Parents.. with different treatment

The makeup mix up

The Makeup Mix-Up

Xander was sitting quietly in the living room, building a tower with his blocks, while his younger brother Xavier had wandered off to Valerie's makeup kit. Xavier loved experimenting with colors, even though he wasn't very good at it yet. Soon, his face was smeared with bright pink blush, dark eyeshadow, and a bit of lipstick—he looked like a colorful mess.

As Xavier admired his "artwork" in the mirror, Colby walked into the room. His eyes widened when he saw Xavier's face—bruised-looking smudges of dark makeup around his eyes and splotches of red and pink all over his cheeks.

"What the—Xander! What did you do to your brother?!" Colby shouted, his voice booming through the house. His face was red with anger as he stormed toward Xander.

Xander, caught off guard, dropped his blocks and stood up in confusion. "What? I didn't do anything!" he stammered, looking from Xavier to Colby, completely confused.

"Don't lie to me!" Colby growled, pointing at Xavier. "Look at his face! Did you hit him?!"

Xander's heart pounded, and he shook his head frantically. "No, Dad, I swear I didn't! I didn't touch him!" He felt a lump forming in his throat, his body tensing up as the anger in his dad's voice washed over him.

Before Colby could say anything else, Valerie entered the room. Seeing the chaos, she quickly pieced things together. Her eyes landed on Xavier, who was still obliviously playing with her makeup. She couldn't help but let out a sigh of relief. "Colby, wait. He's not hurt. Xavier's just been playing with my makeup."

Colby blinked, his anger deflating as he looked more closely at Xavier. Sure enough, the "bruises" and "scratches" were nothing more than smeared makeup. "Oh..." he muttered, feeling a wave of embarrassment wash over him. He glanced back at Xander, who was now standing with wide eyes, looking more hurt than confused.

Valerie stepped forward, giving Colby a gentle but knowing look. "You see? Xander didn't do anything."

Xander, still shaking, stared at the floor. The accusation stung, and the fact that his dad hadn't even asked him what happened made it worse. His ADHD often made situations more chaotic, and it wasn't the first time he felt like he was being blamed just for being nearby.

Colby took a deep breath, his anger now completely gone, replaced with guilt. "Xander... I'm sorry. I shouldn't have jumped to conclusions like that." He knelt down so he was eye-level with Xander. "I was wrong, and I'm really sorry, buddy."

Xander glanced up at his dad, still feeling a little shaky, but he nodded slowly. "It's okay... I didn't do anything."

"I know," Colby said, his voice soft. "I should've listened."

Valerie gently rubbed Xander's back, offering him a reassuring smile. "It's okay, Xander. You're a good brother, and sometimes things just look worse than they are."

Xavier, oblivious to the tension that had just filled the room, looked up from his makeup masterpiece. "I look like a superhero, right?" he asked with a big grin, showing off his colorful face.

Valerie chuckled softly, wiping some of the lipstick smudges from his cheek. "You look... something, alright," she said, smiling.

Colby ruffled Xander's hair, relieved the misunderstanding was cleared up. "You guys are both superheroes in my book," he said, his voice much gentler now.

Xander smiled a little, still feeling the sting of the earlier accusation, but knowing his dad hadn't meant it made it a little easier to let go.