead, he probably was the most stubborn one.
Thankfully, there was still Dereck, her brother's best friend.
Once, before leaving Misha's house, little Dereck was cornered by Masha and interrogated until he felt like crying.
Although the two children weren't in the same class because Misha repeated a year when he was eight, they were still in the same school. Thus, Dereck knew more about her brother's situation than she did. However, the kid was so afraid of her forceful approach that he stuttered in fright, and she could not get anything useful from him.
Goodness, she only wanted to know how her brother was doing at school! Why was it so hard to find out?!
Little did she know that Misha simply didn't remember much about his primary school days. Hence, her questions were tricky for him, and he didn't know what to say, resulting in vague answers.
Alright, he did know that his delicate appearance was often subject to mockery when he was young, but was it enough to call it bullying? Did he have to report it to his sister? Should he really mention the existence of those brainless kids, even though he could remember neither their faces nor their names? What was the point?!
No one dared to mock his pretty face later on, anyway. So, he couldn't care less about some stupid brats. With this in mind, he arbitrarily decided that he hadn't been bullied in school and chose not to say a thing to his overbearing sister, unaware that his evasive behavior worried her to death.
Masha could not help but feel depressed when she remembered the discussions she had had with Misha. She dearly loved her brother, but she had to admit that he was a little silly, and sometimes, it was hard to have a serious talk with him. Her words seemed to go in one ear and out the other. It often felt like she was talking to air.
No... That wasn't exactly true now, not since Misha recovered from his fever a month ago. Since then, Misha didn't act as foolishly as he usually did. Though she wouldn't admit it aloud, he seemed to have become cleverer.
Firstly, his pranks were well thought out compared to before. Putting worms in a purse wasn't anything complicated, but baking earthworms-flavored muffins needed quite the creativity, the skills, and the means. And it seemed like it was something he had thought of all by himself. From what he said, Dereck's words only gave him the idea, and his friend didn't actually help him conceive such a nasty prank.
Secondly, there was this new light in his eyes that shone brightly. Masha couldn't explain why, but she often had the impression of talking to a small adult instead of a child who suffered from mental disabilities. This strange impression always disappeared as quickly as it had appeared, giving rise to an odd feeling in her heart.
Thirdly, they bickered a lot less.
Scoffing at herself, the teenager shook her head, thinking that something was wrong with her brain. Although the boy was acting a bit odd lately, he was still her cute little brother.
***
Once they arrived at the Oka National Park and found their campsite, they started to unload the car. Misha wanted to help, but his mother told him that it was unnecessary. However, he didn't let go of the matter this time and insisted that sitting and doing nothing was boring. He would much prefer to help them.
After bickering back and forth with her stubborn son, Mrs. Brown changed tactics. She took a backpack on top of the pile of luggage and pulled out the boy's swim shorts and sandals, a towel, and a bottle of sun cream. With a tone of voice that didn't allow any protestation, she said, "It's hot today, so how about going to the beach with Gabriel? Go have some fun while we set up the tents."
"But—"
"Children should play and stay out of the way," Masha interrupted, pinching his cheeks mercilessly.
"But Gabriel is not a kid!" Misha rolled his eyes, trying to escape from his sister's clutches—his attempt miserably failed.
"But he is our guest," his mother reminded him. "And you can't go to the beach alone, so he might as well accompany you. Play and relax by the beach for two hours, then come back."
"But—!"
Ignoring her son's shout of protest, Gulnas lifted her head and looked at the teenager, "Could you take care of him, please?"
"Certainly," Gabriel nodded with a polite smile, putting the heavy-looking bag he was holding on the picnic table. While the mother and daughter duo were talking and trying to convince the boy, he had been helping Alexey unload the car.
Just like this, the teenager and the boy were sent to the beach by the girls. It felt as if they had suddenly become deaf—but only to the child's objections. No matter what he said or did, they still pushed him toward the trail leading to the beach and handed a small bag containing the swim trunks and other necessities to Gabriel
With a crestfallen face, Misha sullenly stared at the two women of his family. Why were they like this? Didn't they know that he'd grow into a self-centered, spoiled adult if they kept babying him like this?!
_____________
Mini theater
ML: Misha, you do know that you're already an adult?
MC: So, what? Their parenting skills still suck!
ML: Are you saying that they raised you badly?
MC: How could they? My mom died when I was young, and Masha was always working.... Well, you get the picture.
Autor: When we think about it, the one who raised you in your past life, wasn't it Gabriel?
MC: Fuck, you're right! ('◉⌓◉')
Author: ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
MC: Gaby, your raising skills are awful! The worst of all! See how violent I'm?
ML: I'm pretty sure that's not due to my teaching, however...
Chapter revised on 2022-05-04
Edited by Clozed! ♥
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