Status: NEW
So Fragile Yet So Devious
Who is she?
The days wore by slowly after the guys left. The fact that Mick barely called just made it worse. She wondered what they were doing, who all they’d met, how the cd was coming, when she would hear it, and, most importantly, when and if they’d be back.
She’d just come home from school and the phone was ringing. No one else was in a hurry to answer the phone so she picked it up.
“Hello?”
“Alex that you?” Her brother’s deep voiced asked.
“Mick? Hey!”
“Guess what?” He asked with excitement in his voice.
“Ummmmm I give…”
“We finished the album.”
Her chest swelled with excitement. They were finished. They could come home now. Right? “That mean you’re coming back?!”
“Uhhh…..well, not exactly.”
“What’s that mean?” He could tell she was scowling even over the phone.
“Well, we’ve got to go on tour. It’s gonna be really great and we-“ He was cut off when she slammed down the phone and hung up. It rang again within seconds but she let her parents get it. She wasn’t in the mood to speak anyone after getting that shitty piece of news.
Thanksgiving and Christmas came and they still didn’t come home. By the time January rolled around, she was furious. All she wanted in the world was to see her brother….and HIM. It took a while but she finally realized it wouldn’t happen. Those predications she’d made to Corey had come to fruition. They forgot her.
It wasn’t until after they’d finished recording ‘Iowa’ that they had enough of a break to come home. She spoke to her brother on the phone a couple of times. The fact that they had named their new cd after their ‘Home’ was an irony not lost on her. Shit, they hadn’t been there in 2 years. Almost 3. She looked at the calendar and shrugged. ‘I guess at least they’ll be here for my birthday………if they even care….’
She was sitting her room scribbling in a composition notebook when she heard the front door of the house creak open and the sounds of multiple male voices filled the air. Tossing her pen down, she bolted out of the bedroom door and sprinted down the steps.
“Mick!” she jumped up into his arms and he laughed. “I missed you.”
“Missed you too, Sis.” He said hugging her and smiling fondly.
“Hey kiddo.” Shawn waved his eerie yet friendly wave that she’d almost forgotten all about. She looked past his shoulders and outside the door. There he was. She squealed and took off knocking both Shawn and Mick back in the process.
“Corey!” she shouted causing him to look up and remove his shades. Before he could get any words out, she was wrapped around him.
“Hey Dolly.” He smirked and hugged her back. “Step back a sec. Let me get a good look at you.”
She did as she was told and stood there nervously as he looked her over.
“God, you’re fucking growing up.” He laughed. “I think you’re taller than Joey now.”
She was so excited to see him that she didn’t even notice the woman standing behind him. Instantly, her smile waned and the flicker in her bold, green eyes disappeared.
“Who the hell is that?”
He had a look of shock on his face but shook it off and answered. “Oh, sorry. Alex this is Scarlett. My fiancé. Scarlett, this is Mick’s kid sister, Alex.”
“I’m not a kid.” She argued before turning to stomp off.
He glanced to Chris, “I do something wrong?” He just shrugged.
“Knock. Knock.” He said rather than actually carrying out the action. “You in there, Dolly?”
“Go away.” She hissed or was it more of a growl? Yep. She was Mick’s sister all right.
“C’mon. Let me in.” He stood there for a minute and she didn’t say a word. “Ok, well I was going to take you to pick up your birthday present….but it’s cool. Whatever.” He pretended to take footsteps away and the door swung open. He couldn’t help but laugh. “Finally.”
“Birthday present?”
He rolled his eyes, “Can I come in?” She nodded and pushed past her into the bedroom. “So, what was that all about?”
“What?”
“The way you acted towards Scarlett. That’s what.”
“I just…..wasn’t expecting you to bring a ‘friend’.”
“I can understand that.” He nodded.
“So, about that present.” She said with an impish grin on her face.
“Yeah, I lied.” He said earning a smack across the chest. “Owwwww. Damn, I was kidding. Shit.”
“So, where is it?”
“Not so fast, Dolly. You gotta wait til after dinner which by the way is ready. So, come eat.”
“Is *she* still here?”
He nodded, “Yeah, of course. Come on. For me?” She’d do anything for him and he probably knew that. So, despite her uneasiness, she trudged behind him to the dinner table. When they joined everyone else, she spotted Scarlett in the corner and figured she’d say something to her for Corey’s sake anyway.
“Umm, Scarlett?”
“Yeah. What?”
“I’m sorry for how I acted earlier.” She said offering an apology and a sincere one at that.
“Whatever….” Scarlett mumbled before walking off. She didn’t realize it but she’d messed with the wrong soon-to-be thirteen year old .
She’d just come home from school and the phone was ringing. No one else was in a hurry to answer the phone so she picked it up.
“Hello?”
“Alex that you?” Her brother’s deep voiced asked.
“Mick? Hey!”
“Guess what?” He asked with excitement in his voice.
“Ummmmm I give…”
“We finished the album.”
Her chest swelled with excitement. They were finished. They could come home now. Right? “That mean you’re coming back?!”
“Uhhh…..well, not exactly.”
“What’s that mean?” He could tell she was scowling even over the phone.
“Well, we’ve got to go on tour. It’s gonna be really great and we-“ He was cut off when she slammed down the phone and hung up. It rang again within seconds but she let her parents get it. She wasn’t in the mood to speak anyone after getting that shitty piece of news.
Thanksgiving and Christmas came and they still didn’t come home. By the time January rolled around, she was furious. All she wanted in the world was to see her brother….and HIM. It took a while but she finally realized it wouldn’t happen. Those predications she’d made to Corey had come to fruition. They forgot her.
It wasn’t until after they’d finished recording ‘Iowa’ that they had enough of a break to come home. She spoke to her brother on the phone a couple of times. The fact that they had named their new cd after their ‘Home’ was an irony not lost on her. Shit, they hadn’t been there in 2 years. Almost 3. She looked at the calendar and shrugged. ‘I guess at least they’ll be here for my birthday………if they even care….’
She was sitting her room scribbling in a composition notebook when she heard the front door of the house creak open and the sounds of multiple male voices filled the air. Tossing her pen down, she bolted out of the bedroom door and sprinted down the steps.
“Mick!” she jumped up into his arms and he laughed. “I missed you.”
“Missed you too, Sis.” He said hugging her and smiling fondly.
“Hey kiddo.” Shawn waved his eerie yet friendly wave that she’d almost forgotten all about. She looked past his shoulders and outside the door. There he was. She squealed and took off knocking both Shawn and Mick back in the process.
“Corey!” she shouted causing him to look up and remove his shades. Before he could get any words out, she was wrapped around him.
“Hey Dolly.” He smirked and hugged her back. “Step back a sec. Let me get a good look at you.”
She did as she was told and stood there nervously as he looked her over.
“God, you’re fucking growing up.” He laughed. “I think you’re taller than Joey now.”
She was so excited to see him that she didn’t even notice the woman standing behind him. Instantly, her smile waned and the flicker in her bold, green eyes disappeared.
“Who the hell is that?”
He had a look of shock on his face but shook it off and answered. “Oh, sorry. Alex this is Scarlett. My fiancé. Scarlett, this is Mick’s kid sister, Alex.”
“I’m not a kid.” She argued before turning to stomp off.
He glanced to Chris, “I do something wrong?” He just shrugged.
“Knock. Knock.” He said rather than actually carrying out the action. “You in there, Dolly?”
“Go away.” She hissed or was it more of a growl? Yep. She was Mick’s sister all right.
“C’mon. Let me in.” He stood there for a minute and she didn’t say a word. “Ok, well I was going to take you to pick up your birthday present….but it’s cool. Whatever.” He pretended to take footsteps away and the door swung open. He couldn’t help but laugh. “Finally.”
“Birthday present?”
He rolled his eyes, “Can I come in?” She nodded and pushed past her into the bedroom. “So, what was that all about?”
“What?”
“The way you acted towards Scarlett. That’s what.”
“I just…..wasn’t expecting you to bring a ‘friend’.”
“I can understand that.” He nodded.
“So, about that present.” She said with an impish grin on her face.
“Yeah, I lied.” He said earning a smack across the chest. “Owwwww. Damn, I was kidding. Shit.”
“So, where is it?”
“Not so fast, Dolly. You gotta wait til after dinner which by the way is ready. So, come eat.”
“Is *she* still here?”
He nodded, “Yeah, of course. Come on. For me?” She’d do anything for him and he probably knew that. So, despite her uneasiness, she trudged behind him to the dinner table. When they joined everyone else, she spotted Scarlett in the corner and figured she’d say something to her for Corey’s sake anyway.
“Umm, Scarlett?”
“Yeah. What?”
“I’m sorry for how I acted earlier.” She said offering an apology and a sincere one at that.
“Whatever….” Scarlett mumbled before walking off. She didn’t realize it but she’d messed with the wrong soon-to-be thirteen year old .