Smiles Echo In My Memory

“…A lift? You drive, Iero?” I asked, after realization of what Frank said hit me. A corner of his mouth lifted up, and his hazel eyes scanned me. “I’m an American. We drive when we’re sixteen,”
“And you’re fifteen,” I stated smartly, with one eyebrow raised.
“What people won’t know won’t hurt them,” he replied, finishing his coffee.
“But don’t tell Mom I used my car, she’ll kick my ass. I’ve only got it here because Mom didn’t trust Dad with it,” he explained, rooting around in a drawer in the hallway for his keys. “Why do you have to be home for, anyways?”
“My older sister, Shine is coming over. And we hardly see her now-a-days, because of her and Zahra’s fight about Asad,” I replied, helping him rummage around in the draw. I pulled out the keys and handed them to him before running back up to his room to get my bags.

Zahra and Shine weren’t talking properly anymore, even though they used to be so close. It was because Zahra married Asad, and Shine always thought that Zahra could do better, which I found stupid and pointless, really. But we couldn’t really convince either of them to stop being such twat heads; they were both as stubborn as each other. Anyways, ever since Zahra and Asad got married, Shine and Zahra stopped talking, and whenever Zahra was out either at work or just generally, Shine would come over for a while or usually take me and Ani out.
Ani was my two year younger sister, and I looked out for her just like a big sister would, but we were also close friends. I meant the world to her, and she meant the world to me. It was like that with me and Zahra too, and even though we’d all shout abuse at each other, that was kinda out way of showing our love.
Funny, really, but I wouldn’t change the relationships I have with my sisters for the world.

When I ran back down, Frank had on his sunglasses and hood up, despite the cold windy weather outside. “Frank… What’s up with the glasses?”
“They look cool,” he said simply, like it was a reasonable explanation. I just raised an eyebrow and sighed, moving off the last stair. He grabbed the bags off me and walked out of the front door, leaving it open for me. I followed him out, shutting the door behind me and walking up to what was apparently Franks’ car, which was a three door Fiat Punto SX, and black in colour. It was really nice, if I do say so myself.
“Frank, how the hell did you get a car like this?” I asked, leaning against the passenger door. He smiled, shutting the boot, where he put all my stuff. “My Dad brought it for me when he found out I was moving out here, because he knew he was gonna miss my sixteenth. He always said that he wanted to buy my first car,” he explained, grinning. “But I wasn’t allowed to use it until I turned sixteen, and I can get a drivers license here because I have an American passport and all that jazz.”
Frank pushed me into the passengers’ side of the car, and walked round and sat himself in the drivers’ seat, adjusting the rear view mirror and buckling his seat belt. I followed suit, strapping myself in and turning to look at Frank. “You better drive properly and, I would like to get home without anything broken,” I joked, a slight grin to my face. He smiled lightly back, and squeezed my hand. “I’m an amazing driver. And I wouldn’t let anything happen to you, anyways,” he let go of my hand turned the key in the ignition, starting the car.

The drive to my place was actually somewhat… Not dangerous! Frank was right when he said he was an amazing driver, and to be honest, I didn’t really believe him. I thought we were going to crash and die or something.
He drove round into the car park of my block, parked up in one of the visitors’ spaces, shut off the car and pulled out his keys from the ignition. “Coming in?” I asked, unclipping my seat belt. He rubbed the back of his neck uncertainly. “I don’t know… Isn’t it going to be awkward? I mean, it’s your older sister, and-”
“Shut up. It’ll be fine,” I said bluntly, getting out of the car. I heard him sigh as I slammed the door shut before he got out. He grabbed my bags from the trunk and locked the car, motioning for me to walk ahead of him. I did, and got to my front door, unlocking it to be tackled into a sort of hug. “Sazzy!” Ani screeched, nestling her head into my shoulder.
“Ani, get the fuck off me!” I rasped, pushing her off. She obeyed, and scooted off into the kitchen quickly. Frank came up from behind me and ran into the house and straight up the stairs, taking them two at a time.
“SAZZY!” I heard my mother bellow from the kitchen, and I sighed before closing the door and retreating to my obviously angry mother.
“You knew Shine was coming, why are you so late?!”
“Ma, its 1:30, and Shines’ not coming for another half hour!”
“That’s not the point! You have terrible time keeping skills!” My mother wailed at me, waving a wooden spoon in the air. I sighed and rolled my eyes. Ma smiled faintly, and planted a soft kiss on my cheek. “Anyways, go get ready. Is Frank here? I heard someone going upstairs,” she asked, her tone a lot softer.
“Yeah, he is. Is that okay? He didn’t really want to, but-”
“Oh, no, that’s fine. Shine was going to take you out, anyways. Pizza Hut, I think,” Ma cut me off, going back to stirring her chicken curry with the wooden spoon. I wrinkled my nose, walking out and running up to the top floor, to my bedroom, where Frank was flicking through an old ’Kerrang!’ magazine.
“Frankie, I’m going to do my make-up!” I called, grabbing my small purple make-up bag from the dresser and running over the full-length mirror. My room was quite big, but not bigger than Frank’s. I had only a single bed in one of the corners, and a sofa opposite it, facing my television which had a built-in VCR. My stereo lay on the window still, and my wardrobe was what I liked best about my black, white and red bedroom – It was simply a black and red curtain that sectioned it off from the room, and it was closet sized. I had fixed a metal pole there to hang up garments, and a small set of drawers for my underwear and a shelf above the pole for all my shoes. My scarves and other accessories like headbands, etc. were in a little draw under the shelf. Near my ‘wardrobe’ lay my dresser, with all my make-up, hair stuff, school coursework and whatnot. My full length mirror was near my wardrobe, on the other wall. That wall was a crimson red, he opposite wall was a white and the wall that was opposite my window was black. The remaining wall was covered in pictures and tickets, kinda looking like a scrap book exploded on it. Ten minutes later, my make-up and hair was all done, and Frank came up and grabbed my eyeliner from the bag. He applied a small amount; just enough for his eyes to stand out, before returning his sunglasses back onto the bridge of his nose. “What was the point in that?” I asked, pulling away everything. He shrugged, placing the magazine on the bedside table. “You were putting on make-up, so I did,” he explained, smiling.
“You loser,” I stated, and a shrill voice called from downstairs.
“Sazzy! Frankie! Shines’ here!”
“Oh, Frank, we’re gonna go to Pizza Hut with Shine and Ani, yeah?” I said more like a demand than an asking. He smirked, shrugging. “Not like I have a choice.”

Frank and I bounded down the stairs, to be met with my sister Shine and a small girl standing next to her. She was about my height, maybe an inch taller. She had dark brown eyes, with golden specks, until I realized that she was standing under the hallway light bulb, so the light made them look like that. I loved them, they kinda reminded me of Franks’, but not so hazel. Her hair was a dark brown-black, which was parted way to the side, which looked really cool. I jumped off the last step, and rushing over to my oldest sister, giving her a huge hug and kiss on her cheek. “Hey, Shine!” I said, pulling away. She smiled and asked how I was in her cool, feminine voice. I replied with ‘good’, before asking her the same. She just smiled, and turned to the girl.
“Sazzy, this is Katie. I’ve taken her in, she’s my foster kid I was talking to you about,” she muttered the last part, just so I could hear. I nodded, smiling. I turned to Katie, and introduced myself. “Hey, I’m Sazzy, Shine’s kid sis,” I explained, and glancing over at Frank. He pulled off his glasses, tucking them into the pocket of his hoodie. “And that’s Frank, my best friend,” I said, waving a hand in his direction. He mumbled a ‘hi’, being polite, and stood next to me. Katie smiled brightly, saying a ‘hey’ back in an upbeat, cheerful voice.
“Frank, Sazzy, Katie’s gonna be coming, is that okay?” Shine asked, pushing a strand of wavy copper-brown hair out of her dark brown eyes that were identical to mine. “I’ve already told Ani, she’s waiting in my car.”
“Yeah, that’s cool. You don’t mind me coming do you?” Frank asked, sending Shine an apologetic look.
“Of course not, you’re practically part of our family!” Shine gushed, matter-of-factly. Frank grinned, hugging her slightly. Shine and Frankie got on really well, surprisingly, and I loved that, because they both meant everything to me.