PRIDE & PRINCESSES: A Pride and Prejudice (type) of teen story (Sunrise High #1)

The End of The Day (chapter ten)

Chapter 10

The End of the Day

    Trey was sitting on the porch helping Wednesday to paint her face with glitter and non-toxic substances when we arrived. He gave Mark a quizzical stare, but Trey had ignored me for most of my life so, I pretended not to care. The boys said a brisk, “see ya,” to Mouche and me, then left as quickly as they’d arrived.

    Mouche’s brother looked up at both of us with what could only be described as amusement and derision. I mean, Trey had something of the authority figure aura about him. On this particular day, I have to tell you something I’d refrain from telling Mouche; he looked totally buff. He had his shirt off because he’d been swimming and his muscles were all big and cut...mmm. Kind of like how Mark might’ve looked without his shirt, only older.

     But Trey was angry. He had a dark, cute little cloud forming over his face and a wrinkle of exasperation between his eyes like he was ready to verbally lose it.

    “You guys said you would be back at one. Here.” He deposited Wednesday’s paintbox in Mouche’s hands as if he was glad to be free of it.

    “Take it. I’ve decided child minding is “women’s work.”

    “So-rry. Someone’s chauvinistic brother is in a bad mood,” Mouche added sarcastically.

    “Yeah, yours. I’m going out.”

    “Oh, it must be that skinny buck-toothed girl who also takes pre-med. She’s always coming around,” Mouche said with a clever little sister smile. Mouche was particularly outspoken with family members and Trey was usually a safe target.

    He grabbed her sun hat and she chased her brother up the stairs but when he locked the child-proof fence behind him, Mouche screamed until he threw her hat back at her.

    Trey pretended not to notice me after that.

    Later, Mouche and I occupied Wednesday by allowing her to play with our makeup, while we compared shoes and ate gummy candy.

    When he was ready to go out, Trey left a slightly sweet smell in the hallway. As he walked past us, the air reeked of aftershave.

    “Wearing the latest “perfume for men” are we? Oh, He’s so manly,” Mouche teased.

   I swooned. Poor Trey just went all red and bolted out the door.

    Mouche and I both laughed and Wednesday clapped her hands again. She really was the smartest almost-three year old in the world.

    When Wednesday was born, Mouche and I applauded Mouche’s mom for her original name choice. Mrs Mouche liked to watch re-runs when she was a little girl of this classic show on television where the child was called, you guessed it, Wednesday. So, Mouche’s little sister is not just named after the day she arrived in the world. In any case, I’ve offered to babysit tonight, because Mouche has a “date.”

     We have planned to go for a swim. After that, I’ve promised to teach Wednesday how to become a star.  Some teenagers don’t like little kids but I love hanging out with Wednesday and if I didn’t want to be an actress, I might even become a nursery school teacher.

    Mouche has her “practice date” organised for this evening from 6pm to 8pm with Scott Riley who lives across the road because, according to Mrs Jones” guide, “a first date can often go badly...always have your next date planned, that way you won’t fret if the first one doesn’t  work out...there are plenty more fish in the sea.”