What If I'm a Snowstorm Burning?
Thirteen
“Alright,” I got off the bed too, and followed Bill downstairs. When we got downstairs, we saw what Tom had been busy with. The living room had piles of pillows and blankets everywhere and the coffee table in front of the couch was covered in all kinds of food: popcorn, sodas, chips, cookies, and a few bags of skittles. Bill and I stood silently, looking at Tom’s work, when he walked in from the kitchen.
“Oh hey. Um, Selena, I didn’t know if you ate at the restaurant or not, but Bill and I haven’t, so I put a pizza in the oven and the movies are in front of the TV if you guys want to pick one out.”
“No! I wanna pick the movie. Don’t look, Selena,” Bill bounced off towards the TV.
“Okay,” I sighed.
“Would you like something to drink?” Tom asked. “Soda, coffee, water?”
“Sure. Water.”
“Oh, I want a coke, Tomi,” Bill interrupted. Tom rolled his eyes and faced me.
“Want to help me real quick?”
“Ok.” Tom led me into the kitchen where he grabbed two cokes and a bottle of water from the fridge.
“So,” he began and jumped up onto the counter, opening his coke and taking a sip. “What did you and Bill talk about?” His eyes shone jokingly.
“Um, I guess we’re gonna try to be friends now, I don’t know exactly,” I scrunched my face and shrugged my shoulders.
Tom chuckled, “And?” he pressed.
“Oh, well he told me about your band,” I gently smacked his knee. “How could you not tell me something like this? It’s kind of a big deal.”
“I know and I’m sorry, but I just wanted to get to know you without having to worry if that was the only reason you were putting up with me.”
“Oh, I guess that makes sense, but still,” I pulled my face into a pout and looked at Tom.
“You are more like Bill than I could’ve ever imagined,” he laughed and jumped off the counter, grabbing my hand. “Let’s go Drama Queen; I’m sure Bill has found a movie by now.”
In the living room, Bill was sitting with his back against the couch and his feet under the coffee table, pigging out on a bag of chips. I went and took a seat next to him with Tom on my other side.
“Ready?” Bill asked.
“Yep,” I handed him his coke. The TV turned on and I saw the opening menu for The Exorcism of Emily Rose.
“Seriously?” I questioned.
“What? Have you seen it before?” Tom asked.
“No, but it looks kind of dumb.”
“Shh, just watch,” Bill commanded.
“Fine,” I wiggled a bit from side to side, trying to get comfortable between the twins as the movie started.
“What the fuck is wrong with her?!” I screeched. I had my face buried in Tom’s dreads, my hands wrapped tightly around a clump of his t-shirt. On screen, the girl playing Emily was having some kind of seizure in the middle of a church and it was seriously freaking me out.
“‘Kind of dumb’ huh?” Bill teased.
“Shut up,” I whined. Just then, the front door opened and I screamed, burying my head even further into Tom’s neck.
“You alright, Selena?” I heard Gordon’s voice through Tom’s hair. He was standing behind the couch, an amused look on his face while Tom and Bill cracked up laughing.
“Mmhmm,” I mumbled to Gordon. “You guys suck,” I whispered under my breath at the twins. They responded by laughing even harder.
“Tom! Bill!” Gordon bellowed from the kitchen.
“Ja?!” They both answered.
“Were you planning on eating this pizza?”
“Scheisse,” Tom jumped up and shuffled into the kitchen, Bill and I close behind him. When Bill and I entered the kitchen, Tom was pulling the pizza out of the oven while exclaiming, “See, it’s perfect!”
I snorted. The pizza had a thin layer of dark brown all over and the crust looked like it had sat in a fire for days. Sad to say though, that didn’t stop us from eating every last bit of it. When we finished, we returned to the living room to continue the movie. Fifteen minutes into it, however, Simone came home and interrupted us.
“Selena, dear, how are you? Do you need anything? Have the boys been behaving?” She rushed.
“I’m alright,” I answered.
“Mom, leave her alone. Bill and I are taking care of her. We’ve got this under control,” Tom assured a little defensively. She winked at me before giving her boys each a kiss and heading off to bed.
The boys and I went back to watching the movie. It was somewhere in the following twenty minutes that I finally fell asleep, and thanks to the boys, my mind was more preoccupied with a new friendship than my family slowly falling apart.
“Oh hey. Um, Selena, I didn’t know if you ate at the restaurant or not, but Bill and I haven’t, so I put a pizza in the oven and the movies are in front of the TV if you guys want to pick one out.”
“No! I wanna pick the movie. Don’t look, Selena,” Bill bounced off towards the TV.
“Okay,” I sighed.
“Would you like something to drink?” Tom asked. “Soda, coffee, water?”
“Sure. Water.”
“Oh, I want a coke, Tomi,” Bill interrupted. Tom rolled his eyes and faced me.
“Want to help me real quick?”
“Ok.” Tom led me into the kitchen where he grabbed two cokes and a bottle of water from the fridge.
“So,” he began and jumped up onto the counter, opening his coke and taking a sip. “What did you and Bill talk about?” His eyes shone jokingly.
“Um, I guess we’re gonna try to be friends now, I don’t know exactly,” I scrunched my face and shrugged my shoulders.
Tom chuckled, “And?” he pressed.
“Oh, well he told me about your band,” I gently smacked his knee. “How could you not tell me something like this? It’s kind of a big deal.”
“I know and I’m sorry, but I just wanted to get to know you without having to worry if that was the only reason you were putting up with me.”
“Oh, I guess that makes sense, but still,” I pulled my face into a pout and looked at Tom.
“You are more like Bill than I could’ve ever imagined,” he laughed and jumped off the counter, grabbing my hand. “Let’s go Drama Queen; I’m sure Bill has found a movie by now.”
In the living room, Bill was sitting with his back against the couch and his feet under the coffee table, pigging out on a bag of chips. I went and took a seat next to him with Tom on my other side.
“Ready?” Bill asked.
“Yep,” I handed him his coke. The TV turned on and I saw the opening menu for The Exorcism of Emily Rose.
“Seriously?” I questioned.
“What? Have you seen it before?” Tom asked.
“No, but it looks kind of dumb.”
“Shh, just watch,” Bill commanded.
“Fine,” I wiggled a bit from side to side, trying to get comfortable between the twins as the movie started.
“What the fuck is wrong with her?!” I screeched. I had my face buried in Tom’s dreads, my hands wrapped tightly around a clump of his t-shirt. On screen, the girl playing Emily was having some kind of seizure in the middle of a church and it was seriously freaking me out.
“‘Kind of dumb’ huh?” Bill teased.
“Shut up,” I whined. Just then, the front door opened and I screamed, burying my head even further into Tom’s neck.
“You alright, Selena?” I heard Gordon’s voice through Tom’s hair. He was standing behind the couch, an amused look on his face while Tom and Bill cracked up laughing.
“Mmhmm,” I mumbled to Gordon. “You guys suck,” I whispered under my breath at the twins. They responded by laughing even harder.
“Tom! Bill!” Gordon bellowed from the kitchen.
“Ja?!” They both answered.
“Were you planning on eating this pizza?”
“Scheisse,” Tom jumped up and shuffled into the kitchen, Bill and I close behind him. When Bill and I entered the kitchen, Tom was pulling the pizza out of the oven while exclaiming, “See, it’s perfect!”
I snorted. The pizza had a thin layer of dark brown all over and the crust looked like it had sat in a fire for days. Sad to say though, that didn’t stop us from eating every last bit of it. When we finished, we returned to the living room to continue the movie. Fifteen minutes into it, however, Simone came home and interrupted us.
“Selena, dear, how are you? Do you need anything? Have the boys been behaving?” She rushed.
“I’m alright,” I answered.
“Mom, leave her alone. Bill and I are taking care of her. We’ve got this under control,” Tom assured a little defensively. She winked at me before giving her boys each a kiss and heading off to bed.
The boys and I went back to watching the movie. It was somewhere in the following twenty minutes that I finally fell asleep, and thanks to the boys, my mind was more preoccupied with a new friendship than my family slowly falling apart.