Braces

"Dude get up." I pull my pillow over my head and try to block Bro out. My pillow is ripped from my hands and I hiss at the light.

"Bro!"

"You have to get up, you have a dentist appointment."

"Just go with out me."

"Go without you? That doesn't make sense. It's for you." I pull a sheet over my head and Bro pulls it back. "Up."

"No it's summer time which is nap all day time."

"You wish. Get up, or you'll be facing a strife when we get back." I groan and sit up rubbing my eyes.

"I don't need to go, I promise I've taken good care of my teeth."

"Yeah well it's just in case kind of thing." Bro leaves my room and I stretch and yawn. I don't feel like getting up, but I don't feel like having a strife either. I get up, shower, dress, and wait for Bro by the door. He ushers me onward and I whine the whole time.

"I'm tired."

"Don't go to bed so late then."

"I'm hungry."

"Your about to get you teeth worked on."

"Why?"

"Because they need to be clean."

"I've taken good care of them."

"Your not getting out of this."

"And neither are you." Bro shoots me a death stare from behind his shades. He knows I mean I'm going to bitch the whole time.

I didn't have any cavities, and the dentist who was supposed to clean my teeth had made my gums bleed. My jaw was stif from holding it open, and I had a weird taste in my mouth. I don't really like the dentists. Bro smirks at my angry look and pulls out his wallet. I go straight to the car ignoring him to the best of my abilities. I feel like an idiot because I forgot my phone at home and I feel like I'm sitting in the car for way to long. Finally Bro opens the door.

"You are not going to like this?"

"What?" He has a big smile on his face. "What? Tell me."

"So apparently your going to need braces."

"Fuck you, not funny." He laughs.

"It is funny, because you need them. The dentist says they can probably be takin off around the end of September if you get them put on soon. He also gave me the number for the orthodontist."

"Ok jokes over not funny." He pulls out the card and hands it to me as he starts driving.

"Its funny because it's not a joke."

"I don't need them."

"Yeah you do, you want to have perfect teeth so when your an adult you won't regret not getting them fixed. And you want to become famous, not going to work out with gaps in your teeth."

"But I don't even have big gaps in my teeth."

"It'll get worse."

"I don't like people playing in my mouth, they could hurt me. I also heard braces hurt. You wouldn't let them things hurt your little brother would you?"

"Well lil man looks like your getting braces if that's your best argument." I huffed and refused to speak anymore on the way home. It's bad enough he made me get my teeth cleaned, but now he wants me to get braces. I understand it's a nice gesture, something I won't have to worry about when I'm older, but I'm a little nervous about getting them. I follow Bro up to the apartment. He slings his arm around my shoulders when we're inside. "I know you don't want them, but they won't be on long if you do a good job keeping your teeth good." I have to think about what he said for a minute.