Forever Yours

Oh, Brothers [21]

21. Oh, Brother

Maureen

"Justin!" I moaned, yanking my pillow over my head. "Shut up!"

"Wake up... wake UP! It's a great and beautiful day!"

"JUSTIN!"

"Wake up... wake up! It's day to go out and play - and smile to the world!"

"JUSTIN! SHUT UP!"

"What?!"

"I'm trying to sleep! That's what!" I yelled.

"Open your eyes. And jump out of bed - and just wake up!"

That's it.

I ripped off the blanket covering my body and leaped out of my bed. Justin let out a terrified yell when I lunged at him.

"Get out of my room!" I shouted as he skittered out of my reach, running to the other side of the bed.

"Mom told me to wake you up!" He yelled back defensively, scrambling across the bed.

"So?! Since when do you do anything that Mom says?" I demanded, chasing him.

"Mommy!" He screamed in (almost) pretend terror as I hurled myself onto the bed, grabbing his foot so he couldn't escape. He grabbed all the pillows and blankets that he could and buried himself beneath them. "Mommy, she's gonna kill me," he whimpered. Oh, he was such an actor.

I sat back on my heels, staring at the blanket covered lump now occupying half of my bed. I let out a sigh of defeat and flopped back on my pillow, feeling the exhaustion rush through me. I was so, so tired...My eyes slid shut.

I felt the lump-that-was-Justin move next to me as he hesitantly pulled away the blankets covering his face.

"Maureen?" He asked quietly. I was too far gone to reply- or even drag my eyelids open. I could feel that wonderful black oblivion pulling at my consciousness and whether Justin cared or not, I was going to go right back to sleep...

I was barely aware of the bed shifting next to me, of Justin moving slowly. I didn't even register when his hand started creeping its way across the bed...

My senses were suddenly shifted to high alert when he started to tickle me.

"Aah!" I jerked away from him, my eyes snapping open. "Justin! You're never allowed to tickle me!"

He shrugged carelessly. "Desperate times call for desperate measures."

"Oh, desperate times call for-?" I sputtered. "So you want desperate?"

Ashley walked into my room five minutes into our wrestling match. Until then, Justin had been winning. It wasn't fair though, because he had the advantage. Every time I raised my hand to hit him or pull his hair, his fingers would, without fail, would find their way to my most ticklish spots. It was torture.

"Okay, already! Stop, stop!" I begged, tears smarting in my eyes from laughing so hard.

"Justin, Mom says to come down to breakfast. You're burning daylight," Ashley interjected, watching us with raised eyebrows.

"'Justin, Mom says to come down to breakfast, you're burning daylight,'" he mocked in a high-pitched voice.

I smacked his arm. Ashley rolled her eyes and left the room.

"Go, Justin, I'll be right down," I somehow sighed and yawned at the same time. Justin eyed me bemusedly.

"Why are you so tired anyway?"