Chapter three
By the next time we were shooting, no one had mentioned Paula at all; it was as if the awkward situation hadn’t occurred. I figured, why should we, as far as I could tell, we didn’t talk about all the other cast members -and she wasn’t even that - so why mention her at all?
No one really asked me questions about chasing after her, either, which was perfect for me. Again, not sure why, I wanted to keep everything on the low -a secret, if you will - `course, it’s not like there’s much to tell, anyway. We walked around, had a few hotdogs, then said our goodbyes and went to our homes. The end. I hadn’t considered her at all, until I began speaking my lines and noticed that my “sister” didn’t sound like before. Yes, she resembled Dot, yes, my own actual sister’s throat hadn’t exactly healed yet… so that WAS another dub person, but one thing was clear to me:
“You’re not Paula!!” I claimed, pointing a finger in the air, again for some reason assuming the voice lady was somewhere up in the clouds
An annoyed puff was heard, as the dub actress tried to save the situation:
“No, I’m Dot. Your sister. Seriously, how many pianos did you take to the head today?”
“Where’s Paula?” I ignored the person completely, while the director sighed and waved at everyone:
“Cut. Wakko, is it your life purpose to make my job a living Hell?”
“Oh no, it’s OUR job to make everyone’s lives a living Hell.” Yakko interjected, amused “You got it backwards, buddy.”
“I wanna know what happened to Dot’s previous dubber!” I insisted, walking over to our director, who just scratched his bright red cap and sighed deeply, muttering something of the sort “I could’ve picked more bunnies, could’ve picked little kittens… I made a show about diva puppies…”
“We’re not puppies!” Dot spoke up, her voice was getting back now, but it was pretty deep and raspy. Yakko tried to shush her gently:
“Now now, don’t strain yourself, sister sibling. Ahhhh, Wakko… what IS the big deal here, anyway? In a few weeks, we won’t need a Dot double at all, and, besides…” at this point, he seemed a little… weary “Maybe it wouldn’t have worked out. We, uh… got on the wrong foot, it’d be difficult, she’s probably mad at us, we’d fight on set all the time. Better to just let it go, right buddy?”
“Did she quit?” I stood my ground stubbornly, while the director nodded his head:
“Yes, I thought that was obvious. Now can we-“
“Liar!!” I frowned, feeling mad “she said she wouldn’! She promised me! She’s a liar!!!”
“Wakko…” Yakko blinked at me, while Dot tried her own approach:
“Sweetie? It’s alright. Maybe she got sick, maybe she found a better job, or…”
“Now you’re a liar too!” I turned on my heels and once more, rushed off, hearing Yakko sigh behind me:
“This is becoming a habit of his. I’m tired of chasing after a disgruntled middle sibling who can’t make up his own mind.”
“Let him go.” Dot advised “If it’ll calm him down…”
Once I reached the Crawford residence, my fury turned into insecurity. How exactly was I supposed to approach this? Ring on the doorbell, her mom would answer and I’d say “Hi, I’m a friend of Paula’s”? I didn’t think it would work, since for some reason, I was pretty sure Paula didn’t have any friends. Her mother probably knew very little about me and would assume I was trying to harm her daughter like everyone else apparently did.
While I pondered on that, I couldn’t help but, once more, overhear a conversation in what I again assume was their living room. Paula’s parents were talking; the mother seemed depressed and the father, pale and exhausted.
“Why couldn’t she have just been born pretty?” he pointed out, sighing deeply “I love our little girl, but this is ruining her life. I mean, I was never a looker, a million people aren’t movie stars and they still go about their lives normally! Why can’t she?”
“Honey, she’s just… “The mother tried to reason, then finally gave in “I wish she wasn’t so ugly, I really do. Maybe if we fixed her up… a nose job, or something… she has my nose, I always thought it was big, but that never stopped me…”
“Vanity. Why is she so vain? And why can’t people get off her case? Is ugly a sin now, too?” the man’s sadness turned into fury “They can’t leave her be, I think… I don’t know, Theresa, I think maybe we should just move again. Maybe in a new town, where people won’t be so judgmental. To tell you the truth… I always hoped she’d grow up being pretty. It’s a shame. If she at least had your voice…”
I didn’t wanna keep listening to all that, since I felt disgusted, sick to my stomach. The last thing I heard came from her mother:
“Well it’s the nose, obviously. If they’re gonna pick on her or insult her, they’d start with the nose, they’re probably making fun of it, Derek, let’s just pitch in and maybe a little surger-“
“Sneaking around again, kiddo?” I heard from behind me, actually, above me. Looking up, I noticed Paula on the top of the garden chestnut tree, with a small smile on her face. From the moist in her eyes, I could tell she heard every word I just did and I was sure that nothing I could tell her at that moment would make her feel any better. However, she just laughed and brushed it off:
“This isn’t the first time they’ve said things like that. When they think I don’t hear them, it can get a LOT worse…” Paula was still smiling, but I could see that her insides were breaking. I’m not sure why I cared, not sure why I wanted to make her feel better, but I did. Maybe it was pity? Mostly, I was still very confused, since I honestly did find her good looking… but even her parents… if I could call people of the sort a family… confusion aside, I just blurted out:
“You ok?”
“Like I said, I’ve heard it before.” The brunette girl kept smiling, picking up a small leaf with two holes in it and looking through them, first at me, then at the sky “You know how beautiful the world can look if you play with the lights a little bit? Sunshine reflects from the leaves and… it makes those clouds look almost silver, and the sky, as if there are tiny threads of gold just randomly scattered around…”
Without so much as asking, I climbed up the tree and sat next to her. As she handed me the leaf, I took a peek. I was never the romantic type, so silver clouds or gold skies didn’t really interest me, but to make her at least a little content, I said:
“Faboo!”
Then I gave her back the leaf. I hardly saw anything interesting through it, anyway.
“Why’d you quit?” I went straight to the point, wanting to forget that parental scene from before as quickly as possible
“It just… I don’t think your brother likes me very much.” Paula trailed off, while I shook my head:
“He was just angry at the people who were tryin’ to replace Dot! He took it out on you, he’d never do it unless they didn’t stir him up like that. He doesn’ know you, so how can he dislike you?”
Paula’s smile turned ironic and she gestured to herself, from head to toe, then said no more.
“I know my brother. He wouldn’ do that do anyone. I promise. Come back…”
“I, eh… kiddo-“
“My name’s Wakko.” I insisted. I know that to her I was just a kid, but it wouldn’t hurt to use a name every now and then, now would it? I didn’t go around calling her “Voice lady”, did I?
“Wakko.” Paula agreed “… I don’t think it would work out.”
“But-“
“Look, I hear your sister’s getting better. Soon, you won’t even need a voice double. The pay was awful, too and I did a terrible job. I figure… no sense in keeping it up. I’ll figure something out.” Copycat shrugged her shoulders, then went back to staring at the sky. I couldn’t see her that well, all the leaves were in my way, but she still had that lip-ring on and that annoyed me:
“… I thought you were gonna take that twitchy thing off.”
“I like it.” Paula said simply and that was that.
We stood on the branch in silence, before I decided to speak up once more:
“…. You need to move out of here. These people… they’re not really helpin’ your self-esteem, they’re ruinin’ it.”
“They’re just being honest to each other.”
“And then they turn to you and tell you you’re beautiful. Liars. I hate liars.” I crossed my arms, kicking my feet in the air, while Paula smiled once more:
“I’m their daughter. I could look like The Frankenstein monster; to them I’ll always be pretty.”
That part confused me. I think she was just trying to make herself feel better, but again, how was that comforting?
“If that was true, why call you those… names in private?” I mused aloud, and Paula sighed:
“Well whaddaya want them to do, Wakko? When someone comes crying to you about how ugly they are, you tell them they’re not, what do you expect them to do?”
I guess she had a point. I never met parents who found their own child ugly, though.
“…. Just because they say it doesn’ mean it’s true.” I turned to her, then looked around “You like trees?”
“I love climbing.” Copycat grinned, but a wrinkle formed on her forehead, as she went backwards on our conversation “But I AM leaving this house, it’s too much, for all of us. They worry, I feel like a monster between them, so I’m moving out.”
“Where? Do ya have any money?” I was curious now; she did say her dubbing job didn’t pay enough
“I’m staying with a friend.” I was shocked that she did in fact have those, and Paula seemed to notice, probably from the expression on my face “Yes, I HAVE friends… even monsters do… he’s 18, I met him at school, he’s very good with his voice…and he’s gay.” She added, before I could interject about it being inappropriate “So, if anything… he thinks of me as a little sister. He’ll help me find a job and assured me that none of his straight friends would touch me. Not that they’d want to, but…” she rolled her eyes, however, seemed happy.
“But… does that mean you’re leaving Burbank?”
“I dunno, he hasn’t picked a location yet. For now, no, but he’s planning on buying a different place once he makes more money. If he leaves, I’m going, too.” Copycat finished, then threw the leaf away and jumped on the ground; I followed “Anyway, you were very sweet to care… I… well no one really has cared this much, like I said before, not even the dude I’ll be living with. He doesn’t care what I do or where I go, but giving me a roof is more than I could ask for. You’re… you’re too nice, you know that?”
For some reason, that comment made me flush a little; Copycat didn’t notice though, as she went on:
“You better get going, your siblings must be worr-“
“There you are!”
We both turned our gazes ahead, so quickly, our necks snapped. She grasped hers and crumbled, blushing from head to toe, while I didn’t really bother with mine:
“How’d you find me?”
“You underestimate me, dear sibling! Who taught you everything you know?” Yakko pointed out, crossing his arms with a cocky grin on his face. I pondered that for a moment:
“…. The TV.”
“And who bought you that TV, smart-mouth? You give and you give, and never get back. Ah, you ungrateful youth, someday, you’ll look back on these days and think of your poor, old brother, who raised you from scratch.” He wrapped an arm around my shoulders, not really noticing Paula and began walking me away “Come on, we’re not shooting today, so let’s grab lunch. Dot’s waiting for us at that Italian place already.”
“I just… in a sec… I’ll catch up in a lil bit. You go.” I told him, while Yakko’s eyes grew the size of plates:
“You, casting aside the chance to stuff yourself senseless at one of your favorite places? Denying food? What, are you coming down with something? What could be more important than-“ he then looked behind us and saw her. At that moment, once more, she had completely changed.
Standing her ground, icy glare and the sun in her colorful hair, she seemed like she almost wanted him to insult her, offend her, start another fight. My brother however just remained silent (miracles happen!!) and looked her up and down, apparently embarrassed by the way he had acted the previous time they met. I figured he would apologize, or insult her again, I wasn’t sure; but he just cleared his throat and said:
“Wanna come too?”
That came as a shock to both me and Paula; for some reason, I felt discontent. She, on the other hand, was just puzzled and her “I’m so tough and I’ll kick your ass, buddy” mask fell faster than an autumn chestnut. All she could do was blink at him, then squirm and cover the upper part of her body with her thin arms, her hair plastering over her face, as she said:
“No.”
I looked at my brother, who never really took rejection badly, not at all; for some reason now, he seemed just as confused as she was:
“Look, I just… about before…”
Paula turned on her heels and disappeared from sight, while Yakko scratched the side of his face:
“Ahhhh… did I say something wrong, here?”
“Thanks a lot!” I fumed at him, annoyed “I wanted to talk to `er and now you went and scared `er off!”
“Well sor-ryyyy, I didn’t know I was THAT scary.” Yakko turned to me, while I kept fussing:
“Of course she’s not gonna come with YOU! You treated her horribly and now you expect her to just share spaghetti? You know how insecure she-“
“So I can’t ask a cute girl out? What’s your problem? I was gonna apologize. She said things about me, too! We were angry; we can patch things up, big deal! I wanted to clear the air.” My older sibling explained, but I didn’t really listen. One word had stuck in my mind, even as he went on a huge speech about teenage bickering and how everything can be settled trough a nice and calm conversation.
Cute? Did he just call her cute???
“….you think she’s cute?”
He gave me an odd look:
“Is that a crime now? Wow, I should’ve been in jail years ago, then…”
“But you called her ugly!” I insisted, he shrugged his shoulders:
“I hadn’t even seen her before.”
“You called her that even when you did see her!”
“I had to say SOMETHING. Actually, I was surprised. She’s kinda pretty…” Yakko claimed, then pat me on the back “When you’re older, you’ll understand.”
Pretty? PRETTY?
“She’s beautiful!” I hissed, and, I’m using this sentence a lot lately, not sure why “And I’m not hungry!” much like Paula, I ran off, not even trying to look for her this time. For some reason, I felt rage, at all these people, at Paula’s parents, but mostly, at my own brother. Was he making fun of her again? Was he trying to pity her? Everyone thought she was ugly, so how could he be honest??
He wasn’t. No way. And even if he was, she’d never like him. He was so mean to her, no one would forgive him, she just wouldn’t…
Cute? Pretty?
….I had no clue why, but the entire day I was fuming and trying to convince myself that he didn’t mean it. That he lied to me since he figured she was my friend. That she’d never like him.
No clue why… just… no clue.
Unfortunately, by the end of the day, I realized I had wasted my time.
I once more ran into Paula and was sure she thought I was a creepy stalker, but this time, Copycat didn’t see me. What I saw, for some reason, made my insides twitch and splatter; her, the girl with no face for TV and no voice, looking at my brother’s poster and drawing a little heart next to him with a green marker, before walking away, probably to another bar again.
It was pretty obvious now why she quit.
Paula had a crush on my big brother.
That was fine; I told myself on the way back to the tower, she wasn’t his type. He liked long-legged blondes, or mind-blowing brunettes, or ravishing redheads, he’d never…
When I entered my house though, that thought blew away like smoke, too. He was on the phone, I don’t know who with, and was talking:
“And she was pretty too! Her hair was kinda crazy, but you know, I love chicks with that whole “wanna-be rebel” look. Too bad she turned me down, I’m gonna try and ask her out again. What? No, no, she’s not a punk, ahhhh… she had a lip-ring and everything, but her clothes seemed pretty normal. Could use a nose-ring, though. I dunno, but when I do get her alone, I’ll work things out, she’ll understand. Not sure, I think her name is… Paula?”
I just turned around and left, right there. I didn’t know what was going on, but…
Not gonna happen and I was making sure of it.
I didn’t have a crush on Paula, I know full well she’s far too old; but I liked her… and my brother, even if he was the best guy ever, was not the type she needed, a guy who’d dump a beautiful girl, just because her sister was hotter. It would crush her and Paula…
They’re keeping away and I’m swearing that on my mallet.
No one really asked me questions about chasing after her, either, which was perfect for me. Again, not sure why, I wanted to keep everything on the low -a secret, if you will - `course, it’s not like there’s much to tell, anyway. We walked around, had a few hotdogs, then said our goodbyes and went to our homes. The end. I hadn’t considered her at all, until I began speaking my lines and noticed that my “sister” didn’t sound like before. Yes, she resembled Dot, yes, my own actual sister’s throat hadn’t exactly healed yet… so that WAS another dub person, but one thing was clear to me:
“You’re not Paula!!” I claimed, pointing a finger in the air, again for some reason assuming the voice lady was somewhere up in the clouds
An annoyed puff was heard, as the dub actress tried to save the situation:
“No, I’m Dot. Your sister. Seriously, how many pianos did you take to the head today?”
“Where’s Paula?” I ignored the person completely, while the director sighed and waved at everyone:
“Cut. Wakko, is it your life purpose to make my job a living Hell?”
“Oh no, it’s OUR job to make everyone’s lives a living Hell.” Yakko interjected, amused “You got it backwards, buddy.”
“I wanna know what happened to Dot’s previous dubber!” I insisted, walking over to our director, who just scratched his bright red cap and sighed deeply, muttering something of the sort “I could’ve picked more bunnies, could’ve picked little kittens… I made a show about diva puppies…”
“We’re not puppies!” Dot spoke up, her voice was getting back now, but it was pretty deep and raspy. Yakko tried to shush her gently:
“Now now, don’t strain yourself, sister sibling. Ahhhh, Wakko… what IS the big deal here, anyway? In a few weeks, we won’t need a Dot double at all, and, besides…” at this point, he seemed a little… weary “Maybe it wouldn’t have worked out. We, uh… got on the wrong foot, it’d be difficult, she’s probably mad at us, we’d fight on set all the time. Better to just let it go, right buddy?”
“Did she quit?” I stood my ground stubbornly, while the director nodded his head:
“Yes, I thought that was obvious. Now can we-“
“Liar!!” I frowned, feeling mad “she said she wouldn’! She promised me! She’s a liar!!!”
“Wakko…” Yakko blinked at me, while Dot tried her own approach:
“Sweetie? It’s alright. Maybe she got sick, maybe she found a better job, or…”
“Now you’re a liar too!” I turned on my heels and once more, rushed off, hearing Yakko sigh behind me:
“This is becoming a habit of his. I’m tired of chasing after a disgruntled middle sibling who can’t make up his own mind.”
“Let him go.” Dot advised “If it’ll calm him down…”
Once I reached the Crawford residence, my fury turned into insecurity. How exactly was I supposed to approach this? Ring on the doorbell, her mom would answer and I’d say “Hi, I’m a friend of Paula’s”? I didn’t think it would work, since for some reason, I was pretty sure Paula didn’t have any friends. Her mother probably knew very little about me and would assume I was trying to harm her daughter like everyone else apparently did.
While I pondered on that, I couldn’t help but, once more, overhear a conversation in what I again assume was their living room. Paula’s parents were talking; the mother seemed depressed and the father, pale and exhausted.
“Why couldn’t she have just been born pretty?” he pointed out, sighing deeply “I love our little girl, but this is ruining her life. I mean, I was never a looker, a million people aren’t movie stars and they still go about their lives normally! Why can’t she?”
“Honey, she’s just… “The mother tried to reason, then finally gave in “I wish she wasn’t so ugly, I really do. Maybe if we fixed her up… a nose job, or something… she has my nose, I always thought it was big, but that never stopped me…”
“Vanity. Why is she so vain? And why can’t people get off her case? Is ugly a sin now, too?” the man’s sadness turned into fury “They can’t leave her be, I think… I don’t know, Theresa, I think maybe we should just move again. Maybe in a new town, where people won’t be so judgmental. To tell you the truth… I always hoped she’d grow up being pretty. It’s a shame. If she at least had your voice…”
I didn’t wanna keep listening to all that, since I felt disgusted, sick to my stomach. The last thing I heard came from her mother:
“Well it’s the nose, obviously. If they’re gonna pick on her or insult her, they’d start with the nose, they’re probably making fun of it, Derek, let’s just pitch in and maybe a little surger-“
“Sneaking around again, kiddo?” I heard from behind me, actually, above me. Looking up, I noticed Paula on the top of the garden chestnut tree, with a small smile on her face. From the moist in her eyes, I could tell she heard every word I just did and I was sure that nothing I could tell her at that moment would make her feel any better. However, she just laughed and brushed it off:
“This isn’t the first time they’ve said things like that. When they think I don’t hear them, it can get a LOT worse…” Paula was still smiling, but I could see that her insides were breaking. I’m not sure why I cared, not sure why I wanted to make her feel better, but I did. Maybe it was pity? Mostly, I was still very confused, since I honestly did find her good looking… but even her parents… if I could call people of the sort a family… confusion aside, I just blurted out:
“You ok?”
“Like I said, I’ve heard it before.” The brunette girl kept smiling, picking up a small leaf with two holes in it and looking through them, first at me, then at the sky “You know how beautiful the world can look if you play with the lights a little bit? Sunshine reflects from the leaves and… it makes those clouds look almost silver, and the sky, as if there are tiny threads of gold just randomly scattered around…”
Without so much as asking, I climbed up the tree and sat next to her. As she handed me the leaf, I took a peek. I was never the romantic type, so silver clouds or gold skies didn’t really interest me, but to make her at least a little content, I said:
“Faboo!”
Then I gave her back the leaf. I hardly saw anything interesting through it, anyway.
“Why’d you quit?” I went straight to the point, wanting to forget that parental scene from before as quickly as possible
“It just… I don’t think your brother likes me very much.” Paula trailed off, while I shook my head:
“He was just angry at the people who were tryin’ to replace Dot! He took it out on you, he’d never do it unless they didn’t stir him up like that. He doesn’ know you, so how can he dislike you?”
Paula’s smile turned ironic and she gestured to herself, from head to toe, then said no more.
“I know my brother. He wouldn’ do that do anyone. I promise. Come back…”
“I, eh… kiddo-“
“My name’s Wakko.” I insisted. I know that to her I was just a kid, but it wouldn’t hurt to use a name every now and then, now would it? I didn’t go around calling her “Voice lady”, did I?
“Wakko.” Paula agreed “… I don’t think it would work out.”
“But-“
“Look, I hear your sister’s getting better. Soon, you won’t even need a voice double. The pay was awful, too and I did a terrible job. I figure… no sense in keeping it up. I’ll figure something out.” Copycat shrugged her shoulders, then went back to staring at the sky. I couldn’t see her that well, all the leaves were in my way, but she still had that lip-ring on and that annoyed me:
“… I thought you were gonna take that twitchy thing off.”
“I like it.” Paula said simply and that was that.
We stood on the branch in silence, before I decided to speak up once more:
“…. You need to move out of here. These people… they’re not really helpin’ your self-esteem, they’re ruinin’ it.”
“They’re just being honest to each other.”
“And then they turn to you and tell you you’re beautiful. Liars. I hate liars.” I crossed my arms, kicking my feet in the air, while Paula smiled once more:
“I’m their daughter. I could look like The Frankenstein monster; to them I’ll always be pretty.”
That part confused me. I think she was just trying to make herself feel better, but again, how was that comforting?
“If that was true, why call you those… names in private?” I mused aloud, and Paula sighed:
“Well whaddaya want them to do, Wakko? When someone comes crying to you about how ugly they are, you tell them they’re not, what do you expect them to do?”
I guess she had a point. I never met parents who found their own child ugly, though.
“…. Just because they say it doesn’ mean it’s true.” I turned to her, then looked around “You like trees?”
“I love climbing.” Copycat grinned, but a wrinkle formed on her forehead, as she went backwards on our conversation “But I AM leaving this house, it’s too much, for all of us. They worry, I feel like a monster between them, so I’m moving out.”
“Where? Do ya have any money?” I was curious now; she did say her dubbing job didn’t pay enough
“I’m staying with a friend.” I was shocked that she did in fact have those, and Paula seemed to notice, probably from the expression on my face “Yes, I HAVE friends… even monsters do… he’s 18, I met him at school, he’s very good with his voice…and he’s gay.” She added, before I could interject about it being inappropriate “So, if anything… he thinks of me as a little sister. He’ll help me find a job and assured me that none of his straight friends would touch me. Not that they’d want to, but…” she rolled her eyes, however, seemed happy.
“But… does that mean you’re leaving Burbank?”
“I dunno, he hasn’t picked a location yet. For now, no, but he’s planning on buying a different place once he makes more money. If he leaves, I’m going, too.” Copycat finished, then threw the leaf away and jumped on the ground; I followed “Anyway, you were very sweet to care… I… well no one really has cared this much, like I said before, not even the dude I’ll be living with. He doesn’t care what I do or where I go, but giving me a roof is more than I could ask for. You’re… you’re too nice, you know that?”
For some reason, that comment made me flush a little; Copycat didn’t notice though, as she went on:
“You better get going, your siblings must be worr-“
“There you are!”
We both turned our gazes ahead, so quickly, our necks snapped. She grasped hers and crumbled, blushing from head to toe, while I didn’t really bother with mine:
“How’d you find me?”
“You underestimate me, dear sibling! Who taught you everything you know?” Yakko pointed out, crossing his arms with a cocky grin on his face. I pondered that for a moment:
“…. The TV.”
“And who bought you that TV, smart-mouth? You give and you give, and never get back. Ah, you ungrateful youth, someday, you’ll look back on these days and think of your poor, old brother, who raised you from scratch.” He wrapped an arm around my shoulders, not really noticing Paula and began walking me away “Come on, we’re not shooting today, so let’s grab lunch. Dot’s waiting for us at that Italian place already.”
“I just… in a sec… I’ll catch up in a lil bit. You go.” I told him, while Yakko’s eyes grew the size of plates:
“You, casting aside the chance to stuff yourself senseless at one of your favorite places? Denying food? What, are you coming down with something? What could be more important than-“ he then looked behind us and saw her. At that moment, once more, she had completely changed.
Standing her ground, icy glare and the sun in her colorful hair, she seemed like she almost wanted him to insult her, offend her, start another fight. My brother however just remained silent (miracles happen!!) and looked her up and down, apparently embarrassed by the way he had acted the previous time they met. I figured he would apologize, or insult her again, I wasn’t sure; but he just cleared his throat and said:
“Wanna come too?”
That came as a shock to both me and Paula; for some reason, I felt discontent. She, on the other hand, was just puzzled and her “I’m so tough and I’ll kick your ass, buddy” mask fell faster than an autumn chestnut. All she could do was blink at him, then squirm and cover the upper part of her body with her thin arms, her hair plastering over her face, as she said:
“No.”
I looked at my brother, who never really took rejection badly, not at all; for some reason now, he seemed just as confused as she was:
“Look, I just… about before…”
Paula turned on her heels and disappeared from sight, while Yakko scratched the side of his face:
“Ahhhh… did I say something wrong, here?”
“Thanks a lot!” I fumed at him, annoyed “I wanted to talk to `er and now you went and scared `er off!”
“Well sor-ryyyy, I didn’t know I was THAT scary.” Yakko turned to me, while I kept fussing:
“Of course she’s not gonna come with YOU! You treated her horribly and now you expect her to just share spaghetti? You know how insecure she-“
“So I can’t ask a cute girl out? What’s your problem? I was gonna apologize. She said things about me, too! We were angry; we can patch things up, big deal! I wanted to clear the air.” My older sibling explained, but I didn’t really listen. One word had stuck in my mind, even as he went on a huge speech about teenage bickering and how everything can be settled trough a nice and calm conversation.
Cute? Did he just call her cute???
“….you think she’s cute?”
He gave me an odd look:
“Is that a crime now? Wow, I should’ve been in jail years ago, then…”
“But you called her ugly!” I insisted, he shrugged his shoulders:
“I hadn’t even seen her before.”
“You called her that even when you did see her!”
“I had to say SOMETHING. Actually, I was surprised. She’s kinda pretty…” Yakko claimed, then pat me on the back “When you’re older, you’ll understand.”
Pretty? PRETTY?
“She’s beautiful!” I hissed, and, I’m using this sentence a lot lately, not sure why “And I’m not hungry!” much like Paula, I ran off, not even trying to look for her this time. For some reason, I felt rage, at all these people, at Paula’s parents, but mostly, at my own brother. Was he making fun of her again? Was he trying to pity her? Everyone thought she was ugly, so how could he be honest??
He wasn’t. No way. And even if he was, she’d never like him. He was so mean to her, no one would forgive him, she just wouldn’t…
Cute? Pretty?
….I had no clue why, but the entire day I was fuming and trying to convince myself that he didn’t mean it. That he lied to me since he figured she was my friend. That she’d never like him.
No clue why… just… no clue.
Unfortunately, by the end of the day, I realized I had wasted my time.
I once more ran into Paula and was sure she thought I was a creepy stalker, but this time, Copycat didn’t see me. What I saw, for some reason, made my insides twitch and splatter; her, the girl with no face for TV and no voice, looking at my brother’s poster and drawing a little heart next to him with a green marker, before walking away, probably to another bar again.
It was pretty obvious now why she quit.
Paula had a crush on my big brother.
That was fine; I told myself on the way back to the tower, she wasn’t his type. He liked long-legged blondes, or mind-blowing brunettes, or ravishing redheads, he’d never…
When I entered my house though, that thought blew away like smoke, too. He was on the phone, I don’t know who with, and was talking:
“And she was pretty too! Her hair was kinda crazy, but you know, I love chicks with that whole “wanna-be rebel” look. Too bad she turned me down, I’m gonna try and ask her out again. What? No, no, she’s not a punk, ahhhh… she had a lip-ring and everything, but her clothes seemed pretty normal. Could use a nose-ring, though. I dunno, but when I do get her alone, I’ll work things out, she’ll understand. Not sure, I think her name is… Paula?”
I just turned around and left, right there. I didn’t know what was going on, but…
Not gonna happen and I was making sure of it.
I didn’t have a crush on Paula, I know full well she’s far too old; but I liked her… and my brother, even if he was the best guy ever, was not the type she needed, a guy who’d dump a beautiful girl, just because her sister was hotter. It would crush her and Paula…
They’re keeping away and I’m swearing that on my mallet.