My Brother Zach

The Party

Zach: "I'm wearing the pirate costume."
Me: "No, I'm wearing the pirate costume!"
Zach: "No, I am!"
Me: "No I am!"
Zach: "No I am!"
Me: "No I am!"

We both glared at each other, face to face.
"I'm going as a pirate," he said menacingly and slowly. "And that's that."
"You can't just boss me around!" I said. "I'm going as a pirate. You go as one as well if you want! I don't care if people find out we're related!"
Cringe. 'Course I did.
More than I let myself believe.
Zach suddenly let out an exasperated cry. "I hate having a sister! You're so stubborn, Liberty! I hate you!"
"And you think I love you?!" I screamed back. "Now get out of my way! I'm wearing the pirate costume!" I snatched it from his grip and sprinted towards my room.
"Give me back the costume!" Zach roared, chasing me.
I laughed as I got in just in time and locked the door. "Haha!" I jeered. Then I looked down at the costume.
Great!
One of the arms were still stuck through the door. This time it was Zach's turn to laugh. I felt a tug and knew he was pulling at it.
"If you let me wear the pirate costume I'll give you my pocket money for the next three months and I won't mess up your room," he bribed from the other side of the door.
I stopped pulling.
Pocket money?
"How come you get pocket money?"
Zach sighed. "'Cause Mum and Dad obviously love me more."
"That's not fair," I whined. "How much?"
"Starts with one, ends in two zeros."
My mouth dropped open. He got a hundred dollars each month, when I got nothing?!
"Since when?"
"Liberty, I swear you are being so difficult right now."
"I said, since when?"
"Five years ago." I gaped. We were 16 now.
"Deal," I said, unlocking the door. "Nuh-uh," I added, hiding the costume behind my back when he tried to grab it. "Give me three months' worth of pocket money now. Plus you gotta tidy up my room tomorrow before Grandma comes over to stay." Zach grunted and nodded reluctantly.
"Good boy," I said, then patted his hair, tousling it knowing it would annoy him.
"What the heck, Lib!" he snapped, slapping my hand and pulling his hair upwards and styling it. I slammed my door in his face, then leapt onto my bed and grabbed my phone, finding Maddie on my contacts list.
"Emergency," I said to her when she picked up. "Have you got that Elsa dress you were talking about?"

---------------------------------

"This is gonna be so fun!" Maddie squealed, running up the stairs with a bloated bag. We both went into my room and emptied its contents.
"You're going to look amazing in this," Maddie said, holding up a copy of Elsa's coronation outfit. "Quick, put it on, then I'll do your hair."
I slipped into my en suite bathroom and changed fast. When I came out Maddie jumped up and down in delight.
"OMG! You look GORGEOUS!" she gushed. "Now sit!"
She pushed me onto my desk chair and rolled me over to the dressing table. I stared at my reflection in the mirror as Maddie worked her magic with only her fingers, a brush, and hair tie.
"Blonde or not?" she asked, finishing the braided bun and showing me. I shook my head quickly.
"Aww, come on, I can finally use this temporary hairspray," she begged, shaking a bottle in front of my face. I sighed and agreed hesitantly.
"Good girl," she said, then draped my shoulders in an old sheet and sprayed. When I glanced up into the mirror afterwards I was a little shocked at how different I looked.
"Now for your makeup," Maddie began.
"What?!" I panicked. I never wore makeup! I hardly even knew the names of half the stuff!
"Relax, it's only one time," Maddie assured me, and began applying all sorts of things to my face. When she finished she spun the chair around so that I could admire her work.
I had to admit, Maddie had done a good job.
"Mission accomplished," she said, looking satisfied. It was only then when I noticed how amazing she looked in Anna's coronation dress.
"Wow," I said. "Mads, you look lovely!"
"Not as good as you!" she grinned, then popped a similar-looking Elsa crown into my now temporary platinum blonde hair. "Stand up." I obeyed.
"Now turn. And adjust your cloak. No, the other way."
I paused as Maddie examined me scrutinisingly.
"Yay! Perfect!" she said, then quickly fixed her own Anna bun and pulled me downstairs.