sunburn ; harry styles

III

I seated myself on the couch, watching the game load since I had just slipped the disc into the Wii. Adalyn was still in the kitchen, putting her dishes away, finishing up her breakfast. I wasn't familiar with this game, nor was I familiar with the console. I turned my head to look at Adalyn pleadingly, so she could come and help me set up the game. She was facing the sink, not paying any attention to what I was doing. I sighed.

Adalyn twirled back around, noticing I was having trouble. She seized the other Wii remote sitting on the couch, scooting closer to me.

"Here," she said, as we switched remotes, her being in control of what was happening on the screen. She chose an option that read Split Screen, then went to selecting a character. She moved her remote sideways and upward, choosing a character with the name of Peach. Satisfied with her choice, she leaned back on the couch, waiting for me to choose. I swallowed, moving my remote, not knowing which one to choose. I felt uncomfortable that Adalyn was waiting on me and I just decided just to settle on Mario.

Adalyn reached over to the cardboard box and pulled out these objects that looked like wheels, taking my Wii remote and setting it inside the wheel, handing it back to me.

"It's just like driving," she assured me, nodding. "We'll be racing, I'm sure you'll get the hang of it. Are you sure you don't want me to go easy on you?"

I nodded, "Absolutely positive."

"Alright," she chuckled, as we both watched the countdown on the screen. Three, two, one.

We both stood up from the couch, shockingly at the same time, getting sucked into the game immediately. I laughed, turning over to Adalyn, seeing her bottom lip tucked in between her teeth. As I turned my attention back to the screen, my character, Mario, was gyrating swiftly.

"What the fuck just happened?!" I yelled, confused.

"Ran over a banana peel," Adalyn didn't even glance at me. Her eyes were glued to the screen.

"How was the party?" I asked, slightly changing the subject, feeling rather rude that I didn't ask earlier.

"Sucked," she replied bluntly.

Just as our game ended, which was a sad one because I came in 7th place, a knock appeared on the door, echoing throughout the apartment. Adalyn paused the game, stomping toward the door, taking the knob in her hand, revolving it to open it. In the doorway was her brother, Brandon, the blue eyed boy I saw on the plane.

"Oh look it's Brandon. What do you need?"

"Mom wants you to go check out the place."

Adalyn rolled her eyes, looking back at me, her chin practically resting on her shoulder. She exhaled and turned back to Brandon.

"I'm playing with Layla right now. Maybe tomorrow, I don't have classes tomorrow." was her response.

"I'll stay here with her. And possibly play with her. Mom wants you to check it out. It'll be quick, I promise." Brandon answered.

"Fine. Let me get my keys," Adalyn whined, grabbing them from the kitchen counter. She went over to the couch where I was, putting her hand on my shoulder. I gazed up at her, her eyes staring back sternly at me.

"Brandon is going to stay with you, you can play Mario Kart with him if you want, even though he sucks," she muttered, receiving a Hey! from Brandon who was still in the doorway.

"I won't be gone long, I'm going to go check out the house my mom bought. Same rules as always, keep yourself occupied and call me if you're in trouble! Be good!" She then walked over to the door and mumbled, Take care of her, to her brother, just as she slipped out the door, closing it behind her. Brandon was still standing at the entrance, his back leaned against the doorframe. It was silent and a bit awkward, so I tried my best to break it by continuing the Mario Kart game. I once again had trouble and didn't know what to press or select. I was too embarrassed to ask Brandon for help, so I just stared blankly at the television.