How He Played

Chapter Two

Kennedy

"Hey, are you actually going to come down for dinner!" I scream upstairs, "dad's forcing me to starve until you get up and join us!"

"And I'm hungry!" I add, sighing with the laugh I gain in response.

    "I mean, so am I, but knowing it's making you suffer is tempting me to stay up here all night," Blake responds sharply, I can hear his footsteps against the floor upstairs.

"That's fine by me," I smile as I make my way to the dining room, sitting beside my dad who flashes me a bright smile, "is he coming?" He asks as I grab his hand for grace, a large smile crawling across my face.

"No, he's not feeling very well and is offering me his plate." I state as I slowly drag his plate over towards mine with my right hand as I eat with my left.

But as it enters food stealing distance, my wrist is grabbed and lifted up where Blake smiles down at me, his blonde hair damp from his shower.

"Do you mind fatty?" He asks sarcastically as I eat in silence, enjoying our typical family dinners. Blake looks nervous as he watches me, and then looks over to our father.

   "You know," he begins, devouring a fork-full of dinner. "Connors having a party this weekend at his house..." he remains quiet again, and I almost laugh as he tries to squeeze himself around dad's rules.

   It never worked.

   "And?" My father asks, genuinely interested in the conversation.

    "It's only a few friends," lie, "there will be parents in the house," another lie, "and a controlled supply of alcohol," he finishes, allowing dad to make up his mind. But he won't need to, dad's mind  gave us two choices, no and no.

     "Kennedy, please repeat the rules of the house to your brother," he sits back as I turn to Blake a large smile coming over my face.

   "Well, my dear, dear twin brother," I flash my teeth. "The first and the most prominent rule of them all is no relationships," I pretend to act shocked and place a hand over my mouth.

   Blake rolls his eyes at me.

    "As well as the no relationships, we are banned from large parties and situations that may cause inappropriate reactions and actions from the opposite sex."

  I then pretend to cough, and mutter Lilly's name as I do so, Blake glares at me and it only makes my smile wider.

  "And thirdly no sex, drugs and bla, bla, bla."

  Blake then stands up, and begins to shake his head. "It's not fair dad and you know it."

   Our dad looks sympathetic for a second and then smiles, "it's for your own good, for the both of you, and all rules are gone once you leave for college...and I...I won't be there to guide you." He looks prepared to burst into tears and I glare at Blake, indicating that it's his turn to comfort dad about us leaving.

   "Listen dad I didn't mean it," he forces himself to say as he goes to his side, "but we've had these rules for years and don't you think we're both old enough to know not to make basic mistakes?"

   "How are we ever to become adults if we don't have the experience of learning from them?"

   And then, dad says something that I thought would never come out of his mouth.

    "Yes, and...and you're right, it may be time to change the rules."

   "Your kidding right?" I add, forgetting to contribute to the conversation as I'd been devouring Blake's plate of food while he was distracted.