First Comes Like #Wattys2020

12

TWELVE

Macey groans next to me and grabs my pillow from under my head. My eyes open instantly and I glare at her. She's using my pillow to cover her ears in an effort to block out the noise of the lawn mower and I can't blame her. Even after all these years, I'm still not used to it.

"Whhhyyy." She groans. She shuts her eyes and pulls the covers over her but I sit up and pull them right off, the tiniest bit amused.

"Forget it Mace," I say, "You're not going to get more sleep after this." She rubs her eyes and pouts and I get up and pull aside all the curtains in my room to let the light in. Macey's kinda like a bat on mornings, and she thrives in darkness.

"Whhhyyy." She says again. "Why are you doing this to me?"

The clock on my beside table says 9:00 a.m and truth is we don't get much sleep after that on Saturdays. Of course, my dad's to blame, but of course we can't object because it'd be a serious case of Who's Side Are You On Here?

So we just roll with it, my mom, Nina and I.

I carry on, making my side of the bed and putting the big fluffy bear back in the corner. As I carry it and feel is soft fur I remember last night and the carnival and Cole.

"You know why, Macey? Because you were sleeping when I got back so I couldn't even tell you about my date."

With my curtains pulled aside, I spot Dean on his balcony putting a pair of sneakers out. He's all dressed up, not in pajamas or anything, unlike I am. It looks like he got up way early this morning. He looks up and sees me. He gestures to my dad on the lawn, then makes a gun with his fingers and aims it at his head.

I roll my eyes at him and make a gun too, then pretend to fire shots at him, through the glass. He holds his chest and makes a face at me before going back inside his room. I turn around in my own room where Macey has finally sat up and is rubbing her eyes.

"Wait, what?" Macey asks her voice groggy.

"My date?" I remind her, "You never asked how it went."

Macey climbs out of my bed and stretches. "Sorry Val. Your mom and I did yoga and I as so tired I..."  I make a face at her when she mentions my mom and yoga and she laughs. "It was kinda fun. Anyway how was your dateee."

She gives me this weird knowing smile and pokes my belly.

I laugh and shoo her away then go to make her side of the bed. Truth be told, I'm not even sure what to say. The date was awkward, but then I came home with a huge bear and kissed lips so what was it exactly? I decide to tell Macey everything from start to finish and she gives me her infamous Yikes! face throughout most of the story.

"Well the kiss is a plus." She says, helping to smooth out the sheets, "And anyway, some boys can't be everything. They can't all be smart and funny and good looking."

"Except Gat." I say, under my breath and Macey rolls her eyes and reaches for the pillow and pretends she going to knock me out with it.

***

On our way down to the kitchen for breakfast I see Nina coming put of her room with her jeans on and a cute little floral shirt that I would've totally stolen if it wasn't so small. 

"Why are you all dressed up?" I ask, an eyebrow raised, "Mom is not going to get you a pony so quit asking." I smile at her but Nina openly scowls at me for bringing up the time when she got dressed in her cutest outfit super earlier one morning and then marched to my parents' room and begged for a pony. They said no, obviously, "but do you want ice cream? "