skater boy - sapnap

chapter 29- right answer

sapnap's pov

how in the world did i get here?

the family around me is a chaotic mess as i try to help mrs. black set the table. the twins are fighting (as per usual) over something stupid (as per usual) and their mom is trying to get them to stop (as per usual). i try to keep up with what the fighting is about, but the yelling usually occurs in spanish, the class i would always fall asleep in in high school. so i'm hopeless with translating.

"now that the table is set, with absolute no help from you two!-" mrs. black glares at her children. "-you guys can dish up now!"

noel and cassia get up before me, bringing their plates with them. i try to mimic what they're doing, probably looking like a fish out of water. we don't have dinners like this much at my house. while i'm taking one of the steaming hot enchiladas, more yelling can be heard from next to me.

"i grabbed it first!" noel hisses.

"yeah? well i saw it first!" cassia shoots back angrily. the two start shoving each other and i try not to stare out of respect for their mom, who seems mortified.

"i'm older!"

"by a minute! and what does that have to do with anything?"

"it means i'm always correct!"

"like... heck it does!" i quietly laugh at cassia's attempt to use PG language in front of her mom.

"sapnap! what do you think?" noel's head snaps towards me.

so much for staying out of the fight.

"about... what?" i ask timidly.

"he obviously agrees with me," cassia says. "i'm his girlfriend."

"and i'm his brother-in-law!" noel fights back.

"you're what?!" i ask suddenly.

"all of this over a ROLL?" mrs. black asks. she takes the roll and rips it in half. "there! now you both can have it! you're acting like toddlers in front of our guest!"

"he's hardly a guest," cassia says.

"i'm hardly what?"

the fighting dies down just as quickly as it started as we all sit down with our plates full and our stomachs empty. everyone starts picking at their food pretty quickly.

"is it good, sapnap?" mrs. black asks. "do you like it?"

"be mindful of what you say," noel says. "there is a correct answer."

"yes, it's delicious. thank you" i reply. noel's thumbs up tells me i said the right answer. "also, i'm sorry i'm not wearing something nicer. i didn't know i was going to come over at all. otherwise i would've brought flowers and my jeans wouldn't have rips in them."

"flowers for me?" noel asks.

"of course. red roses just for you."

"i'm allergic to roses."

"no you're not," mrs. black says swiftly, glaring daggers at him. i'm willing to bet money that she kicked him under the table, too.

"how do YOU know that?"

"because i'm your mother and i gave birth to you! i know everything about you!" she clears her throat. "and don't worry about what you're wearing. look at those two." she points at her kids and they both look up in sync. noel turns to cassia.

"yeah. she looks busted," he says.

"what did i tell you about calling her that?" mrs. black scolds.

"you guys have had a conversation specifically about calling cassia 'busted?'" i ask, though i probably shouldn't have.