A Descent into Darkness

Sisters and Lovers

As I'm jolted from sleep by my alarm and force my eyes open, I'm surprised by just how tired I am. I check the still blaring clock and note that, for some reason, it is set to 7:30, when I very clearly remember setting it to 9:00 when I got in bed last night.

"You gonna turn that off, bro? It's fucking loud," calls a voice, making me jump. I jerk my head back and see Liza sitting in my desk chair, looking over at me, her face barely illuminated by the lamp. Of course, this must be her idea of a funny joke. I reach over and press the button, disabling the alarm.

"What the hell?" I complain as I rub my eyes.

"I wanted to hear how last night went," she replies, smiling. "It's exciting. My brother's first ever date. Though I worry the fact that you're sleeping here alone means you fucked up."

Why can't be Liza like the typical sister who's disgusted by any mention of her brother's sex life?

I decide to try for a diplomatic answer.

"Fuck you. Everything went fine."

"Yeah? Because, I gotta tell you. When I told Bianca that you were taking her to Jim Jefferies for your first date, she figured you two wouldn't last thirty seconds together. Seriously, I don't get what you see in that misogynistic asshole."

"Well, whatever I see in him, she sees too. That's why we bonded so quickly when we met."

Liza snorts. "Whoever this girl is, she must be conning you then. No girl in their right mind can enjoy his material."

"That's because you can't just read it. You have to hear the delivery to enjoy it."

"Whatever. I still want to look this girl up online and make sure she's not some serial killer or something."

I giggle a little under my breath at the irony of my sister's statement.

"You'll learn her name when I'm ready to tell you. Try to find her on social media if you want. We're not posting anything together in the near future."

"Challenge accepted." Liza stands up and hurries out of the room.

"Hey, can you at least turn the lamp off?" I call after her.

"Nope!"

I sigh and collapse on my back. Why is she even up this early? Probably something at school or something.

A moment later, footsteps approach my door from the direction of Mom and Dad's room.

"What are you two going on about?" Mom asks, poking her head in. I notice she's already dressed for work.

"Nothing," I reply from the bed. "Your daughter was just looking for the gossip from last night."

Mom laughs. "I count myself lucky to have come of age before the days of social media and the internet. All you kids do these days is get in each other's business. Though, at the risk of sounding like a hypocrite, I will admit to being curious, so I am going to ask, how did it go last night?"

I take a deep breath. "Actually, pretty well. We had a great time."

"And this girl? She's not hiding in your closet or under the bed, right?" Mom jokes while glancing around the dimly lit room. "If she is, I have some Plan B pills in the bathroom."

"Nah, we used condoms and she's on the pill."

"Oh, very funny. You wanna tell me her name yet?"

"Not yet. I don't want to jinx it."

"Fair enough. Just be careful, Nate. No one wants to see you hurt." With that, she exits the room. Without turning off the lamp either.

Why does everyone in my family think I'm this delicate little flower that can be taken advantage of? Maybe because that's the image I've projected intentionally for the last fifteen years, so they wouldn't clue into my true nature.