“Maybe they have kids your age too.”
“I’m not a kid,” I say with mock annoyance as I poke him in the ribcage. “I will be eighteen in two months and that means I’ll be an adult.”
He gives me a sinister smile. “But that’s in two months so you’re still a kid now.”
My little brother smiles up at me with a sincerity in his eyes and I can’t help to smile back. To him, I’m still a kid who still likes kid things and enjoys watching SpongeBob Squarepants with him on the weekends. To him, being a kid is the greatest thing ever. I wish I still had that sweet innocence. I wish I could be content with where I am in life, instead of always wishing I was older and not strapped under the chains of high school and adolescence.
After shooing Bentley back to his room, I crawl back under the sheets in my warm bed and proceed to stare at the ceiling, unable to sleep. Outside is filled with voices and laughter and the sounds of doors opening and boxes moving. It sounds like three or four people just moved in next door.
I hear a high-pitched woman’s voice threaten to ground someone if they open another toy box before the rest of the truck has been unloaded. Sounds like Bentley will get his wish of having a new friend to play with. Too bad I don’t get my wish of going back to sleep.
6:17 a.m. Me: The neighbors woke me up. Can’t sleep. Miss you tons.
6:19 a.m. Jace: Jerks! I miss you more.
The buzzing of Jace’s reply makes me jump. I wasn’t expecting him to reply so soon. He, like other normal-minded people, likes to sleep in late.
Me: Crap I hope I didn’t wake you. I was just texting to vent.
Jace: I’m up. Headed to the airport. You can text me whenever you want babe.
Me: Bring me a magnet!
Jace: Alway s
The first time he went out of state while we were dating was when he took a trip back home to visit his family in California. He was only there two days, and it wasn’t even a special trip but he brought me back this touristy California magnet from the airport gift shop. I loved it so much that he also brought me one from New Mexico and even Houston, despite how we live just a couple hours away from there. Now, I guess it’s our thing. Jace gets to travel and I get souvenir magnets.
One day I won’t be a little kid anymore. One day I’ll get to go with him.
Mom is just as excited as Bentley to learn that a new family moved in next door. After they eavesdropped on them through the cracks in the living room blinds for five minutes, Mom rushes into the kitchen and starts preparing a batch of her famous brownies for them. I don’t participate in the window eavesdropping because I am not a weirdo like the rest of my family.
Jace texts me nonstop while he waits at Houston’s Hobby Airport for his flight to Anaheim. Mom only makes fun of me twice for my incessant texting, which is a huge improvement from how she used to get pissed off any time Ian, my old boyfriend, so much as sent me one text. But things are way different now. Mom likes Jace. Jace is so not like Ian. Plus, my dear old mother has her new boyfriend that she’s been texting several times a day so she’s just as bad as I am. But she won’t admit it, of course.
The doorbell rings right as Mom puts the finishing touches on her plate of brownies that are covered with decorative plastic wrap and for whatever reason, a silver ribbon. Mom is going a little bit out of her way to impress these people. I head over to the front door and stand on my toes to look through the peep hole. Four faces stare back at me, a picture-perfect example of a married couple with two kids.
“Looks like they beat you to it,” I tell Mom as I pull open the door. Mom rushes to my side, holding the plate of brownies and introduces herself to our new neighbors. Their names are Melissa and John Williams and they are both dentists. They have a son named Jeff who is exactly Bentley’s age which makes everyone way more excited than they should
“I’m not a kid,” I say with mock annoyance as I poke him in the ribcage. “I will be eighteen in two months and that means I’ll be an adult.”
He gives me a sinister smile. “But that’s in two months so you’re still a kid now.”
My little brother smiles up at me with a sincerity in his eyes and I can’t help to smile back. To him, I’m still a kid who still likes kid things and enjoys watching SpongeBob Squarepants with him on the weekends. To him, being a kid is the greatest thing ever. I wish I still had that sweet innocence. I wish I could be content with where I am in life, instead of always wishing I was older and not strapped under the chains of high school and adolescence.
After shooing Bentley back to his room, I crawl back under the sheets in my warm bed and proceed to stare at the ceiling, unable to sleep. Outside is filled with voices and laughter and the sounds of doors opening and boxes moving. It sounds like three or four people just moved in next door.
I hear a high-pitched woman’s voice threaten to ground someone if they open another toy box before the rest of the truck has been unloaded. Sounds like Bentley will get his wish of having a new friend to play with. Too bad I don’t get my wish of going back to sleep.
6:17 a.m. Me: The neighbors woke me up. Can’t sleep. Miss you tons.
6:19 a.m. Jace: Jerks! I miss you more.
The buzzing of Jace’s reply makes me jump. I wasn’t expecting him to reply so soon. He, like other normal-minded people, likes to sleep in late.
Me: Crap I hope I didn’t wake you. I was just texting to vent.
Jace: I’m up. Headed to the airport. You can text me whenever you want babe.
Me: Bring me a magnet!
Jace: Alway s
The first time he went out of state while we were dating was when he took a trip back home to visit his family in California. He was only there two days, and it wasn’t even a special trip but he brought me back this touristy California magnet from the airport gift shop. I loved it so much that he also brought me one from New Mexico and even Houston, despite how we live just a couple hours away from there. Now, I guess it’s our thing. Jace gets to travel and I get souvenir magnets.
One day I won’t be a little kid anymore. One day I’ll get to go with him.
Mom is just as excited as Bentley to learn that a new family moved in next door. After they eavesdropped on them through the cracks in the living room blinds for five minutes, Mom rushes into the kitchen and starts preparing a batch of her famous brownies for them. I don’t participate in the window eavesdropping because I am not a weirdo like the rest of my family.
Jace texts me nonstop while he waits at Houston’s Hobby Airport for his flight to Anaheim. Mom only makes fun of me twice for my incessant texting, which is a huge improvement from how she used to get pissed off any time Ian, my old boyfriend, so much as sent me one text. But things are way different now. Mom likes Jace. Jace is so not like Ian. Plus, my dear old mother has her new boyfriend that she’s been texting several times a day so she’s just as bad as I am. But she won’t admit it, of course.
The doorbell rings right as Mom puts the finishing touches on her plate of brownies that are covered with decorative plastic wrap and for whatever reason, a silver ribbon. Mom is going a little bit out of her way to impress these people. I head over to the front door and stand on my toes to look through the peep hole. Four faces stare back at me, a picture-perfect example of a married couple with two kids.
“Looks like they beat you to it,” I tell Mom as I pull open the door. Mom rushes to my side, holding the plate of brownies and introduces herself to our new neighbors. Their names are Melissa and John Williams and they are both dentists. They have a son named Jeff who is exactly Bentley’s age which makes everyone way more excited than they should
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