The Anomalies

Chapter 4: Mediocre Middle Child

When I wandered downstairs the next morning, Xavier was already sitting at the table, lazily chewing his cereal while reading on his tablet. Of course, he was multitasking first thing in the morning. How can a teenage boy be so wide awake? He didn't even notice when I walked by to pour my own bowl and then plopped down across from him, chewing as loudly as possible.

"Whatcha reading, nerd?" I asked, stretching my legs under the table, hoping to "accidentally" kick his shin, but I wasn't able to reach him without being too suspicious.

He glanced at me with a slight glare, and then went back to scrolling down the page. "Studying. You should try it sometime," he grumbled, taking another bite and then he looked over at me to watch my reaction.

I leaned a little farther in my chair, and quickly kicked him even though I knew it wouldn't hurt. "Douche! I study all the time! I was studying with Kyler yesterday!" I protested with a big smile because I could sense I was beginning to get on his nerves.

He snorted, and finally set the tablet down, so he could raise one eyebrow at me. "Is that what the kids are calling it these days? 'Studying'," he teased with a serious look on his dumb face. His expression was stone cold, empty like Mom's, so part of me wondered if he knew my secret.

I scrunched up my face and went back to eating because I really didn't have a good enough comeback. Whatever I said would probably incriminate me more. All I could hope for was that he couldn't see the blush that was creeping on my tanned cheeks as I thought about Kyler. Unfortunately, my little brother was the most observant of the family, so I feared he might see right through me.

Then, he cleared his throat and tried to force himself to smile. "So are you excited for the basketball game tonight?" he questioned in his small attempt to change the subject. He was always the spineless one, who always felt bad when the teasing went too far. He was the biggest teddy bear, and it drove me crazy.

I shrugged my shoulders and watched as Mom came into the kitchen in her yoga pants and one of Dad's shirts. She was the laziest of all of us, at least when it came to getting dressed in the morning. "I guess so, but I already know we are going to win," I laughed, forcing a smile on my face, so Xavier wouldn't feel bad for embarrassing me.

Mom sat at the end of the table with her bowl of cereal, and dark circles under her eyes. "Malia, are you really wearing your basketball uniform to school?" she question as she wrinkled her nose. "When was the last time you washed it?"

I looked down at my red and white uniform, and then shrugged again with my mouth full. "Probably the day I got it," I joked even though I actually wasn't sure. Maybe I washed it sometime last week. Then, I slammed back the rest of the milk in the bowl, and stood up from the table. "Okay, dick-bag, let's get to school."

"Malia!" Mother shrieked with a horror-stricken face and her jaw dropped as she sputtered for more words. "There is no need for that kind of language!"

I smiled and batted my eyelashes at her as Xavier grabbed our bowls and brought them to the sink. No matter what I said, she was going to be mad at me, and I wasn't going to change. "Bye, Mom, love ya!" I responded with a wave as I headed towards the living room before she could scold me again.

She rested her chin on her hand as she watched us leave the room with that familiar sadness in her blue eyes. "What are we going to do with her?" she muttered under her breath as I stepped into the hallway. Faintly, I heard her let out a small sigh, but I knew she would get over it soon.

"Why do you always try to piss off Mom?" Xavier hissed as he got our backpacks out of the coat closet. He practically threw mine at me with his jaw tight, like he was angry.