The Heir's Little Badass

25: WHAT SHADE OF ORANGE IS THIS?

"Ethan! Yay you came!" I watch as the tiny girl catapults herself into her older brother's arms and he twirls her around.

He chuckles as he places her on her feet, "you're acting like you didn't see me this morning" he tells her fondly.

She shrugs, "I feel like I haven't seen you in forever though, I missed you which is so weird, which girl my age ever misses her older brother? I'm supposed to be happy when you're not around suffocating me which you love to do by the way, so it's quite annoying when I think, "awn I wish Ethan was here" because I'm sure you don't think the same way, teenage boys don't really worry about their younger sisters that much, I'm sure you're too busy hanging out with hot girls and speaking of hot girls, hi I'm Kathleen and you are?"

I'm not the one that just finished talking at the speed of light but I'm breathless when she fixes her attention on me. I turn to Ethan for help but he's just fighting to hold his laughter in and he gestures for me to answer.

"Hi, I'm Dylan, your brother's friend"

Her blue eyes dance with mischief, "Dylan, isn't that a boy's name? Oh never mind I have a classmate named Stella and he's a boy well actually he's name is Stanley but we call him Stella cause he has a funny accent and says his name funny but he's actually really cute so I guess that's okay, not that I have a crush on him, because I don't. I really don't, I know cause I'm rambling you think I do but I don't this is how I talk, hi, I'm Kathleen but you can call me Kathy all my friends do and you're my brothers friend so that makes us friends right? What's his is mine not like marriage and all cause that's disgusting but Ethan has few friends and they are all my friends too but I can't say my friends are his because most of them are twelve year old girls and most of them have a crush on him, oops I guess I shouldn't have said that, don't get jealous, he doesn't like them back, oh wait you're his friend right? But I think he likes you I'm not sure of the name but I know he's mentioned a girl before, that's like all he talks about and-"

"Okay, that's enough Kathy" Ethan cuts her rambling short and I'm grateful. "Let's not overwhelm Dylan so early in the night yeah?"

She shrugs before gasping and all but ripping the flowers from my hands, "are these for me?" she asks me. When I nod she lets out a squeal and hugs them close, "thank you thank you thank you" then to Ethan she says, "I like her"

I guess nobody's gonna tell her Ethan got the flowers, not me.

Ethan laughs, "yeah me too"

Just then Kathy frowns, "who are you?" she asks me and I'm a little thrown off. I know people with ADHD tend to forget things easily so I'm ready to reintroduce myself when she cuts me off, "just kidding, you're Dinah, Ethan's friend"

I'm about to correct her when she bursts into laughter, "kidding again your names Dylan"

"Kathy stop" Ethan tells her with an air of finality and she pouts.

"you're no fun, I was just playing with David here wasn't I, Daniel?"

I don't know now if she's joking or not so I just smile and nod.

Ethan just rolls his eyes, "go get your things and say goodbye and meet us at the entrance okay?"

She nods, "see you!" before sprinting off.

I involuntary let out a sigh of relief then feel bad instantly, Ethan notices and chuckles, "it's okay, she's a handful at first but soon enough, you'll realize that she's actually a bucket full"

I laugh slightly at that as we leave backstage to wait for Kathy outside.

"She's beautiful" I say, "and extremely full of life" His smile is so wide you'd think it was him I complimented.