Anti-Hero || Leo Valdez

51 - What Comes After Seven?? ATE :D

When Via and Pat were little — maybe three or four years old — their mom took them to a McDonald's with a PlayPlace after a doctor's appointment.

"You were so brave when the doctor gave you your shots," Mom said, "So we can get you a little treat."

Pat distantly remembered being in his car seat in the back, Via on his left and their mom in front of them. Via was still whimpering and picking at the colorful band-aids on her legs. The twins had both needed shots, but Pat normally handled it better than Via did. All they had to do was distract him for two seconds and it was over before he knew it. Via, on the other hand, worried and fretted and needed to be talked through it. She needed a fully detailed explanation and a countdown.

Nevertheless, they'd both managed, and now they were on their way to McDonalds.

"Can we get choco milk?" Via asked after they'd parked and started walking into the restaurant.

"Yes," Mom said.

"Can we get ice cream?" Pat asked.

Their mom considered for a moment. "You know what? Since you were both very good at the doctor's, you can get ice cream."

Via and Pat exchanged a delighted glance. Chocolate milk and ice cream? Maybe they needed to go get shots more often.

They devoured their Happy Meals in record time. Via had apparently forgotten all about the shots, because she'd stopped picking at her bandaids and joined Pat on the playground. Pat had clocked the enormous spiral tube slide on their way in. It was bigger than the one at the park by their neighborhood and Pat immediately wanted to try it out. He and Via climbed up the playscape, going up the platforms and through the plastic tubes.

Pat went first, naturally, while Via waited at the top of the slide. When he reached the bottom, he looked up to see Via still at the top, allowing the other kids to go before her. He climbed up to go down the slide again, and she was still there.

"Why don't you go?" He wondered.

"It's scary," she told him.

"No, it's not!" He said cheerfully. "Look!"

He pushed past a couple of kids and went down, emerging from the bottom and grinning up at her. She still looked hesitant, so when he climbed back up, he suggested they go together. Via agreed to this, so they sat side by side.

"You ready?" he asked, and she nodded. "Okay. One, two, three... go!"

But Via didn't move.

"It's scary," she repeated.

"You're always scared," Pat said, rolling his eyes.

"What if it's a monster mouth and it wants to eat me?"

"It didn't eat me," Pat reasoned. "Just go."

Via shook her head. She stared at him, hazel eyes wide and afraid. Pat, frustrated, huffed and went down without her. When he came back out the bottom, Via was still there at the top, frozen. She wanted to prove she wasn't too scared to go down, but she just couldn't bring herself to push. Pat gave a huff of frustration, stomping his tiny foot, and went to go tattle to their mom.

"Mom, Via won't come down the slide," he complained in that whiny kid voice that drawls out the last word of every sentence. Mom didn't say a word; she just stood up and went to help.

For a good fifteen minutes, Via refused to move. The other kids milled about in annoyance, pushed past her to go down the slide, or (in Pat and the older ones' case) tried to boost her confidence to go down. Via only came down when Mom called up to her from the ground and promised that she'd be there waiting for her. When Via finally emerged from the slide, tears welling in her eyes, she immediately ran to hug Mom.