Faith. Hope. Love.

Chapter 3- Babysitting, Late Night Visits, and High School Rivals

"Okay, well we're going to head out now. Don't wait up on us. Take out menu's are on the fridge. Make sure your brother doesn't over eat or he'll start crying in the middle of the night."

     "Except you won't be coming home tonight." I grumbled to myself.

     "Excuse me, what was that?" John asked me, shrugging on his coat as Ang came down the stairs.

     I plastered a cheerful smile on my face. "I said have a lovely night!"

     John leaned in to hug and kiss me goodnight. I turned my head slightly avoiding the kiss he was going to plant on my cheek, not being able to escape his embrace. He grunted in response.

     Typical Saturday night. John and Ang leave to have a fancy dinner and hotel room while they dump my baby brother on me. I love my brother but he deserves a real family. A responsible mother who wouldn't want to separate from him at his age. Not a sixteen year old sister who orders pizza for dinner.

     "Mikey!" My voice was caried down the hallways. I watched as Michael paddled towards me, his mop of blond hair plastered to his sweaty forehead. "Looks like your mom didn't give you a bath did she?" I ran my fingers through his sticky hair.

     "Nahp." He replied, smiling cheekily at me.

     "Guess I'll have to do it. Again." I held my brother close to me, kissing his forehead.

     "Ceecee!" He giggled, wrapping his pudgy little arms around my neck and planting a sloppy kiss on my cheek. "I laaa you!"

     "Oh, I love you too baby. But right now, you need a bath."

     We went through our usual routine. I ordered pizza and while waiting for the food to come, I bathed my brother squeaky clean. The food would arrive and we'd have dinner in the living room, watching cartoons. When it was time for bed, we'd go upstairs to my room. When I slept at John's house Michael would sleep in my bed. The brat and I were inseparable when I came. He'd forget about Ang and follow me around like a lost puppy.

     Currently at the moment, we laid in my bed, Michael in my arms as I watched The Walking Dead on my Netflix account on my flat screen TV. My phone rang, an unknown number flashed on the screen. I quickly answered before the noise would wake Mikey up.

     "Hello?" I answered into my phone.

     "Hello? Cielo?" Matt's voice flooded my ear.

     "Oh no. Not you. How did you get my number? Wait! I don't want to know. Look, it's late, what do you want?" I hastily whispered to him into the phone.

     "Late? It's only nine." He complained.

     "Yeah, well when you have to take care of a three year old by yourself on a Saturday night, well that happens to be late for me." I watched Michaels pink lips pout, exhaling and inhaling slow breaths.

     "What? You have a child?" Matt shouted into the phones speaker.

     "Lord, no! I'm taking care of my baby brother. His parents went out to dinner again and I'm all he really has for close family."

     "Oh, okay. Well that's a relief. Look, come down stairs. I'm outside and it's freezing."

     Outside? "What? Oh, my gosh! O-okay,  give me two minutes." I gently laid my brother in the center of the bed, trying not to wake him, pulling a jacket over my flimsy shirt. On the way out of my room, I left the door open. Just a precaution incase Michael falls off the bed or something, I'd be able to hear him.