On the ride home to Uncle Alan's house, Stacy started to bombard me with questions.
"What happened to your arm?" she asked with her childlike innocence.
She placed her small hand on my casted arm. I placed my hand over hers and wrapped my fingers over her tiny hand.
"It's nothing big." I said. "I got hurt before I came here. But the doctor said I could take it off in a few weeks."
"It must be a really big cut if you need to put that big band-aid." Stacy said her eyes sad.
"It was." I said wrapping my arm around her shoulders. "But I am fine. Don't need to worry too much about that. What I want you to worry about now." I ruffled her hair. "Is what fun things do you want to do while I am here."
Her eyes brightened as she started talking about- her playmate.
"You're going to love Jamie." She said "She has very pretty blonde hair that is a lot like my doll. And she's so nice. She has an older sister and her sister is nice too. Her sister Jasmine brought us to the park with this boy who Jamie says is her boyfriend. They brought us to the park and we ate ice cream and played at the swings."
"I'm sure we are going to have fun with your friend." I chuckled at my cousin's antics.
"Why didn't you bring your girlfriend?"
"What?" I stammered. I could feel my face flush.
"The pretty girl with the really fluffy hair."Stacy explained. "The girl you live with in Center City."
"Central City." Uncle Alan corrected. "Stacy , Iris is Barry's friend. She's like his Jamie."
"But Iris is a girl." Stacy claimed. "Why would Barry's best friend be a girl? They can't play dolls together. Barry's a boy."
"Iris is Barry's classmate." Uncle Alan explained. "They met at school like you and Jamie. And your friend Josh."
"Josh isn't my friend." Stacy protested crossing her arms. "He's a boy. He's weird."
"Well, I'm also a boy." I pointed out. "Do you think I'm weird?"
"No." Stacy said looking insulted that I would suggest it. "That's different. You're like my big brother. Why would I think you are weird."
"Well that is how Iris and I are." I explained. "She's like my sister."
"Oh." She said her eyebrows scrunched together in thought. "Then who do you like better?"
"What?"
"Well you said she is like your sister too. You can't have more than one favorite sister." She explained. "Who is your favorite me or Iris?"
"Of course, you are my favorite girl." I reassured my young cousin. "No one would come between us."
"Pinky promise?" she asked holding out her pinky. I wrapped my finger around her tiny pinky.
"I promise."
"We're home!" Stacy exclaimed as the car started to drive through the gate of the Smythe estate.
The Smythe Estate is a large elegant building in a gated community. Like most buildings in this community, it has its own gate and driveway. The building itself is a perfect example of a modern mansion. The house has metallic brown and gold. And three floors tall and about a dozen or so rooms.
Stacy practically dragged me out of the car in excitement. I barely had time to grab my backpack before I was hauled into the doorstep.
She was bouncing on her feet waiting for Uncle Alan to open the door.
"Stacy, please calm down. I'm sure there is time for you to play with Barry tomorrow. For now I think it's time for Barry to settle in and we can have some dinner." Uncle Alan said leaving no room for complaints.
"Okay" Stacy said slightly subdued.
"Why don't you help me unpack, Stace." I suggested.
"Really?" She asked.
"Sure." I said. "I need some help moving things with only one arm."
"Can I, daddy?" she asked looking at Uncle Alan with pleading eyes.
"Fine." Uncle Alan conceded.
"Yay!" Stacy exclaimed. Then proceeded up the staircase.
"Barry, your room, is the same one from last time, you remember which one?"
"The one across Stacy's." I remembered.
"I'll have someone bring up your luggage in a while." Uncle Alan said then his phone started ringing. He looked into the screen. "I need to get this. Make yourself at home."
"Okay." I said, climbing up the stairs after Stacy.
~()~
One Week Later...
"Barry!"
I groaned into my pillow and pulled the other one over my head.
"Barry!" my cousin exclaimed barging into my room. She jumps on the bed and starts shaking me. "Come on, Barry. It's breakfast time!"
I opened an eye and peeked through the pillows and looked at the clock. "It's too early, Stace!"
"It's nine!" she exclaimed.
"Yeah, it's too early."
"Come on, Barry!" she said shaking me more violently. "If you don't wake up now, we can't eat breakfast. And if we don't eat breakfast, we can't go to Jamie's house. I told Jamie about you and she and her sister are both excited to meet you."
I groaned. "Fine." I said looking up at Stacy who was now sitting on my stomach.
"Great, now it's time to get up or you might sleep again."
"Stacy."
"Yes, Barry." She said smiling at me.
"Can you please get off me first?"
"Oh right." she said jumping off me and running out the door. "Go get dressed!"
I shook my head at my cousin's antics. Hanging out with her feels like having a little sister of my own. I was an only child; my parents didn't want to have a really big family. Or I don't think they did.
I took out a pair of jeans and a t-shirt and headed towards the bathroom. After changing and brushing my teeth I went down to find my high strung cousin.
~()~
After breakfast, I brought Stacy to her best friend's house. She had a play date with Jamie. And she was just bouncing with energy. Uncle Alan gave me the directions to her friend's house and told me we should be back by lunch.
Thankfully the house was just five houses down from the Smythe's. I love my cousin and all but I'm afraid to lose her if the place was farther than it was.
We stopped in front of her friend's house and Stacy insisted that she wanted to ring the doorbell. With difficulty I lifted her high enough for her to ring the door bell.
A girl around seventeen years old opened the door.
"Jasmine!"
"Hi Stacy." She said greeting my little cousin. "And who's this?"
"This is my cousin, Barry." Stacy said.
I offered her my hand. "Hi, I'm Barry Allen."
"Jasmine Martin." She said shaking my hand. "Come in."
She lead us into the siting room. It reminded me a lot of Joe's living room back in Central City. It had this homey feel. There were small tables that were filled with pictures and souvenirs from travels even some toys. There was a large flat screen TV mounted on the wall that was playing a movie which I didn't recognize, a long couch seated in front of it. On the couch was another teenager.
He had pale skin, jet black hair and slanted brown eyes. He sat with a little girl, who looked like a younger version of Jasmine, on the long couch. The little girl was talking animatedly to the teen while he just smiled at what she was saying. The little girl turned and her blue eyes brightened.
"Stacy!"
Stacy swiftly went to her friend and they started playing animatedly.
"Hey." the teen said "I'm Wes. You must be Barry. "
"Hi. "
"Stacy couldn't stop talking about you."Wes said smiling
"That's a lie."Stacy protested
"Don't worry, Stace" Wes said "I'm just joking."
She pouted anyways and started plotting with Jamie.
"So Barry where are you from."
"Central City" I said "I'm visiting over the break."
"Just you?" Wes asked an eyebrow raised "Aren't you a little young to ride the airplane alone?"
"I'm sixteen."I told him "I can ride the plane along with parental consent but since Uncle Alan is my 'official' guardian..."
"What happened to your parents?"Jasmine asked with worry in her eyes.
I turned to look at the two kids playing. "It's... Complicated"
I felt a hand on my shoulder and saw Wes looking kindly at me.
"It's okay. We're not going to ask any more if you are uncomfortable." he said "but I do need to ask. What happened to your arm?"
"Bullying gotten a little too far."I muttered.
"Sorry"
"It's okay. They can't hurt me while I am here."
"You could always stay here in Ohio."Jasmine said "there are some really good schools here. You could stay with Alan."
"Most schools don't bother bullying cases unless it's life or death."
"There's Dalton."
"And what is Dalton?"
"Dalton Academy" Wes explained "it's where I went to school. It's an all boys school and we have a zero tolerance policy on bullying. "
"I don't know."I said "I don't think in I can just leave Central City. Besides, the r sad this girl... "
"Ah." Wes said understanding. "That's up to you though. I want to introduce you to some of my old friends in Dalton though. In case you change your mind. "
"Sure" I said. "Maybe later."
"Well I have to head home."Wes said. "But I'll be back later."
"Okay" Jasmine said as Wes gave her a kiss to the cheek.
"Bye girls." he said then turned to the girls. "See you later, Barry."