Live While We're Young

Chapter 31

"How'd you sleep?" Preston asks as I trudge down the stairs.

"Fine. But I don't want school tomorrow!" I say glumly.

"I don't think anyone does," he says.

Marcus stumbles her way into the kitchen.

"Morning babe!" I joke, hugging her.

"Why are you so happy?" She asks.

"Because I got a good rest last night, for once!" I say.

"Can you get off me?"

I let go of her.

"Someone's crabby," I mumble.

"I stayed up all night playing Xbox.." She says.

"What?!" I say.

"I'm sorry," she mumbles.

"I told you you're not allowed to play Xbox past eight, Marcus!" I say.

"That's on school nights! Besides, you need to stop treating me like a baby!" She says.

I don't baby her! I just act like a motherly figure, because my mother is never home to take care of us. She works a lot because there's no one else to help put food on the table other than Preston.

"I don't baby you!"

"Yeah, you do! Most kids in my grade don't have to be in bed by eight thirty! Stop treating me like I'm a child!"

Maybe I do baby her just a little.. But I could throw a bib on her and feed her and hold her hand and walk her into school.

"You think I treat you like a baby?!"

"You do! God, you're so stupid!" She stomps her foot.

"You're going to learn what babies are treated like! Go sit on the couch until I tell you to get up. Time out. No questions!" I can see the anger in her eyes.

"I am NOT going into time out!" She says.

"One," I start counting.

"I'm not!"

"Two,"

"Counting is pointless!"

"If I get to three, I will take away privileges. The more I have to count, the more you'll lose."

"I'm not going into time out! Stop trying to be my mother!"

"Three, there goes your Xbox." I'm not letting her win this battle, I don't care if I'm not her mother, she needs a motherly figure in her life and our mother is never home.

"No!" She screams.

"Four, there goes your television privileges."

"Stop! You can't take away my privileges, your not my mom!" She screams.

"I'm being the mother of the house right now, because she is never home!" I say. "Now, do I need to continue counting?"

"I'm not listening." She says, grabbing her Xbox controller off of the counter.

Preston grabs her by the waist and hoists her over his shoulder, then sets her on the couch.

"What the hell!" She screams.

"And there's an earlier bedtime!" I say.

She pulls her knees up to her chest and shoves her head in them, starting to cry. Which I know she's only doing to get sympathy, she always does this when she doesn't get her way.