Faking It

3:Faking It:3

*Unedited*

Picture of River on the right -->

Chapter 3

 

Alina

“Pass. Me. The. Orange. Juice. Please.”

River rolled his eyes at me and handed me the orange juice. “I’m finding it highly unfair that Alina gets to have her phone out at the table.”

Dad glanced at him, before going back to scrolling through his phone. “Your sister deserves more than a phone advantage for what she’s been through, River.”

“I. Think. River. Was. Being. A. Bit. Rude,” I say. “Go. Put. Ten. Dollars. In. The. Jar.”

River glared at me momentarily, until mom ushered him out to go and deposit ten bucks in the jar. The jar was something mom came up with years ago, at a particular time in our lives where River and I constantly fought. She decided that she had had enough of it all and stuck a jar in the middle of the foyer, for anyone to see when they open the front door. Each time we fought, we’d be forced to put money in the jar, which then went towards a vacation for mom and dad only.

Majorly unfair.

But then mom decided to be a sneaky little bugger and force us to stick money in the jar for other things as well: being rude to each other or guests, saying something hurtful, saying something mean, doing something mean (this included pranks), and backing out of going to grandma’s (this was seen as us being ‘mean’).

Thing is, gran’s batshit crazy. I’m not joking; she really is. The last time we went to visit her (she lives at the hospital, for your information. If that doesn’t give away her mental issues, I don’t know what to tell you) she thought that she was a hired stripper for her doctor.

Highly. Uncomfortable.

She was a seventy three year old woman, stripping her clothes off ‘seductively’.

It was bad.

Just really, really bad.

So mom found a pattern with River and I-we always backed out of visiting gran after that visit, so she used it to her advantage.

Now, she goes to visit gran three times as much as she used to when the rest of the family came along with her.

I think she’s getting close to the amount she wants for a proper vacation because, lately, she’s been sending us all for a money deposit on every itty bitty little thing.

“Oi, we’ve got to get a head start to school,” River says, grabbing my arm. “Or else we’ll be late.”

“I. Feel. Like. That. Is. Your. Catch. Phrase.”

“What, that we’ll be late to school?”

I nod.

Sorita suddenly ran through the kitchen. “Let’s go, people! Aiden’s waiting in the car and he won’t wait forever!”

“What. Is. She. Talking. About?”

“Come on,” Sorita sighed, dragging me out the door, as River followed.

Aiden glanced at us when we were shoved in the backseat by Sorita. “Uh, Sor-”

“Shut up and drive,” she simply says.

“Your wish, my command,” Aiden sarcastically responds back.

“There. Is. One. Thing. That. I. Do. Not. Understand.”