Project Fat Suit

Thirteen: The Elf and the Gangster

Chapter Thirteen: The Elf and the Gangster

“Serena, pass the syrup,” Paisley ordered me without so much as a “please”.

“What’s the magic word?” I taunted her whilst picking up the bottle of the gooey, delicious liquid.

“Just give me the syrup! You’re going to get your sick germs all over it!” Paisley snapped as she reached across the kitchen table for it. Apparently, I wasn’t the only non-morning person around here.

“Fine, geez,” I gave in and set the bottle beside her plate after she managed to scratch my hand with her perfectly manicured nails from trying to take the syrup from me. “Anyways, it’s just a small cold,” I told her matter-of-factly.

“Whatever,” my cousin muttered as she drowned her poor dinosaur-shaped pancake with syrup.

“Morning, everyone,” Kurt came into the kitchen with a tired look on his face.

I smiled at him sheepishly and greeted him cheerfully, “Hey, big brother!"

“Can it, Rena. I had to walk to my abandoned car and then proceed to push it all the way to the gas station because of your inability to respect the gas meter and its knowledge of when the there’s no more gas,” Kurt snapped at me while angrily pulling out a chair and sitting on it. “Paisley, pass me the syrup.”

Paisley scrambled to give him the bottle of syrup, fearing Kurt’s rare anger.

“Kurt, Rena has a cold. She would have gone if it wasn’t for that fact,” Aunt Jeanette explained to Kurt calmly.

“Still, who could miss a light that says you need to go get gas?” Kurt muttered more to himself, but I caught it.

“I’ll go take Shelly for a car wash,” I offered, not liking Kurt being mad at me.

Kurt just sat there, biting the head of the pancake dinosaur off.

“I’ll even buy you the pine-tree-shaped air freshener.”

Chirp. Chirp.

“I’ll stop complaining about the radio music during our car rides?”

Still, Kurt’s frown wouldn’t budge.

I gulped before I grudgingly offered the next thing. “I’ll take Paisley to the mall today so you don’t have to.”

Just like that, Kurt’s smile was back. “Really?” he asked with his mouth full of pancake.

“Yes.” I sighed, defeated.

“Hey! I’m not that bad!” Paisley complained.

“Yes, you are,” her mother and father chorused together, which made Kurt and I snicker as Paisley glared at her parents.

“Whatever,” Paisley scoffed and continued eating her breakfast, annoyed at the rest of us.

:::x:::O:::x:::

“Remember, Rena, I don’t want my daughter talking to any strangers, unless you know then of course. And you must be at her side at all times, okay?”

“Yes, sir.” I mock-saluted my uncle and he gave me a small chuckle. “I will make sure your daughter is safe every second of the day.”

“Are you sure, Rena? You’re sick. You should stay in bed,” my dad suggested worriedly as he felt my forehead.

“I’m fine, Dad.” I swatted his hand off of me. “If this is the only way Kurt will forgive me, I’ll do it. Besides, if I’m stuck with her in the house with no witnesses while you guys are out sight-seeing, someone might get injured.”