I Hate My Brother (editing!)

14.

(Photo of Wayne Owens)
• • •

I say why does it feel so good?
So good to be bad
Getting what I want, boy
Why does that make you so mad?

I stir in my half-awaken state, willing the noise to mute itself. Counting to three, the volume gets louder instead. This time with vibrations.

You see, why does it feel so good?
So good to be bad
Cause if it's trouble-

Finally, I thought, when the music stops but the person next to me starts sitting up on the bed. I groan, lifting my head up to retrieve the pillow beneath and cover my ears with it. I have no idea what time it might be, but it doesn't chase away the fact that I am majorly sleep deprived. Not getting full eight hours of sleep aside, I shared the bed with a pretty much goner Cass last night. And damn if I knew she's a blanket hogger, I would've much rather let her crash on the couch.

"Hello?" Her groggy voice sounds as she talks to whoever it is calling her. "Oh, yeah, it's cool...okay, yeah sure...I'll text when I'm heading back...bye."

"I know you're awake," she pulls away the pillow much to my dismay. "God, how much did I drink? I have a headache going on."

"Shut up." I snap, still back-facing her. "Get the damn Tylenol from the first drawer yourself."

"Wait... are you mad? At me?" She peers over my shoulder, hovering her face over mine while she annoyingly shakes my arm for attention.

"What do you think?" I fling my eyes open and stare intently in her brown orbs. "Do you have any idea I was practically shivering because you couldn't stop snatching the blanket to yourself?" I whisper-yell, not wanting to wake anyone else up. Besides, I don't think I'm fully awake enough to get into a verbal war this early. "And Jesus, it's a freaking queen size blanket! You're a blanket-thief!"

"So, this is all because of a blanket?"

"You don't have a clue how I always sleep with a blanket! Plus, it was 50F last night and you made me lie here, exposed!" I huff, not exaggerating one bit. Even during the summer, I'd make sure I have blankets draping over one leg at least, and this has been a habit since I was a child.

"Shit, you're really mad." Cass mumbles under her breath. She quickly lifts up the blanket and drapes it over my body and I feel the weight of the mattress shift as she moves to my bedside table, probably searching for the pill for her head. She fumbles for awhile before getting up and heading for the door.

I let out a deep breath when she closes the door softly behind her, feeling all the sleep in me gone now that I've spoken enough words to fully activate my brain. I lean against one elbow, reaching for my phone to check the time. 11:35AM. We went to bed at three in the morning, except that I only manage to drift to sleep at dawn. Understandably, I am in a hell of a foul mood and today is one of those days that you wake up and kind of just don't want any human interaction.

Knock knock.

"I come with peace offering," Cass enters the room five minutes later, holding up a tray of omelette and coffee. That immediately makes me sit up, hands stretched out to take the tray from her. She chuckles.

"That was easier than I expected." She plops down next to me on the bed, seemingly a little awkward as I dig in. I know, yet to brush my teeth, I know. But it's food right here. And I brushed before going to bed. It's okay, it's just one time, I say more to reassure myself it's not gross.

"You alright? Who called?" I ask, observing her awfully quiet demeanor from the corner of my eyes while I sip the hot coffee.

"Oh, just Paige." She smiles, focusing on her iPhone. "She wanted to check if I'd be in today. Her boyfriend's coming over probably." She sounds a little off, her voice hesitant as if she's not saying what she really wants to say; but I won't probe if she's not ready to say it yet.