Nothing Like Us

chapter 38

"What's with the cape?" I ask dad, nodding in Jaxon's direction as he run circles around the room.

"He thinks he's batman." He replies, pulling a Candy land card from the stack.

"That's the wrong pile, Daddy!" Jazzy exclaims with frustration "Those are the ones we already used!"

"Well excuse me." He teases, pulling from the correct pile when she fixes him with a serious glare.

"Aye Jaxo..." I call, reaching for him but missing as he scurries past. "Yo, you ain't batman...you know that right?"

He stops in his tracks and nods once "Am too."

"Nope." I sigh heavily as if I have to have this discussion constantly and am growing tired of it "You're not batman. Know how I know?"

"How?"

"Because I'm batman." I answer, taking my turn in the game when Jazzy nudges me.

"You are not!" He huffs, crossing his little arms in defiance.

"Uh, yeah I am..." I gesture at our surroundings "How do you think I get all this nice stuff? Batman's rich, that's how."

"You get nice stuff because girls like to scream at you." He argues, referring to the crowds of screaming fans that follow me around. "And 'cause you do 'concerps'."

I shake my head "Wrong again boss man...it's because I'm batman. You can be Robin, but I won't let you drive the batmobile so don't even ask."

"That's not the real batmobile!" he jabs a finger in my direction accusingly "You had it made so that makes it stupid."

"It's stupid?" I laugh, finally giving in because he obviously isn't buying it anyway.

"Yep! Stuuuuupid!" He yells, charging from the room towards the kitchen, most likely to dig through the pantry until he finds something containing enough sugar to crack him out more than he already is.

I take my turn when he disappears from sight. "HA!" Jazzy cries triumphantly "You landed on a licorice space! You lose a turn!"

"I don't either! Haven't you read the rules to this game? Look..." I reach forward and pluck them from the box pretending to read "In the event that Jazzy's older, incredibly adorable, brother Justin lands on a licorice space he doesn't have to lose a turn because he's awesome and the manufacturers of this game know it. See? There you have it. Your turn."

"It doesn't say that!" She attempts to grab it out of my hands to see for herself but I hold it out of reach, poking her gently to tickle her every time she gets close enough until she loses patience with me "Dad! Justin's cheating!"

"Play nice or I'll have to separate you two." Dad orders with feigned firmness.

"I'm bored with this anyway." I announce. Twenty or not, I still have the attention span of a five year old, or so Bobbi likes to tell me. "I've got something way more fun." I slide my eyes in her direction and drop my voice to a whisper "It's a secret."

"A secret?" she gasps as if it's the most wonderful news she's ever heard "Tell me! Tell me!"

"Justin..." dad speaks up in a warning tone when I pull out my phone "I wouldn't."

I wave him off "She won't tell, will you princess?"

She instantly thrusts her pinky finger at me "I pinky promise!"

My pinky curls around hers "See pop? She pinky promised."

"Whatever." He sighs, clearly not the least bit convinced.