Joker

ONE - Amaya

Staring back at me through the clear mirror was a girl I finally recognised; she was beautiful, free and smart. Ma said I've grown a lot since last year, and at first I thought she meant in height, which is true, but now I realise I've matured. I stopped fussing over the little things and now I know how to deal with stuff I couldn't even think about before. Ma's been working extra lately to earn some more money, which means she's never really home when we are. Therefore, it's my job to take care of Noah, even if he insists on doing it himself because he's 'old enough now'. For the record, that's not true; he can't even get himself out of bed in the mornings.

"Alright, wake up sleepyhead!" I called from my room. When he didn't answer, I charged across the landing, opened his door and made my way over to his bed. "If you don't get up in 5 seconds, I'm going to have to tickle you 'till you wake up. 5... 4... 3..."
"Okay, I'm awake, I'm awake."
"Get dressed. What do you want for breakfast?"
"Toast."
"Alright. I want you dressed and downstairs in 5 minutes, okay?"
"You got it."
"Noah, I mean it. I suggest you open your eyes or you'll have a bucket of cold water over your head very soon."
"I said I'm awake!" He opened his eyes, and all of a sudden, I remembered how unique my brother was. My brother: I'm so proud to call him that.

"Are you walking to school with Jamie today?" I asked, placing a plate of toast in front of him.
"Yeah, I'm meeting him by the corner shop, why?" My heart sank; I was hoping he'd say no. Whilst that, to you, may sound insensitive and mean, I promise I'm just looking out for him.
"If you weren't, I was going to suggest I walk you in, you know, since you're up in the big school now."
"You have to get to school too. Besides, it's not cool to have your sister walk you into school."
"I know, but I could still take you. It's your first day in your new school! Don't you think I would want to see you go in?"
"Do you not trust me?"
"What? No, of course I trust you, it's other people that are the problem."
"Is this about what happened last year?"
"No..."
"Amaya, you need to stop worrying about what's already happened or what will happen. Yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery but today is a gift. That's why it's called the present."
"Did you just use a Kung Fu Panda quote on me?"
"Maybe." Noah grinned brightly.
"You wanna play chess when you get home?"
"Yes! I'm really good now! I think Pa would be proud."
"Of course he's proud of you. I bet he's looking at you right now, completely astounded, and possibly even offended that you don't realise he still loves you very, very much."
"You think?"
"I don't think, I know."
"You know everything."
"That's because I'm magic."
"Don't be silly, there's no such thing as magic. It's all an illusion."
"Okay then," I said, pulling a small 2p coin from behind his left ear. "How do you explain that?"
"I'm not stupid; you had it in your hand and you made it look like you were taking it from behind my ear."
"Alright, check your jacket pocket." I clicked my fingers and he pulled out a £5 note.
"How'd you do that?" he gasped.
"A magician never tells their secrets, Noah." I said with a smirk on my face.
"You're boring."
"Am I still boring if I said you can take it to spend in the shop after school?"
"Seriously?"
"Yeah. I have plans after school, so you won't be able to get in until I'm home since I have the keys. I'll be back at around 4, so you aim for the same time, okay?"
"Thank you!" he smiled. Then, he ran up to me and hugged me, nearly knocking me over. Memories began to rush back to me from last year and tears of pride formed in my eyes. This time last year, Noah was hugging me because he didn't want me to go, but now, he's hugging me because he can't wait to go out. There I was thinking I had grown up.
"Alright buddy, time to go. Grab your bag, and fix your hair whilst you're at it." His thick, brown, curly hair looked similar to mine: it was frizzy and messy. When he rushed to join me in the hallway, he had his hands behind his back. "What's that you've got there, then?" I asked as I began to turn the key.
"I made it for you." He handed me a small box with an arrow on it saying "press me". On the side of the box was a button. When I pressed it, music began to play. "Do you recognise it? It's our song." The song playing was 'When We Grow Up' by Diana Ross: the song we danced to at Ma and Pa's wedding. Ever since, we've called it 'our song'. Gently, I placed the box down on the table, and took Noah's hands to dance with him. He giggled, lighting up the entire street. When the music stopped playing, I bent down slightly so our eyes were level. "You made this?" I asked.
"Yup! I've been working on it for ages. I was going to tell you, but I thought it'd be better to leave as a surprise."
"You are the best brother ever." I kissed his forehead. "And as for this, well, I'll cherish it for the rest of my life." He took me in a warm embrace, and I'd never felt so loved. "Right, come on. We're going to be late if we don't go now; we wouldn't want that on the first day, would we?" I closed the door behind us. "Noah, be safe, okay?"
"I will, don't worry."
"What time are you to be back home at?"
"4 o' clock."
"No later, okay? If I'm not here when you get back, see if Jamie can wait with you, but make sure you stay by the house."
"Understood."
"Go have fun at school, and don't go causing any trouble."
"Never have, never will. I'll see you later, Amaya."
"Bye, Noah." Sighing, I watched him run off into the distance and was plucked from my own little world at a light tapping on my shoulder, followed by the voice I found most comforting. "You need to stop stressing over him. He's growing up, and the boy's gotta have his freedom. Just trust him."
"Avery, it's not him I don't trust. It's the rest of the world. You know what it's like for him. Also, how do you know where I live?" I hated the fact she was here. Your rich girlfriend coming to your neighborhood to see that you live in an old, small house surprisingly doesn't make you feel your best.
"You left your location on after I made you turn it on so I could make sure you were safe."
"Oh."
"Hey, I'm not going to judge you. I'm not leaving you just because you don't live in a huge, fancy house."
"Thank you."
"What are we doing just standing here? There's no way I'm being late on our first day, especially when it's our last year."
"Where are the boys?" We began to stroll down the street.
"No clue. Aiden said he was meeting Axel at their 'secret spot', wherever that is."
"So they're not going to be in on time today, then?"
"I can't say I'd be surprised if that was the case. Although Aiden did leave before me."
"Anyway, I haven't seen you in forever!"
"Amaya, it's been 6 weeks, and we've been non-stop messaging the whole time."
"Yeah, and?"
Avery rolled her eyes at me. "You have issues."
"Did you not miss me?"
"Of course I missed you." She kissed my cheek before locking her fingers between mine.