Everyday Combat

Under the cover of darkness - well, we had blacked out the shed windows and were using dad's old lamp he uses when he goes fishing - the stink bomb lay semi-intact before us on the worktop dad had constructed to work upon. Even though we were in California, I was still out here with one of Zacks tops and a pair of his plaid pants on over my own top and shorts to keep warm, with socks on my feet.

Mom thought we'd got rid of the stink bomb. What mom forgot (and tended to do so on a regular basis) was that apart from raising two not-so-shitty little shits, she had also raised modern Einstein’s, so we were never short of ways to hide it from her.

Just for the record, my mother may be a lawyer and my father a police officer, but I am cleverer than them both, and it is always a plus for a teenager to be cleverer than her clever parents.

So anyway, right now Julie and Antonio Baker were fast asleep in their bed (we could hear dad snoring even from here in the shed) in the blissful knowledge their twins Zachary James and Faith Annalisa were fast asleep in their respective rooms.

Chyeah right.

It was Jimmy's sisters graduation in 3 days and because of mom the damn stink bomb was still unfinished. Thankfully, she was in office all weekend working and dad was going on a fishing trip with friends from work, leaving us unattended for most of the weekend since our grandparents wouldn't keep that much of an eye on us.

I mean, can you really imagine my Italian grandparents who were typical traditionalists (no sex before marriage; no marriage before courting; gentlemanly gentlemen; feminine women; no anything before marriage) jumping into a pit of sweaty kids whilst The Misfits played loud anarchistic music back to them?

Mmm, real good.

But anyways, right now. I tucked another strand of my dark hair behind my ear and pulled my thick rimmed glasses from my face and wiped them on the edge of my shirt, then rubbed my fists over my eyes before replacing my glasses to my face. Zack, who was also wearing his glasses, but were proceeding to make a break for freedom considering they rest almost on the end of his nose, frowned as he re-soldered a wire.

"Why don't you just put contacts in?" He asked, glancing up.

"Why don't you?" I retorted.

Zack straightened up to his full height of giant foot bazillion inches, studied me, then shook his head slightly with a small chuckle. Everybody knew I had the crapper sight of the two of us, and lately it wasn't only when I had headaches or when I was reading that I needed them; I now, also, needed them when I was tired.

"Faith, go to bed," he now instructed.

"What?! No!" I hissed defiantly. "I'm fine, honest."

We stared each other out for a few moments before going back to the stink bomb. I was tired and I should go back to bed. We both knew this but I was too stubborn, so I stayed exactly where I was helping my brother. I mean, who else out of our clique could make a remote control stink bomb?

Zack and I had a combined IQ of 320. They didn't have an IQ at all, or at least, they don't act like they have one anyway. Except Sarah but that's whatever.

After another half hour in which I had to kick my darling brother for yelling because something wouldn't go as he wanted (I may be tired but he was pissed at Sarah for something and I would be getting it out of him) several times the stink bomb was almost finished, but I was almost asleep and Zack's nerves were shredded to fuck.

Pulling my glasses from my face once more, I rubbed my eyes and let out a huge yawn before replacing them and looking my brother directly in the eye. "What have you argued about?"

Zack stopped cussing out the two wires he couldn't connect and looked up at me with a frown of confusion. "Huh?"

"Ergh, I know something is up with you! You've been moping round since Sarah left!" I felt like yelling at him. "You've sworn at the thing 8 times in 2 minutes Zack, and you don't do that if something isn't up. Now talk."

"Faith I'm fine!" Zack retorted.

Suddenly I heard muttering from outside the shed and Zack and I froze. It sounded like mom. "Shit!" The both of us hissed. Quickly, and in pretty much a blind panic we grabbed the stink bomb, unlocked the door, turned off the lamp and hid under the work top in darkness, waiting for the moment when mom would open the door.

I couldn't help but grin, and I had a feeling Zack would be too. Oh the thrill of sneaking around at night making things we shouldn't.

Suddenly the door creaked open, casting the glow from the kitchen lights across the floor. Thankfully, it didn't reach us where we were hiding, our hands clasped over each others mouths trying not to laugh out loud. "They're not in here, Tony," Mom said, her feet turning to face back out the shed.

We were both about to give a sigh of relief when suddenly dads feet appeared at the shed door. Shit shit shit. "Zachary and Faith you get your asses our of this shed and into that kitchen this instant!" Dad yelled angrily.

With no other way out now, the both of us prized ourselves from our hiding spot and hurriedly shuffled past dad towards the kitchen door which was open, spilling the light from inside across the deck, or what was going to be moms deck once dad actually had some time to finish it.

Quickly we made our way through the kitchen to the stairs but soon found ourselves being called back angrily to the kitchen where mom and dad were standing on one side of the table, the stink bomb on display in front of them and their arms folded with 'sit' looks on their faces.

I didn't argue, I just sat down and stared at my feet. "Look at me," Dad growled, and we both looked up at his angry face. "Remind me, what exactly it was your mother told you to do with this." Dad pointed at our stink bomb that was finally finished and perfect (we had tested it using air freshener; the nasty was being saved for D-Day).

"Throw it away," we mumbled simultaneously.

"So when you are told to throw something away, what should you do?" Dad went on.

"Throw it away," we replied once more.

"So why the hell do we find you with it?"

Neither of us spoke. I wanted to glance at Zack, but I didn't dare take my eyes off dad for fear of what might happen if I did.

"So what's the answer?!" Dad yelled. "You are not leaving this table until you have given me one!"

"Because we didn't do as we're told?" I heard Zack whisper as I did so.

"So you two do know how to use your 160 IQ," Mom now spoke up sarcastically. "I suppose you can figure out that you are both grounded for the next 6 weeks, then?"

I wasn't going to argue. I was going to accept defeat, apologise profusely to Jimmy, and let myself be incarcerated for the next 6 weeks without fuss. Zack, however, was in no hurry to let this slide. Though I'm guessing the fact that because he was already pissed off at Sarah (though he still didn't tell me why) wasn't going to help.

"You're just jealous we're cleverer than the both of you," he snapped. Shocked, my head shot round to look at him, my eyes wide as both mom and dad mimicked me.

"I beg your pardon?" Mom gasped.

"You two, you're just jealous that you're kids are cleverer than you," he replied defiantly folding his arms over his chest, and stretching his legs out in front of him. I just couldn't stop staring in utter disbelief at him. Our punishment was about to get worse, tenfold. "You're jealous that we actually have the brains to create remote controlled stink bombs, whilst all you two can do is argue in court and arrest people."

"Zack!" I hissed, reaching across and hitting his arm. "What the fuck are you doing?!"

"Giving them a piece of my mind that's what!" Zack retorted, looking at me just as angrily as dad had looked at the both of us. "First fucking Sarah now this! This is just fucked up! I don't see why I should be punished for using my brains! It's not like I'm out on the streets doing drugs and-"

Everything moved a bit fast then but when I realised what was going on, mom was stood between Zack, who had pushed me behind him, and dad who both had clenched fists. Seeing that, my eyes widened. Mom was shaking with fury. Absolute fury. More fury than I had ever seen her expel.

And all I could think about was was dad and Zack going to hit each other?

"If you two so much as lay a finger on each other so God help your souls because I will kill you both!" Mom yelled looking between father and son, whilst I coward behind my brother, who had one hand back holding me behind him protectively.

"Grounded. The both of you. Three months," Dad said through gritted teeth before walking away and we heard his feet thumping on the stairs. I looked at mom in disbelief.

"Mom!" I whined. "Not three months! Why should I be punished for what my stupid brother did?!"

"Your fathers word is final," Mom replied, before throwing her arm out towards the kitchen door. "Bed, the both of you."

Huffing, I stormed from the room, tears stinging my eyes. I couldn't believe Zack. Just because he'd had a bust up with his girlfriend he had to go and yell at our parents and get us both grounded forever! Well 3 months, but still! Warped Tour would be over by then!

Hovering in my bedroom door, I saw mom come up the stairs before Zack shuffled on up the landing towards our doors. And I couldn't help but launch myself at him, pummelling him with my fists angrily. "You fucking asshole!" I screamed at him as he tried to grab a hold of my wrists to stop me. "Just because you've fallen out with your girlfriend doesn't mean you should take it out on us! Because of you I no longer have a summer!"

Suddenly a pair of hands grabbed me and I was led backwards into my room, before being released onto my bed. Dad stood watching me, my chest heaving and my face streaked with angry tears. "Calm down," he said, rubbing my back. I threw his arm off and moved across the room.

"Why? You're the one that grounded me too," I retorted, feeling like hitting him too.

"I'm sorry Faith, but you have to learn and if this is the only way to do it then so be it," Dad began, pulling me back to the bed. and tucking me up. "Now, go to sleep and calm down, you'll hurt yourself bella ragazza. L'amo, l'angelo."

I scowled and rolled onto my side to face the wall. Maybe I would return the sentiment in the morning when I had slept off some of my anger. I heard dad sigh and walk to the door. After a few minutes, he finally switched off the light and closed the door, whispering something to mom.

I sighed myself, and screwed my eyes up. Right now, I just wanted to go to sleep but I was currently too angry to do so, so instead I flipped on my lamp, grabbed up Harry Potter and my glasses and began to read until eventually I fell asleep.