Highly Strung

Bad Comebacks

“He pushed you into the lake?” Alex asked disbelievingly, her eyes nearly popping out of her head from across the kitchen table.

“Well, no.” I chewed my lip slightly, towel drying my hair after changing into dry clothes.

“So, what happened then?” Alex leaned forward, eager for some juicy gossip on her brother.

“I scared her and she fell in.”

I nearly jumped out of my own skin, letting out an embarrassing squeal and falling out of my seat, my butt making contact with the cold, unforgiving floor.

“Sorry! Guess you’re easily startled there, princess.” Cole held out his hand to help me up, but I ignored it, using the chair that had dumped me from it’s depths as support.

“Cole.” Alex warned, giving him her unimpressed look before she turned back to me where I was rubbing the sore spot, frowning.

“Tay, it was an accident and as much as I want to drown Cole in the lake, we have to deal with him.” She reasoned.

Cole gasped, his hand on his heart. “Alex, I’m truly shocked by your behaviour towards your favourite brother.”

“Uh-huh.” She replied. “You’re kind of my only brother.”

Cole and Alex launched into the usual sibling back and forth bickering, leaving me to slip out and upstairs.

I pushed open the door to the room I would be staying in, Mrs.Hays had put our names on all of the doors in wooden block letters in various colours, everything was white and yellow in mine. White walls, yellow comforter, white pillows, yellow curtains. It was adorable, with the little white desk and yellow chair in the corner. The huge King-sized bed was the center of the room with filmy yellow canopy that I fell in love with at first sight.

I flopped back on my bed, leaving my suitcases to unpack later and threw my damp towel at the wicker basket near the door, only missing by a bit but not bothering to go and pick it up.

“Ugh.” I grumbled as my cell started ringing incessantly. I rolled over and grabbed my purse off the floor, digging through it until I came up with my phone.

“Hello?” I watched the sunset through the window, casting my entire room in an orangey glow.

“Hi sweetie!” Mom’s voice came through the phone sounding perky as ever. I inwardly groaned. How was it that she was always so happy after teaching a bunch of hungover kids everyday?

“Hey mom.” I replied, rolling off the huge bed and going to sit on the couch in the bay window, soaking up the evening rays and pushing open the window to let in the warm summer air.

“How are you settling in?” My dad’s voice came over the line, they must have been in the study using the speakerphone to talk to me together.

“Fine. It’s really beautiful here, except for one little exception.” I watched as Cole pulled himself from the lake, water glistening off the tattoo on his shoulder. I couldn’t make out what it was, but it was probably something stupid like his face. God, even in my own head my comebacks sucked.

“What, is something wrong?” Mom sounded worried, I could picture her biting her nails like she always did when nervous.

“Stop biting your nails mom, everything’s fine. It’s just Alex’s brother is with us and I didn’t expect him to be.” I explained.

“Okay honey, you’ll call us if you have any problems?” Dad jumped in.

“Of course, Daddy. I still need to unpack so I should go.”

“Bye honey, we love you.” My parents responded in unison.

I hung up, feeling a little sad that I wouldn’t get to see my family for three months, but I was with my adoptive family, which dulled the sudden ache in my chest. I’d never really been away from my family for that long.

“Knock knock!” Alex trilled, slamming open the door, and prancing into the room breaking me of my thoughts.

“Hey.” I jumped up from the window seat, hoping my best friend wouldn’t look outside and think I was ogling her brother.

I must have looked guilty, because she skipped over to the window. “What are you- ooooh that’s Cole!” She squealed, whipping around to face me, her mouth popping open.

“Where?” I frowned and looked out the window as if just noticing. “Hm, he wasn’t there before.”

“Uh-huh.” She giggled, clearly not believing me. “You want in Cole’s bed, don’t cha? Naughty girl.”

“Alex!” I gasped, flushing. “You know I’d never.”

“Yeah, I know.” She let out a huge sigh, flopping down dramatically on my bed. “I think he likes you though!” She informed me, before leaping off the bed and running out the door.

“Excuse me?” I shrieked, running over to the doorway and looking up and down the hallway to see that she had disappeared.

What?!