Note to Self

A Week Later:
Emily's POV
I was sitting in Addie and Sean's living room playing with there seven year old daughter, Mia and their eight year old daughter Jayde. Babysitting was the easiest job. You sit around playing with a couple of little kids until their parents come home. Then their parents give you cash that you spend on yourself. I loved it. Ari never got the point of being paid for it and Addie usually asked him to babysit, but he was playing tonight.
"Emmy?" Mia asked.
"Yeah?"
"I’m hungry. Can I have some food?"
"Okay." I went into the kitchen and got a slice of pizza from the box on the counter. I placed it on the table with a cup of soda. Yeah another perk. You get them hyper and their parents have to deal with it because you were only giving the kids what their parents left them. Mia climbed into the chair and silently ate her pizza.
"Mommy's gonna have another baby." Jayde said as-a-matter-a-factly.
"Really?"
"Yeah. Daddy hopes it's a boy. I hope it's a girl." She smiled and I played with her red hair. I didn't see how Addie could push out five kids in the span of sixteen years. I knew that she had Ari and me when she was fifteen or sixteen. That must have sucked. She was in labor with us for thirty-two hours. Well, twenty-nine for me…And it was a natural birth. I couldn't imagine even having sex at my age, much less having twins.
"Do you like having a brother?" Mia asked me.
"Yeah." I smiled.
"What's it like?"
"Well since I have a younger brother, I have someone that I have to look after. He has some problems from birth, but I think he's okay. Ari had been deprived of oxygen by five minutes which caused him to be slow to understand things and to struggle in school. I made straight A's with ease. I know that our parents were the top of the class, so that makes since.
"I thought you were twins." Mia said confused.
"We are, but he was born three hours after me." Mia nodded. Addie and Sean came through the front door. It wasn’t obvious yet that Addie was pregnant, but there was a small bump.
"Thanks so much Emma." Sean said handing me forty dollars.
"No problem. I love the girls." I tickled Mia's side.
"Tell Ari that there's a party at the record company in a few weeks and he can play at it, come to it or babysit the girls." Sean said. I nodded. I hoped I could get more money.
"I'll be sure to tell him. And congratulations Addie on the new baby. The girls were telling me about it." She smiled as Sean took the girls to get ready for bed.
"Yeah. It's gonna be a boy."
"That's nice."
"Yeah." She sighed. "I want to name in Tyler, after your father. He was such a sweet guy. Ari reminds me of him. I wouldn't name him Kyler because I just wouldn't. I mean it'd remind me too much of things."
"Yeah. So how's the record company going?"
"Oh, it's nice. We released an album today." I loved how I could talk to Addie. I'd known her since I was born. I guess that's why we weren't surprised that she was our mom. It hadn't really bothered me that I didn't know my biological father. I'd seen pictures of him, heard people talk about him and seen videos, but he always looked depressed. Ari desperately wanted to know him. I didn't really care that he was dead. It wasn't that bad to me.
"Well I guess I should go. I want to see Ari play."
"Okay. Send my love." She hugged me and then I ran to the club that Ari's band was playing at. Ari was lead vocals and guitar, Reese was on rhythm, Reggie was on bass and Blaze was on drums. I loved the guys. They were Ari's only friends. I saw Ari sitting on a chair backstage looking really confused.
"Because it's random. It's supposed to be funny." Reggie explained.
"Oh." Ari said still looking confused. I ran over to them and hugged Ari.
"Hey guys."
"Hi. Oh, I get it now." Ari said and started laughing. "You should have been here Em, it was so funny." I smiled and Blaze chewed on his lip. I knew Blaze was the newest person. He hadn't known Ari that long. Only a few months after Billy quit. He wasn't used to Ari's slowness and slightly slurred speech. I didn't really notice his speech, but I was used to it. If I listened carefully I would have a hard time understanding him. It really isn't that bad if you don't try really hard to understand him. If you sort of listen then he sounds really clear, but when he gets mad, he's almost impossible to understand and he couldn't ever talk fast. It was funny though, if he opened his mouth to sing, he you would have thought a different person was talking than the one that sang. Blaze looked at me.
"What?" I asked.
"Nothing." He mumble.
"Guess what?" Ari asked, his eyes bright.
"Hm?" I asked.
"Ash is here!"
"That's awesome! Where? I want to go sit with him?"
"Uh, out in the audience somewhere. No, he said he was coming back…"
"Okay." Blaze was still looking at me.
"Can I please ask you something?" I nodded and followed him outside.
"What's up?"
"Um, is he like mentally handicapped or something?"
"No, not really." Blaze tapped on his arm with his hand.
"Well he…"
"He what? He may have difficulties with school, speaking clearly and getting jokes the first time around, but he's my brother. I love him. He writes the best lyrics and melodies I on a guitar in my opinion. Do you have a problem with the fact that he has to speak slowly? Or that he has more blonde moments that have nothing to do with blonde? Or that he doesn't get good grades? Because if you do, then you can walk. They don't need you as a drummer that badly. I'm sure I can get Billy back." I was really mad.
"Well I do and this is the last show I'm playing." Blaze looked behind him as Reese came out. "It's annoying. He maybe a good lyricist, singer and guitar player, but it's annoying to be around him when he's not playing or singing." Reese stared at us.
"Are you ready?" Reese asked.
"Uh, yeah." Blaze said walking in. I had tears in my eyes.
"What happened?" Reese asked.
"I'll get Billy back I promise."
"What?"
"Blaze has a problem with Ari's defects."
"What?"
"The things that he's had since he was born. You know not speaking well, not getting jokes, struggling with academics. I told Blaze that if he had a problem, that he needed to get lost because as far as I'm concerned, you don't need a drummer that badly." Reese nodded.
"What a jerk." He whispered going to go talk to Reggie. I found Ash and sat with him.
"Have you heard them before?" He asked.
"Mhm, They're awesome."
"Who's the singer?"
"Ari."
"So, are the songs slow?"
"Nope. They're really fast. He can function with music honey." Ash nodded.
Ari's POV
I finished the complicated outro and the cheered. I smiled. This was so awesome. I hated it when the music stopped. I became the stupid kid. I heard Reese telling Reggie about Blaze. I should have known not to trust him. He was one of Jerry's crowd, but he was a great drummer. I didn't like judging people. It made me feel bad. I knew what it was like when people judged me. I walked off stage and Blaze was leaning against the wall with this guy from school named Ivan.
"I…don't…get…it." I said with a mock struggled voice. "Then five minutes later. Oh…hahahaha." I stopped and stared at him. I wanted to cry. I wanted to run out of there. I hated him. Reese hugged me.
"Don't pay attention to him."
"Yeah. I think he has his own slowness going on because only a dumbass would talk that slow." Reggie hugged me too. I smiled.
"So I don't sound like that?"
"No. I mean your word are separated and all, but not like that." Reggie assured me. "But you're like the coolest person I've ever met."
"And you are so awesome when it comes to music."
"Well it's the only thing I'm good at." Blaze came over.
"Did somebody find a loose string? Because I think that was found a long time ago in retardo's mind." I didn't get what meant. I looked at Reese for clarification. He was glared holes into Blaze. Reggie was doing the same.
"You know what? I think it's time you figured out what it's like to not be average." Reggie jumped at him, knocking him to the ground. I watched as the words finally began to comprehend. I started shaking. Reese looked at me.
"He's an ass. Don't listen to him." I pursed my lips.
"Um, I'm gonna go."
"Aren't you coming over?"
"Uh, maybe tomorrow. I just want to go home okay?"
"Yeah, okay." He hugged me.
"I'll call you okay?"
"Okay." I walked out of the building, passing Ash and Em in the process. As soon as I was sure that there was no way Blaze would see me, I let the tears fall. Why had this happened to me? What did I do to deserve this? Emily and Ash caught up with me.
"Are you okay? What's wrong?" Emily asked.
"Why do I have to be like this Em? Why can't I be normal?"
"Because you perfect the way you are." She hugged me tightly. I nodded and cried into her shoulder.