Step By Step

the long haul, part two

Tuesday
August 1st, 2023

An hour had passed since their last pit stop, and Chrissy felt like she could finally rest easy for the first time in days. Van was leaning against her window, scrolling through Tik Tok or Instagram on her phone aimlessly. Mars rested his head on his seatbelt, sleeping soundly. The oldest of the seven could have sworn she almost heard him snoring. It was hard to tell what Andie was doing, but no one was screaming or crying, so that was a good sign. Ollie was happily playing games on his iPad, which was likely sticky from candy and other toddler germs. She made a mental note to clean it off before the drive home. Since Cece was still grounded, she kept herself entertained with a book. Although, that's likely what she would've done even if she wasn't grounded. Cassie was asleep in his car seat, or, at least, that's what the youngest girl had told her. Chris took a deep breath, listening closely to her podcast as she focused on maneuvering the interstate. She knew it was only a matter of time before it was time to stop for lunch, but she was going to enjoy the peace until someone complained they were hungry.

Andie reached in front of her and flicked her younger sister's right ear. She grinned watching the younger girl noticeably tense up in her booster seat. The seven year old's ears were a dark red, almost purple color. For almost the entire hour of driving, Andie had been flicking her ears and kicking her seat. She knew that it was because she got her in trouble at the gas station, but that was really Andie's fault, not hers. If her big sister didn't want to get in trouble, she wouldn't have hurt Mars in the first place. She also knew that Andie wanted a reaction from her, and so far she had managed to ignore the seventeen year old's childish bullying tactics, but it was annoying. Not only that, but her ears hurt. Andie flicked her again. Knowing her younger sister, it was only a matter of time before she started crying. Cade winced as her big sister flicked both of her ears. She turned to face her.

"Stop it!" She snapped, her voice barely above a whisper. The jock grinned. "I'm not doing anything." She mentioned. It was an obvious lie; Andie and her little sister both knew that. However, it was upsetting the younger girl even more. "Yes, you are!" Cade exclaimed, no longer concerned about not making a scene. Andie frowned, kicking her seat. "Zip it!" She spat, her voice hushed. "Ow! I told you to cut it out!" The seven year old shouted. Chris sighed; she should have known that Andie was up to something. She looked in the rearview mirror, glancing at the road every now and then to avoid an accident. "Hey!" The twenty-one year old called out, gaining attention from the two sisters. "What's going on back there?" "Nothing! The squirt's just crying about something silly again." Andie answered. She leaned forward, causing her seatbelt to stretch, and smacked her little sister upside the head. Cade's vision blurred as she fought back tears. "Stop it!" She yelled, her voice cracking. Andie grinned and leaned back. "See? I told you." She gestured towards her baby sister, as though she was proving her point. "I'm not crying!" Cade exclaimed, wiping her eyes.

"Okay, everyone calm down. I want an answer." Chris spoke up. "Andie won't stop kicking me and flicking my ears!" The youngest girl explained. The twenty-one year old opened her mouth to scold her sister but was interrupted when Andie kicked the back of Cade's seat again. "It helps me think." The jock mentioned casually. Cade's face grew red as she turned to face her older sister again. "Really? I didn't know you were capable of that!" She spat. Andie sat up straight. "The fuck did you just say?" She inquired, narrowing her eyes at the child. Chris' eyes grew wide as she opened her mouth to try and pipe in, but she was interrupted yet again.

"I said, I didn't realize that a neanderthal like you was capable of thinking!" The seven year old repeated, her voice growing louder. "Cicada!" Chris snapped, mostly out of surprise. It wasn't like her to be so rude. "You little bitch!" Andie frowned, undoing her seatbelt and reaching over the booster seat. She grabbed her younger sister's wrists and brought them towards her, stretching her arms behind the middle row. The seventeen year old pulled as hard as she could on her little sister's wrists, causing her to cry out. "How do you like that, brat?" She asked, laughing lightly. Cece squirmed, struggling to break free as the teen held her tight. "I don't!" She yelled, tears coming to her eyes for the second time in a matter of minutes.