BAD REPUTATION [SCOTT REED]

TWENTY

"WE NEED HER TO TESTIFY!"
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On a Saturday morning, Joaquin and Alona stared blankly at the television screen, laughing occasionally whenever James Corden says something funny, both of them sharing on a bucket of popcorn they microwaved as their breakfast. Joaquin was hogging the couch, his long arms and legs occupying too much space Alona had to kick his arm to get him to scoot further. Alona sits with one leg up comfortably, a position her Mother would have stressed about for sitting in an inappropriate way.

"Your butt is eating too much space, scoot over! Eres como un gigante maldito." Alona fussed, jerking her leg on his arm with a glare.

"'S not my fault I'm a growing chico." Joaquin hissed with an annoyed frown, squirming to try and fit his body in the sofa and giving her sister a space to move and allowed his sister to have more room to shift into.

"You're growing into a fat ass if you keep waking up at 3 am to eat. Stuff like that ain't healthy, wait until you're 45 with gut rolls and divorced and probably has six children who hates you." Alona warned with a disdain look of her own, shaking her head in distaste.

The boy holds up three fingers that resolves into a 'W' letter, retorting out a 'Whatever' at his sister's offensive statement, grabbing a handful of popcorn and stuffing it in hsi mouth for good emphasization. Just then, their Mother enters the room with her arms crossed over her arms and a disapproving look, she hurls a slipper of the pair she was wearing aimed at Alona, hitting her thigh with a loud smack, she reproaches, "Don't sit like that. That's very unladylike."

Alona shot her a sweet smile and disregards her mother's order and continued to watch the show. Isabel threatens, "Don't make me walk over there and make you, Alona Isabel Vergara."

Alona lets out a guttural sound of a groan, swinging her leg down the couch and resulted to slouching on the sofa with an unhappy frown. As much as she wanted to disobey, she didn't want to face her mother's wrath more than anything else in the moment because it usually is worse than usual every morning and turns into a lengthy and earful sermon.

"I've told you both to start doing your own laundry since the start of the school year. Esta es mi casa y yo estoy a cargo, ¡no esperen que me lave la ropa para ustedes dos! Nunca haces las tareas domésticas, soy el único que hace todo. Dios mio, what an ungrateful and lazy imps I have as my children, I should have thought otherwise than popping you out of my vagina years ago." Isabel yelled, putting her hands up in the air in frustration.

"We don't know how to use the washing machine, Mama." Joaquin defends them both and Alona followed it with; "Plus, Joaquin broke it just last week, we don't want to spend our savings to buy a new one. I ain't risking it."

"Hey! You partook when I broke that washing machine. Don't blame it all on me just because you're older and can boss me around! Give me a few left of my dignity, will you!" Joaquin called out with sass in his tone. Alona rolled her eyes and that's when the doorbell rang thrice, catching their attention.