Lonely Hearts Club

Cool Big Brother

Dolly settled her head in my lap, pulling her legs onto the couch and curling up close to me. She sighed and closed her eyes, and I squeezed her side.

"You're going to miss the movie," I said quietly as I stroked her hair. She opened one eye and smirked at me.

"You've made me watch it four times – I have it memorized at this point," she replied. I smiled at her and leaned in to kiss her forehead. I glanced over at Maggie – she was sitting on Wayne's old recliner, gnawing at her fingernails. I furrowed my brows when I noticed her watching the clock.

"I can't believe you started the movie so late," Maggie whined, crossing her arms petulantly. I cocked my head to the side, confused.

"You were the reason why – you were over an hour late for dinner," I said, trying not to get defensive. She shot me a withering glare.

"You couldn't have started it with the general? What's the point of you two dating if you still need me to do shit with you?" she hissed. I shook my head, taken aback by her attitude.

"Movie nights are for you and me," I answered, hurt by my baby sister's attitude. She let out a frustrated squawk and glared at the television. I was so upset by her sudden mood change that I didn't even notice Dolly sit up.

"Maggie, what's wrong?" Dolly asked gently, setting a hand on my thigh to center me. Maggie groaned and her glare deepened.

"It's just annoying – it's getting late, and I might have had plans," Maggie snapped.

"Maggie, do you have plans?" Dolly continued, still gentle and kind like she always was. Maggie's face twisted and she shrugged, mad about something she couldn't articulate. Dolly sighed, looking up at me. She was trying to tell me something with her eyes, but like usual, I was unable to interpret what she meant.

"I'm getting a soda," Maggie announced, still annoyed. She stomped to the kitchen, and I looked down at Dolly.

"She wants to go see her friends – she probably had a certain time planned to meet up with them," Dolly explained. I furrowed my brows, and she leaned closer to me. "Do you want to be cool big brother?"

I looked over at the kitchen and shrugged.

"I don't think she deserves her cool big brother with that attitude," I answered quietly. Dolly laughed, nuzzling further into my arms. I smiled at her in spite of myself and pulled her tight to me. "What should her cool big brother do?"

"Offer to end movie night early – you can blame it on me and say that I'm tired if you don't want to be obvious," Dolly replied. I watched her for a beat, mulling over my options. I pressed my lips to Dolly's forehead, and she leaned further into me.

Maggie came stomping back, and I shut the TV off. Her eyes widened and she looked at me.

"Am I in trouble?" she asked, glancing between me and Dolly. She should be in trouble for the way she was behaving. She was lucky that Dolly was here to act as her interpreter, otherwise she would have been grounded.

"Dolly's tired – we're going to get ready for bed," I answered. I stood, taking Dolly's hand and pulling her up. "Be home by midnight."

I started following Dolly to my room, and Maggie stopped us.

"I'm...I'm sorry for being late for dinner," she offered awkwardly. I nodded, trying to play it cool even though my feelings were hurt.

"Night, kid," I replied, setting my hands on Dolly's waist and guiding her to my room.

I closed the door behind me, watching Dolly as she bustled to the bathroom to get ready for bed. I fell back onto my bed, staring at the ceiling as I listened to Dolly brush her teeth and wash her face. I heard the front door of the trailer slam shut, letting me know that Maggie had left for the plans that were more important than movie night. Dolly came back out to my room to change, and I watched her as she slipped into her nightgown. She turned back to me, smiling as she pulled her curls up into a knot on the top of her head.