“Monkey! Stop eating the Crayons!” I scolded him as he popped the red stick of wax into his mouth. Monkey was Mason’s nickname because he was always climbing around everything.
“But Tigger!” Mason whined, his mouth exploding with the red color of the Crayon. Tigger was what he called me because he couldn’t pronounce his L yet. And he really liked Whinny the Pooh.
“Don’t but Tigger me, mister. You could choke.” I said, squatting down to where he was sitting on the carpeted floor. I cupped my hand underneath of his chin. “Spit it out.”
He reluctantly spit out the bits of chewed up Crayon into my hand and then I emptied it out into the trash can. When I turned back around to face him, he was off, running down the hallway.
I chuckled. “Where are you going?” I asked, following him into his room.
He held up a wad of blankets from his bed. “Build a fort.” He said sweetly.
I sighed. “How big?”
“This big!” He shrieked, reaching his hands above his head and then jumping up and down, trying to get as much height as he could.
I chuckled. “That big?!”
He nodded excitedly. “Can we do it?! Please, Tigger!”
I smiled, I was actually really excited to build this fort. I’m a secret lover of forts but I used Mason as an excuse to build them all of the time. “I don’t know, Mason. How much do you love me?” I asked.
He grinned before latching himself onto my right leg in a huge hug. “I love you so so so much! You’re the best big sister ever!”
I smiled then kissed the top of his head. “I love you too, Monkey.”
We walked into the living room, blankets in hand before ripping apart the couch. I did most of the work, but honestly, I didn’t care because it was enough to see the excited smile on his face.
Right before we put the blankets on the top for the roof, the doorbell rang.
“I have to get the door.” I said to Mason.
“What about the top?!” He whined.
I smiled at his adorableness. “I’ll put the top on right after I answer the door. It’s probably just Andrew.” I said, moving towards the door before swinging it open.
When my eyes fluttered open, pain shot through my head. I let out a groan and brought a hand up to where my head hurt but my hand came in contact with an ice pack so I dropped my hand to my side after wiping the tears away from my face. At least it wasn’t a nightmare. I told myself. It didn’t get that far.
I was in my bed. Well, the Macy’s bed, and I was under the covers, the lighting in the room was dim because the sun was just starting to set. I looked around but I couldn’t see Dyson anywhere. I hope he was making dinner, I was starving.
“Dyson?” I croaked, but there was no answer.
I was about to search for my walky talkie when I found a sticky note stuck to the top of my shirt. I grabbed it then raised it to my eye- level so that I could read it.
Don’t get up, I’ll be there soon. Pizza Rolls for dinner. –Your lover, Dyson
I sighed then relaxed back into the pillows, trying to ease the growing headache I had. I closed my eyes again and hoped that I could go back to sleep but quickly killed that idea when I remembered that I haven’t had my sleeping pills. And if I went back to sleep, I’d continue where my last dream left off. And that couldn’t happen.
“Oh, you’re up.” Dyson said lightly, making me jump a little bit.
I looked around and saw Dyson walking towards me with two plates in his hands.
“Does your head hurt?” He asked in a worried voice.
“Yeah, why?”
“You’re crying.” He pointed out softly.
“I-it’s nothing.” I choked, quickly wiping the tears from my face.
“Why are you crying?” He insisted.
“Just drop it.” I pleaded.
He shrugged. “Sorry, babe, that’s not my thing. Just tell me.”
“I’m fine. Just drop it.” I said in a harsher tone.
“Tyler.” He said firmly.
“Dyson.” I snapped. “Drop it, okay? I don’t have to tell you everything.”
“Why is it such a big deal?” He asked.
“Because it’s none of your business.”
He didn’t respond for a long moment. “I found pizza rolls in one of the employee freezers.” He said, calmly and quieter this time.
“I’m starving.” I croaked.
Dyson smiled. “I even got you the cheese kind.” He said proudly, like a little boy… like Mason.
I chuckled. “Thanks.”
“Don’t sit up yet.” He said, putting the plates down on his bed and hovering over top of me. Not like he was trying to seduce me, but like he was, I don’t know, a doctor or something. He slowly removed the ice pack from my head and I winced from the pain it caused. “It doesn’t look too bad.”
“Since when are you the medical expert?” I asked him.
Dyson smirked slightly at my comment. “I’ve been going to med camp for three years for the summer.”
I couldn’t hold back a laugh. “I can’t see you as a doctor.”
He chuckled softly. “Yeah, me neither. But my parents can.” His close proximity was beginning to make my cheeks turn a rosy red as he inspected the cut on my head.
“W-what’s that mean?” I asked.
“It means no med camp, no football camp.” He said. “Do you want some aspirin?”
I nodded and he turned around and grabbed the small pill bottle off of the floor, popping it open instantly. “So they’re controlling?” I asked.
“That’s an understatement.” He mumbled. “I’m their only child so I have to carry on the precious family name.”
“Oh.” I said, finally getting it. “And your father is the best surgeon in town.”
He nodded and handed me a small glass of water and two pills. “Bingo. And more like best in the nation, which is why he’s always gone.”
“So what do you want to do?” I asked after sliding the pills down my throat and Dyson sat at the foot of my bed.
He shrugged. “I kind of want to go into culinary. Like a chef somewhere. But it doesn’t matter.”
I nodded. “You’re a good cook.”
“I spent a lot of time with my grandma.” He explained.
I chuckled. “I never would have pegged you as a grandma’s boy either.”
“Tell anybody and I’ll fully deny it.” He warned.
I attempted to roll my eyes. "Fine, but I'm still going to tease you about it." He chuckled but didn't say anything. “Shouldn’t they just want you to be happy?”
He chuckled. “If only things were that simple.”
“Oh.” Was all I could say. “So do I have a concussion?”
He shook his head. “No, just a bad bump.” After a small pause, he looked up at me. “Who’s Mason?” He asked.
A lump got caught in my throat. “W-what?” I whimpered.
“Sorry.” He said quickly. “You don’t have to tell me. But when you were passed out, you kept mumbling ‘Mason.’ So I was just wondering.” He said quietly. “And then our first night, that’s what you were screaming, wasn’t it?” When he saw my horrified expression, he added. “Sorry. I shouldn’t have brought it up.”
There was a small space of awkward silence before I spoke. “He’s my little brother.” I blurted.
I guess Dyson could tell that I was about to burst into unstoppable tears because he stood up and grabbed the Pizza Rolls from his bed. “It’s none of my business.” He said quickly. “Try and sit up.”
I pushed all thoughts of Mason away and pushed myself up by my elbows, wincing at the soft pain in my head as Dyson put the ice pack on the floor beside the bed. “Never did I think I’d see the day that Dyson Becker admitted that something wasn’t any of his business.”
He smirked at me. “Does it hurt?” He asked.
“Just a little bit.” I said, scooting back and leaning my back against the pillows, taking my plate of Pizza Rolls. Dyson took his spot on the foot of my bed again and sat criss cross, facing me so that we were facing each other.
“So thanks, I guess.” I said quietly. “For helping me.”
He gave me a small ‘you’re welcome’ smile before it grew into a full smirk. “It’s okay, I won the race. So you’re making lunch tomorrow.”
I rolled my eyes and thanks to the aspirin, it didn’t even hurt. “Fine. But you know that I would’ve won if I didn’t fall.”
“Sure, whatever helps you sleep at night.” He said with a confident grin.
“Are you kidding?” I shrieked. “I was way ahead of you.”
“I was gaining on you.” He added.
There was a loud boom of thunder, making me shriek quietly and jump before quickly composing myself again. “You so weren’t.” I argued.
“Plus, you had a head start.”
It was my turn to smirk. “Sure, whatever helps you sleep at night.” I mimicked him.
He glared at me as he ate his Pizza Rolls. I burst into laughter when he bit into one of them and the sauce exploded onto his chin.
“Classy, Dyson.” I said sarcastically.
“Don’t judge.” He said, wiping the sauce off of his chin with his finger and then licking it off of his finger.
“You’re so gross.” I muttered, delicately eating my cheese Pizza Rolls.
We ate the rest of our food with our usual annoying bicker just before darkness swallowed the mall and it was time to go to sleep. I took my pills and then we laid in our beds silently, waiting for exhaustion to take over my body.
“Hey, Dyson?” I said quietly.
“Yeah?” He responded tiredly.
“Tomorrow, I hate you again. Okay?”
He chuckled. “Wouldn’t expect any different.”
“Thanks.” I muttered before closing my eyes again and quickly falling fast asleep.
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