up at him with wide eyes and an open mouth.
“And this is Braith,” my father said.
Braith stepped from behind me and took my sister’s hand. “How ya doin’, beautiful?” He bent down and grabbed her hand and placed his lips on her knuckles.
Oh, god, he was disgusting. I snarled and rolled my eyes.
My sister’s nervousness drained and she grinned. Obviously she couldn’t tell when a guy was a prick. I could tell by the way her shoulders melted and her face began to glow, she fell in love. She must have a thing for accents, too, I thought. “Muy buen,” she said. I choked back a laugh.
Braith didn’t seem to notice. “And who are these two?” He nodded toward the twins.
The twins silently stared up at our visitors, dirty little mouths agape, sticky fingers moving back and forth over their bare bellies. Gaby beamed like the boys were her prized possessions and slightly swayed back and forth. “This is Leonardo,” my sister pointed. “And this one is Horatio.” Gaby said. She touched both of the twins very tenderly, although usually she would be watching TV while they killed themselves on the floor or trying to kill them herself. “We call them Leo and Hank.”
“Whoa,” Braith said. “You seem like such an awesome big sister.” He covered the side of his face and pointed to me. “Better than this one, eh?” Gaby laughed, although my annoyance grew. I knew he was trying to satiate a 13-year-old, but he didn’t even know me and he shouldn’t say that shit in front of my sister! “Will you be an amazing help and watch these two while we go talk to your mum?”
“Sure, Braith. I’ll keep them out of your hair,” she said.
“Save me a dance at your sister’s party?” Braith winked.
Gaby swooned. “Of course, Braith.” She wasn’t very good at hiding her feelings and, right then, she was gushing. Braith didn’t seem to mind. In fact, he seemed to suck it up like the narcissistic air-head that he was. He may have been handsome (unbelievably handsome) but I couldn’t stand that kind of arrogance.
I stared at Braith and shook my head as he winked at Gaby and tousled her hair a bit. Then, my papá lead us into the kitchen where my grandparents and mom were.
They were in the middle of what seemed to be a very cheery conversation. My mom is very animated and used her whole body in a conversation, swaying from her waist and emphasizing points in the conversation with her hands making funny faces. I always made fun of her for those faces she made, but she couldn’t really help it. It’s just how she made a point. Right when we walked in, my mom must have been describing something large as her arms were wide apart and stretched high above her head. As soon as she saw Heike my mom’s hands dropped to the table and she stood too quickly. Her chair fell and crashed to the floor.
“What happened?” She asked. “What’s going on?”
My grandparents turned to and began echoed my mom in Spanish, “¿¡Qué!? ¿¡Qué pasó!?”
“Calm down,” my papá said. “We’re fine. Nothing happened.” He looked at Heike then to me. “Not really.” And then they all looked at me for an overly awkward period. My mom broke the stare by coming and hugging me.
“Oh, god, Kit, you need a shower,” she whispered and smiled. I appreciated her not saying that too loud in front of 98-on-the-hotness-scale Braith, even if he was annoying and arrogant. “Why don’t you go start getting ready for the party? I’ll fix you some lunch.”
“Mom, do you know what’s going on?” I asked, trying not to let my papá and Heike hear. She looked at Heike.
“What did you tell her, Henry?” Mom asked.
That’s when the notch on the Weirder-Than-Hell-Day got weirder. Henry? She called him Henry? As in, the Henry who left me and my mother in Arizona when I was an infant? That Henry? I looked at him and saw what I didn’t really notice before: pale features, height, long limbs, long fingers. Just like
“And this is Braith,” my father said.
Braith stepped from behind me and took my sister’s hand. “How ya doin’, beautiful?” He bent down and grabbed her hand and placed his lips on her knuckles.
Oh, god, he was disgusting. I snarled and rolled my eyes.
My sister’s nervousness drained and she grinned. Obviously she couldn’t tell when a guy was a prick. I could tell by the way her shoulders melted and her face began to glow, she fell in love. She must have a thing for accents, too, I thought. “Muy buen,” she said. I choked back a laugh.
Braith didn’t seem to notice. “And who are these two?” He nodded toward the twins.
The twins silently stared up at our visitors, dirty little mouths agape, sticky fingers moving back and forth over their bare bellies. Gaby beamed like the boys were her prized possessions and slightly swayed back and forth. “This is Leonardo,” my sister pointed. “And this one is Horatio.” Gaby said. She touched both of the twins very tenderly, although usually she would be watching TV while they killed themselves on the floor or trying to kill them herself. “We call them Leo and Hank.”
“Whoa,” Braith said. “You seem like such an awesome big sister.” He covered the side of his face and pointed to me. “Better than this one, eh?” Gaby laughed, although my annoyance grew. I knew he was trying to satiate a 13-year-old, but he didn’t even know me and he shouldn’t say that shit in front of my sister! “Will you be an amazing help and watch these two while we go talk to your mum?”
“Sure, Braith. I’ll keep them out of your hair,” she said.
“Save me a dance at your sister’s party?” Braith winked.
Gaby swooned. “Of course, Braith.” She wasn’t very good at hiding her feelings and, right then, she was gushing. Braith didn’t seem to mind. In fact, he seemed to suck it up like the narcissistic air-head that he was. He may have been handsome (unbelievably handsome) but I couldn’t stand that kind of arrogance.
I stared at Braith and shook my head as he winked at Gaby and tousled her hair a bit. Then, my papá lead us into the kitchen where my grandparents and mom were.
They were in the middle of what seemed to be a very cheery conversation. My mom is very animated and used her whole body in a conversation, swaying from her waist and emphasizing points in the conversation with her hands making funny faces. I always made fun of her for those faces she made, but she couldn’t really help it. It’s just how she made a point. Right when we walked in, my mom must have been describing something large as her arms were wide apart and stretched high above her head. As soon as she saw Heike my mom’s hands dropped to the table and she stood too quickly. Her chair fell and crashed to the floor.
“What happened?” She asked. “What’s going on?”
My grandparents turned to and began echoed my mom in Spanish, “¿¡Qué!? ¿¡Qué pasó!?”
“Calm down,” my papá said. “We’re fine. Nothing happened.” He looked at Heike then to me. “Not really.” And then they all looked at me for an overly awkward period. My mom broke the stare by coming and hugging me.
“Oh, god, Kit, you need a shower,” she whispered and smiled. I appreciated her not saying that too loud in front of 98-on-the-hotness-scale Braith, even if he was annoying and arrogant. “Why don’t you go start getting ready for the party? I’ll fix you some lunch.”
“Mom, do you know what’s going on?” I asked, trying not to let my papá and Heike hear. She looked at Heike.
“What did you tell her, Henry?” Mom asked.
That’s when the notch on the Weirder-Than-Hell-Day got weirder. Henry? She called him Henry? As in, the Henry who left me and my mother in Arizona when I was an infant? That Henry? I looked at him and saw what I didn’t really notice before: pale features, height, long limbs, long fingers. Just like
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