You Give Love a Bad Name
Brotherly Eye
I stared at the words, the beating of my heart echoing in my ears. Did this mean something? Or was I blowing everything out of proportion?
There was a knock on my door and I span in my computer chair to face the noise.
"Come in!"
I smiled as I caught a sight of Mikey's unruly hair, followed by the rest of him. "Sup, Mikester?"
"Not much, Lennie-poo," my brother grinned at me, walking in and sitting down on my bed. "I've heard you've been getting flowers lately, eh? Who do I have to evaluate with my brotherly eye?"
I laughed and threw a cushion at his head. "Shut up, Michael. I'm sure Gerard told you who they were from."
"Okay, fine, he did," Mikey admitted, taking of his glasses and starting to rub them with the hem with his shirt. "If I didn't know Frank any better, I'd say he was making a pass at you."
I shrugged, biting my lip. "Friendship flowers, that's all. Besides, dating Frank would be totally weird. We've known each other since the Stone Age. Or it feels like it, anyway. What would you say to brake the ice on the first date? 'Can't be the 'so, tell me more about yourself' line. We know everything about each other, and - "
"Whoa, whoa, whoa," Mikey raised up both of his hands, not bothering to hide his growing smirk. "I was just saying. Way to get all defensive."
I rolled my eyes and turned to face the computer screen.
"Who are you going to the Halloween Dance with?" Mikey changed the subject, obviously noticing my discomfort.
"I'm not going."
"Oh, come on," Mikey groaned behind me. "Stop being so anti-social. You didn't go to Homecoming either."
"Because," I turned to face him, "dances are stupid and full of drama. Last year's Prom? Have you forgot about that?"
"So you're gonna hide because of what some stupid jerk did to you? Jeezus, Lena."
"Remember, Mikey, to me, back then, he wasn't a jerk. He was the perfect boyfriend."
"Guess what's new in the neighborhood?"
It was Friday night and I was sitting in the kitchen, eating and reading the local newspaper at the same time.
"Hmm?" I made a half-hearted attempt at a reply for Mom, my eyes never leaving the newspaper in front of me.
"A family moved in to the Ostranga's house. I hope you didn't make any plans for tomorrow night, because I invited them over for dinner."
I looked up, a fork with mash potatoes halfway to my mouth. "Huh?"
Molly and Robert Orstranga were a nice elderly couple that lived next door to us. Sadly, a couple of months ago, they sold their house so they could move closer to their only daughter's family in Arizona.
"Well," Mom smiled, drying her hands with a dish towel. "They have a boy your age, he's a going to school as a Senior on Monday, and I thought you and Mikey could show him around seeing that he doesn't know anyone here."
"Does Mikey know about this?"
"Yes," Mom nodded, sitting down on the chair across from me. "So does Gerard. I hope you three will behave. We want our new neighbors' first impression of us to be a good one, after all."
"Okay, Mom."
"That's my girl," she smiled at me, standing up. "Be home by five."
"Shut up, Frank!"
It was Saturday afternoon, minutes before our new neighbors were about to arrive, and I was sitting on the comfy computer chair in my room, a huge smile on my face.
"Not until you tell me what you got me for my birthday."
"No."
"Yes."
"No."
"Please?"
"Maybe."
"Really?"
I started laughing. "No."
"Ugh, you suck."
"Like I haven't heard that one before," I smiled into the phone, twirling in the computer chair. "You'll just have to wait and see, just like everyone else."
"Did you evenbuy my gift yet?"
"Not telling."
"Fine," Frank's voice whined on the other line. "Remind me why you can't come over today, again?"
"Because," I rolled my eyes, but then realized that he couldn't see. "Because today, we have our new neighbors coming over for dinner. Did you get it this time?"
"Ditch them and come over anyway."
"My Mom'll kill me, you know that."
"She'd have to go through me first."
I snorted. "Oh yeah, 'cause taking down a five foot four tall teen is totally out of my Mom's reach."
"Hey! Ido work out, you know."
"What do you want? A medal?"
"No, I want you to tell me what you got for my birthday.And for you to come over."
There was a knock on my bedroom door. Not bothering to wait for my reply, Mom's head popped in.
"Lena, come and help me set up for dinner. The guests will arrive in ten or so minutes."
I covered the phone's mouthpiece with my left hand. "Okay, Mom. I'll be down in a minute."
Nodding, she smiled and disappeared behind the closed door.
"Listen, I've got to go," I informed Frank, who was patiently waiting on the other line. "I need to help with dinner."
He groaned. "Fine, but tomorrow it's Lena and Frank day. We need to catch up."
My eyes doubled in size. "On what? I saw you yesterday after school!"
"Bye, Lena."
"Fra-"
He hung up the phone.
There was a knock on my door and I span in my computer chair to face the noise.
"Come in!"
I smiled as I caught a sight of Mikey's unruly hair, followed by the rest of him. "Sup, Mikester?"
"Not much, Lennie-poo," my brother grinned at me, walking in and sitting down on my bed. "I've heard you've been getting flowers lately, eh? Who do I have to evaluate with my brotherly eye?"
I laughed and threw a cushion at his head. "Shut up, Michael. I'm sure Gerard told you who they were from."
"Okay, fine, he did," Mikey admitted, taking of his glasses and starting to rub them with the hem with his shirt. "If I didn't know Frank any better, I'd say he was making a pass at you."
I shrugged, biting my lip. "Friendship flowers, that's all. Besides, dating Frank would be totally weird. We've known each other since the Stone Age. Or it feels like it, anyway. What would you say to brake the ice on the first date? 'Can't be the 'so, tell me more about yourself' line. We know everything about each other, and - "
"Whoa, whoa, whoa," Mikey raised up both of his hands, not bothering to hide his growing smirk. "I was just saying. Way to get all defensive."
I rolled my eyes and turned to face the computer screen.
"Who are you going to the Halloween Dance with?" Mikey changed the subject, obviously noticing my discomfort.
"I'm not going."
"Oh, come on," Mikey groaned behind me. "Stop being so anti-social. You didn't go to Homecoming either."
"Because," I turned to face him, "dances are stupid and full of drama. Last year's Prom? Have you forgot about that?"
"So you're gonna hide because of what some stupid jerk did to you? Jeezus, Lena."
"Remember, Mikey, to me, back then, he wasn't a jerk. He was the perfect boyfriend."
"Guess what's new in the neighborhood?"
It was Friday night and I was sitting in the kitchen, eating and reading the local newspaper at the same time.
"Hmm?" I made a half-hearted attempt at a reply for Mom, my eyes never leaving the newspaper in front of me.
"A family moved in to the Ostranga's house. I hope you didn't make any plans for tomorrow night, because I invited them over for dinner."
I looked up, a fork with mash potatoes halfway to my mouth. "Huh?"
Molly and Robert Orstranga were a nice elderly couple that lived next door to us. Sadly, a couple of months ago, they sold their house so they could move closer to their only daughter's family in Arizona.
"Well," Mom smiled, drying her hands with a dish towel. "They have a boy your age, he's a going to school as a Senior on Monday, and I thought you and Mikey could show him around seeing that he doesn't know anyone here."
"Does Mikey know about this?"
"Yes," Mom nodded, sitting down on the chair across from me. "So does Gerard. I hope you three will behave. We want our new neighbors' first impression of us to be a good one, after all."
"Okay, Mom."
"That's my girl," she smiled at me, standing up. "Be home by five."
"Shut up, Frank!"
It was Saturday afternoon, minutes before our new neighbors were about to arrive, and I was sitting on the comfy computer chair in my room, a huge smile on my face.
"Not until you tell me what you got me for my birthday."
"No."
"Yes."
"No."
"Please?"
"Maybe."
"Really?"
I started laughing. "No."
"Ugh, you suck."
"Like I haven't heard that one before," I smiled into the phone, twirling in the computer chair. "You'll just have to wait and see, just like everyone else."
"Did you evenbuy my gift yet?"
"Not telling."
"Fine," Frank's voice whined on the other line. "Remind me why you can't come over today, again?"
"Because," I rolled my eyes, but then realized that he couldn't see. "Because today, we have our new neighbors coming over for dinner. Did you get it this time?"
"Ditch them and come over anyway."
"My Mom'll kill me, you know that."
"She'd have to go through me first."
I snorted. "Oh yeah, 'cause taking down a five foot four tall teen is totally out of my Mom's reach."
"Hey! Ido work out, you know."
"What do you want? A medal?"
"No, I want you to tell me what you got for my birthday.And for you to come over."
There was a knock on my bedroom door. Not bothering to wait for my reply, Mom's head popped in.
"Lena, come and help me set up for dinner. The guests will arrive in ten or so minutes."
I covered the phone's mouthpiece with my left hand. "Okay, Mom. I'll be down in a minute."
Nodding, she smiled and disappeared behind the closed door.
"Listen, I've got to go," I informed Frank, who was patiently waiting on the other line. "I need to help with dinner."
He groaned. "Fine, but tomorrow it's Lena and Frank day. We need to catch up."
My eyes doubled in size. "On what? I saw you yesterday after school!"
"Bye, Lena."
"Fra-"
He hung up the phone.