Tethered Hearts | ✓ | Books 1 & 2

Episode 25| Staring is Caring

Sophia's P.O.V.

"Give me the remote!" I shouted for what felt like the millionth time at my brother, Jamie. "You've had it forever."

"No." He rebelled, hypnotized by the flashing colors on the TV.

"Jamie, give it back. You said you only wanted to watch the new Rugrats episode. You didn't say you wanted it for the next three hours."

"Okay fine." He stood up from the floor and licked the back of the remote, handing it to me.

"Jamie," I hollered, pushing it back to him -the side that wasn't dripping with saliva. "That's disgusting. Do you know how many hands have touched that?"

"Probably more hands that have ever touched you." He insulted.

"Jamie!" My cheeks burned up. "Who taught you to say stuff like that?"

"The Norton's. Freddie says stuff like that all the time."

"You're not allowed to hang out with Freddie anymore."

"I don't care. Take the remote." He shook it at me, taunting me because he knew I was too much of a germaphobe to reach for it. "Take it."

"No, I don't want it. You slobbered all over it. You'll probably get sick."

"It was worth it," he shrugged, gloating his way back to his spot on the carpet.

"You're so gross." I mumbled.

Nicolas was in the corner of the living room in my mother's house, surfing the net, and too far away to save me from my annoying brother. Gabby and Rio were out with Mom to search for a venue for their wedding. They were window-shopping for the most part.

Gabby and Rio hadn't saved enough to start buying each aspect for their picture-perfect wedding, but with the way Gabby sounded this morning, her optimism made me think that they'd be fine by the end of the month. She was supposed to get a bonus.

With the real adults gone, that left me alone to take care of Jamie and Thomas until they returned. Thomas wasn't a bother. He muttered for the remote when I was on the couch and he napped for the majority of the day.

Jamie was the handful, walking up to the TV and changing it manually without asking. When I served him lunch, he refused to change out of his Batman costume. He got mad because I wouldn't let him watch his favorite cartoon and he started kicking his toys across the carpet. I allowed him to watch his show so he could stop acting up.

His disobedience aside, he was probably my favorite. Parents weren't allowed to have favorites, but me being his sister, I was sure I got a pass. Laying back in the recliner, I snuck a glance at Jamie to see what he was doing. I eventually caved in and let him watch his show. He was sitting too close to the TV. Nicolas was here since I wanted someone to hang out with while I was stuck with babysitting duty.

He didn't say it, but I knew he only agreed because we had a personal computer. It wasn't a brand new Macintosh Color Classic that came out this February. Mine was an older model in the Apple line. I worked all summer saving up for the Macintosh Classic II.

Nicolas, like many of the people who lived on our street, didn't have a computer at home. His granny had one at her place so he used it obsessively whenever he stayed over. Today, he came unannounced -Classic Nicolas-and requested to use my computer while I look after my brothers.

If someone else outside my family asked to use my personal computer, I would've gave them a side glance and told them to go to the nearest cyber café and get charged by the hour.