I climbed through my window, nearly avoiding tripping over my baseball bat and falling. In the doorway I could see a petite frame, one person who could always cheer me up. "What was that all about?" She asked, emerald eyes sparkling curiously. I attempted to grin it off, but my grin fell as her brow rose. "C'mon Dee, I know something's bugging you. And it's kinda easy to guess when you're shouting from our roof." She went on, grinning at me in hopes that it would pull the answer out. I chuckled softly and crossed the room, ruffling her brown locks.
"Don't worry about it. It was just Bruno again," I told her, slipping past her and into the hallway. I looked down the hall to see Sam's door open. Good, he was home. I turned back to her and saw her pouting, to which I laughed at.
"Declan!" She pleaded. "I'm your little sister! You're supposed to tell me these kinds of things." She crossed her arms over her chest, her lower lip sticking out some more. "Was it about Jasmine again?" She asked. I nodded, trying to find something else to focus on besides her pouting face. "There's something else!" She exclaimed excitedly, as if she had figured out the most important clueto the hardest question in the world. My attention snapped back to her, caramel hues darkening a shade.
"It's nothing, Rina," I cut in. Her eyes --our mother's eyes-- seemed to twinkle excitedly.
"Seattle." Her pout had vanished and her expression had grown serious as she stated the answer as if it had been hanging there all along. I stiffened and turned away from her, moving to walk away just before she grabbed my arm, stopping me from moving any further. "You have to talk to her sometime," she suggested. I tilted my head to look at her from over my shoulder.
"I have tried talking to her, Serenity. She won't call, text, write, or even fax me back!" I shot back. She flinched and I sighed, removing her hand from my arm to pull her into a hug. "Look, I'm sorry, okay? It's just... Seattle and I. It's over, no matter what I try. I broke her heart and she's moving on." I looked down, pulling away from the hug. It had to be very careful to not upset Serenity. Everyone had to be. "I should too," I told her. Taking my own advice should be easy, right? I pinched the bridge of my nose and stepped back. "I'm gonna go out for a little while. Sam's here, and he's in charge. You've got my number if you need it. If I don't answer-"
"-Call across the street to Mr. Fields. I know," she finished for me with a soft smile. "I just don't get why Sam has to be in charge. Is it because he's a boy?" I gave her a grin before making my way to Sam's room. "That's not fair!" She called after me.
"Sammy, you're in charge," I told him. He sat up on his bed, one brow raised, hiding behind his blond streaked brown side-swept bangs, honey colored eyes staring back at me.
"You're going out?" He asked, swinging his feet over the bed and onto the floor. I nodded. "Where?" He asked again. I shrugged in response.
"I'm not sure yet. I'll probably go for a drive. Shoot some hoops, I dunno. But I'll call you guys when I'm coming back to see if you guys want anything to eat, okay?" He nodded and pushed himself off of his bed, poking his head out of the door.
"Serenity! Wanna help me with my new song?" He asked as I took a step back for him to step out into the hall. I looked over at Serenity to see her nod and smile excitedly, then walk over to the two of us. Serenity and Sam were the same age -- sixteen. We all had the same father and Sam had a different mother from Serenity and I. It was just the three of us now.
"Well, I'm off." I waved and made my way downstairs.
"Declan, wait!" I heard Serenity call me back, footsteps following mine, and stopping at the landing. She figited with her fingers and I ran my fingers through my dark, cropped hair when I stopped in the middle of the staircase. When she did that, I knew she was about to ask for something I would probably say no to. I raised an expectant brow, clearing my throat. Her eyes rolled as she inhaled a deep breath of air, slapping her hands against her legs as she quickly continued. "The homecoming dance is soon and I wanted to know if you could take me and December shopping for our dresses tomorrow, since you don't have classes. We're going to pay for our own stuff, but we need someone to take us. And Sam's gonna rent a tux too, so he needs you to go." She held her breath and her jaw clenched as she waited for an answer.
