Hate + Time = Love

5: Silent Treatment

Emma awoke the next day, still very angry with Chris. She just had to steer clear of him, and she'd be fine. Besides, today the Anime Club was meeting to discuss the plans for the upcoming trip to Anime Con. She was so excited about her costume. She still had to get it together, but she knew who she was going as. One simply did not attend Anime Con as themselves. It simply wasn't done. She put her Anime Club binder in her bag, and made haste getting ready. She quickly fixed her hair in the mirror, and slung her bag over her shoulder, making her way to the kitchen. She began munching on an apple, waiting impatiently for her brother.

"Bash! Come on! We're gonna be late!"

"We are not. Why are you so excited anyway?"

"MYOB! Now can we go?" she whined as her brother walked into the kitchen.

"You will wait patiently while I eat my breakfast. Otherwise, you're walking your perky little butt to school." Emma glared at her twin.

"Call me perky one more time and we'll see who's walking," Emma threatened, dangling her brother's truck keys. Bash silently popped four Eggo waffles into the toaster, well aware that his sister knew how to drive, and wasn't afraid to get behind the wheel of his truck and drive off.

Emma waited impatiently as Bash forked the waffles out of the toaster, drowned them in syrup, and took his time eating them. To Emma, he was chewing in slow motion. The minutes ticked by agonizingly slow. Finally, Bash threw away his plate, and Emma dragged him out to his truck by the arm.

"Emma, chill out! It's not like the house is on fire."

"And if it was, you'd still be moving this slow! Drive!"

"Calm down. I'm going."

"Onward, ho!" Emma gestured forward galliantly like a kinght in a fairy tale.

"I know you did not just call me a hoe," Bash said in his best gay voice. Emma looked at him, and the twins burst out laughing spontaneously. They laughed for a good minute and a half before Emma regained her composure.

"You-you know I cannot stay serious when you use that voice!"

"Yeah, I do. But I needed to hear you laugh after hearing you cry all night." Emma's smile disappeared abruptly. Bash turned to his sister. "Em, you know you can talk to me, right?" Emma nodded. "Then why don't you?"

"Because." Emma let her voice trail off.

"Because why, Em?" Bash turned his sister's face so he could look her in the eyes.

"Because sometimes it's easier to not talk. If I do talk, it's because I have problems, and if I have problems, it's because I'm weak. And I don't wanna be weak."

"Emma, talking does not make you weak. Neither does having problems. It only makes you human. You're not weak."

"I don't expect you to understand."

"But I do. Emma, I'm you're brother. I'm supposed to be there to help you through things like this."

"There's nothing to help me through."

"Do you honestly expect me to believe that?"

"I expect you not to cross my boundaries. You know I don't like talking about my feelings."

"So you admit you have them for Chris?"

"I never said that."

"It's okay if you do. He's a nice guy."

"Did you completely forget what happened yesterday? He almost killed me after he kissed me! That makes him a nice guy?"

"I said he's nice. I never said he wasn't perfect. But he's my friend. I know him. And he is nice."