Status: updates when inspiration and free time collide.
Permanently Yours
They Ruined Her Name.
We got made fun of pretty badly in fifth grade. I got made fun of because of my weight and braces. I didn’t play a lot of sports and I had some fucked up teeth. I was the fat girl in class. And I mean, the fat girl – all the other girls were so skinny. Garrett got made fun of because of his childish nature…and the fact that he was related to me, of course.
In school, I was known as “Fat Girl” and Garrett was usually known as “Fat Girl’s Brother.” It hurt, but I didn’t show it. I swear, I cried myself to sleep at least once a week. I tried not eating, but that only seemed to make me fatter. I don’t know what I hated more – school or home.
Garrett and I fought so much these days, but our parents were the real instigators. It was always, “Garrett, why don’t you get good grades like Grey?” or “Grey, why don’t you get more involved in the school like Garrett?” They were constantly pitting us against each other, and I’m pretty sure they were doing it on purpose…
Halloween that year was awful. Garrett was a ninja assassin or something. I was Belle from Beauty and the Beast –just the simple blue dress, not the pretty yellow one. We were trick or treating in our neighborhood before going to Pat’s house (he didn’t live in our neighborhood) for a Halloween party later. Mom and Dad were finally letting us trick or treat by ourselves this year, so we were super excited. But…a lot of kids that went to our school lived in our neighborhood.
It was embarrassing to be called “Fat Girl” in school, but in our neighborhood? It was infinitely more humiliating. I couldn’t help but cry…and, for once, Garrett stood up for me. “Don’t call my sister that!” he yelled, shoving one of the perpetrators into a nearby stop sign. She obviously didn’t expect Garrett to respond, because she just stared at him in shock before scuttling off with the rest of her pretty little toothpick friends.
“Please don’t cry, sissy,” Garrett muttered, trying to pull my hands off my face. I wouldn’t let him. I’d never cried in front of him before. I didn’t need to add to the humiliation that was already piled up high. “I won’t let anyone ever call you that again. I’m sorry I didn’t say or do anything. I-I didn’t know they bothered you so much…”
“I know,” I sniffled, wiping my tears away. “Can we…Can we just finish trick or treating, and then go home? I don’t want to go to Pat’s party anymore…”
In all honesty, I had no idea who Pat was. I just knew he was one of the kids Garrett ate lunch with. Garrett was semi popular at school. I stayed away from Garrett’s friends, and everyone stayed away from me. Clean, simple system. We finished trick or treating on about 5 blocks before going home, absolutely exhausted, but delighted with how much candy we got this year. Even though there’s always that one weird neighbor that will give you a toothbrush, and those neighbors that just leave candy out on their doorstep so whoever got to their house before you took all the candy before anyone else could get some…We did get some good candy.
“Let’s use my room, sissy,” Garrett offered, sheathing his ninja sword and opening the front door. I took our bags of candy to his room while he explained to our parents that we weren’t going to Pat’s party. “Alright,” he sighed, coming into the room a few minutes later. “Let’s do this!”
We grinned at each other before emptying the contents of our candy bags onto the floor. Every year, we would sort through our bags together. Garrett liked hard candies, gummies, and other sweets of that nature. I loved all things chocolate. We had fun sorting out our candy. Garrett got all the gross stuff and I got all the chocolate, always.
We were so tired from trick or treating that we just fell asleep on his floor.
That was the first time I felt like…real siblings.
In school, I was known as “Fat Girl” and Garrett was usually known as “Fat Girl’s Brother.” It hurt, but I didn’t show it. I swear, I cried myself to sleep at least once a week. I tried not eating, but that only seemed to make me fatter. I don’t know what I hated more – school or home.
Garrett and I fought so much these days, but our parents were the real instigators. It was always, “Garrett, why don’t you get good grades like Grey?” or “Grey, why don’t you get more involved in the school like Garrett?” They were constantly pitting us against each other, and I’m pretty sure they were doing it on purpose…
Halloween that year was awful. Garrett was a ninja assassin or something. I was Belle from Beauty and the Beast –just the simple blue dress, not the pretty yellow one. We were trick or treating in our neighborhood before going to Pat’s house (he didn’t live in our neighborhood) for a Halloween party later. Mom and Dad were finally letting us trick or treat by ourselves this year, so we were super excited. But…a lot of kids that went to our school lived in our neighborhood.
It was embarrassing to be called “Fat Girl” in school, but in our neighborhood? It was infinitely more humiliating. I couldn’t help but cry…and, for once, Garrett stood up for me. “Don’t call my sister that!” he yelled, shoving one of the perpetrators into a nearby stop sign. She obviously didn’t expect Garrett to respond, because she just stared at him in shock before scuttling off with the rest of her pretty little toothpick friends.
“Please don’t cry, sissy,” Garrett muttered, trying to pull my hands off my face. I wouldn’t let him. I’d never cried in front of him before. I didn’t need to add to the humiliation that was already piled up high. “I won’t let anyone ever call you that again. I’m sorry I didn’t say or do anything. I-I didn’t know they bothered you so much…”
“I know,” I sniffled, wiping my tears away. “Can we…Can we just finish trick or treating, and then go home? I don’t want to go to Pat’s party anymore…”
In all honesty, I had no idea who Pat was. I just knew he was one of the kids Garrett ate lunch with. Garrett was semi popular at school. I stayed away from Garrett’s friends, and everyone stayed away from me. Clean, simple system. We finished trick or treating on about 5 blocks before going home, absolutely exhausted, but delighted with how much candy we got this year. Even though there’s always that one weird neighbor that will give you a toothbrush, and those neighbors that just leave candy out on their doorstep so whoever got to their house before you took all the candy before anyone else could get some…We did get some good candy.
“Let’s use my room, sissy,” Garrett offered, sheathing his ninja sword and opening the front door. I took our bags of candy to his room while he explained to our parents that we weren’t going to Pat’s party. “Alright,” he sighed, coming into the room a few minutes later. “Let’s do this!”
We grinned at each other before emptying the contents of our candy bags onto the floor. Every year, we would sort through our bags together. Garrett liked hard candies, gummies, and other sweets of that nature. I loved all things chocolate. We had fun sorting out our candy. Garrett got all the gross stuff and I got all the chocolate, always.
We were so tired from trick or treating that we just fell asleep on his floor.
That was the first time I felt like…real siblings.
♠ ♠ ♠
inspiration. thanks for reading, hope you liked it!ally and jennabobenna, i can't thank you enough for your constant comments.
feedback would be lovely ♡