BOYTOY

~ Chapter 3 ~

"She actually said that?" exclaimed Andrea.

I nodded, moving on from the Latest Releases shelf to the complete alphabet listings. "I know. It was totally weird." We were in Sanity, the large music store in Hudsonville Shopping Centre. It was a lazy Sunday afternoon and we both had nothing better to do than go shopping for new music and movies. Andrea was already holding Mika's album and was currently browsing the discounted rack.

"What's been up with Amber lately?" she asked, looking at me with a slight frown of concern.

"I have no idea," I answered with a head shake. "She's been like this since before school let out. Distracted and secretive. She even blew up at me this morning for eating toast without butter."

Andrea made a face. "Gross. How can you eat that?"

Shrugging, I said, "That's what Amber usually says. But today she was all 'why can't you be like everyone else? Why do you have to be special?" I frowned as I inspected an obscure CD cover, shaking my head both at the price and at my sister's odd behaviour. "It's really weird. And it's starting to get to me."

"I reckon it would be." Andrea gave me an unsure look, biting her bottom lip and frowning.

"What?"

"You don't think she's..." She paused, and proceeded carefully, saying: "You don't think she's...pregnant do you?"

Unable to help myself, I let out a loud cough of laughter, smothering my mouth with a hand. Andrea still stared at me, worried. "No, no, no," I hurried to answer, shaking my head and grinning. "Amber hates kids. She's always on my case about working at Brumby's, asking me how I could put up with the little horrors all the time."

"I don't know how you do," said Andrea, shaking her head. "Little kids with their nose-picking and peeing their pants and tantrums..." She shuddered. "You've either got to be crazy or mother-material, and neither option is all that appealing."

I shrugged as I contemplated an answer. It was hard to explain why I enjoyed working with little kids. Perhaps it had something to do with missing out on seeing all my little cousins grow up. All my relatives lived in other towns and states, and we only ever got together at Christmas, which was hardly enough time each year. They sent cards and presents on birthdays and Easter, but it was never the same as having them there in person. To answer Andrea, I joked, "Maybe it's a bit of both."

She over-exaggerated a shudder, cringing. "Don't even think that sort of stuff. A mother? Please. And you're crazy enough as you are thanks."

"Gee." I eyed her. "I'm glad you have so much love for me."

Andrea rolled her eyes, not even looking up from the DVD she was inspecting. "Puh-lease, you know I love you, Wyn, just sometimes you get a bit, you know?" She made circular motions around her ear with a finger. She looked around before mock-whispering over to me, "Loony." In retaliation, I threw an empty CD case at her, which she fortunately caught with a startled yelp. "Bronwyn!" she squeaked, but I was already moving down between the shelves to the alternative section.

I was looking for one CD in particular, by a hardly known band called TheBad Luck Clovers, and I was hoping this store had them. I went through the shelving unit a few times, groaning in dismay when I failed to find any space for them between B.A.B and Bastian's Court. Turning to go in search for Amber, I was about to cross in front of the register when I heard the man at desk say: "Bad Luck Clovers? Yeah, I think we do have them. Only one CD, we haven't had a chance to put it out yet."

"Thanks mate," the customer said, and I gaped. Someone else liked that band? Unbelievable. Especially since I had discovered them through a random music search of the internet, and thought I'd been about to listen to some Pop-Rock boy-band. The clerk returned with the CD and I watched in disappointment as he rang it up and put it in a bag. When the customer had paid for it, he turned and found me standing right behind him. His eye brows shot up. "Ahh...hey."