The Twelve Zodiac Signs

Mason

"What is that?" Leyla points a finger at Madison the pig.

"A pig." I take a bite of a cookie.

"I know what it is. I'm not blind. I'm asking what it's doing here. Inside." Leyla sweeps her hand across the living room to make her point.

I shrug. "It's cold outside."

"Yeah. We don't want our pork chop frozen." Maxwell says as he squeezes past the small Leyla and into the living room. He pats Madison's thigh.

"Stop calling her pork chop. She doesn't like that." I tell him.

Maxwell just brushes my comment off with a smile before sitting down on the other end of the couch. "Are you the pig whisperer now?" He chuckles lightly.

Leyla clears her throat. I look back over at her. She's still standing in the doorway. "Oh, your still here?" I ask.

Leyla rolls her eyes. "Just don't let Madison ruin the house." She turns and leaves.

"I'm gonna let her now," I mutter.

"What was that?" Leyla pops her head back in, sass clearly in her tone.

"Nothing." I eat my cookie quietly. Leyla glares at me and leaves without returning. Maxwell laughs. "What's funny, Mr. Chuckles?"

"You," Maxwell says as he picks up the remote and changes the channel.

"Hey! I was watching that!" I snatch the remote and change it back.

"Can you boys ever not fight?" Ashlyn says from behind. I jump and look at her bewildered as she stands calm, cool, and collective behind the couch. She looks between me and Maxwell with murderous eyes.

"Holy cow!" I exclaim without much thought.

"Where did you come from?" Maxwell asks. His voice reveals his surprise.

I ask over Maxwell, "When did you get here? And so quietly too. Are you a ninja?"

"If I was a ninja then every one in this house would be dead. Except Justice," she says it as if it's common to talk about killing your housemates.

"And you'll spare me too, right?" Maxwell speaks up.

"And Maxwell," she adds. I laugh and she rolls her eyes at me.

Maxwell smiles. "You have a dark sense of humor and I love it!"

Ashlyn gives him a polite smile and walks around so she can sit on the couch. She starts channel surfing and Madison snorts. "I'm gonna go show Madison how to climb the stairs." I say as I get up. Ashlyn and Maxwell are really into this action movie and completely ignore me. "Come here girl." I pat my leg as I leave the room, Madison follows me dutifully.

****

"Now. You put one foot here then the other here. Like this." I demonstrate to Madison by getting down on my hands and knees and going up the first couple stairs. Madison nods her head.

"What are you doing?" A small voice asks.

I pick up my head and see Amelia standing on the step above me. She looks so beautiful in that black goth dress and white stockings. Amelia has been my crush since she first moved here a couple months ago. Even so, I've barely said a sentence around her. I just get super nervous, which is so strange for me. My heart beats quickly in my chest and my palm starts sweating. "Um..." is all that I can muster to say.

"Are you teaching the pig to go up the stairs?" Amelia looks at Madison then me and asks. So smart! I nod my head yes like the idiot I am. She looks up the stairs and asks me another question. "Why the girl stairs though?"