In Spite Of Everything

Part 1

It was Thursday evening. My older brother Josh and I were getting ready for his big exhibit. He's a rising star in photography and this was his 5th exhibit, but the first one that's going to be presented to the larger audience, since numerous reporters are coming.

We have always been very close, and nothing like the usual siblings who fight and pick on each other a lot. Sure Josh knew to tease me every once in a while, but it was always cute, and I could never get mad at him. He was always very protective of me, and every boy I've dated had to meet Josh if I felt it could be a serious relationship. He always knew to estimate whether people were good or not, and I always trusted his opinion.

The same goes for his art. I was always the first person he'd show his photos to, and if I thought they were worth showing, I was always right, and they ended up being extremely popular with the audience. This was probably the case because I was in love with the photography as well, but I decided to pursue another one of our dreams and become a well-recognized make-up artist.

My dream came true and I've worked on a couple of movies and TV shows. My carrier is definitely on a rise. Josh and I've moved from home, and we are currently living alone in a condo in LA, while our parents are living a couple of miles from us in LA as well.

"Katie, are you ready?" Josh knocked on my bedroom door nervously.

"I'm almost done. Give me 5 more minutes"

"I can't believe you're gonna make me be late on my own exhibit!", Josh answered angrily.

"Don't worry J, will be there on time," I tried to calm him down.

"Fine! But if I'm late you're grounded for a month"

"Hahahah, very funny Josh. You're forgetting I'm not 12 anymore. I'm 25, and you don't get to ground me big bro," I started chuckling.

"But you can still push my buttons just as you could when you were 12", he stood in front of my bedroom door walking back and forth.

I got out of my room wearing a navy lace cocktail dress with sleeves and a pair of navy velvet pumps. My long hair was slightly curled, so I had vintage loosen up curls sleek on the side. He was amazed by the way I looked.

"But you certainly look much more beautiful than when you were twelve. Sis, you look gorgeous." He was so proud to have such a beautiful sister.

"Thank you, you look very handsome as well. Shall we?"

"Yes please."

"Are mom and dad meeting us there?"

"Yeah, mom said they may be a little late she couldn't find anything to wear for tonight." Josh said and rolled his eyes.

"Oh my God, that woman must've bought more clothes than I could ever imagine in my life and she's still complaining," I said with disbelief.

"You're the one to tell her. You have an entire room just for your wardrobe." Josh said and started laughing.

"Well, I guess I am my mother's daughter," I started laughing and sat in the car with Josh.

The two of us drove away to the gallery.

As we arrived, I noticed a large crowd in front of the gallery. Wow, the word spread out quite a lot. We all entered inside and Josh's PR announced him and opened the exhibit. After Josh said his thanks, the people started looking around and I noticed they're all amazed by my brother's work. I could not be more proud of him.

"Congratulations, J. The exhibit looks fascinating. You're really the master of the craft," I said and kissed him on the cheek.

"Thank you, Katie. It means the world to me when you compliment it.", he hugged and squeezed me tight.