NEXT: Sweet and Sour

Sweet and Sour: 22:23

I dedicate this story to Debora, also known as myself, who was one of my inspirations of writing this story. I don't say this often but I love you, boo.

"You don't love someone because they are perfect, you love them in spite of the fact that they are not." -Jodi Picoult

22:23

The wheels of her skates glided smoothly against the concrete as Mitzi took a turn onto Mulberry Street, soon approaching her home. The humidity of the night stuck to her skin making her grimace, despising the feeling of it. Brushing the grimace off her face, she brought herself to a halt, noticing the huge moving truck parked in driveway next door.

"New neighbors, huh?" she mumbles to herself as she approaches her driveway, dropping herself onto the grass, unhitching her laces. Her eyes snap open to sudden voices talking in the distance, hunching her position as if making herself invisible.

"That was not bad! The place is actually decent!" A big woman spoke, emphasizing her every word. Mitzi lingers on to her untying, eavesdropping on the conversation.

"Yeah, 'cause you always underestimate things and judge beforehand." A male voice snarled, his steps inching closer to where Mitzi was. She raised her eyes not catching sight of the guy's face, just his shoes.

"I don't..." She defended herself, being left behind.

"Yeah, alright Mom." The guy murmured, loud enough for the woman to hear. Mitzi raised herself from the grass, feeling guilty as she had no place in needing to know someone else's problems.

Mitzi grabs her bag and skates and walks towards her front door, fiddling the keys in her pocket. She looks through the window seeing the two figures she adored very much, Tim and John. The couple have been together for a while-- seventeen years to be exact, but legally married for four-- taking Mitzi in at the age of twelve. They were her family.

Shaking the thought away, she unlocks the door and lets herself in, Tim welcoming her right away with a sharp turn, almost pushing John off the couch.

"Ah, Mitzi, you're back! How was it?" Tim spoke from the loveseat him and John were sharing, John sucked his teeth in annoyance and glared at Tim's abrupt movement. She strolled down the stairs and waved at him.

"I got to practice some tumbling stuff with Vic." She throws her stuff away in the closet, and turns to look at them, John pulling Tim's shirt, missing his warmth and Tim sitting up in order to talk to Mitzi properly. "How about you guys?" She grinned, moving her eyebrows up and down rapidly.

John laughs nervously,  "Mitzi you don't comprehend how long I've waited for this night to happen...Tim is so--" His dreamy state cut off by Mitzi. 

"I don't want to know those details." She walked out, her stomach pulling her towards the fridge like a magnet. 

"I was going to say he was sweet but okay..." John sits up as well, scratching his neck as Tim patted his back.

"Those new neighbors are a nuisance..." Tim complained, both him and John stretching.

"Why?" Mitzi questioned, crossing her arms above her chest.

"Timmy-boy is mad because they came in honking while we were--" John attempted to explain but Tim interrupts him before he says something embarrassing.

John explodes. "All I was going to say was eating dinner! I don't share those kind of details. alright? Gee, those are in between Tim and I..." John pouts slightly as Tim wraps his arm around his smaller figure, kissing his forehead as an apology. John leans his head against his body, as Tim rubs his arm in comfort.

"I just don't understand the necessity to honk so late at night." Tim huffed, following Mitzi towards the kitchen where she was headed, John still hooked on his arm.

"They were probably excited, Timmy. Plus, it wasn't even that late." John shakes Tim's arm off of himself as Tim glares at him, knowing John knew he disliked the nickname. John smirked, kneeling and taking Tim's hand into his, giving it an apologizing kiss. "I am sorry, Timmy." Tim smacked the side of his head, simpering.

"There's still cake? Hell yes..." Mitzi squinted at the cake's container, unphased by the couple's nagging, her only response being a struggling noise as she tried to pull out the container out of the refrigerator. Smiling in victory once she to takes it out, she kicks the refrigerator's door shut and begins to dig, using her hands as a fork.

"Marry me."

"John, we are already married."

"Let's be fifteen again..."

"Huh?"

"Let's play a little game...Just between you and--"

"Alright, I will be going upstairs now before y'all blow each other here." Mitzi grabs onto the container and slides past the two of them, darting towards the staircase. Tim and John share a smirk.

"You will be my vixen!" John yell-sang, slightly out of tune.

"My bed'll be your stage." Tim continued.