His Game

Chapter Twelve

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His Game: Chapter Twelve

"So how come you never told me about your sister before?" Joey asks as I take her to meet Belle.

At school, the reason not many people know about Belle being my sister is because she has to take classes in the Special Resources room with other students that have learning disabilities. She's not quite at the point where she can take classes on her own without an aid. It separates her from the rest of the school and student body.

I sigh as we come up on the room, and I see Joey tilt her head as she reads the sign. I watch as her jaw clenches slightly and for a split second I debate dropping this whole thing. Her reaction to just the room is enough to put me even more on edge.

But, before I can change my mind, I open the door and I see Belle sitting at a table with a few of her friends in a coloring book. She turns her head at the sound of the door opening, and her eyes light up when she sees me. 

"Goofball!" she exclaims with the brightest smile of anyone I've met.

From the corner of my eye, I notice Joey glancing around the room as if searching for something, but I ignore it as Belle pulls me in for a hug.

"Hey Belle," I grin.

Belle pulls away and sets her eyes on Joey and I see confusion enter her expression.

"Who's this?" she asks, her voice loud but sweet.

I watch with bated breath as Joey smiles gently at Belle. So far so good.

"I'm your brothers friend; Joey."

Belle scrunches up her face, "Isn't that a boys name?"

My face pales at Belle's response and I go to apologize to Joey. Belle just doesn't understand that's rude to say, but Joey laughs and nods.

"Yeah, it is," she admits, "But between you and me, I think it's too pretty to be a boys name."

Belle grins, "My name is a Disney Princess name."

"Oh? And which movie is that?" Joey asks, her tone filled with kind interest.

"Beauty and the Beast!" My sister states proudly.

Joey chuckles and gives a big nod, "So that would make your name...Mrs. Potts?"

I snort at her joke and she glances at me from the corner of her eye, giving me a small wink as Belle laughs loudly.

She shakes her head, "No, silly! Belle."

"You know, Beauty and the Beast is my favorite Disney movie." Joey admits.

"Mine too!" Belle grins.

"That would have been my best guess," Joey says with a small smile. "I grew up with a crush on the Beast."

Relief washes over me as I watch them interact as comfortably and naturally as they are. I'd be lying if I said I wasn't very much on edge having Joey meet Belle, I was up half the night wondering if I made a poor decision.

Like I said, I'm not ashamed of Belle by any means. It's just that she's so happy and I would hate to ruin that by introducing her to someone who sees autism as a negative difference.

I don't usually let the girls that play the game meet Belle. She wouldn't understand why I have so many...friends. It would only confuse her.

"What do you call a bear with no teeth?" Belle asks.

I knew it was only a matter of time before the jokes began. 

Joey chuckles, but instead of pretending not to know the answer, she doesn't give Belle that satisfaction. I've heard the joke more times than I can count, but I always pretend not to know to amuse Belle. Most people do.

"A gummy bear," Joey answers easily.

I snap my eyes to Belle to see how she reacts, slightly worried, but I'm shocked to see her smile widen.

"Dang it!" She exclaims, but yet she's still laughing. "Rhett never knows that one."

"That's the oldest joke in the book," Joey teases. "Try this one, what do you call fake spaghetti?"

Belle grins, "What?"

"An impasta."

"That was a good one, goofball," Belle says, a small snort coming with her next round of laughter.

I insert myself into their conversation with a small pout, "Hey wait, I thought that was my nickname."

"You can share," Belle says.

"What if I don't want to share?" I pout.

Belle frowns, "Okay, you can be goofball and Joey can be..." she pauses to debate what to call Joey, and that's when the bell rings.

"You keep thinking on that one, okay Belle? We gotta get to class," I say.

Belle pouts at me, but she nods. "Okay."

We start to leave, but Belle calls out to Joey.

"What do you call a bear with no tee-"

"Gummy bear!" Joey answers before Belle can even finish with a small, teasing smirk.

First she answers it right and now she won't even let Belle finish telling the joke. And somehow Belle loves that even more than me feigning not knowing the answer. 

Belle grins at her, "Dang it."

Joey smiles, "See you around, Belle!"

As we leave, I let out a huge breath of relief. That went surprisingly well.

"So, how come you keep your sister a secret?" Joey asks as we walk down the nearly empty hall.

"I don't," I say.

"Well you don't make it known you have a sister," she says with a small shrug. "Having an autistic sister isn't anything to be ashamed of."

I stop walking and stare at her through narrowed eyes, "You think I don't know that? I'm not ashamed of Belle, I love her. But...not everyone is as welcoming to her as you just were."

Joey tilts her head, waiting for me to expand.

I sigh and run my fingers through my hair. "Belle means the world to me, and I don't want to expose her to people who don't understand her. There's nothing wrong with her, she's just...a little different. Some people don't like it when people are different."

Then I see understanding flicker into Joey's expression. She offers a small, sad smile and nods, glancing down before meeting my eyes again.

"I know what you mean."

Before I can question what that statement means, Joey continues.

"But anyways, I'm starved. Wanna get out of here and get some lunch?"

I instantly smirk and cross my arms cockily, "Is this you asking me out on a date for the first time?"

Joey laughs and rolls her eyes at me, walking away and towards the exit, effortlessly swaying her hips along the way. She glances over her shoulder to see if I'm going to follow, and with a small grin I jog to catch up with her.

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