"You did WHAT?!"
Ella nearly shot off the couch as Bambam laughed and slapped his knee, her already wide eyes even wider in shock. She stared at her sister in a mix of disbelief and anger, though Lisa could see the corner of her mouth twitching with the effort to hold back a laugh. This was exactly the sort of prank Ella would laugh at, even if she was trying not to show it. "Lisa what the fuck?!"
"Yeah that seems a bit harsh." Lucas frowned sympathetically from his seat on the floor, though he didn't glance up from his game, focused entirely on whatever battle system he was currently involved in.
"What are you guys talking about, that was sick!" Bambam was still cackling, letting out a long 'hooo' as he wiped away a tear from the corner of his eye. "I can't believe you did that to the Princess."
Lisa's pressed her mouth together to contain the grin, glad that at least one sibling was on her side. "Yeah, probably took too much off but oh man, you should have seen her face."
"I'll bet." Bambam let out another snicker as Lucas shook his head and sighed. Ella looked between the two eldest with something closer to disgust on her face.
"No way. Lisa, she's trying to help you!" She whined with a stomp of her foot. "She's not going to help you now!"
"She'll get over it." Hands spread wide, Lisa gave a shrug as a response. Ella made a frustrated noise in return, face screwed up and hands in fists at her side. It was weird - Ella usually loved it when they pranked "Pinksies". Half the time it was her idea.
"Relax, shortstuff," Bambam waved a hand dismissively as he watched Ten's game characters getting pummelled by whatever monster they were fighting. "It's just hair."
Lisa nodded. "That's what I said."
**
"Relax Dumpling, it's just hair."
"It's just- it's not- well, that's a perfectly fine opinion for yourself, but you can't just- who does something like that!" Kim's voice broke, almost on the verge of tears as she stood a foot away, stared at the clump on the picnic table, hand clutching the rest of her hair.
Lisa pretended to scratch at her cheek to keep the smirk hidden the corner of her mouth in response to the other girl's, in her opinion, overreaction. "I said I was sorry."
Kim closed her eyes and shook her head, mouth pressed as she made a very small noise. She opened them, blinking rapidly (tears? Was she crying?) staring over a tree instead of at Lisa.
"It'll grow back." Lisa huffed, feeling the creep of embarrassment start to warm the back of her neck. This was the sort of shit her family did to each other all the time, but Kim seemed actually... hurt.
And furious.
"Unbelievable!" The girl hissed, and began pacing, releasing her hair to fist her hands as she moved back and forth. "I can't believe I trusted you! And I was trying to help!"
Lisa looked over at the hair clump on the table and frowned. Kim was helping her with the homework, was being decent and patient even if she had been a little pushy with personal questions. Lisa was just bad at impulse control, and sitting there with that ridiculously soft hair in her hand... the urge to do something to annoy Kim had overridden her ability to think about things like consequences.
Okay, Lisa felt a little guilty.
"Do you have a hair tie in your Mary Poppins bag?" She asked, trying to look casual. Kim paused her pacing to glare at her, face screwed up in a pout and brown eyes wet with tears.
"What?" She said in an almost snap.
"A hair tie." Lisa repeated.
Kim exhaled through her nose for a minute before whipping around to pick up her bag, digging through it for a second before pulling out a tie. With a still cold glare at Lisa, she pulled her hair back and tied it up in a quick ponytail, like she'd had while running track. As soon as it was tied she put her hands on her hips.
"So I'm just to wear my hair up for the foreseeable future?" She said, voice not quite snappish but the accent definitely made it sound more stern.
"It suits you." Lisa offered. It did. Without the hair in front of her face Jennie's features stood out more, less hidden by the shadows her hair caused. Even through her glare, her brown eyes looked brighter. Like the summer lake, Lisa thought, before blinking it back and clearing her throat. "Actually, wait... can I?"
She reached out her hands on either side of the other girl's face and hovered them there, waiting permission. Jennie flinched slightly, understandable, before biting her lip and rolled her eyes with a very slight nod.
Carefully Lisa reached forward and tucked a finger on each side of Jennie's head and then dragged them forward, pulling hair out of the ponytail. She smoothed the hair out to frame on both sides of the other girl's narrow face, before stepping back, holding her outstretched index finger and thumbs together in a rectangle that she pretending to squint through.
"There," she said, unable to help the condescending tone, like it was Jennie's fault her hair needed fixed, "now it looks on purpose."
Jennie reached a hand up to touch the hair Lisa had just adjusted, an odd expression on her face. They both stood there, unmoving, staring at each other. Lisa's neck was still hot and it was starting to burn in her ears. She broke the eye contact first, looking over at a tree she decided was much more interesting.
Jennie seemed to snap out of it too as soon as Lisa looked away, straightening and letting out a huff. She turned to the table and began to pack up her things.
"I suppose I'll see you Monday," she said in a tight clipped voice, as she practically slammed all her supplies back into her backpack. "If you find the urge to act like a decent human being by then, I'd appreciate it."
Without another word, she hoisted up her backpack, turned and walked stiffly away from the bench, ponytail swaying with her steps.
Lisa was left to stand there awkwardly, running her hand through her hair, touching at the spots that felt smoother after Jennie had trimmed them down. She frowned and huffed, moving to pick up her own books and papers, brushing the cut hair to the the ground, the long blue strands scattering to mix with the short pink trimmings.
"Whatever."
**
"Ugh, I cannot believe you'd fuck up your chance to pass French just because your tutor's a 'Pinksy'." Ella put her head in her hands and shook it dramatically.
Lisa was getting annoyed that what was supposed to be making the situation a funny story was turning into a whole deal. "Relax. I apologized and she said she was still going to help me on Monday, things are fine." She said with roll of her shoulder.
"I'm going to have to do damage control on this tomorrow." Ella grumbled, not listening. Bambam chuckled.
"Look at that, she's gotta clean up one of your messes for once." He raised his eyebrows, smirking over at Lisa.
Lisa just rolled her eyes back at him as Ella shot him a glare.
"Hey, can you guys be quiet for a second?" Lucas suddenly interrupted just as Ella started to whine another complaint at Lisa. "It's a cut scene."
The other three teens waited in silence as Ten's game played it's video, Lisa watching with disinterest on whatever the plot of said game was. As soon it was done and the game sequence started up again, Lisa turned back to her sister.
"Hey, I said I was sorry, and helped her with a hair style to hide it until it grows out. I went a bit too far, my bad, but it's just hair. And if she stops tutoring me, whatever, I'll still manage. Why does it bother you so much?"
Ella's eyes flashed wide for a second, darting before she shrugged. "I just... don't want you to flunk."
"Yeah, because then you'll both be in the same grade and that'll be weird." Bambam chuckled as he watched Ten's game. Ella looked horrified.
"Please be nice to her." She looking at Lisa, voice in a half whisper.
Lisa was about to answer when the phone began to ring. All four teens looked up over at where the phone sat in it's cradle as it rang a second time. Then it went quiet. Lisa nodded to her siblings and walked over to the kitchen, waiting. After about a moment of quiet the phone rang again - Dad's calling signal to let them know it was him.
She picked up the receiver with a "Hey."
"Hey kiddo," Dad's voice was on the other end, sounding tired. "We're down a body tonight, gonna have to stay late to keep an eye on the bar. Everyone home?"
Lisa glanced over at the living room where the other three were watching her. Ella mouthed 'good?' and Lisa nodded, giving a thumbs up. "Yeah, we're all here."
"Ah, good. You'll have to make dinner, that's alright?"
"Yeah." Lisa crouched down to the pantry and opened the door, looking around inside before pulling out a couple of boxes. "We got some KD."
"Atta girl." Dad's voice was warm even through the exhaustion of it. "Don't burn the place down, and make sure Bambam does his homework. And do try to get to bed on time, would you?"
"We will." Lisa nodded into the receiver. "Don't give yourself a heart attack working too hard, old man."
Dad chuckled. "I'll do my best. Oh, before I go, how's the first day with the French tutor? Think it's going to help?"
Lisa felt a twinge in her chest as the memory of Jennie with her hair up, brown eyes wet with tears, suddenly flashed before her; she chewed her lip. "Yeah. She's nice."
"Good, glad to hear it. I'll see you in the morning. Give everyone my love."
"Love you too, Dad." Lisa replied softly before the line went dead. She hung the phone back up and shook the boxes of dried pasta in a poor attempt at a rhythm.
"He's working late?" Lucas asked as he un-paused his game, breaking the quiet with button clacking and the energetic music from the TV.
"Yep." Lisa said, putting the boxes down on the counter and reaching to a shelf to grab a pot. "Pasta night."
"Sweet." Bambam pushed himself up off the couch and made his way through the kitchen to the hall while Lisa was filling the pot with water. "Well, call me when it's ready, I'm be in my room."
"Do your homework!" She called after him as he passed. Bambam laughed.
"Sure thing, mom."
"Fuck you." Lisa laughed in return, dropping the heavy pot on a burner and turning it on. She walked back to the living room and plopped onto the couch beside Ella, one leg resting on an armrest as they watched Lucas play his game and waited for the water to boil.
"I'm gonna go do some stuff." Ella said, hopping up. Lisa and Lucas gave acknowledgment nods as the younger girl sauntered off into their bedroom. Lisa rested her head on a hand, watching the screen.
"What the hell is even happening?" She asked as Lucas's character ran around.
"You got an hour?" Lucas chuckled, shoulders shaking. "'Cause it's a lot."
Lisa chuckled in return and watched idly until she could hear the water boiling in the pot. Pushing herself off the couch she headed back into the kitchen and opened the pasta boxes, taking out the cheese packets and dumping the macaroni in. She frowned, noticing that the water level looked a little low, squinting as if she could guess how much water she would actually need. With a shrug she decided to leave it, just have to keep and eye on it, no biggie.
She stirred it a bit, turned the heat down and went to go sit by Lucas again when a loud 'bang!' and a "aw shit!" came from her and Ella's room.
"Ell?" Lisa shot to her feet, walking over. "What happened?"
"My robot blew up, now there's shit all over the room." Came the reply, annoyed and tense. Lisa poked her head into the bedroom to see little bits of confetti strewn about.
"Aw man." She groaned. "Aren't you supposed to play with those outside?"
"I forgot this one was loaded!" Ella said, holding up one the metal objects she was tinkering with. She tossed it on the desk dejectedly. "Stupid things."
Lisa sighed as she crouched down to start cleaning up the bits of paper and plastic. "They're not stupid Ell, you're just still figuring it out." She smiled encouragingly at her sister. "C'mon, you're the smartest of us, you'll get it."
Ella let out a long sigh as she sank from her chair to the floor and began dejectedly picking up the scraps and pieces off the carpet. Lisa scooted over a bit closer and gave her a shoulder nudge, prompting a small smile from her sister.
Lisa nudged her again, and Ella giggled and nudged back. Lisa nudged again a bit harder, almost pushing Ella off balance and they both started laughing and shouldering each other to try and knock the other over onto the floor and-
"Li?" Ten's voice suddenly came from the kitchen as a sizzling, hissing noise became apparent. Lisa shot up.
"Oh shit. The food!"
She scrambled through the door to the kitchen as Lucas was hurriedly pulling the pot off the burner. Smoke was puffing up from it.
"Hold it, hold it," Lisa grabbed a mixing bowl, racing it over to the stove and Lucas dumped the pot's smoking contents into it. About half of the macaroni fell into the bowl - the rest a burnt crust on the bottom of the water-less pot. "Shit."
"Oh no, is dinner ruined?" Ella asked, coming into the kitchen. Bambam popped his head out of the boys room, frowning at the back of the younger girl's head.
"Yeah, cause of you." He snapped. Ella turned as he walked up. "I could hear you guys, you made a mess and Lisa had to clean it and now dinner's-" he peeked over at the pot Lucas was still holding. "Fucking yikes."
"That's not my fault!" Ella protested. Lisa put a hand up between them, but Bambam ignored her as he snapped a reply.
"If you hadn't distracted Lisa in the first place because you don't know how to solve a problem on your own-"
"Bam." Lisa warned, tensely. Bambam spin toward her, arm pointing accusingly at Ella.
"It's true! If she's just kept her trap shut for thirty fucking minutes then we wouldn't be-"
"Bambam, enough!" Lisa snapped. "It's not her fault, okay? Dinner was my responsibility and I'm the one who burned it and I'll fix it. Leave Ella out of this!"
The boy sneered as he looked between the two sisters before shrugging, face downcast. "Fine."
"Look, I can," Lisa looked over at the noodles on the plate and the pot. "I can save this. Ell, wash out another pot, Bam check the cupboard."
Bambam rolled his eyes even as he obeyed, crouching down to the pantry doors and opening them. "Oh boy, mishmash again. Alright... we got a couple cans of baked beans, a can of potatoes- no wait, that's expired," he shoved the can back into the back of the cupboard. "A can of tuna, like six boxes of hamburger helper and some vinegar packets from Jendy's."
"Beans are dad's, can't use those." Lisa shook her head. "Nothing else?"
"Well there's some peaches but I think I'd rather die hungry than mix those in."
"K." She held out a hand and Bambam dutifully tossed the can of tuna to her.
"There's still some peas in the freezer." Ella had the fridge and freezer doors open, on her toes to peek in. "And the mayo is pretty full. We could do casserole."
"Is that enough for all of us?" Lucas asked as he walked into the room. Lisa frowned, as she looked into the pot.
"I can make a couple sandwiches too, divide it up." She suggested, reaching on top of the fridge to grab the bread bag. Ella's brow furrowed.
"You can't, there won't be enough slices for lunch tomorrow."
"There'll be enough for you three, I'll just buy lunch." Lisa shrugged. Ella's brow furrowed further.
"Lii..."
"It's fine." Lisa said slightly more snappishly, grabbing the peas from her sister. "Now everyone out, I need space to finish this."
The other three teens looked at each other before mumbling apologies and thanks, shuffling out of the kitchen. Ella closed the door to their bedroom just loudly enough Lisa couldn't be sure if it was an intentional slam or not. She shook her head and continued salvaging what she could of the meal.
When all was done she had managed to serve up three bowls of what looked like fairly reasonable tuna casserole, and a quarter of a baloney sandwich for each of them.
They all sat down to eat in silence, and although the other three each occasionally glanced over at Lisa picking through her sandwich quarter and bowl of what burnt macaroni she could stomach, no one challenged her on it.
*
"Hey, bed time guys." Lisa knocked on the wall separating the kitchen and living room as Bambam and Lucas sat on the couch playing their game together, Lucas lounging casually while Bambam sat on the edge. "Dad said by 10."
"Just a... fuck!" Bambam jerked his controller, the wire pulling taut and moving the console slightly, causing the teen to make a panicked face and immediately move forward to relax the wire. He wrinkled his nose and shook his hair with a sigh. "Dammit, I WILL beat you on this map."
"Keep practicing." Lucas chuckled as he stood up and turned off the game and TV. Bambam grumbled as he slid his controller next to Tens and stretched out his back dramatically.
"G'night Lisa." Lucas nodded as he walked past her to the bedrooms.
"Night." She nodded back.
Bambam went to move past her but paused mid step for a second at the threshold of the kitchen. They both side-eyed each other, Bambam working his jaw as if to say something, before he broke eye contact and gave a shrug and slight smile, walking forward again.
"Night." They both said to each other, Lisa unmoving.
When the door to the boys room closed she pushed herself off the wall with a sigh and headed to the bathroom to wash up.
Flicking on the light she looked at herself in the mirror for the first time, actually looked, since she had gotten home. She ran her hand through her hair, messed it up a bit, pushing it forward to hang in front of her eyes like bangs, shaking her head and brushing it back.
It did look cleaner, made her look less scruffy.
She grumbled and splashed some cold water on her face, rubbing it dry roughly with the towel before heading to her bedroom. Ella was already asleep, tucked in the bottom bunk as Lisa turned the light off. She hovered by her sister's bed for a second, Ella's eyes screwed shut and blanket up to her chin. They hadn't spoken since dinner, Ella hiding herself up in their room with the door closed to finish her homework. Lisa knew better than to bother her at times like this, even when all she wanted to do was comfort her sister.
She sighed and pulled herself up the bunk ladder, moving around the cramped space by memory, pushing magazines out of way as she settled herself into bed.
Lisa stared at the ceiling in the darkness for a minute as she listened to Ella snoring slightly. She pulled the blankets tightly over herself and turned to her side to face the wall. She closed her eyes and buried her face into her pillow, slipping in a deep sleep where she dreamed about warm summer lake.