Crescendo

Chapter Five

The boy is glowing. His chest is made of gold. His eyes are sapphires. My heart is thumping. He's not doing anything. Just standing there looking at me. But just him having his eyes on me is enough. His lips are the color of strawberries. I want to kiss him. I've never wanted to kiss anyone more in my whole life. My cheeks are wet. Why are my cheeks wet? Am I crying? Wait. My eyes are closed. I'm dreaming. This is a dream. I slowly open my eyes and then squeeze them shut again as the sun almost blinds me. It's so bright. I open my eyes again, and this time I fight against the brightness of the light and keep them open. Something large and furry jumps up on me, and I'm so disoriented from just waking up that it takes me a few seconds to realize it's my dog. She presses her nose to my cheeks, and then licks my face with her slobbery dog tongue.

"Penny!" I groan, and I try to push her away. She barks once in my ear, and I grimace as she jumps off of my bed. Ugh, why did she have to wake me up? I was having such a great dream. I rest my head against my pillow and close my eyes, hoping if I fall asleep fast enough, I'll be able to go back to the boy. But I don't know if it's going to be that easy. The air is smoky and salty. Someone is cooking bacon. My mouth waters, and just like that I'm not even tired anymore. Penny is sitting on the floor. Her tongue is hanging out and she's looking at me with bright eyes. I know why she woke me up. She knows I'm the only one in the house who will give her bacon. What a brat.

I get out of bed, walk over to my dresser, and pull on a pair of pajama pants. I don't usually wear pants to sleep in the summer, but I obviously can't go downstairs in my panties and t-shirt. As quickly as I can, I get dressed, with Penny barreling around me like a lunatic. She must be really hungry. I throw my hair back in a messy ponytail to get it out of my face, and then I go into the bathroom to brush my teeth before heading downstairs to find the source of the delicious smell that is getting stronger and stronger by the minute. My hunger pains are so intense that it hurts to walk down the stairs. I have to get food in me fast. Before I go on a killing spree.

My oldest brother, Dallas, is in the kitchen, and he's the one cooking the bacon. Weird. He's never cooked for us. Ever. He's got dark hair like mine, but it's even longer than mine is. Right now, it's pulled back in a ponytail (also like mine), but usually he just has it hanging loose. He's the tallest member of our family, standing at over six feet. He sees me and smiles. "Good morning, sleeping beauty." I give him a playful glare as he reaches into the cupboard and hands me a floral paper plate. "The eggs are done already, and the biscuits will be done in a few minutes. Help yourself."

I nod my head, wondering what has sparked my brother's inner chef, and walk over to the bowl filled with scrambled eggs, scooping myself a few spoonfuls as I wait for the rest to get done cooking. My mom walks down the stairs and into the kitchen just as my brother is taking the golden biscuits out of the oven. Her eyes widen a bit, and I can tell she's surprised to see my brother cooking as well. But she just smiles and says, "Mmm! Smells fantastic, Dallas!" She walks over and plants a kiss on his cheek. He's so tall that he actually has to lean down for her to reach. Dallas and my dad are both pretty tall. My mother and I are both on the shorter side (with my mother being just an inch taller than me). My other two brothers, Dalton and Dakota, are somewhere in the middle.

"Thanks," he says, wiping the sweat off of his face with a paper towel. "I've been practicing." This is shocking news. No one ever cooks in our family but my mother and me. We both stare at him for a few seconds, but he doesn't look up. He has a goofy smile on his face, though, and doey, glittering eyes. And it hits me like a freight train. He's doing all of this for a girl! I want to laugh. My brother and I are both pining over someone. I wonder if he's actually had more than one conversation with the girl. If so, then he's done more than I have. I reach for a piece of bacon and take a bite. It's crunchy. Just the way I like it. I toss a small piece to Penny, who catches it in the air and then runs out of the kitchen happily. Mission accomplished.