All under the same roof
(A/N: All mine, no warnings..so far).
”Zach, do you know where my earrings are?” my mom asked me while she was running around the apartment with her hair in a towel and only one shoe.
I couldn’t help but smile. “Which ones?”
“Pearls” she answered and started to blow dry her hair.
“I think I Kate is wearing them. She said something about a date with Scott.” I answered with a shrug. Kate, my older sister, always borrows stuff without asking. Yesterday she borrowed my laptop and managed to delete half of my songs and some poems that I have written.
“What?!” she screamed. She glanced at her watch. “Shit, I’m gonna be late!” she cried and put on the other shoe.
“Have fun tonight” I said, and I meant it. This was her first date in ages. Apparently she had met someone at work. He was a customer in her flower shop. He had practically told my mom to go on a date with him, not taking ‘no’ for an answer. Kate had called him crazy, but I was just glad that she finally had met someone, even though he seemed a bit odd.
“Thanks Darling” she said and smeared on a thick layer of lipgloss.
“Will you be alright staying here alone tonight?” she asked nervously.
“Mom” I chuckled. “I’m sixteen. I will be just fine.”
I found a deep frozen pizza in the microwave for dinner. It tasted like shit, but it was completely edible.
“Arrgh MEN!” my sister screamed and slammed the door shut.
“Wasn’t expecting you home so soon” was all I said. She often fought with Scott, heck it would have been strange if she didn’t, considering that they were complete opposites. My sister was the loud, irrational and the front singer in a rock band while Scott was in med school.
“Yeah, well” she sighed “neither was I.”
“What did he do this time?” I asked, clearly amused.
“He paid for me at the restaurant.”
“And how is that a bad thing?”
“It’s because he thinks I don’t have any money. I just know it. That jerk won’t admit it though. He said that he wanted to make a romantic gesture. Asshole!”
“Want a slice of pizza?” I asked and offered her one from my plate.
“Thanks” she started to chew on it. “I don’t even get it. Why does he think I’m broke? People freakin’ love, L-O-V-E my band. I HAVE money!” she swallowed. “This tastes horrible. Why are we eating this?” she asked.
“Mom’s on a date. With that Alan guy from the flower shop” I announced.
“The freak who ordered her to go on a date with him?” she took another bite of her pizza.
“Yep.”
“Mom’s on a date, I was on a date, so my little bro, why are you home alone?” she wiggled her eyebrows, in a lame attempt to look funny.
“Because I am gay.”
“That’s not a real answer” she said and crossed her arms. Oh great, she was going to start an interrogation here.
“Kate, I am not in the mood” I said, but I knew that she wasn’t going to cave.
“You have to get out and meet someone. You’re sixteen! You should have fun man!”
“Since when do you say ‘man’?” I let out a laughter.
“Since now.” She answered. “What happened to that John guy? The guy who just moved here.”
“John was straight” I answered simply.
“John made out with you after the winter dance.”
“John was drunk.”
“John seemed to like it. A lot.”
I shrugged. “I don’t know, he refuses to talk to me. Worst thing is that some of his friends saw us too and of course the guy blames me, the homo, for the whole thing. Saying that I came on to him, and took advantage of him being drunk. They have called me some unpleasant names, but that’s all.”
“Assholes!” she yelled.
“I know, I am probably supposed to hate him” I took a deep breath. “But I just can’t, you know?”
“Oh my little bro, you are just too nice” she said and pinched my cheek.
“And in love” I mumbled.
“Why are you doing this to yourself? Why can’t you just find a nice, gay guy and fall in love with him instead?”
“Because it doesn’t work that way and you know it” I laughed.
“Yeah, I know. I should probably call Scott by the way, calling him an ignorant little snob at the dinner table might have been a little too harsh.”
“You think?” I smiled.
--
“What?! You have both shoes on, dry hair and your pearls?” I said.
“Don’t sound so shocked. I can be on time, you know?” my mom laughed.
This was her third date with this mysterious Alan guy, and things seemed to be going well. She was smiling more often and he kept calling her cell phone, making her all giggly.
“So when do we get to meet him?” I asked and helped her put a necklace on.
“I was thinking bringing him over for dinner tomorrow” she said.
“Tomorrow? Too bad I have a hot date with Ben Affleck, but I guess I can cancel” I joked.
“Very funny Darling. How do you think Kate will react?” she bit on her fingernail out of nervousness. Kate had no issues with creating a scene at the dinner table.
“Honestly?” I asked. “I don’t know, no one really knows with Kate.”
“I really like him, and I want you to like him too.”
“Maybe we will Mom” I said.
“He has a son too, your age” she smiled.
“Oh no” I said. “Don’t force us to be friends” I warned.
“What? All I’m saying is that you’re both sixteen, well his son is turning seventeen in a matter of days, but... oh that reminds me! We are all invited to his birthday party. They are gonna have a barbecue in their back yard” she said happily.
“Oh weird, like too weird” I said.
“He’s really trying, and his son seems like a nice person. Just go with me and if you don’t like it we’ll come up with some excuse after an hour or so and you can leave. What do you say?”
“Fine, but not ‘an hour or so’ I’m leaving after 10 minutes if I don’t like it.”
“Twenty?”
“Deal.”
”Zach, do you know where my earrings are?” my mom asked me while she was running around the apartment with her hair in a towel and only one shoe.
I couldn’t help but smile. “Which ones?”
“Pearls” she answered and started to blow dry her hair.
“I think I Kate is wearing them. She said something about a date with Scott.” I answered with a shrug. Kate, my older sister, always borrows stuff without asking. Yesterday she borrowed my laptop and managed to delete half of my songs and some poems that I have written.
“What?!” she screamed. She glanced at her watch. “Shit, I’m gonna be late!” she cried and put on the other shoe.
“Have fun tonight” I said, and I meant it. This was her first date in ages. Apparently she had met someone at work. He was a customer in her flower shop. He had practically told my mom to go on a date with him, not taking ‘no’ for an answer. Kate had called him crazy, but I was just glad that she finally had met someone, even though he seemed a bit odd.
“Thanks Darling” she said and smeared on a thick layer of lipgloss.
“Will you be alright staying here alone tonight?” she asked nervously.
“Mom” I chuckled. “I’m sixteen. I will be just fine.”
I found a deep frozen pizza in the microwave for dinner. It tasted like shit, but it was completely edible.
“Arrgh MEN!” my sister screamed and slammed the door shut.
“Wasn’t expecting you home so soon” was all I said. She often fought with Scott, heck it would have been strange if she didn’t, considering that they were complete opposites. My sister was the loud, irrational and the front singer in a rock band while Scott was in med school.
“Yeah, well” she sighed “neither was I.”
“What did he do this time?” I asked, clearly amused.
“He paid for me at the restaurant.”
“And how is that a bad thing?”
“It’s because he thinks I don’t have any money. I just know it. That jerk won’t admit it though. He said that he wanted to make a romantic gesture. Asshole!”
“Want a slice of pizza?” I asked and offered her one from my plate.
“Thanks” she started to chew on it. “I don’t even get it. Why does he think I’m broke? People freakin’ love, L-O-V-E my band. I HAVE money!” she swallowed. “This tastes horrible. Why are we eating this?” she asked.
“Mom’s on a date. With that Alan guy from the flower shop” I announced.
“The freak who ordered her to go on a date with him?” she took another bite of her pizza.
“Yep.”
“Mom’s on a date, I was on a date, so my little bro, why are you home alone?” she wiggled her eyebrows, in a lame attempt to look funny.
“Because I am gay.”
“That’s not a real answer” she said and crossed her arms. Oh great, she was going to start an interrogation here.
“Kate, I am not in the mood” I said, but I knew that she wasn’t going to cave.
“You have to get out and meet someone. You’re sixteen! You should have fun man!”
“Since when do you say ‘man’?” I let out a laughter.
“Since now.” She answered. “What happened to that John guy? The guy who just moved here.”
“John was straight” I answered simply.
“John made out with you after the winter dance.”
“John was drunk.”
“John seemed to like it. A lot.”
I shrugged. “I don’t know, he refuses to talk to me. Worst thing is that some of his friends saw us too and of course the guy blames me, the homo, for the whole thing. Saying that I came on to him, and took advantage of him being drunk. They have called me some unpleasant names, but that’s all.”
“Assholes!” she yelled.
“I know, I am probably supposed to hate him” I took a deep breath. “But I just can’t, you know?”
“Oh my little bro, you are just too nice” she said and pinched my cheek.
“And in love” I mumbled.
“Why are you doing this to yourself? Why can’t you just find a nice, gay guy and fall in love with him instead?”
“Because it doesn’t work that way and you know it” I laughed.
“Yeah, I know. I should probably call Scott by the way, calling him an ignorant little snob at the dinner table might have been a little too harsh.”
“You think?” I smiled.
--
“What?! You have both shoes on, dry hair and your pearls?” I said.
“Don’t sound so shocked. I can be on time, you know?” my mom laughed.
This was her third date with this mysterious Alan guy, and things seemed to be going well. She was smiling more often and he kept calling her cell phone, making her all giggly.
“So when do we get to meet him?” I asked and helped her put a necklace on.
“I was thinking bringing him over for dinner tomorrow” she said.
“Tomorrow? Too bad I have a hot date with Ben Affleck, but I guess I can cancel” I joked.
“Very funny Darling. How do you think Kate will react?” she bit on her fingernail out of nervousness. Kate had no issues with creating a scene at the dinner table.
“Honestly?” I asked. “I don’t know, no one really knows with Kate.”
“I really like him, and I want you to like him too.”
“Maybe we will Mom” I said.
“He has a son too, your age” she smiled.
“Oh no” I said. “Don’t force us to be friends” I warned.
“What? All I’m saying is that you’re both sixteen, well his son is turning seventeen in a matter of days, but... oh that reminds me! We are all invited to his birthday party. They are gonna have a barbecue in their back yard” she said happily.
“Oh weird, like too weird” I said.
“He’s really trying, and his son seems like a nice person. Just go with me and if you don’t like it we’ll come up with some excuse after an hour or so and you can leave. What do you say?”
“Fine, but not ‘an hour or so’ I’m leaving after 10 minutes if I don’t like it.”
“Twenty?”
“Deal.”