Driving Across America

Chapter Three

Walking into the kitchen I grabbed a paper plate. It was Friday, and on Fridays we order pizza. And if you aren't fast enough, it's gone in an instant. Which is why I practically ran to where the three cardboard boxes were resting on the counter. Grabbing a slice of pepperoni and meat lover's, I went back to the table and sat down, only to immediately get up as I forgot my drink.

          We all have our own specific drinks on Fridays. I get a Monster, William gets a Dr. Pepper, Andy gets a small root beer while my parents always have coke cans in their room. I swiped the can off the counter and resumed my spot at the table. Andy sat beside me as he began stuffing pizza in his mouth. My face twisted up in disgust as some saliva and a pepperoni slid off his face. He saw me looking and shot me a grin, giving me a full look at his tomato sauce-covered teeth.

          I rolled my eyes at his eating habit and began to eat my pizza. I'll admit I'm not the cleanest eater, including when it comes to pizza, but I'm not as messy as Andy and William are. As I finished my first slice, I glanced over at William, who was already on his fifth slice. My parents were slowly eating theirs - well, my mom was. Dad was already on his fourth slice and still going steady. I bit off a piece of my third pizza's crust, not wanting to eat any more sauce or cheese. Finished with that slice, I dropped the last of it on Andy's plate. He gave me a grin and started eating it right away.

          Since I was finished with my dinner, I threw away the plate and ran to the living room, glad it was free. Knowing William would be pissed at me when he saw me here, I had even more reason to stay. I turned on the TV and began scrolling through channels. My usual ones, MTV, VH1, FX, were playing nothing good, so I went back to the classics: Nick. To my surprise and delight, they were playing reruns of Drake & Josh, one of my favorite shows of all time. I sat up straighter and became fully engrossed in the show, only moving my gaze away when it was a commercial break.

          It was to my surprise when William sat down on the couch beside me. It was the first time in a few days when we were in a room and weren't squabbling about something. Seriously. We could find a reason to argue about a cup if we wanted to.

          "What are you doing?" I asked. He looked over at me and scowled, a usual feature that was present on his face when he was looking at me.

          "Watching Drake and Josh, of course," was his curt response. I nodded and resumed watching the show, where they were scared they'd killed Megan's hamster.

          We stayed on that couch without any arguments for three more episodes of Drake & Josh, then one of Full House. Just as the second one of Full House was starting, William decided to lay his legs across my lap, and I pushed them off. This continued for a few more times, until we both started complaining.

          "Just leave them there," he whined, exasperated that I kept moving them. I gave him a sour look before responding.

          "It ain't my fault you're putting them on my lap when I keep pushing them off," I shot back.

          "We live in Maine, not Alabama. Stop saying 'ain't!' " He complained, once again putting his feet in my lap. And I pushed them off once again. He let out a sigh before resting them on the coffee table in front of us. As if on cue, Andy jumped over the back of the couch and onto the couch - and part of my arm.

          "Ouch!" I screeched when fifty pounds or so of little boy hit my arm. William snickered into his hand while I sent Andy a death glare - and directing a few at William too.

          "Sowwy," Andy gave off an innocent air, but I just rolled my eyes. Pushing myself off the couch, I thundered up the stairs. Even at the top, I could hear William mutter under his breath "someone's on her period today," and Andy asked him what a period was. Suppressing a laugh, I went into my room, closing the door behind me.