[June 11th, 2007]
Luke glared out the window of his sister's MINI Coupe, observing the sun as it lazily dipped in and out of puffy white clouds, radiating a warm afternoon heat. "Why do I have to go to your stupid boyfriend's house?" he whined.
Hannah sighed and looked at her little brother in the mirror for a fleeting second before returning her gaze to the traffic light, waiting impatiently for it to turn green. "I already told you. I'm spending the night at Drew's and mom isn't home so you have to come."
The trees once again became a blur as the light changed, giving her permission to step on the gas pedal. The car jerked forward and the nine-year-old boy let out a babyish gasp of surprise. He returned to pouting immediately after. "But I won't have anything to do."
"But Drew's sister will be there," Hannah tried pointing out, "You know, Olivia?"
Luke let out an exasperated sigh, trying to find more things to complain about. "But she's younger than me."
"She's six," Hannah laughed. "Besides, you two had fun last time we went to Drew's."
Luke watched as the car smoothly turned onto a new road, leading them into a small suburb. Under the looming houses sat vibrant green lawns, all pristinely clipped to perfection. It was as if the residents of the homes seemed to think that grass had to look immaculate, despite the fact that it was nothing more than a weed. Luke thought it was silly. "I guess so," he mumbled.
The car pulled into a narrow driveway. It was longer than Luke thought a driveway should be. It lead up to a large house, neatly tucked away behind a fence of shrubs.
Hannah parked the car and pulled the key out of the ignition, the smile on her face seeming to grow just a little more ecstatic as she unbuckled her seatbelt.
His small hands fumbled with the seatbelt before finally managing to unbuckle it. He grabbed at the door handle, frustratedly yanking it open before tumbling out. The Spider-Man runners on his feet hit the ground with a thud, making the red and blue lights on the bottom flash.
A soft giggle came from beside Luke, making him look up at the source with a growl. "What are you laughing at?" he asked snappishly.
The giggle grew into more of a laugh as the little girl standing before him smiled. "Nothing," she sing-songed, shaking her head so that the blonde mop of curls on her head bounced.
Just as Luke was about to spit more words of frustration, Hannah came around the side of the car. "I see you've found Olivia," she beamed. Without giving either a chance to answer, she continued. "Let's head inside. Do you know where your brother is?" she asked the girl who nodded her head quickly, almost dramatically.
Olivia grabbed Hannah's hand and began to pull her inside, only turning around once to motion for Luke to follow. He grudgingly did.
The three walked (well, Luke trudged) through the grandiose hallway and into the living room where Hannah's boyfriend sat watching a baseball game on the television. Drew sat up as they entered, his expression lighting up with joy, even more so when Hannah sat down beside him and pecked his lips.
Luke made a disgusted sound, which made Olivia giggle. "Come on," she said suddenly before skipping off down the hall. Curiosity getting the better of him, he followed.
His eyes wandered to and fro, hovering over the paintings and portraits that adorned the walls. He thought the hallway lacked superheroes, and that the house would look much better had the portraits been of Iron Man or Thor.
Olivia turned around, smiling from her dimpled cheeks to the tiny crinkles at the corners of her cerulean eyes. "Let's watch a movie."
Immediately more excited, Luke nodded his head. "What kind of movies do you have?" he asked as he leapt back onto the plush sofa.
