So Fragile Yet So Devious

They were all sitting at the kitchen table enjoying a meal cooked by none other than Mrs. Thomson. Lasagna, garlic bread, and a colorful tossed salad. Something weird kept happening at dinner only to Corey’s lady friend.

“Damn it.” Scarlett cursed as the salt dumped out onto her plate when she turned up the shaker. Then it happened again with the pepper. Mick glanced at his sister who nonchalantly kept picking at her pasta and grinned. He knew exactly what was going on. It wasn’t that he didn’t care for Scarlett, he just appreciated a good prank when he saw one. Hell, he’d taught her that prank himself. He was almost beaming with pride. When Scarlett picked up the tampered-with milk carton, Mick and Corey both lost it as the milk spilled out of the little holes in the sides.

“What the hell is the deal?” She huffed as she scurried to clean up the salt, pepper, and milk.

“Wow…you’re kind of a messy eater…” Alex said casually earning a glare.

“You little brat!”

“Babe, calm down.” Corey said in an attempt to soothe is fiancé.

“I will NOT calm down. She did all this. Aren’t you going to do something about it?” He didn’t answer immediately and she stormed out.

“It was just a prank. Shit, grow a sense of humor.” He said shaking his head vigorously and following close behind.

Mick and Alex both helped clean up the dinner table then she headed to her room. He watched his sister’s ponytail bob down the hall and figured he’d go see what she’d been up to.

“So, those were some well executed pranks…” He said standing in her doorway.

“Thanks.”

“Kind of mean though….”

“She was mean to me first.”

He shook his head, “I seem to remember you throwing a tantrum when you met her on the sidewalk.”

She huffed and slammed her notebook shut, “Yeah, but I apologized to her. And I meant it. But she was being a bitch. She wouldn’t even talk to me.”

“Look, I know you have a little crush on Corey.” Her eyes bulged. “Oh, come on little sis, it’s obvious.”

“Your point?”

“My point is you can’t be mean to her just because she’s with him…”

“Ugh. You’re going to make me apologize aren’t you?” He just nodded. “Fine. Fine Fine.”

She plodded down the hall to the guest room since her parents had invited Corey and Scarlett to stay the night since they’d had such a long flight. Sighing, she picked her hand up to knock on the door.

“Oh, shut the fuck up.” She heard Corey say in an argumentative tone. “She’s a good kid. I heard her apologize to you for the fit she through outside. And you wouldn’t even look at her.”

“Corey, I don’t care if she’s Mick’s sister, and I don’t care if you have some sort of a soft spot for her, she’s a total brat and I don’t want to be around her. Now, you either take me somewhere else or I’ll walk.”

She didn’t hear Corey respond and wondered what he would say. She listened at the awkward silence behind the door and decided to finally tap on it and see if she’d get an answer.

“Yeah?”

“Corey? Umm…could I talk to you and Scarlett?”

“Great. I wonder what she’s gonna do now.” She heard her huff.

He rolled his eyes at his fiancé, “Yeah, sure.”

“Umm,” She almost stuttered. “Scarlett, I know you don’t like me right now….I just wanted to say I’m sorry about all the pranks at dinner. It’s just…me and my brother and the guys do that kind of stuff all the time. But, I see that you’re not into it. So, I’m sorry.”

Scarlett just stood there. He cleared his throat loudly and elbowed her. She glared at him then looked at her, “Apology accepted.”

“I’ll leave you guys alone now.” Alex said lowly and began to retreat from the room.

“Hey, wait.” Corey called after her. “You want your present?”

She spun around on her heels and the grin on her face gave him the answer he was looking for.

“We’ll be back, babe.” He said kissing his fiancé on the cheek and grabbing the car keys off the table. They got in the car and headed out to pick her gift up.

“Can I open my eyes yet?” She asked as she held her hands over her face.

“Just a sec.” She could her him fiddling with something but couldn’t tell what. “Ok. Hold your hands out but keep your eyes shut.” She did as told and as soon as he placed the gift her hands her eyes popped open to see the small kitten he’d place in her palms.

“Corey! I love it.”

He grinned and petted the small animal’s head, “I saw this little guy….thought you might like to take care of him.”

“Thanks.” She smiled as she played with kitten.

“Well, what are you gonna name it?”

“I have no idea.” She laughed. That was a lie. She knew exactly what she was going to name the kitten: Todd.

On the ride back, as the kitten frolicked in her lap she looked at him as he drove, his eyes focused on the road in front of him.

“When are you leaving again?” She asked suddenly.

“Huh?”

“When are you leaving again? I know you are. You guys never stick around for long.”

“A few days.”

“How long’s this tour going to be?”

He shrugged, “Probably pretty long.”

“You really gonna marry her?”

He stopped at the stop light and glanced at her with a smirk, “What’s with all the hard questions?”

“I don’t know…….Just curious….”

“Yeah, I’m gonna marry her…”

“As long as she treats you good, I guess that’s okay.”

He looked at her with the most peculiar look on his face but soon placed his attention back on the road.