Orange Juice

Chapter Eight

 Alya and Hassan sat on the couch, re-watching one of Hassan's favorite movie series, something about a mafia during a zombie apocalypse. His eyes did not leave the screen one moment, his full focus on every scene as though he had not almost memorized the entire script.

 Every now and then he had to shush his sister who either loudly scoffed or complained about a plot-hole. "Hassan," She said with a mouthful of homemade popcorn, "This movie kteer khara."

 "Shh!" He was quick to reply, clicking his tongue, "Ente khara. Now shut it, I'm trying to watch."

 Alya was about to add another negative comment about the unnecessary amount of terribly cheap-looking explosions when she heard four continuous bangs on the metal door. She rose from the couch to open it, Hassan's eyes following her to make sure it was Lizzy behind the door and not some intruder who had picked up on their knocking patterns.

 She lifted the metal door, revealing none other than Lizzy standing there with a massive grin on her face.

 "Hey~" She chirped as she walked inside giddily.

 "Lizzy! Where were you?! The sun's almost completely down!" Alya complained.

 "I said I'll be home by 7:30, Al."

 "You said 7!" Alya corrected.

 "What difference does that make?" Lizzy replied as she sat beside Hassan, groaning in annoyance when she recognized the movie playing on the television, "This dumbass movie again. Goddamit, Hassan."

 Hassan grabbed a cushion from where he sat, slamming it on Lizzy's face to shush her all while keeping his eyes on the television. She struggled to remove it for a second, whacking him with it once she got the high ground.

 Looking around, she realized that Sash and Dante were not there. She turned to Alya, who was not too busy being immersed in a cheap Hollywood action movie, "Where are the rest?"

 "Dante's at work and Sash is in the room I think."

 Lizzy got up, walking over to the door to check up on what Sash had been doing. She did not even bother to knock before swinging the door open. Inside of the room, Sash turned to look at her like a deer caught in headlights.

 Lizzy looked back and forth between the eyeshadow palette in his hand and the look of embarrassment on his face.

 "You're back." He said, attempting an unbothered tone in his voice and failing miserably.

 Lizzy walked over towards him on the mattress, "Good god," She said as she looked at his face up close, "You are horrible at this." 

Sash playfully nudged her, his ears turning red. "Lay back, let me put it for you. You men really are crap at makeup." She criticized.

  Sash leaned down against the mattress as his sister hovered over him with the eyeshadow applier in hand. "Sometimes I hate being a man." He replied.

 Lizzy looked at him, her brows furrowed as she processed what his statement could entail, "Really?"

 He shrugged, "Just sometimes. I think I'd rather be a man than a woman, but there are just so many things I'd wanna do if I was a girl."

 Lizzy listened as she chose a dark shade of purple, one close to violet to contrast with his bright blue eyes. She patted the applier down on the powder before gently applying a dark shade of purple over his eyelids, "Like?"

 "I don't know. Wear high heels, maybe. Wear a dress, go out in makeup and all that stuff."

 "I hear you." She replied, "Now, I'd rather be born dead than a man, but-" she grabbed a tube of mascara from nearby, "I wish I could do the things men do so easily."

 A small knowing smirk made its way to Sash's lips, "Like kiss a girl?". She chuckled, "That, and walk alone at night without fearing for my life."

 Sash laughed as she continued to work on his eye makeup. She flicked his forehead lightly, scolding him for wrinkling his eyes while she worked on them. They sat in silence as Lizzy continued to work on his face.

 After a short while, he spoke once again, "How was the street busking?"

 At that, he noticed how his sister's face immediately lit up, a wide grin making its way on her face, outwardly exposing her middle tooth gap.

 "It was perfect. And she's perfect, gosh, Sash, she's so..." She trailed off, making a flustered sound as she failed to find the words.

 "Uh-oh." He jokingly commented.

 "She's such a good singer too. And she plays the ukulele, my oh my, she's so good at it." She rambled, her application on Sash's eyes becoming slightly messier.

 He smiled as he listened to her go on about her evening. Slowly, however, his smile began to drop, a small realization passing over his mind.

 "Does she know?"

 Lizzy slightly stiffened at that. She busied herself with the makeup products "Know what?" she asked while avoiding his gaze, although she knew exactly what he meant.

 "What we are, Lizzy." Sash replied, knowing well she knew what he had been talking about. He felt it as Lizzy's movements became steadier, the light and excitement in her face washing away.

 "There's no need for that." She mumbled, "At least not yet. Besides, I don't think she cares so it's...whatever."

 That was how far that conversation stretched.

 Doing a few final touch-ups on his face, she applied a dark rose color to his lips. Once she put the products away, she offered him her pink handy mirror.

 "Now you look less ugly." She cheekily commented as he stared at himself.

 Sash really liked his reflection. He really liked the person that stared back at him with hooded purple eyelids, heavy black lashes, and deep, rosy plump lips. He especially liked how they sat on his face alongside his sharp jawline and his low eyebrows.

 Lizzy seemed quite proud of her work, and although Sash would not outwardly praise her for it, he very much believed she had good reason for that pride.

 "Thanks." He said, "I look way better in your own makeup than you do."

 She scoffed mockingly, "You wish."

 He stretched over where he sat, cracking his knuckles and his neck joints. He sighed, "I should  probably...get to work."

 His sister's expression gradually dropped at hearing that. "Do you really have to?"

 He nodded, blinking slowly. Lizzy continued to stare at him, her lips pursed. "I really hate your job."

 Sash shrugged, stretching his arms and cracking the joints of his shoulders, "I don't exactly like it either. But we don't really have a choice now, do we?" Reading her expression, Sash added with a reassuring tone, "I'll be fine."

 She plopped back on the mattress before letting out a short sigh. "Just be careful. And if anyone does anything, just tell me and I'll beat their ass."

  He rolled his eyes at her, his lips curved into a side smile, "Wow, my hero." He took a quick look back at the mirror, "I'm gonna keep the makeup. Probably will make me more money."

 "Cover your face on the way there, though." She advised.

 "I know, you idiot." He said as he went over to the drawer, looking for something to wear, "Now get out, I wanna change."

 Lizzy kicked her leg forward, hoisting herself from the bed before walking out to the two other siblings that had been bantering over who was of higher need of the television since Hassan wanted to continue his movie while Alya wanted to watch the newest episode of her favorite Spanish drama series.