Spoiled and Broken

Tam

"You brought back the pigtails?" A voice deeper than Mantha's asked, walking up behind her.

"And you got my cousin up before noon. Amazing what the morning brings, Victor," Mantha responded to him, not missing a beat despite the sun not having risen yet.

"Yes, the Webb family always are a unique bunch in the morning," Victor responded casually, leaning against the wall of her bedroom with a slight eye roll.

Normally Mantha would have corrected him, what with her and Tam having different surnames and all. She had been born Mantha Marie Osborne while he had been born Tam Monroe Webb, both receiving a part of their grandmother Marie Monroe's maiden name. However, today, she felt almost elated to be lumped together with her cousin. At school, despite them being in the same grade, they had none of the same classes and only by luck shared a lunch to catch up with one another. As well as that, no one ever made the connection that they were related since their colouration was so different. Everyone saw colour and not personality or genetic similarities beyond that. Because of this, they were nearly never compared to by others. Even the select few who did know never said a word of comparison towards them, let alone make a huge deal of it. It was nice to finally have someone acknowledge their relation, let alone in a way that suggested how they had known each other their entire lives save five months of his.

"Speaking of unique bunches," Tam suddenly came into the room, yawning and hiding a small smile when his eyes fell on Victor. "I think Keli and Mati just showed up."

Now, Tam had earned his nickname of Fawny from his long legs, off freckles, and large doe eyes. On rare occasion, though, someone would refer to Mantha as Panther, Black Panther, BP, or just P. This was because when she had someone she cared for, she protected them like a wild cat would her kittens. On top of that, she could bust into a run towards someone or something as if a predator hunting its prey. And she was not afraid to pounce onto a person if she really wanted to. It was honestly more than a little amusing to see her pounce onto and nearly knock over someone of larger stature, such as the two boys. This side of her revealed itself once again as she ran towards the front yard and into her drive way, immediately spotting her best friends and jumping onto their unprepared forms.

"Oh my God!" Keli let out as she felt herself be suddenly pinned by the teen, looking slightly down to the brunette normally three inches taller and three years older than her. Her blue irises covered by fire truck red plastic contacts that were a brighter version of her hair were met by a scene she was still getting used to from only recently moving nearby, Mantha being slowly pried off of her by a very unaffected and slightly amused Mati, the slightly overweight girl having the same brown hair and white eyes as Victor, but with the height amd freckles that suggested her more relation to Mantha. Neither was the case though, seeing as Mati had no relation besides Mantha claiming her as her wife every chance she was able to say so.

"Mantha you just saw us the other day, seriously!" The fellow brunette let out a slight huff.

"To be fair though, I was more visiting your fridge for pizza and bread than actually seeing you when I was over though," Mantha gave as a rebuttal, smiling in a way she hadn't managed to since leaving her friend's house a few days before.

A call from the door way caught their attention Mantha recognizing her cousin's bored drawl. "BP! Come on! We need to finish getting the shit together!"

"Fawny's here!" Keli grinned, excited to see the familiar friend. She didn't know Victor that well, nor did she know very many people in the area with being new, so any familiarity was a nice feeling for her.

"Yeah, he's here and his usual pain in the ass," Mantha smiled at her friend's excitement before letting go of her and running inside.

There, she was met by the familiar sight of her grandmother in the kitchen waiting for her. "Nonna! I thought you would still be asleep," Mantha flushed a deep colour, turning her back to her subconsciously by beginning to get the food together for the car ride. It was going to take them all day, so instead of stop on the restaurant along the way, they decided to pack lunch and dinner to have a picnic with. She had no argument towards the decision, preferring to have her mother's cooking any day to a restaurant chef she knew nothing about. There was just something nice feeling when she ate the familiar pastas and sauces, even how she made sandwiches and knew the perfect way to cut them off hand so as to be easier to eat and measure. She had nothing against restaurants by any means, but her mother was a more familiar option for her.

"I had to make sure to say a final goodbye to my geniuses. I know you'll never do anything on purpose, but be safe," the tall, brown eyed blonde woman responded, watching her granddaughter with an anxiety matched by no other than memories of her.

"I know, thank you Nonna," Mantha threw a glance to her in recognition before turning back to the food gathering.

"Have fun, don't talk to strangers, no parties, call me every day. Keep me up to date," the woman began to add on.

"I will Nonna," the younger girl mumbled, noting how her grandmother hadn't stopped to acknowledge her speak.

"You know I worry about you and how I get when I worry. And if you do end up finding a party or some alcohol you enjoy, I may have a recommendation-"

"We will Nonna," a firm voice stopped the woman, coming in next to Mantha to help her gather the materials, placing itself between the woman and the girl. "You know Mantha has absolutely no interest in that life though. She's a good kid."

"I know Tam, but still. You two have been around my parties so I want to make sure you don't-" The words went unheard by the cousins, Mantha mumbling a small thank you in appreciation for the barrier while Tam began to take count of everything there was.

An instance like this was no uncommon. Mantha would be trying to speak to their Nonna, but it was almost as if she wasn't there. The older woman would always notice the smallest thing about her and start to use it as a reason to worry. Use it to raise her blood pressure and turn to half a bottle of wine in a glass at a time, or even of tequila, throughout the day. Pick your poison, some would say. She would then continue on, speaking over the others as just did and would find ways to amuse herself. She was kind and warm hearted, always thinking of others and wanting to do what she could to help, but there was a stress she created this way by never being able to manage her worry and placing it onto others to the point where small arguments left both sides crying and pleading, although the majourity of it being from her own features that it be in regret and not in the version of wanting to escape. It was this reason that Tam would begin to act as a shield to Mantha, who received the main amounts of this worry as a young girl, and why Mantha would turn her back so as to be able to safely handle a conversation between them. Distance made it easier for all sides to cope with the stress.

When everything was gathered together, and luggage was packed into the vehicle with the food, Mantha made her way upstairs and knocked on the door of her mother. She was typically either still awake by this point of morning, or already beginning to get her sleep that lasted into the afternoon or when she needed to get up to manage for work, so there was a chance she would be awake to say goodbye. A small amount of shuffling, almost sounding like a startle accompanied by a confused "huh" was heard and Mantha knew it was the latter. "I'm heading out to go on the trip with Tam. I'll see you in a week Madre," Mantha called through her door, not wanting to disturb her since she had been sleeping. A bit more shuffling was heard before the door opened, something that used to startle the daughter. "Okay, I love you. Be safe. Smoke crack, worship Satan, you know the drill," the hazel eyed ginger mused as she hugged her daughter tightly, the younger returning the embrace with closed eyes and a smile. "I will Madre. I love you too."

Mantha gave a glance as she pulled away, not knowing why she did when the door she looked towards hadn't belonged to anyone since her father left when she was three. She still saw him frequently, multiple times a week actually along with her step-mother, so she had no idea why she looked towards his over a decade empty room as if to tell him good bye. From there, she watched her mother go back to bed and quietly closed the door before heading outside and into the back of the van. It was a white one, one considered to look like a kidnapper van with just enough seating for everyone and the rest being take out to make room for the luggage. There was a bit of an excitement factor in this for Mantha because of it. Kidnapper vans were her dream vehicle because you could practically live out of one, so to even temporarily have one to be in made her happy.

While waiting, Mantha watched out the window. For a moment, she smiled when she saw Tam and Victor begin to walk towards the van. She stayed quiet, though, when Tam grabbed the shorter male's hand and stopped walking. With curiosity she watched them mumble low to each other when Tam lightly began to hold his friend's cheek. A hint of a smile played on his lips before they moved to be placed over the paler lips of Victor, the smaller moving towards the taller to be closer. It took all she had for Mantha not let out a squeal of delight. She was happy for her cousin and his friend, seeing they were finally beginning to see their full appreciation for each other. It warmed her heart to see that sometimes things did work out and those who deserved love could find it even if they hadn't been looking for such a thing in the beginning.