Playing with the Player

Chapter Ten: Hakuna Matata

"Chapter Ten: Hakuna Matata"

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SOMEONE WAS banging on my door.

"Leave!" I yelled from my bed.

"No! I wanna go to the playground, Maddie!" Mason whined from the other side.

Frustratedly, I closed my book and scribbled down the last answer of my biology homework. He was lucky I finished in time. I opened the door and let the banshee inside. "We'll go for ten minutes, not one minute longer."

He clapped his hands excitedly and ran down the stairs. I grabbed my coat and keys as we headed out the door.

"I spy with my little eye..." Mason began as we walked down the street, "something blue."

I literally named all the blue things that were in our sight, but was wrong every time.

"NOOO!!!" Mason's giggling turned into laughing. "WROOOOONG!"

I sighed in defeat. "I give up! What is it?!"

"Your eyes!" Mason pointed at my face.

"Hmm, pretty sure that's cheating." I winked at him and ruffled his hair.

"No, it's not!"

"I can't see my eyes."

"Of course you can! They're your EYES!" Mason rolled his eyes and tugged me towards the playground.

He rushed to the swing and yelled at me to start pushing him. I obeyed like the perfect, loving, great, amazing, best sister that I am. I told him to say that if he wanted me to push him.

"Can you PLEASSSE push me amazing, great, blablabla, sister!" He whined. Fair enough.

Five minutes later he jumped off and ran to the sandbox. I sat down on the bench next to it and saw him talk to the little girl building a sandcastle. I smiled at the sight.

"What are you smiling at?" Someone asked from behind me. I swirled around and saw that Dave was walking towards the bench I was sitting on.

"Not you," I retorted annoyed. "What are you doing here? Stalking me?"

"You wish." Dave chuckled while he picked a flower from the ground. "Here, for you." The daisy landed on my lap.

I cocked my eyebrow. "Thanks." He smiled and diverted his gaze to Mason and the little girl.

"Aria seems to have made a little friend."

"Aria?" I asked. Did he know her?

"Yeah, my niece."

"Oh, she's adorable. Mason seems to like her a lot." They were laughing and clapping as they finished their sandcastle. I think Dave and I watched their interaction in silence for a minute or so. It was just too cute.

"You're killing my flower," Dave pointed out. I looked at my hands and saw I was fiddling with the flower he gave me.

"You already killed by pulling it out of the ground."

"But you're torturing it."

I looked at him blankly as I threw the daisy at him. He picked it up and put it in his pocket. "What are you doing?" I asked.

"Keeping it save so you won't try to torture it again."

"Weirdo." I smiled. "You didn't tell me your niece was in town."