Effervescent - (Me Plus You: Prequel)

{31} Brotherly Love

"Malcolm, noOOooOo!" Jack squealed as his big brother playfully wrestled him on the kitchen floor. The small boy tried his best to push him off, "Get off me! You're too fat!"

"What's the magic word?"

"Magic word?" Jack asked hopefully.

"Magic word is a phrase, not one word, silly!" 

With all his might, but also being careful not to hurt him, Malcolm pulled his sick baby brother onto his lap and squeezed him to his chest as he tried wiggling out of his grip.

"You're supposed to be getting me a snack! Get me my fuckin' snack, you peasant!" 

"You have to say the magic word! You're never gonna guess what it is, so, no snack for you, I guess!"

At this, Jack wailed and kicked his small legs. His brown curls falling even more into his eyes as he continued to flail around,  "Mommy! Mommy! Mommmyy!"

"You're a snitch." Malcolm rolled his eyes, letting Jack go just as their mom walked into the kitchen to see what the hell her boys were up to, and why they were making so much noise. 

And it wasn't like they weren't noisy people already, because they definitely were. Florrie was so used to her little boys running around the house and wrestling one another, although the wrestling was always just Malcolm attacking poor little Jack for his candy or potato chips.

Almost instantly, Jack jumped up and ran over to his mother as quick as his little, short legs could carry him.

"Mommy! Malcolm is being mean to me and he won't get me my snack like he's supposed to!" 

Florrie glared at her oldest son and smirked playfully, rolling her eyes slightly as she shook her head.

"Really, Malcolm?"

"No, that's not true! I was doing it!"

She smiled down at her youngest boy as she pat his fluffy hair as he looked up at her with pleading eyes. He wanted a snack so fucking bad. He'd die if he didn't get Goldfish crackers or Pringles in his tummy soon.

"What sna-"

"Mommy! My snack! Please! I'm hungie!" Jack begged, hugging her leg with all his strength. He also ended up standing on her foot initially by accident, but just continuously stood on it anyway.

Florrie laughed and scooped him up in her arms as if he were a baby. "Well, I was gonna ask you what you wanna eat for snack?"

The six-year-old's face lit up and he quizzically held a finger to his lips as he thought for a moment about what he wanted.

"Ice cream! But don't give Malcolm any!"

~

That night Jack stood in the living room with the land-line (house) phone in his little hands. He'd never really made a phone call before because he never had a reason to, nor had he ever really talked on the phone much besides to his grandparents in Ireland. 

Long story short, he had no idea how to use a phone properly by himself.

"Mommy! Daddy! Please come here, please!" He called. He didn't care who came to his rescue as he eyeballed the numbers and various other buttons on the phone, not having any idea which one to push first.

Padraig strolled into the living room with slight concern on his face, but really he wasn't that worried. He kneeled down in front of the boy in the koala onesie.

"What's up, Jack?"

"I need to call Mark but I don't know how to use the phone!"

"What do you need to call Mark about at 7:43 in the evening, huh? He's probably eating dinner or goin' to bed right about now." The man said as he took the phone from Jack.

"I have to tell him something really important! Please call him for me! Call Blondie so I can talk to Mark!"

Padraig couldn't help but give in to his son's desperate plea and looked up Clifton's cell phone number, which was written on a piece of paper that stuck to the refrigerator with a magnet. He dialed the phone number and handed the phone back to Jack.

It rang only a few times before a familiar raspy voice answered.

"Hello?" 

"Hi, Blondie!" Jack enthused, skipping back to his bedroom and closing the door behind him.

"Jack? Aww, hi, Jack! What's up?"

"I wanted to talk to Mark before he goes to bed."

Clifton chuckled on the other end of the line and agreed.

"Jack?" 

As soon as Jack heard Mark's voice, his heart swelled with excitement and happiness, and his pale cheeks turned a rosy pink-y color. It took all he had to hold back a squeal. Anyone's reaction to talking to the boy they had a crush on over the phone.

"Hi, Mark! I wanted to say goodnight before you went to sleep! Goodnight, Marky!"

"Goodnight, Jack. Are you coming to school tomorrow?"

"Yeah, I'm not that sick anymore! Sorry you had to be lonely today. You won't be tomorrow."

"I actually didn't go to school today either." Mark confessed.

"How come?"

Mark shrugged, and when he realized Jack definitely couldn't hear his shrug as an answer for 'I don't know', he replied "I just didn't want to go today."

The truth was, Mark couldn't tell anyone that he actually hadn't wanted to go to school because he was feeling incredibly sad that morning. Depressed, if you will. No one could know, and if you asked him, he was pretty good at hiding how he felt most of the time.

"If you don't go tomorrow, I'm gonna be really sad! I missed you today!"

"I missed you, too..."

Maybe nighttime phone calls would become a regular thing.