under pressure

the first time

Brinan was brushing her teeth to get ready for bed, while Brandon was changing his shirt. Brenda had just walked in when Brandon let out a scoff.

"I'm beginning to realise something strange about this place. There's no fall. It's November and we're in the middle of a heat wave." He said, making Brenda turn off the faucet that Brinan was using.

"And a drought." She says, crossing her arms over her chest. Her little sister rolled her eyes.

"Don't you miss that nip in the air when the sun goes down? The leaves changing colours? What colour are the leaves here? Brown. I don't mean an autumn brown, I mean an unhealthy, sickly kind of brown. Do you know what the air quality index was today? Doesn't it bother you that there is such a thing? Something to check whether its safe to breathe?" Brinan was chuckling at her brother's rambling.

"Brandon, it's not that bad." She says, spitting out the toothpaste from her mouth.

"Minneapolis didn't have an air quality index. Or earthquakes. Or tornadoes." Brinan stared at him wide-eyed. Tornadoes were her biggest fear.

"Do you really think about that?" Brenda asks, also feeling a bit scared.

"No, I've decided it's better not to. But, it doesn't matter because it's just in the air around here. Like this big, looming thing." The telephone rings, making the three siblings jump in surprise.

"I really hope that isn't for me." Brenda said, making them furrow their brows in confusion.

"Why?"

"Dad hates it when friends call past 11:00. He always tells them that I'm asleep, it's so embarrassing." She says, shaking her head. As if on cue, their dad walks in the room, clearly woken up from the ringing.

"Brandon, it's for you. It's Sheryl." Brinan's eyes widen as her and Brandon look at each other.

"Minneapolis Sheryl?" The two ask at the same time. He nods and Brandon's smile grows as he takes the phone from his father. The sisters follow him into his room, seeing how giddy he became while on the phone with her. They were trying to eavesdrop on what the two were talking about, seeing as he kept trying to kick them and his parents out of his room. When he finally gives up, he opens the door with a big smile. "Guys, Sheryl's coming to visit for the weekend." Brinan and Brenda let out a squeal. Brandon and Sheryl dated in Minneapolis, but had to break up because of the move. She was definitely the family's favourite girlfriend of his.

"She can stay in my or Bree's room!" Brandon rolls his eyes at their excitement, trying not to seem too excited himself.

—

Brandon and Brinan sat in the newspaper room, working on a new article. Bree could tell that Brandon wasn't typing and she looked at his computer to see that he had nothing on the screen. She leans in, putting her arm on his shoulder.

"Nervous?" She seems to catch him by surprise, since he jumps up. He clears his throat, shaking his head.

"No, why should I be nervous?" She deadpans, letting him know that she knew him better than that.

"A million reasons. You and Sheryl haven't seen each other in a couple of months, you're wondering if things will be the same, she's thinking 'Has he changed?' Seeing as the two of you had some freaky open relationship, I think you'd be a wreck. You've also been staring at that screen for an hour." His jaw clenched as he looked at his little sister.

"Don't you have an article to finish?"

"I do, but since I'm further into the article than you are and I'm your sister, maybe you'd wanna talk about what you're thinking. Give me a penny for your thoughts, you know?" He sighs, leaning against her arm.