VICE

| AT THE CROSSROADS |

The sound of the garage door opening alerted Austin to the arrival of one of his parents. He had just taken a shower and had thrown on a pair of grey sweats and a black band T-shirt. His dark brown hair was sticking to his face and neck, appearing close to black due to wetness.

He looked out the window and saw his mother retrieving from the garage with four bags of groceries awkwardly balanced in her arms as she went and entered the house.

He decided to settle at his study desk and get some homework done while his mother prepared dinner and the gateway to his nearing anxiety attack as he thought forward to how this impractical joke was going to play out.

Throughout his homework, he worked animatedly, not quite sure what he was doing or how he was doing it.

After about forty-five minutes, he made his way downstairs to get some water from the fridge.

His mother was busy at the stove and dancing to some outdated indie song playing on her kitchen radio. She didn't notice him enter the kitchen at first. He was about to slip out unnoticed, bottled water in hand, when he heard someone clear their throat behind him. He turned around and almost jumped out of his skin when he found her standing mere inches away from him, hands on her hips.

How did she do that!

"Mom!" He screamed, clasping his chest as if trying to hold his heart to prevent it from jumping out. "You scared the living shit out of me!"

"Uh-uh, language!"

"Sorry..."

"Also, I know you weren't about to run out of here without giving your momma a hug." She continued, moving closer with her hands stretched out, inviting him in.

"Mom, I'm 16. I don't—" Before he could finish that thought, he found himself engulfed in a bone crushing embrace that knocked the air out of his lungs. The woman's frame was shorter compared to Austin's six foot one, and a little lacking on the muscular side, but that didn't mean she couldn't have one mean grasp.

She released him after what felt like forever of Austin squirming, trying to escape. "Where's Nicole?" She asked.

"Upstairs," he replied, trying to stretch out the bones she may have bent during her fit of affection, "Doing her homework."

"I'm so proud of you kids, taking your education so seriously," She started, "but she can't stay cooped up in her room all day! Tell her to come down and watch tv while I finish up dinner." She was the type of woman who believed in the life-is-too-short policy and that her children should try to learn more from the world than from school.

Austin and Nicky both preferred her to their father. Yes, she could be over the top and embarrassing in front of their friends sometimes but she at least had the ability to loosen up and let them have fun.

"Ok, I'll tell her," with that, he ran out of the kitchen fast before she could try to persuade him into dancing along with her to her hippie music.

He knocked on Nicky's door and entered before he could hear her reply, "What's the point of knocking if you're just gonna barge right in?" She asked irritably.

"Oh sis, haven't you learned by now? I like seeing that irritated look on your face. Makes you look constipated... which is a really funny sight to see!" he said, chuckling comically at her.

She picked up a pillow and tossed it with feigned force at his face. He caught it before it made contact and tossed it right back. She wasn't as lucky, though, because it hit her square in the face, sending her tumbling backwards and into the curtains—which she tried to hold onto but was too late and ended up landing flat on her butt.

Austin burst out laughing his lungs out at the humorous state in which his sister was as she glared daggers at him.

"B-by the way," he said after he had calmed down enough to breathe, "mom said you should take a break and go watch TV or something. She's almost done with dinner."

She said nothing, just glared some more, wishing she could punch that stupid smug smile off his face.

Her phone started buzzing from her bed, notifying her of an incoming text message. She picked it up and unlocked it, "Max just texted. She says she can't wait to see Gina's face when she loses the bet. So don't let her down."

"I'm stupid, aren't I?" Austin asked.

"Well... yea. I hope you weren't expecting me to disagree."

"A good sister would say, 'of course not, big bro. You're the smartest guy I know and if anyone can do this, it's definitely you!' " He said, trying to sound like her by imitating the pitch of her voice.

"And a good brother should not expect his little sister to lie."

"Touché!"

"Yea well, I'm going downstairs to watch some reruns of... something," She waved dismissively as she stood up, cellphone in hand and made her way to the door.

"Hey," he called after her before she could turn the knob, standing up from the floor as she turned around to face him, "What happens if they buy it and are actually OK with it?"

"We both know mom will be OK with it but if you don't tell them it's a joke soon enough, dad might stone you to death. Or glare at you to death—that's usually his go to anyway," She said.

"I know he's a little harsh but I don't think he would be extreme about it," He said, though not believing a word that came out of his mouth.

"Ummmm... hello? Were you not there during that incident with Uncle Danny?" She asked, moving closer to her brother, "We're lucky they were in a public place or else there's a huge possibility dad would be in jail right now for the rest of his life!"

"Oh god! I'm not gonna do it!" He said as if a bulb had suddenly gone off in his head, bringing him back to reality.

"And are you ready to have Sam grovel for the rest of eternity?" Nicky asked, smiling mischievously at him.

"I'm not gonna win either way, am I ?" He said in frustration.

Nicky pinched his left cheek and gave it a light slap, "There you go big bro. Now you're getting it," She said condescendingly before she left the room, leaving Austin to his worries and several crises.