Something Stolen

            Lily let out a huff of exasperation as her teammates fled the gym. Really, getting changed wasn’t that exciting. Besides, the new gym teacher let them go into the locker room to change with ten minutes before the bell. She highly doubted anyone would be late.

            That was why she usually stayed behind to help pick up the various pieces of sporting equipment they’d been using in class. Today it was dodge balls, which miraculously managed to find quite a few hiding places. By the time that was finished, almost everyone was standing at the door, ready to charge into the hallway as soon as they were dismissed.

            Quietly, she changed into her pencil skirt—dark grey—and her satiny blouse with its pearl buttons. Then she moved to the mirror and checked her makeup, slipping her hair free from its ponytail so that it fell to frame her face. She was about to turn away when she realized that her locket was missing.

            It was a family heirloom, something her mother only let her borrow on special occasions. The golden oval managed to be both elegant and casual enough to be worn at school. It also had a family crest stamped into the front that undoubtedly belonged to some ancestral branch of the Connor family.

            Confused, because it was unlike her to forget to put something on, she returned to the bench where her clothes had been folded. Her watch was there, as was her gym bag, but the locket was not.

            Frantically, she picked up her remaining things, checked under the bench, in the back of the locker, in her gym bag. It was nowhere to be found.

            A prickly sweat broke across her skin and her stomach twisted and lurched. Hands shaking, she stood up, casting frantic eyes around the now empty room. A panicky dread settled over her. Where could the locket be?

            Quickly, she made her way out of the locker room, heels clicking frantically across the entire expanse of the gym. She pushed through the throng standing in the doorway, glaring and using her elbows until she had reached the front.

            “Excuse me,” Lily said, turning to face her classmates. As luck would have it, the bell sounded to unleash them before she could say another word. The charging students rushed past her and she felt despair briefly catch her breath.

            “Mrs. Carlson,” she tried instead, turning to the short, grey-haired woman standing by the door. “Um, I lost my necklace. I, um, I think it might’ve been—.”

            “Was it in my office?” Mrs. Carlson asked, not looking up from her clipboard where she was recording the day’s participation points.

            “No, but—.”

            “If you don’t put your valuables in my office where I can lock the door and keep them safe, the school cannot be held responsible for your loss,” she cut in sharply. “I’m sorry Lily, but you should be more careful.”

            Dejected, she trudged off towards her locker, well aware of the fact that she would probably be late to class. She couldn’t find it in her to care, and Lily Connor was always on time.

            What’s Mom going to say? she thought. She’s always telling me to be careful. And I was careful. I made sure it was hidden from sight so no one would even know it was there to steal.

            When lunch came around an hour later, she hadn’t heard a single word her teacher had said in class. She had arrived late, but he hadn’t commented. He’d also refrained from calling on her for an answer, which seemed strange.

            “Hey Lils,” Mat said, falling into step beside her as she made her way to the lunch room. His arm slid around her waist automatically, effectively excluding his best friend, who fell in behind them. “You look kind of, I dunno, sick. Are you feeling okay?”

            “My necklace,” Lily answered, her voice catching slightly. “Um, the locket that’s been in my family for years, it’s gone.”

            “What?” he exclaimed, adequately shocked. “What happened? Did you lose it? Me and Jean, we can look for it if you want.”         

            “Huh?” Jean asked, lengthening his stride so he could hear what was going on. “What are we doing?”

            “Lily lost her necklace. We’re going to look for it,” Mat explained distractedly. “Where was the last place you saw it?”

            “I think someone stole it,” she said in a small voice. “It was in gym class and I didn’t put it in Mrs. Carlson’s office. I should have. I know better.”

            “I am not going into the girls’ locker room, Mat,” Jean frowned.

            “It’s stolen!” Lily snapped, spinning to face Jean. Her eyes flashed with anger and her hands were balled into fists. “That means someone took it. Why would it still be in the girls’ locker room if they took it?”

            “Whoa. Lily, calm down,” Mat said, catching her shoulder. Jean just stood there, eyes wide in shock. Then they narrowed and his jaw locked.

            “Calm down?!” Lily practically shrieked, turning on her boyfriend now. “Calm down? A priceless family heirloom has just been stolen and you want me to calm down? What am I going to tell my mother? How do I explain that I was careless and now it’s gone? Forever.”

            “Lily, we’ll work this out. It’s not the end of the world. I’m sure we can find it.”

            “No, Mat, we can not work this out! It’s gone!” A few people, hurrying to lunch in the almost empty hallway, shot surprised looks at the trio.

            “Don’t you think you’re overreacting a little?” Jean said softly after a beat of shocked silence. “Mat’s just trying to help.”

            “Go away, Jean,” she growled. “This isn’t about you.”

            “It’s not about Mat, either,” he argued, standing his ground. “You can’t take this out on him. He didn’t steal it.”

            “Well I’m so happy to see that Mat still has his faithful dog protecting him,” Lily snapped. “But I think he can stand up for himself if he needs to.”

            “You are out of line and you know it,” Jean said.

            “Jean, that’s enough,” Mat scowled. “Why don’t you just go to lunch?”

            “But Mat.”

            “Go!”

            Lily waited until Jean had left, his steps hurried and sullen, before turning back to Mat. She tried to soften her expression, to forget about what had happened, but she couldn’t. She couldn’t put the necklace aside.

            “What am I going to tell my mother?” she whispered, looking at him desperately. Her silver-blue eyes filled with unshed tears.

            “Um,” he swallowed, eying her warily. “You could tell her that the clasp broke and you’re having it fixed?”

            “I—I guess I’ll just tell her the truth,” Lily sighed dejectedly, staring down at the floor.

            When Lily got home, walking beside a chattering and oblivious Elliot, she was surprised at how silent everything was. Their father was still at work, but usually their mother was in the kitchen or the study, waiting to hear about how their day had been.

            “Where’s Mom?” Lily asked softly, looking around at the dark paneled walls and listening.

            “Weren’t you paying any attention?” Elliot chuckled. “I guess you had that presentation on your mind this morning.”

            “Elli,” she warned, giving him a look.

            “She had a business meeting. She won’t be back for a few days. The fridge is stocked and Dad’s still here,” he explained, annoyed.

            “Dad’s always here,” she sighed. Her father worked at an office in a decidedly lower position than their mother held. He also worked longer hours for less.

            “Don’t you start too,” Elliot complained. “I swear, every other day Mom’s going on about how, if he’d only tried harder, he’d have his promotion. It’s not like he can actually do anything more than he already does.”

            “Whatever, El. I have homework,” and Lily left her adopted brother standing in the entrance hall, staring after her. She hadn’t even lectured him on not having an extracurricular activity today. Which reminded him…

            “Lily,” he called, starting after her. “Don’t you have your Big Brothers, Big Sisters mentoring tonight?”

            “I’m calling in sick,” she answered, not turning or slowing.

            “Should I be worried?” he asked. His sister had been known to face a raging blizzard to participate in some of the most mundane and tedious activities he’d ever encountered. She hardly ever got sick, and when she did it usually didn’t slow her down that much.

            “No,” she snapped, and a few seconds later there was the sound of a door slamming.

~*~

            Jean let his breath out in a nervous whistle, and shifted uneasily. It was before school started, and still early enough that the hallway only held a few scattered, subdued groups of friends. It would probably be another fifteen minutes, at least, before Mat arrived.

            It had been two days since Lily had lost her necklace and she hadn’t even deigned to look at him since he’d challenged her. Mat was also turning a cold shoulder towards him. But that was going to change.

            Jean didn’t always hang out with Mat. Mat had a lot of after school activities and with a new girlfriend he was almost always somewhere else. They also didn’t share very many classes. Jean was not the kind of over achiever who signed up for advanced classes, even if his grades were good enough. Mat was. Mostly because he wanted to impress a certain Lily Connor.

            The point being, Jean had other friends, acquaintances really. And his acquaintances had acquaintances. So, basically, he had ears all over the school. With a few artfully asked questions, he had learned who had taken Lily’s necklace; one Alicia Winters.

            Yesterday, after school, he had confronted her. Without Mat, because Mat would have messed it up. It turned out that she had more similarities to a crow than her dark hair color. She had seen the necklace shining amongst Lily’s clothes, noticed the crest, and wanted it. She claimed that it was just because she wanted a rubbing of the engraving and a copy of the pictures for an art project she was working on, and, when he mentioned nonchalantly that Lily was about ready to call the police, had been more than willing to deliver the piece of jewelry into his hands that very morning.

            Now he just had to wait until Mat arrived, because there was no way he was going to hand the necklace over to Lily himself. He wasn’t even sure why he had worked so hard to get it. Lily was definitely not his favorite person. Alicia, in the maybe five minutes he’d talked to her, had more character than her. Lily was also nagging, overachieving, and a little unfair to his best friend. His best friend who was now barely talking to him because of her. He had no reason to do her any favors. Except that he knew what it was like to lose something important and valuable, and even better what it was like to disappoint a parent.

            “Mat,” he said, jolting out of his reverie as his friend stopped at the locker he’d been standing next to. “I need to talk to you.”         

            “Lily’s waiting for me over there,” Mat said sullenly, annoyed that Jean was persistent enough to wait next to his locker; a place he had to visit. Jean glanced over at where she stood, arms crossed, glaring.

            “Yeah, it’s about her,” he murmured. Catching Mat’s quick glance, he amended, “For her.”

            “I’m really not interested in discussing my girlfriend with you, okay?”

            “We’re not discussing her. I just, I want you to give her something.”

            “You can apologize to her yourself. Like a man,” Mat snapped.

            “No. It’s not an apology,” Jean began, closing his hand around the metal object in his pocket.

            “Well it should be,” his friend said, turning to go.

            “Wait, Mat, please,” he said quickly, catching his arm and pulling him back. In a low voice he continued. “I found her necklace. I have it. But I don’t want her to know it was me, okay. So you can just, I dunno, say you found it or something and give it to her.”

            “What?!” Mat exclaimed loudly. His eyes flicked over to his girlfriend before returning to Jean. “You have it? Don’t tell me you had it all along. Why didn’t you say something?”

            “I just got it today,” Jean said indignantly. “Now do you want it, or not?”

            “Yeah, sure. Sorry,” Mat mumbled, holding out his hand. Jean slipped it out of his pocket and dropped it into the outstretched palm, careful to stand in such a way that Lily couldn’t see what they were doing. “I’ll go give this to her.”

            Lily stood across the hall from her boyfriend, watching him talk to his best friend. Or ex-best friend. She wasn’t really sure if they were still talking after she’d had her argument with Jean. They certainly looked tense now.

            Sighing, she let her mind drift to the scene she’d been playing over and over in her head for the past few days. Today her mother got home. She had tried to call her the day she’d lost the necklace, but she’d been in a business meeting and Lily had taken that as a sign to wait until she got home.

            When her mother did get home, though, she knew what she would say. After Lily had explained herself, because her mother always kept quiet until the full explanation was out there. She knew quite well what Mrs. Connor’s reprimand would sound like, because it was the same things she’d been telling herself for the past few days. Over and over and over again.

            “How could you be so careless? You know that’s a priceless family heirloom. There isn’t another like it in the world, and you lost it. How did you lose it? By being an idiot. There’s a reason you’re supposed to give the gym teacher your valuables before going out to class. There’s a reason the school can’t be held responsible if you don’t, because it’s stupid to leave your things unattended. I never thought you were stupid, Lily.”

            “Hey, Lils,” Mat’s voice said, breaking her out of her depressed inner monologue. “I, uh, I have something for you.”

            “I don’t—.”

            “It’s exactly what you want, though,” he cut her off, holding his hand out eagerly. Slowly, to build suspense, she supposed, he uncurled his fingers. Resting in the palm of his hand, on a bed of shining golden chain, was a familiar oval, looking none the worse for its short absence.

            “Mat, how?” Lily gasped, reaching out carefully to take it. Was this for real?

            “I told the football team to keep their ears peeled for any news and one of them found it. I’m not sure how. They gave it to Jean and he didn’t think to ask.”

            “Ohmygod thank you!” she squealed, throwing herself into his arms. Over his shoulder she saw Jean, just turning away from where he’d been watching them.

Ransom Note

            Thomas was shuffling downstairs, blinking sleep from his eyes, when he saw it. It was an innocent enough piece of paper, white against the mahogany wood of the old windowsill. It was sitting in the sun, shining slightly.

            Frowning, and stifling a yawn as best he could in the baggy arm of his sleep shirt, Thomas picked it up, squinting. The sun’s light seemed to have been absorbed into the paper and for a moment it still seemed to glow, burning at his eyes. Maybe that was just because he’d stayed up late the night before.

            Slowly, the words swam into focus, little black ants on a blinding desert. They were not carrying good news. Thomas glanced back at the windowsill before turning on his heel, seething with anger, and stalking back the way he’d come.

            Once in his room, still dark because he had yet to open the antique shutters that dominated every window on the second floor, he began to pull clothes on. Jeans, a t-shirt and sneakers seemed sensible, but he grabbed a hoodie despite the warm weather outside. It made him feel covert.

            Carefully, he slipped back into the hall and moved down two doors until he was standing outside of Sophia’s room. He kept his footsteps light, almost silent, and was careful not to stand directly in front of the door so his feet wouldn’t show at the bottom. Then, just as carefully, he pressed his ear to the cool wood.

            At first he just heard silence, but then there was a stifled giggle and a low buzz of conversation. Standing as though frozen, he closed his eyes and focused all of his attention to the information his ears were picking up.

            He jumped when he heard someone stand and move closer to the door, but he remained in place. Their voice, though muffled, was still clear enough to understand most of what their owner was saying. It was Sophie.

            “How long do you reckon it’ll be before he finds it?” she asked whoever was in the room with her. There was a mumble and she chuckled in response, before answering. “Both, I guess. I mean, he’ll obviously find the note first.” There was another muffled sentence, then, “No, I don’t think he’ll mind. It does him good to get out of his comfort zone. Besides, it’s been ages since anyone has gone through the entire house.”

            That was enough to tell Thomas what he needed to know. Just as quietly as he’d approached, he slipped away. What he’d heard had been useless in giving him hints as to where he’d find what he was looking for, but he now knew that the object of the game was to get him to search the entire house. He wanted to only look in one place. He was hungry and could not, in good conscience, get breakfast without finishing his quest.

            Thinking hard, he returned to his lair, ridding himself of hoodie and sneakers. They would be unnecessary indoors. Then he sat down, scanning the house mentally.

            If they wanted him to look everywhere, then his search would probably end in the place he least expected it. They would assume he would check the places he knew best first. Or maybe, if he’d knocked on the door, they would have given him hints. That idea taunted him for a moment, until he decided that hints could be misleading.

            The first place he tried, remaining stealthy, was his parents’ room. It was large and open, not cluttered like everyone else’s. It also had an attached bathroom with an ornate skylight that opened, which was just the coolest thing. But that was not what Thomas was looking for. A quick scan told him that he would have to try somewhere else.

            Next was the basement. He hated it down there, in the dark. Mostly he didn’t like the fact that the lights only illuminated so much, and then the room stretched on in shadows. Mat’s friend, Jean, was convinced that there were secret tunnels down there, but even he wasn’t brave enough to check.

            Now, alone and trying not to be discovered, it was even more frightening. There was a lone desk, sitting to one side of the circle of illumination. Made of metal, the drawers screeched something awful when they were pulled open. Not that what Thomas was looking for could fit in one of the drawers, but it was worth a try.

            When that revealed nothing he felt around in the shadows, as far as he dared, running his hands over the rough floor lightly. A couple of times the soft pads of his fingers got caught on splinters, and once his hand came away with a thin sliver of glass sticking out of his pointer finger, but other than that, he came up with nothing.

            Those had been the only two hiding places he’d thought of, so he tromped up the stairs, a slight feeling of despair tugging at the soles of his feet. He tried to shake it off. The last thing he needed was for this day to start off horribly. He was already pushing it with staying up late, and the added stress of not eating…

            In the hallway he bumped into Ethan, who took one look at him and tilted his head to one side in curiosity.

            “What’s up, Tom?” he asked softly, reaching out to ruffle his younger brother’s hair.

            “I’m looking for something,” was the short response. Then, to further prove the point of his foul mood, “And I don’t want any help.”

            “Huh. Okay,” Ethan shrugged. He was beginning to walk away, when he stopped. “Oh, and Mom’s in the back yard doing some gardening.”

            He was gone before Thomas could fully understand what he had just said. Then a smile broke over his face and he made a run for the glass doors leading onto the back patio. He had to stop, skidding to safety behind a monstrous urn before he reached his destination, though. He tried not to think on the strangeness of having museum-like décor in one’s own home, and concentrated on not snickering as Sophie and Elliot walked past.

            “Are you sure he’s still sleeping?” Elliot was asking, looking slightly worried. “I mean, I’d hate for something bad to happen to him while we’re just eating breakfast.”

            “He’s fine,” Sophie said reassuringly. “He definitely would have come bursting into my room, demanding an explanation if he saw the note.”

            “Was the note still there?”

            “Of course it was. Tom doesn’t sneak around, okay? He’s more of the confrontational type.”

            When they were gone, Thomas gave in to a small fit of giggling hilarity. Unless Sophie was lying to make Elliot feel better, her assumption that he didn’t sneak must be because she’d never noticed him doing it. This made him feel a lot better, and he quickly slipped outside, trotting up to his mother with a smile.

            “Good morning, there, Thomas,” Eleanor said, smiling. Her youngest son looked pale, with barely noticeable bags under his eyes. The midmorning sunlight made his skin seem even lighter than it was, and his hair darker.

            “Morning Mom,” he returned, grinning. “I was just wondering if, um, my plant was done.”

            “Done?” she frowned.

            “Yeah. Sophie said something about you repotting it or something.”

            “Oh, no. I was just trimming off some of the dead leaves,” she said, relieved. “It’s over there in the shade if you want to take it back inside.”

            Triumphant, Thomas snatched up his plant, and scuttled inside. He had just finished settling it perfectly on the windowsill so that no one would be able to tell that it had been moved at all when his sister’s laughter gave him an idea. He was standing in front of his brother’s door, taking a deep breath, before he could think better of it.

            The shutters were closed when he stepped in, keeping the room in a semidarkness similar to that of his own room. It looked like Mat had stayed up late as well, although he had the excuse of a sleep over. There was a tangle of blankets and pillows on the floor, right next to the bed. Luckily, their occupant, his brother Mat, was sprawled with one hand reaching towards his desk and in the other clutching his phone as though it was the most important thing in the world to him, leaving enough room for Thomas to step over him and reach the person he actually wanted to talk to.

            “Jean,” Thomas hissed, ignoring the temptation to do something nasty to his older sibling. It was the younger one he wanted revenge on. “Jean, wake up.”

            After a few shakes, the older teen sat up, shaking off sleep, and squinted around before focusing on Thomas. His hair was standing up in disarray and the sheets tangled around his waist hid whether he was actually wearing anything or not.

            “What is it?” Jean mumbled when he finally managed to recognize who was standing expectantly before him. He scrubbed at his face to no avail, and was finally reconciled to his fate of consciousness.

            “Can you make this into a flower?” Thomas asked in a whisper, holding out the note found earlier.

            “What?” was the confused response.

            “Can you make this into a flower? Y’know, with origami. I saw you do it once when you were bored and I was just wondering… it’s for a good cause.”

            Suddenly unsure if he was awake or not, Jean obligingly took the paper, and began folding it. His movements were far from precise, but in the end it did resemble a white tulip bud. As Thomas scuttled from the room, Jean fell back, trying to decide what had just happened.

            Thomas, on the other hand, was elated. He carefully placed the flower in the midst of the still slightly yellow leaves of his plant, and stood back to admire his handy work. He wondered if anyone would think to ask why his plant was growing ransom note flowers.

An Astronaut's Favorite Day

            George stretched, letting the vertebrae in his back pop. As he let his arms fall back to his side he couldn’t help but grin. It had been a long week of preflight preparations and training, but he had a day of rest before he had to be back at base. And he knew exactly how he was going to spend it.

            Her name was Emma Piper. She was a college senior, political activist, and bent on saving the world. Normally he tried to stay away from people like her, people who were delusional enough to think that they could make a difference, but she was different.

            An image of her from his memories danced across the back of his eyelids as he walked across the green area towards where his car was parked. Freshly cut grass assaulted his nostrils, hinting at the freedom of summer.

            Her hair was a reddish copper, and curled slightly. She often had it pulled into a sloppy ponytail, and on this particular occasion it had been swinging with the fervency with which she spoke. Her hazel eyes flashed, looking far more green than they were due to the fact that her t-shirt was an emerald color. A chewed up pen was stuck behind one ear and she was clutching her text books to her chest.

            He forgot what she’d been saying, but it didn’t matter. The intensity and passion, the refreshing energy and optimism, was something that filled him with a sense of completeness that he had never before experienced.

            Sighing, he swung into his car and started it. Technically he should return to his small apartment and get some much needed rest, but he just couldn’t resist. As he pulled out of the parking lot he said the voice command to call her.

            “George,” she said breathlessly a few minutes later.

            “I’m not interrupting anything am I?” he asked, unable to stop the wild smile breaking across his face.

            “No. Not at all. I was just helping my friend paint her new house. It’s, uh, well the decorators basically had a midnight party where they got drunk and planned out the most hideous combination of colors and wallpaper and furniture and, well, it’s horrible. But what about you?”

            “I have a free day tomorrow,” he answered, still chuckling at the mental image she had called up with her words. “I was wondering—.”

            “Yes! Yes, I have some things in the morning, but I’ll make time the rest of the day. Cancel things. Where shall we go?”

            George had to think a moment on this. Any time spent with Emma was wonderful, but this was perhaps going to be his last normal day on Earth for quite a while. His last chance to see Emma for the next two years. They both knew this was coming, but had purposefully avoided talking about it.

            “What I’d really like,” he said after a moment, his voice serious. “Is to see you tonight. I want to wake up next to you.”

            “Okay,” she said, again sounding breathless. “I’ll, um, I’ll be over at your place in about an hour.”

            They said their goodbyes and hung up. George was still surprised at how, whenever he told her what he wanted, she usually found a way to make it work. He knew it couldn’t be easy, and certainly no one else had ever been so accommodating. He wished he could give her something in return. The ring his grandmother had given him was suddenly a glowing beacon from where it sat, nestled in a shoebox in his closet. Was now the right time? He hadn’t even met her parents yet.

            In an attempt to ease his nerves, he stopped at their favorite Chinese restaurant for takeout. When he got home he set it up on the coffee table in his living room and, after a few minutes of pacing indecision, got the ring out of its dusty hideout. He wasn’t necessarily going to give it to her, although there probably wasn’t another person in existence that would ever cause him to consider such a gift. He just wanted to keep his options open.

            The ring itself was a promise. It was a promise that she would wait for him, that she would stay faithful. It was a promise that, when he landed again, she would be there waiting, ready to set up a life with him. He highly doubted the high spirited Emma Piper he knew would ever say yes to this. She had dreams and plans and none of them included settling down and getting tied to a family. And George desperately wanted a family.

            When Emma arrived, he forgot all of his troubles. She looked ravishing in a paint splattered shirt and jean shorts, with a dash of turquoise on her cheek like war paint, and a bit of green on her nose. Some off-white cream color had found its way into the tail end of her ponytail. She grinned when she saw him, and threw herself into his arms.

            “It’s been a week!” she gasped in his ear. “I missed you so much.”

            “We caught lunch a couple of days ago,” he reminded her, pushing her back for a brief kiss.

            “That hardly counts,” she pouted. “A few hours in your company, it’s not enough.”

            “Emma,” he began, suddenly feeling a lurch of fear and guilt at the fact that he was going to be leaving her.

            “Is that food?” she asked, cutting him off. Her attention had been captured by the white takeout boxes and she was already moving towards them. “You are the best!”

           

            Later that night, as the lights from passing cars threw brief silhouettes across the room, George lay awake. Carefully, he rolled onto his side, propping himself up on his elbow. In the pale illumination, he could only just make out the little triangle of freckles on Emma’s right shoulder. Gently, he reached out, tracing them with his finger.

            It caught at his stomach, pulling it down with a sickening lurch. The thought that he wouldn’t be able to see her, touch her, hold her, for two years, made him question everything he had previously been so confident about. When he was younger, and all the other boys were growing out of their astronaut phase, his obsession had still been going strong. By freshman year of high school he knew what he wanted to be and started to research how to achieve his dream. He had taken accelerated courses, and applied relentlessly, until, finally, he had been given an answer. They needed engineers and electricians, specially trained. If he was willing to put the time in, they would hire him. The space station needed repairs and he was the man for the job.

            The fact that he was considering giving this all up for a woman, one who was several years his junior and probably not as committed as he was, was terrifying. Of course, he couldn’t drop out now. Launch was in a few days and he couldn’t let his team down. But Emma…

            He fell asleep curled around her, breathing in the smell of paint and the light tang that was uniquely hers. When he woke up it was to a phone ringing. Emma was already sitting up, staring blearily around the room as if to locate it.

            “It’s in my pocket,” he mumbled, pulling a pillow over his head. She chuckled, getting up and padding over to their pile of discarded clothing. As soon as he felt the bed shift, he moved the pillow, watching her pick her way across the floor.

            It took her a moment to rummage around in his pants’ pocket, and by the time she removed her hand, the phone had stopped ringing. It chirped into the sudden, tense silence. What she had in her hand was not his cell phone. It was small and silver and it caught the light.

            “George,” she swallowed, not daring to look over at him. He couldn’t think of anything to say, of any way to explain this. “George, were you going to ask me to marry you?”

            Her voice was whispery and shocked. She still wouldn’t turn. He couldn’t gauge her reaction, couldn’t tell which response would be best. In the end he decided to be honest.

            “I’m not going to see you for two years,” he murmured. “I know what I want, Emma. I just, I don’t know how to ask for it.”

            “Well it looks to me like you figured asking with a ring sounded like a good idea.” Her voice was sharp, her shoulders hunching slightly.

            “I want to see you again,” he sighed. “I want to see you again and not have to worry about the years that I’m going to be missing. I want to know that you’ll be here, waiting for me. And maybe that’s too much. I understand if it is. But it’s what I want.”

            “So then Anne didn’t call you?” she asked in a small voice.

            “No,” George said in concern, sitting up and swinging his feet onto the carpet. Anne was her roommate and had never seemed particularly keen on his relationship with Emma. “Why would Anne call me?”

            Taking a deep breath, Emma rose and walked back over to the bed. She sat down beside him, twisting the ring in her hands, nervously. It took her a few minutes, before she glanced at him without turning her head. A rueful expression settled itself onto her face.

            “If you wanted to give me this,” she said, holding up the ring. “I wouldn’t say no.”

            “Emma Piper,” he said solemnly. “Will you be my fiancée?”

            “I was actually kind of hoping to marry you,” she mumbled, looking down. A heavy blush was staining her cheeks. “Today. And before you say anything else, I have something to tell you that might change your mind.”

            “I really don’t think anything could change my mind,” George said, feeling fear knot in his stomach. What could possibly have Emma so worried?

            “Well, see, the reason Anne might be calling is that, um,” she began, faltering slightly. “She was taking out the trash and she noticed a… well, a pregnancy test. Quite a few, actually. I wanted to be sure.”

            “Emma,” George said seriously. “You realize this means that I have to quit my job, don’t you?”

            “What? Why?” she exclaimed, standing up and staring at him in shock. “George, no. You’ve been looking forward to this chance for so long. There might not be another trip into space. You can’t give all that up.”

            “I am not going to miss the first two years of my child’s life. Sometimes things change, plans change. It’s better that way.”

            “George, I don’t want you—you can’t,” she spluttered.

            “It’s my choice,” he said firmly. “Look, I’ll make some phone calls while you’re busy this morning. I’ll sort this out.”

            “Sort this out?” she hissed, eyes suddenly narrowing. “What, like it’s some kind of problem?”

            “No,” he answered gently, keeping his voice reasonable. “Sort this out so it’s amicable for both of us. I’ll take a good look at our options and we can discuss it over lunch.”

            Emma frowned, but there really wasn’t anything she could say. Nothing sensible, anyway. George had a habit of being the steady hand to keep her in check and calm. He was capable and knew what to do in practically every situation. Keeping a cool head, it probably was something they taught you in astronaut school.

            Her musings were interrupted as he reached across and gently took the ring from her. Lifting her left hand, gently, almost reverently, he slipped it on, before bringing it to his lips to kiss. It was such a romantic, silly gesture that she almost giggled, but then she looked at him, looked into his deep, brown eyes, and forgot what there was to laugh about.

            By lunch George had managed to arrange everything. He felt a twinge of guilt at having already made reservations for their marriage certificate, without waiting to check with Emma, but he hadn’t been sure if there would be an opening should he leave off until the afternoon. He’d also informed his superiors of the turn of events. Everyone was allowed a leave of absence for family matters, and he had assured them that this was a family matter. Luckily for him, there was someone else lined up to take his place, should he be unable to make it. Also lucky for him was the fact that he had become good friends with his superior. It helped to smooth the way for his unexpected and sudden request.

            “Hey,” Emma said, sliding into the booth seat across from him. They were at a small diner that had played host to their last lunch out. She shot him a hesitant smile, before picking up the menu.

            “How did everything go?” he asked, having already decided on his order.

            “Um, well, it went okay,” she hedged, blushing slightly. “I called my Mom. About getting married. She had a small fit, but I think she’s okay with it.”

            “And how is she with becoming a grandmother?” George chuckled.

            “I didn’t tell her,” Emma answered softly. “I wasn’t sure… I mean, you said you didn’t want to miss your child’s first two years and I was thinking. I can get pregnant again. It’s still really early and—.”

            “Emma Piper,” he cut in glaring. “You are not thinking what I think you are thinking.”

            She sent him a glare of her own. “And if I am?”   

            “I talked to my boss,” he said, changing the subject. He knew better than to tell her she couldn’t do something. It often just convinced herself to go ahead with it, even if she knew it was a stupid idea. “He said that I can have a year’s leave of absence for family matters. I’ll still have a job or at the base, but I can be home most of the time. I’m also still in the program, so in a year, I’ll be going into space.”

            Emma was at a loss for words. Several times she opened her mouth, only to close it without having said anything. There was something bright and hopeful in her eyes.

            “Now, we have more important matters to discuss,” he continued, leaning across the table to take her hand. “Like, whether or not you want to take my last name when we get married later today.”

           

            That night, lying awake with the sounds of his wife’s breathing filling the room, George reflected that today had to be the best day he’d had in a long while. He thought that there might be a few days that would surpass it, but until then. It definitely beat all the dreams he’d had of landing on the moon. Funny, he thought, that an astronaut’s perfect day would be one spent on Earth.

House plant

            “No. Nonononono,” Thomas hissed, supporting one drooping tendril in his cupped hand. The edges of a previously green leaf were now turning brown, outlining the sickly yellow color. The petals that had once belonged to a rather pretty flower were now flaking off and falling onto the surrounding windowsill. When he poked at the soil with one finger it was dry and desiccated.

            A swell of rage and desperation washed through him, eliminating his previously good mood quite effectively. He had told them that it needed to be watered every two days or so. He had showed Mat how to test the soil to see if it was too dry or not. His older brother had promised to look after the strange plant that he’d grown out of a seed picked up off of the sidewalk.

            “Tom,” Sophie called up the stairs. He could hear her approaching, but he didn’t care, didn’t look up. Tears were stinging his eyes and he felt stupid and powerless. “Tom, why aren’t you downstairs with Lily and Elliot? They really liked you.”

            “Why? Because I was smiling and playing nice?” Thomas snarled.

            “What happened?” she asked in a voice that clearly stated the “Uh-oh” she felt.

            Sophie was great. She was one of his biggest supporters, one of the few people who always seemed to get him. Sure, at school they often couldn’t stand each other, but whenever he was in a particularly low place she was there, saying exactly the right things. It didn’t matter that they were a year apart. Sometimes he thought they were twins.

            “This—Mat,” he spluttered. “He said he’d take care of my plant. And look at it!”

            “It’s not dead yet, right?” she murmured, crouching beside him. Caressing a leaf she started to speak to it. “C’mon little plant. Don’t die. We didn’t mean to neglect you. Sometimes other things just get in the way. My brother, he’ll be really sad if you die. He wanted to take you to boarding school with him, but they wouldn’t let him. He really missed you the whole time. It isn’t his fault that Mat got a girlfriend and is now obsessed with a different flower.”

            “Thanks,” Thomas mumbled, looking down. “But, um, you know water would be a little more effective, right?”

            “It has to want to live, Tom,” she complained, glaring. “If not, then there’s nothing we can do. So start talking.”

            He looked between her ferocious glare and the wilting plant in front of him, feeling utterly ridiculous. Sometimes he thought that Sophie had never really grown up, and it was embarrassing. Unluckily, he knew she wouldn’t relent.

            “Fine,” he sighed. Then, trying to ignore the fact that there was someone witnessing this, he started talking. “I really didn’t mean to leave you. When I found you as a seed everyone said that you wouldn’t grow, that I was wasting my time. We proved them wrong then. So, um, could you please live?”

            “Good enough,” Sophie huffed. “I’ll go get some water with plant food in it.”

            She was gone less than a minute when Elliot reached the top of the stairs, looking around a little nervously. When he saw Thomas he relaxed and quickly moved to kneel beside him.

            “Whatcha doin’?” he asked, elbowing Thomas in the ribs.

            “My plant is dying,” Thomas sniffed, looking away so that his new friend wouldn’t see the tears in his eyes. He didn’t want Elliot thinking he was a wimp, and he wanted even less to explain why he couldn’t really help himself.

            “Oh. Um, that sucks,” Elliot said awkwardly. “Didn’t take you for the botany type.”

            “I just found this seed and thought I’d see if it would grow. Everyone said it wouldn’t, but it did. It kind of reminds me of myself.”

            “Hmm,” Elliot hummed, stroking his chin in mock thought. “Yes, I can see it now. You have the same general hue, lack of flowers, stalk-y build.”           

            Thomas laughed despite himself, running long thin fingers through his hair. His build was anything but stocky. Willowy would be a more apt description, but the pun was not lost on him.

            “Oh, good,” Sophie said, approaching with a water bottle. “We have another person to encourage the plant. Go on, Elli, tell it why it needs to live.”

            “Um, well,” Elliot said, looking suddenly uncomfortable again.

            “It’s okay. You don’t have to,” Thomas said quickly. “Really.”

            “Something encouraging, huh?” Elliot mused, ignoring him. “Let’s see. I don’t know much about this guy next to me, but it seems he believed in you enough to give you a chance. I know how that is, and it’s not something to be taken lightly. And hey, you’ve got this great family that cares a lot about you. I mean, there’s not much more you can ask for. But I guess most importantly, if you die, then you’d make Tom really sad and he seems like a great guy. I wouldn’t want that.”

            Thomas ignored the little glow in his chest at those words, and chose not to comment on the light blush covering Elliot’s fair skin. He really didn’t look like he was adopted, being almost identical in appearance with Lily.

            Solemnly, Sophie poured some water onto the soil, waiting until it was absorbed before squirting some more onto it. To everyone’s surprise, Elliot reached out and took the bottle from her, taking his turn at giving the plant nourishment. It took on the feeling of a ritual as he passed Thomas the water and he added his own contribution.

            They were still kneeling around the windowsill, sitting in silence and watching, when Mat and Lily came up the stairs to find them.

            “Uh,” Mat said, frowning.

            “What are you guys doing?” Lily asked. “Elliot, don’t get your clothes dirty.”

            “We’re giving a funeral service for my plant,” Thomas snapped, not bothering to disguise his anger and hurt as he turned to glare at his older brother. Mat swallowed.

            “Oh, shit. I’m sorry, Tom. I just, I got a little distracted with school and everything. I really didn’t mean to. I’ll, um, I’ll get you another one.”

            “You’re lucky,” Elliot said sternly, fixing his brilliant grey eyes on Mat. “There’s still some hope. It’s doing well after emergency surgery. But if you mistreat it again I’ll have no choice but to take it into protective custody. No one wants that.”

            “Uh, we’ll just be downstairs, then,” Mat said after a beat of awkward silence. He looked utterly confused, standing next to a rather unhappy Lily. Well, maybe she looked more embarrassed at her adopted sibling’s behavior.

            When the two older children were gone, Thomas let out a soft chuckle and pulled Sophie and Elliot into a hug. He could feel happiness bubbling up inside of him, an unquenchable spring that was threatening to overflow. He hoped he wouldn’t frighten off his new friend. It was so rare that he found anyone who could stand to be around him, but Elliot didn’t seem fazed by his strangeness.

            Through the haze of glowing joy he noted that Sophie was blushing a pretty pink as Elliot wrapped his free arm around her, completing the giant hug. Later, when everyone had gone back home and Mat was in his room, probably obsessing over his new girlfriend, Thomas cornered his younger sister. She was sitting in the living room, her legs curled under her as she read a book.

            “So, Elliot,” he began, sitting down in an armchair across from her. She glowered, but slid a bookmark into place.

            “What do you want, Tom?”

            “He seems like a pretty cool guy,” he shrugged.

            “Uh, okay?” she frowned. “Where is this going? Because right now you’re just wasting my time.”

            “You like him, don’t you?” Thomas asked, dropping all pretenses.

            “And if I do?” Sophie challenged, suddenly unable to look at him.

            “Nothing. I was just wondering.”

            “Yeah, okay, I do,” she said, giving him a look that just dared him to comment. When he didn’t, her expression softened. “I mean, how many guys are willing to talk to a houseplant?”

            Thomas had to agree with that. He went upstairs satisfied, a little kernel of white hot joy still sitting in his chest. It had been a while since there had been anyone he could approve of in his sister’s romantic interests. And the guy was on par with her quirkiness. And he was nice to Thomas, which really didn’t happen that often. Especially once he started acting up.

            Pulling out his computer, he hoped desperately that he wouldn’t ever have to show Elliot the real ups and downs of his emotional life. It would just be easier…

Worst Thanksgiving Dish Ever

            “Put that on the table over there,” Mat called over his shoulder, smiling in Lily’s general direction. Jean scowled, but did as he was told. After all, it was for his best friend. He was here as wingman. That was an important job.

            “It so nice of you to have us over, Mr. and Mrs. Piper,” Lily said, and Jean was almost certain she was turning her charm on. Gushing. It made him sick. “I was so sad when my parents said that they were going to be out of town. We usually have a nice family Thanksgiving too, but this year they’re helping my uncle, Randolph, with his farm.” Her voice dropped conspiratorially. “He’s having his fourth child soon.”

            Jean snorted, glad he was technically in the other room so no one would see his eye roll. He highly doubted her uncle was having the child.

            “She’s great, isn’t she?” Mat said in a low voice, joining Jean in the dining room. They could still hear the chatter of voices as his parents started asking polite questions.

            “Just wonderful,” Jean said sarcastically. He relented when he saw his friend’s star struck and nervous expression. “I dunno. She seems really intense. I mean, she’s in five million different clubs, and she’s always doing things. Was it last year or the year before that she visited Africa to help with schools there during the summer? And she’s always trying to raise money for orphanages and stuff.”

            “I can’t believe she actually agreed to come over for Thanksgiving,” Mat sighed.

            “I can,” Jean frowned, moving around his friend to get back into the kitchen. Mat caught his arm, though.

            “What do you mean?”

            “It’s kind of obvious that she likes you. I mean, the son of a doctor and a novelist living in a big house. You’re in enough clubs, even though no one can match her achievements. You’re team captain of the football team. Your parents are public figures, and they always donate to her causes. How could she say no?”

            “You don’t think it’s because of my natural charm?” But his joke seemed flat and he frowned.

            “Lily Connor is not won over by natural charm. That’s just a bonus that makes agreeing to come over easier,” Jean said apologetically. He hated seeing his friend so completely head over heels, but he also had no intention of tailoring the universe to fit his fantasies. It would be better if Mat knew right from the beginning what he was getting himself into.

            “Yeah. Yeah, you’re right,” he nodded, following Jean into the kitchen.

            “Oh, I almost forgot!” Lily chirped, her face lighting up. She was pretty in the way a finely crafted porcelain doll is. Her features were delicate and petite. Her skin was pale and smooth with a light dusting of faint freckles. Her hair curled into natural ringlets that shone in the light, a soft and unobtrusive caramel color. Her eyes were large and blue, her nose slightly upturned, her lips plump. Every man in school knew her name, but most of them were smart enough to stay well away. Under her delicate appearance was a girl of fire and steel. She was never known to lessen her moral perfection and expected the same from others. She was also so driven that even her parents had trouble keeping up with her. There was no doubt that she would be valedictorian and attend an Ivy League school, probably on full scholarship even though her parents could definitely afford to pay her way.

            All of this shot through Jean’s mind as he tried, desperately, to put on a smile similar to the ones plastered on the Pipers’ faces. Lily had won them over in a matter of minutes.

            “My parents absolutely insisted that I not arrive here without something to bring to the table. So I brought my famous tofu and soy cheese stuffing,” she exclaimed, bouncing over to where her bag sat on an armchair and pulling out a covered dish.

            “That’s so thoughtful, dear,” Mrs. Piper smiled, taking it from her and peeling back the aluminum foil covering it.

            “It’s a microwave safe dish,” Lily explained. “So you can just heat it up for about five minutes and it should be ready to serve.”

            Jean found himself taking the repulsive dish because he was standing closest to the microwave. It looked like the contents of someone’s stomach that hadn’t yet been fully digested. It was pale and lumpy with what could be rice but also resembled maggots. He swallowed, briefly considering accidentally burning it beyond recognition. The Pipers’ microwave oven was known to have temper tantrums and he was especially good at eliciting them. But no. This was for Mat.

            “Is the table almost ready?” Mrs. Piper asked her son. “Perhaps you could fetch your brother from his office.”

            “Of course, Mom,” Mat nodded, jogging off to find Ethan. Jean had never actually met the oldest Piper son, but he had heard plenty about the college graduate who was now head of his own small company.

            “How many siblings does Matthew have?” Lily asked curiously into the resulting silence.

            “Ethan’s his older brother. Then there’s Thomas, the younger boy, Sophia, the youngest, and Emma, who’s a year younger than Ethan,” Jean supplied, ignoring the fact that Mrs. Piper was about to answer. He felt a twinge of guilt that he was being so unpleasant, but he really couldn’t help it. The Pipers might be like his second family, or rather, his first, but Lily just rubbed him the wrong way.

            “Oh my,” Lily gasped. “That’s a lot of children.” She turned to smile at Mrs. Piper. “You must be such a good mother.”

            “I like to think so,” Mrs. Piper sighed. “It’s been hard, but I think they’re all turning out okay.”

            “Of course we are, Mom,” Ethan grinned, walking into the room and kissing his mother on the cheek. “Now, what’s this I hear about dinner being ready?”

            “Ethan and Mat are the only one’s home for the holidays,” Jean said in a low voice when he saw Lily looking around curiously. “Tom and Sophie are at boarding school and Emma is working on her final project.”

            “That’s so wonderful,” she said, turning so that it looked like she was responding to Mat. He smiled at her, nodding.

            “Yeah. It gets a little lonely with everyone away, but it gives me more time for my after school activities.”

            “It must be great to have such driven, achieving siblings,” she sighed. “I only have the one brother, Elliot. He’s adopted, and the same age as me, but he has absolutely no direction in his life. I mean, he isn’t in any sports or clubs and he doesn’t volunteer unless I really twist his arm.”

            Jean raised his eyebrows at Mat over her shoulder, trying to gauge whether or not his friend was as intimidated by her statement, or if he hadn’t noticed. He saw a brief, horrifying flash of Mat volunteering beside Lily, wasting his summer, and his weekends. She would take up all of his time, start micromanaging his life to be as perfect and planned as her own.

            He was saved by the chime of the microwave and removed the still revolting dish. Now it had a smell, but it wasn’t like anything he had ever encountered before. He wasn’t even sure how to begin describing it. Maybe lemony. Only there was also something distinctly Italian about the spices.

            “That’s the last of it, right?” Mrs. Piper said, smiling. “Why don’t we all grab a dish and move it out to the dining table?”

            Jean bit down on a retort about how he’d been doing all of the heavy lifting for the past half hour. There really wasn’t anything to grab, other than the drinks and the gravy. He was stuck with the hideous stuffing.

            “Shall we say grace?” Lily asked once they were all seated. “At my house we always say a thank you for how the year has been.”

            Jean froze with his fork already reaching for a slicing of turkey. He was stuck sitting beside Ethan, as Mat was sitting beside Lily. And, of course, Lily was across from him. That didn’t stop Mat from shooting him an annoyed glare.

            He barely managed to last through Lily’s long and rambling rant about how wonderful her year had been and how grateful she was to be in the Pipers’ home, partaking of their delicious meal. Then he started to pile his plate full of everything that was passed by him.

            “Slow down there, Jean,” Mat laughed. “Don’t forget that there’s dessert.”

            “I’m sure it’ll all fit,” Jean shrugged, reaching across to accept what Lily was handing to him. Then he froze. It was her dish. The disgusting one with tofu and soy and maggots. Suddenly it felt like every eye in the room was on him, watching, waiting. When he looked up, Lily was staring at him, as though daring him to pass it on without taking a serving.

            Swallowing, he put a spoonful onto his plate, but when he risked a glance up, she was still staring. Another spoonful, another. Finally Mat took pity on him and asked something about her time in Africa and her attention was diverted. Breathing a sigh of relief, Jean passed the dish on, furrowing his brow as Ethan took an equally sized portion. The older boy glanced at him and winked, a mischievous look in his eyes. Careful to be sure no one else was watching, he leaned closer to Jean.

            “I’ll eat every last bite if you do,” he murmured, grinning.

            “Deal,” Jean nodded, picking up his fork. He hoped it wasn’t a race.

            The first bite was hideous. It was slimy, covered in some kind of viscous sauce that had the tartness of a lemon, but also tasted cloyingly sweet. Once he got past that, there was the powdery, tasteless cubes of tofu, and some kind of melt-in-your mouth cheesiness that was far from pleasant.

            Beside him, Ethan let out a choked cough and took a sip of water. Jean fought down a smile and doubled his efforts. By the time he was halfway through his throat had stopped working. It was revolting against the alien substance, refusing to swallow as smoothly as before.

            Changing tactics, he started to disguise it with bites of the other things on his plate. Turkey and gravy was a good cover, but when he tried a bit of cranberry sauce with it, he nearly gagged. Mashed potatoes ended up being his savior.

            He was about to take his last bite when Ethan elbowed him. Looking over, he saw that Ethan, too, had his last forkful at the ready. Not breaking eye contact, they put the goo in their mouths, and swallowed.

            Almost instantly, Jean felt his stomach begin to churn angrily. He tried swallowing down some water, but it was not appeased. Nor was the turkey and gravy doing any good at soaking up the obviously poisonous substance.

            “May I be excused for a moment?” he asked softly, catching Mrs. Piper’s eye. She nodded, and he rose, gratefully. A bathroom was in order.

            He was retching into the toilet bowl when he heard a chuckle from the doorway. Ethan was there, arms crossed as he leaned against the doorjamb.

            “I guess we found out how she stays so thin,” he said.

            “How are you still standing?” Jean asked accusatorily as the older boy moved to crouch beside him, pushing his shaggy hair out of his face. His hands felt cool against Jean’s fevered skin.

            “I’m used to eating deadly concoctions,” Ethan shrugged. “My girlfriend should not be allowed near a kitchen. On the rare occasion that she gets the oven working, I’m usually laid out for the entirety of the following day.”

            Jean would have laughed, but another wave of rejected material was making its way out of his stomach and he doubled over again.  

            “I think that’s the last of it,” he coughed when it was over. He certainly hoped so. He felt kind of empty, in any case.

            “That’s good. Let’s get your mouth washed out, then,” Ethan said, helping him up and flushing the toilet as he moved to the sink to rinse thoroughly and repetitively. After a moment of watching, he held out a tube of toothpaste. “Helps get the taste out.”

            “Don’t tell Mat,” Jean asked as they headed back towards the dining room. “I don’t want him to think I hate his girl.”

            “Why would he think that?”

            “Because I do,” he shrugged. Ethan couldn’t say anything else because they were by then within earshot of the rest of the dinner party.

            “Where did you go?” Mat asked, seeming confused to see his friend walking back into the room. He had been so busy talking to Lily that he had hardly noticed when Ethan had left, and hadn’t seen Jean.

            “Had to floss,” Jean mumbled, sitting back down. His stomach twisted slightly at the sight of food, but he was starving.

            “Stick to turkey and potatoes,” Ethan said softly, leaning close when he saw Jean’s dilemma. “They’re easier on the stomach. And I’m afraid that desert isn’t a good idea.”

            Mat, of course, noticed when Jean didn’t accept any pie.

            “I told you that you were eating too much,” he taunted. “And it’s such a pity, because Mom baked these fresh today. Dee-licious.”

            “I’m sure there’ll be some leftovers,” Ethan pointed out. “Especially of Lily’s wonderful dish. I don’t understand why you didn’t eat more of it, Jean. I thought it was spectacular.”

            Lily beamed at the praise as Jean aimed a sharp kick at the person sitting next to him. Later, as he was starting the washing up while Mat said goodbye to Lily, Ethan joined him.

            “Sorry about that last comment,” he grinned, rinsing the dishes that were already washed. “But it was definitely worth it.”

            “Jean,” Mat said breathlessly from the doorway, ignoring his brother. “That was an amazing dinner, wasn’t it?”

            “Yeah,” Jean mumbled. “It was great.”

            He determinedly ignored Ethan’s surprised look.

            “I mean, she’s such an awesome person. I was thinking, maybe I’ll start inviting her over to Friday dinners.”

            Jean winced. That was a special tradition they’d started back in middle school. Friday dinner was just an excuse to stay up all night eating popcorn and watching horror movies or looking at pictures on the internet. It was no place for girls. Mat seemed to have forgotten this in his euphoric haze.

            “She even kissed me goodnight,” he proclaimed proudly.

            “That’s wonderful,” Jean said, trying to make it sound convincing. “So, is this facebook official yet?”

            “I dunno,” Mat shrugged, refusing to be put out. “It might take a few more dinners. I mentioned that she could come over any time and she said she’d make sure to bring more of her cooking. You wouldn’t mind coming over when she does, would you? I mean, just the first few times, so it’s not so awkward.”

            “Of course not,” Jean ground out, ignoring the way Ethan was struggling to keep his laughter inconspicuous. His face was nearing a shade of purple before unseen on a man’s skin and his shoulders were shaking something awful.

            “I’m sure Ethan wouldn’t mind being there, either,” Jean said, his voice turning sickly sweet. “I mean, I bet he’d love helping his baby bro out.”

            The horrified look this earned him was definitely worth promising away his stomach lining just to help out his best friend.