My Best Friend's Brother

Chapter Seven

It had been several hours since my grandmother had dropped me off at the Chin's house. I found out that Sabrina's sister didn't live but four houses down the road. And my great grandmother's (now deceased) house was pretty much in their backyard. We were inside at this point. About to watch Alex open his most likely random gifts. He had already opened Aura's gift, a toy princess troll with hair extensions and a brush. And wings. You can't forget the wings.

We all sat piled on the couch or below it on the floor. Alex sat beside me on my left in a recliner he had pulled up. Michael on my right, Thomas beside him and Aura wedged between Thomas and the arm rest, with Sabrina sitting on her lap. My cousin, neighbor and friend, Jonathan Corrie, who had shown up not long after I did, sat on the floor at Sabrina's feet.

"Hey, Asian," Thomas blurted, referring to Michael, who was of slight Asian orientation. "Pass me my drink."

"No." Michael responded as he ran his fingers through his shoulder length hair, pushing it out of his eyes. . "You know my mom doesn't allow drinks in the living room."

Thomas made a sound that slightly resembled "Meh" and leaned his head back against the couch. I chuckled a bit under my breath and pulled a pack of Listerine breath strips from my pocket and set one on my tongue. Brandon and I had been obsessed with the refreshing paper like substance since we found them at the beginning of the year. I'd buy them to share with him. But some times we'd argue about who got the last one in a pack.

Alex was about to open his gifts. I inhaled deeply and let the air, cooled by the breath strip, prickle at my lungs and then exhaled, letting out a minty fresh scent. Suddenly, I felt Michael shift and putting his elbows on his knees and place his head in his palms. Nervously, I shifted to give him more space. He then turned to Thomas, smiled and said something I couldn't hear. The boy, still irritated from his lack of a cup in his hand, simply stated he didn't care and Michael moved back to his original position.

Tori set a box in Alex's hand and pulled out a camera from her sweatshirt pocket. She had been taking pictures all evening and I secretly wished I could get a hold of the group picture we took in the bouncy house after everyone took my phone and hid it in each others pockets. Mrs. Chin having participated in it. The birthday boy proceeded to open his presents. Six pairs of fluffy socks and a dog pillow pet from Sabrina. One pair of toe socks, a cat pillow pet and a drawing of Pikachu in a gift box from me. A new phone sent from his father in Hong Kong. Then finally, a lava lamp. The kind that you put the little plastic fish in and they swim around.

"Can I see the fish!?" I chirped happily and he handed them to me. They were in a small plastic bag that fit in the palm of my hand. Each individual fish was only the size of my thumb nail or smaller. "Aw. How cute." Passing them back, I smiled. My favorite was the teal and blue one.

After everyone got a chance to get a glimpse of Alex's fish, we headed back outside to bouncy house, where we jumped around like little children... With little children... Alex's little cousins.

There were times when we would put too much weight on one side and that spot would cave in, trapping whoever was there in between the net and the ground. We would throw paper ninja stars at each other and share belts. Make stupid remarks. Tackle one another. I ended up sitting on Alex's back when I found out HE was the one who took my phone. But when I got it back, he took my shoes, climbed into a tree and put them on the top limb. I was too scared of heights to go get them.

On occasion, someone would get out of the bouncy house and turn it off. Causing the entire ceiling to fall down on top of everyone. I laughed as the house started to deflate. But then my claustrophobia kicked in. Immediately, I scurried toward the net. "Guys! Turn it back on!" Panic gripped me as I came to the realization I was stuck. Pulling myself, I eventually made it to the net, only to find Michael, chilling in an open space that had surprisingly not caved in.

I heaved the rest of my body into the opening, that was still surprisingly small. "Hey." Michael smirked at me.

"Hey." I attempted a smirk as well. A silence hugged the air between us for a while, until I heard Thomas' voice and the bouncy house turn back on. We sat, waiting for it to inflate when the surface I was sitting on puffed up. A small sound escaped my lips as I was thrown from my spot onto Michael's chest.

"Hah..." My effort to speak was useless, I got caught up looking at his face and feeling his chest against mine. "S-sorry!" I pressed my hands against his chest to move myself away. Michael only smiled in return as if it were completely normal. As if I was strange for apologizing.

Standing up, I walked to the exit and slid out. "Let's do something else for a bit..." I suggested.

"Like what?" Jonathan asked as he exited the death trap behind me.

"I don't know..." Everyone piled out behind him and we stood in a circle quietly.

That was, until Aura poked Jonathan. "TAG! YOU'RE IT!" The freckle faced, bare foot girl sprinted to the big tree in the front yard. We dispersed. For a while, we played tag. I slipped a few times, covering my knees in grass stains and mud.

Soon, due to my lung problems, I stopped. "I'm done!" I croaked, doubling over with my hands on my knees. "Leave me!" Dramatically I threw myself back against the ground and Sabrina, Thomas and Michael joined me. Sabrina and Michael both had serious asthma. Not sure what Thomas' excuse was. Laziness maybe.

For a while, we chatted about various things. Super heroes, video games and comic books. Occasionally we'd look up at the three teens still running around, full of energy. When things started quieting down amongst our group of four, I started clicking my tongue out of boredom then shouted "Who wants to give me a piggyback ride!? Sabrina! What about you!?"

Sabrina laughed and leaned back, supporting her weight on her hands. "No. I've already given you three."

"I'll do it." Michael raised a toned, tan arm and I blushed. He stood up, walked to me, turned around his back facing me and crouched for me to get on his back. "Go ahead."

Just as I was about to wrap my arms around his neck, a voice boomed. "Nope! Let me do it! I'm far more superior!" Thomas came to me, gave Michael a small push, then mimicked his pose. "Pick." For a moment, I felt torn. Two seriously attractive men, were offering me the chance to wrap my legs around them, and let them carry me. But my choice was obvious.

"Michael."

"What!?" Thomas didn't sound hurt exactly. More... Shocked.

I put my arms around Michael's neck and he hoisted me onto his back and walked around a bit. Nonchalantly, I buried my face in his hair, taking in the scent the Chin's seemed to share. But his was a bit stronger than his brother's.

"At least I'm not ticklish!" Thomas said. He moved toward Michael but he moved out of the way.

"Seriously, don't." The boy tightened his grip on my legs. At first, it seemed as though Thomas was backing down, but just as Michael loosened his grip, he lunged back and tickled his rib caged.

Michael sprinted in the other direction and Thomas proceeded after him. He avoided being tickled for a while but then he slowed down.

"What are you-?" My sentence was cut off by his own.

"Sorry!" He said, just as he dropped me. I felt my hip pop as I landed on my butt on the ground.

Thomas laughed hysterically at Michael's actions. Smooth!"

"I can't believe you actually dropped me!" I laughed a little. "Gee... Thanks."

"I am REALLY sorry."

A sigh passed through my lips. "It's okay." I threw myself back onto the ground again and let their heterochromia husky lick my face.