Hidden Valley (D. SWING)

IX. Swing!

A lot happened on that camping trip. Two of the most important things are me getting my heart broken and Dalvin getting poison ivy the very next day. We can't catch a break can we? To top it all off and make everything worse, Dalvin came back after getting cured of his rash only to catch the chicken pox from Timmy down the creek... and today is his birthday.

Man, I bet that bites.

I hold up my slingshot to show Don the prize in my hand. "I got him this!" Don reaches out for it. "Uh, don't touch it! Your hands are too big. You'll break it or something."

Who could stay mad at Don? He's the coolest. Yeah, he's cute but he's just not into me, you know? Sheesh, it was sucky at first but... it's not bad. It really did sting for a whole two days but one day I woke up and he brought me another lunch and I figured I could not stay mad at him. The only person still mad is Talia and Don doesn't care. He really does wish I was his little sister. Now, I've got two big brothers. In fact, after the camping trip, all of Javon's friends wish I was their little sister. I got a bunch of big brothers. I'm their prized possession and they all treat me like a princess. Antoine is included, believe it or not. Derek and Antoine are still are mean to Dalvin though. I'm still working on that.

My crush on Don was fun while it lasted but it's way more fun to be around him now because we can actually do stuff without me freaking out. Like right now, I'm about to get a piggy back ride all the way to Dalvin's window.

"Faster!" I scream whipping him with the rubber piece of Dalvin's slingshot I'm about to gift me.

Don stops walking and says, "If you keep hitting me, you're going to have to get down."

"Cut it out, Cyn!" Javon shouts.

I groan and put the slingshot back in my left hand. Don adjusts me on his back and we keep walking to Dalvin's window. The moment we reach it, Don hoists me up by my hips to reach the window. "Hey, Dal," I grin leaning into the window. My best bud isn't looking his best. The boy is covered in some kind of oatmeal. He looks really uncomfortable too. I can't imagine the kind of itching he'd got. "I heard that the pox make you itch all over... ouch. How are you doing?"

Dalvin sits up with a grin to match mine. "I'm doing great! A little itchy but besides that, I'm doing alright."

"Happy Birthday!"

Me and all of the boys had to say it as one. I hope that made him feel it a little more. I hand Dalvin his brand new sling shot and tell him not to break it. That thing cost me three dollars and fifteen cents! I hope he cherishes it as long as he can. I customized it for him too. The Star Trek stickers are compliments of the box of Pops that Javon had just finished this morning while I ate Frosted Flakes.

Don sets me on the ground as two of the three DeGrate brother hang out the window. "Hey, Derek!" I smile with a wave. I forgot to say that Derek got the chicken pox from Dalvin three days ago and Don's been sleeping at our house every since then, didn't I? The camping trip really changed everything because Javon let's me sit and watch tv with them, without him being mean to me. He takes me everywhere he goes. Of course I bring Dalvin– not right now though. He's got this bad case of the chicken pox to deal with first.

Having Don at Big Mama's house is the best thing anybody could've possibly have done. It's like having two versions Javon. One is nice, one is Javon. They both get things off of the top cabinet for me. They both helping me carry the pitcher to the refrigerator. Don helps me wash the dishes without complaining. He helped me pick rocks out of my knee when I fell yesterday too. I love my big brother but it's super cool to have another one that is a little bit nicer, who doesn't yell at me. I don't know how long Don's gone be here for but I'm not wasting any of these moments while he's here.