The Bet

16) UGHHHHH

"SAMYYYYYYY!" I heard the insufferable whine of a teenage boy after he rampaged through the door, making the most noise possible.

I dug my face into my pillow and growled. "WHATTTTTT?!"

"WHAT'S FOR DINNERRRRR!" Mickey cried from down the hall.

I groaned loudly, hoping the little menace could hear my annoyance for him, and begrudgingly rolled out of bed. I threw my hair into a messy braid as I trudged down the hall to meet the pest. "What? The Gages didn't feed you?" I frowned, still trying to get used to using my legs after an extremely long and. . . Eventful nap.

  He gave me a shit eating grin as I entered the kitchen. "No, they did. I'm just still hungry."

  I shot him a blank stare. "Dude." He woke me up for that?

  He only responded with an 'innocent' shrug and his signature line, "I'm a growing boy."

  I plopped down onto the couch and turned on the TV. "There's cereal in the cabinet."

  "UGHHHHHH! I don't want cereal!"

  Sometimes I wonder if my darling little bro has any volume setting other than EXTREMELY FREAKING LOUD.

"Then now would be a perfect time to learn how to cook, don't you think?" I responded plainly.

"UGHHHHHH!"

I rolled my eyes at that black hole of food's dramatics. I've been to Carter's house for dinner, that kid's family eats like it's thanksgiving every day. We're talking three course meals all featuring Mrs. Gage's culinary school worthy talents.

A bowl of cereal should tie the little goblin over if he's already been treated to that.

Luckily for me, after a final grumble, he let me watch my bad reality TV in peace while he ate his cereal.

Once he was finished, he leapt over the back of the couch to sit next to me.

"Did you put your bowl in the sink?"

  At my question, he slid off the couch and onto his ass on the floor, before throwing his head back.

  "UGHHHHH!" He whined while literally rolling over to the kitchen to put his bowl away.

  Obviously, I ignored him.

  I heard the sound of thick plastic made to look like glass clinking into the sink before my brother reappeared next to me on the sofa.

  "Thank you," I nodded, turning up the raunchy and painfully heteronormative dating show.

  If you put me on a beautiful island surrounded by smoking hot singles with the task of resisting sex for money, I would certainly succeed with flying colors, but I would also probably screw things up by falling for one of the other girls.

  I shook my head at the TV.

  "What?" My brother wondered out loud about my disapproval.

"A queer dating show would be so much more interesting," I supplied.

  Mickey joined in my head shaking after squinting at the screen for a second in thought. "Preach."

~~~~~~

I walked into the diner the next afternoon, feeling very refreshed after my day off and late start to the work day.

  I threw my little pouch that holds my notepad on over my skirt and scarfed down some fries and a chicken tender for lunch before starting my shift.