We're Not Related Anymore...

A Quiet Afternoon

Jacob: Three Years Ago

After my grandmother leaves with her now-working yellow Camaro, I go into the house again to shower. When I'm done, I see the twins are back from their soccer practice and I look at them enviously as they dump their tote bags in the lounge. I haven't played in what feels like forever. Our coach has been sick most of the season and the school hasn't gotten around to replacing him. Unfortunately, no one takes soccer seriously here. Not when college football dominates most of the lives of the average Alabama man.

Sometimes, on the weekends, Josh will play a game with me in the park. It's not the same though. As much as I hate to admit it, there's a competitive streak in me that enjoys playing the game properly.

"Hey, aren't you going to go shower, pig?" I ask, catching Shelley before she sits down on the couch in her grass-stained shorts.

She juts out her bottom lip. "I'm waiting for Maddie to change and then we're going to swim," She says like her words make any sense.

"And what are you going to swim in?" I ask, looking down at her red and white uniform.

"I figured I'd just swim in this. It'll get clean and then there will be less laundry for me to do." She starts scratching at her head where her braids have started to come loose. I continue to look at her, trying to compute the extent of her laziness.

"You can't seriously be telling me you think swimming in your clothes counts as washing them?" I say, trying to keep my voice even.

"Doesn't it?" She asks, so seriously that I have to stop myself from tearing my hair out with my hands.

I take a deep breath, trying not to go on the rant I want to about how to clean things. The thing with Shelley is that she'll often tune people out if she's not interested in what you're saying. So I take a deep breath and say, "No. That's not how it works. Go change. I'll do laundry for this week."

"Really?" She asks, her eyes glowing.

"Yes. Now go get changed before I change my mind." I watch her scramble up the stairs. It's better this way. With the rate Shelley's going, everyone's clothes are going to come out of the washer the wrong color.

I take the twins dirty gym bags to the laundry room and start sorting through the shit they've dumped in there. While I'm there, I hear a shout from outside and go out through the laundry door to see what's going on.

Everyone's by the pool, even Mary. She's in a black full-piece, trying to ward off Shelley who keeps spraying her with a water gun.

"Stop it! I'll kill you!" She screams, looking at her towel that Shelley's just made wet.

My other sister laughs manically, running around the pool when Mary gets up to chase her.

"Be careful!" Josh calls from his lilo in the pool. "I don't feel like going to the emergency room today."

"When did you get home?" I ask him, taking off my shoes and dipping my feet in the water. He opens one eye and looks over at me.

"Like five minutes ago. I saw everyone in the pool and decided to join in on the fun."

"I didn't even hear you come in," I murmur, enjoying the feel of the cool water between my toes.

"That's because your head's been squarely up your ass the last few days," He tells me, not unkindly. "What's going on with you? Does it have something to do with Tessa?"

"What would Tessa have to do with anything?"

"You tell me. You're the one who brought her over the other day," He says, looking up at me with suspicion.