My Best Friend's Brother

Chapter 24

Fourteen Years Earlier: 1991

"Honey, will you be going to the fair?" My mother asked us as we ate dinner around the table. Eddie wore his football jersey as I stabbed thoughtlessly at my lasagna.

"I'll be admiring it from a safe distance in my room." I replied, adjusting my glasses. My mother rolled her eyes disapprovingly as Eddie chuckled. "Beth, this fair is for a very good cause." "I hardly call new cheer uniforms a good cause." I mumbled unamused.

"It will be lots of fun! Everyone should go!" Our mother continued. "Will you be going?" I asked her making Eddie quickly look up from his food. "That won't be necessary." He replied as she sighed heavily.

"I meant every student." Our mother added as my brother noticeably eased. "I have to study for my science test." I answered unable to look either of them in the eye. "Besides, why would I spend my free time with people I tried my hardest to avoid?"

"No wonder you're so popular." Eddie replied sarcastically as I ignored him. If I was being completely honest I just didn't want to be around Aaron and his newest fling and now that Connie was dating someone I was starting to loathe seeing happy and affectionate couples all the more.

"I'm sure you'll do great on your science test. It's going to be a lot of fun, sweetheart. You need to learn to prioritize your social life once in a while." My mother insisted, ignoring Eddie's remark. "How can she prioritize something she doesn't have?" Eddie continued amused.

"Besides I don't want her there dragging everyone down. All she'll do is complain the whole time and make snide comments about everyone." He glared at me making me smile forcefully. "Someone has to tame their ego's."

"What will it take for you to go?" She asked after a moment, making me finally look at her intrigued. "Are you bribing me?" I scoffed as she shrugged nonchalantly. "I need to make sure he behaves himself. Last time you almost burned down the popcorn stand and threw up on one of the silly rides." Our mother expressed her clear annoyance.

"What? No, I'm not going to be his babysitter." I protested in disbelief. "Yeah, I don't need a babysitter! It wasn't my fault! There wasn't a timer on the machine." Eddie tried to stick up for himself but failed.

"And I'm sure it had nothing to do with the fact that Sandy and her friends were around at the time." I retorted, losing my patience with both of them. "Twenty dollars if you go and watch him." My mother interrupted, ignoring our bickering being used to us arguing by now.

"Why don't you just ground him so he can't go?" I suggested. "Hey! Don't ruin my life just 'cause you refuse to have one!" Eddie yelled frustrated with me. "You both deserve to have fun. Just not reckless fun. Forty dollars." She spoke to me as I silently debated it.

"Fifty." I negotiated. "Deal." She smiled triumphantly. "Seriously! Whatever, I'm going upstairs." Eddie huffed sitting up, his chair scraped against the hardwood floor. "I do hope you have fun, honey."

"Yeah, I'm sure I will being stuck with Eddie and his idiot friends all night." I replied sarcastically as we finished eating dinner together until the phone rang.

Taking the house phone up to my room to share the night's event with Connie. "So, you're really coming now? For sure? That's amazing!" She exclaimed, making me pull the phone from my ear.

"Uh, yeah. That's what I thought too. Amazing." I replied lying on my bed. "Oh, come on, don't be like that. We'll have fun! Just ditch your brother and hang out with me and Brian." Connie mentioned her new boyfriend she had become infatuated with and slowly their relationship grew more serious.

This night just keeps getting better and better.

"Right. Brian." I replied, failing to hide the animosity in my voice. "Are you done yet? I promised Julia I would call her." I heard Aaron through the phone in the distance.