Somehow we all end up at my house, it's the weekend anyway and it's what we usually always do up till the past week or two. It's actually relieving and grounding to go back to the way things have always been.
No one says anything about my supposedly girly perfume anymore and after sniffing myself discreetly a couple times to confirm, I forget all about it.
After dinner, my mom leaves the four of us alone, saying she had something to do, it's slightly surprising because I have to admit, I forget sometimes that she isn't our age anymore and she has 'adult' things that she has to do.
We sprawl on the cushions, not bored enough to watch anything and uninterested in playing games.
"Let's go somewhere tomorrow." Shana suddenly suggests out of the blue.
"Not happening." Dale quickly shuts her down. "At least not all of us, you and Virgil can do whatever you want to do because Hayden and I are going on our date."
I blink at this, raising my head up from my folded arms. I had almost forgotten about the date I promised him nearly a month ago.
Reflexively, I shoot a glance at Virgil, he isn't going to like this.
"Then we all go together." Shana says decidedly, glaring at Dale.
Virgil just watches their exchange with a blank expression I can't tell if he's upset or not and when I can't tell how he feels, it usually means he's upset.
"Not a fucking chance!" Dale brings a tightly clenched fist down on a side table. "I didn't say anything when V practically kidnapped him at dawn for a date just so I wouldn't be his first date, so you will leave us the fuck alone for a while." He near growls. "That shouldn't be so hard."
I just keep quiet, I know I shouldn't be but I'm already getting familiar with their unrealistically, possessive behaviours. I mean I'm still shocked everytime when they do something crazy but I'm learning to just go with the flow I guess.
Virgil doesn't say anything either, probably satisfied because what Dale said really is the truth.
I drop my face back in my arms.
Ugh! What was I thinking? That Virgil suddenly wanted to take me out on a date? When all he wanted was to beat Dale, the annoying creatures.
I'm just done! I decide, getting up and moving to the airbeds, it's still pretty early but I've had a hectic day dealing with Elise and I just want to sleep for a while so I don't overthink.
Maybe a tiny part of me… actually no, scratch that, a huge part of me finds it impossible to believe that Virgil and Dale actually really like me.
Virgil is literally the elder brother I never had and is probably acting this way because of Dale.
Dale actually thought I was a girl, took a whole lot to convince him I wasn't so the basis for their emotions regarding me weren't exactly clear and I wasn't expecting much either.
"I'm going to sleep." I announce in a quiet mumble, stretching and yawning a bit.
"I'll be your pillow." Virgil says so quickly that I'm nearly toppling over from how quickly I swerve around.
"W-What!"
"No, you're too skinny." Dale says seriously, already getting up. "I should be his pillow."
I just stand there frozen, blinking myopically at the scene unfolding in front of me.
"Like you're one to talk." Virgil fires back with that same high level of seriousness that has me worried about the mental state of my friends.
"Okay! Hold up!" Shana interrupts the escalating situation and I sigh in relief, finally someone that isn't bonkers. "There shall be no replacing of Hay's pillow." She tells them sternly and I'm nodding along with her.
"Because I'm already filling in that position!" She announces proudly. "I'm softer than you two idiots anyway!"
I face palm at this, a hand on my waist. "I don't need any human pillows, please just let me sleep." I say as peacefully as I can, resuming my walk towards the bed.
"You don't want a pillow?" I can hear the frown in Virgil's voice as he asks this. "But we weren't asking."
I turn around again, disappearing inside the oversized shirt I'm wearing - probably Dale's - and wait for their decision, it's going to happen anyway and I don't have the mental fortitude to argue.
"Fine." I pout. "Who is it then?" I ask, really needing to just lie down and close my eyes so that the world will fade away for a while.
"The three of you can't be my pillow."
"True." Dale agrees seriously, like we're talking about saving victims from a flood and not which of the three morons would be my pillow.
"We need a way to choose, a fair and foolproof way." Shana starts to say.
"Or I could murder Dale and tie up and lock you up in the bathroom." Virgil shrugs, sweatpants riding low on his hips. "That sounds pretty fair to me."
"Or we could just disqualify you for being a dick, how about that?" Dale replies.
A yawn finds its way out of me. "I really want to sleep." I scratch an eye at them.
Shana has a full episode of aggressive melting and I remind myself not to yawn in front of her anymore.
"I-I'm n-not a cu-cute, 'fwuffy' c-cat." I complain, reddening at the ridiculous words she'd used. "I just wan' to sleep!" I explain, stomping my foot a little.
Shana sprawls on the rug and starts flailing around. "I think I'm dying from an overdose of cuteness." She gasps, making weird noises.
"Let's rock, paper, scissors for it." Virgil suddenly says, glaring threateningly at Dale.
"Oh, you're on!" Dale agrees, returning the aggressive looks.
I just stand there, clutching my shirt and watching Shana still losing her shit on the ground.
"You in Shana?" Virgil questions when she still continues making what sounds a lot like frustrated bird noises and rolling around on the ground.
"P-Probably no-not." I tell him, the last time, she had gone into one of her episodes about how cute I could be, it lasted a really long while. "S-She's going to b-be li-like that f-for a wh-while." I stutter, a little flustered with how they're staring intently at me, like they're appraising the prize of their little battle.
"Fine then." Virgil shrugs, tearing his eyes away from me. "Let's do this Dal." He says, punching out a fist like he'd like to take out someone's teeth with it.
They step up to each other and I find myself unconsciously taking a step forward with how hard they're glaring at each other, I'm almost sure that they're about to knock each other's teeth in but instead, they put out their fists.
I sigh in relief, Shana is down for the count and there's no way I can stop the both of them all by myself if they decide to throw punches around, knowing myself, I'd probably just jump in the middle of it and get myself hurt.
"Rock, paper, scissors!" Virgil recites and they both turn up with fists, then there's more murderous glaring at each other just for the fun of it.
"Rock, paper, scissors." Virgil bites out, again, waving his fist dangerously. Dale isn't any better, I'm pretty sure I'd get a bruise if I get too close to him with how hard he's swinging his fist.
This time around, they're both paper and the aggressive tension in the room is so palpable that even Shana gets up from her prone spot on the ground.
The both of them are almost eye to eye and it's funny and relieving at the same time that they're both exactly the same height.
Another series of choice glares like they're wrestlers about to enter into the ring and not just playing a simple game.
"Rock, paper…" A little pause here just to frustrate me.
Again, I'm not sure who I want it to be, maybe I should take Grammy up on that invitation of a vacation to the Bahamas, anything to get far away from these two boys that are driving me insane.
"... scissors." The tie breaks this time around, Dale with scissors and Virgil's hand still in a fist, signifying a rock.
What happens next shocks me so bad that I jump on a squeal, Dale punches his fist into the wall closest to him so hard that the paint chips and falls.
I'm already hurrying to him before my brain can process what just happened, that he willingly punched a wall because he couldn't be my pillow.
"O-Oh m-my g-god, D-Da-Dale!" I stutter, reaching out to him. "Yo-Your h-han…"
Virgil snatches me before I can complete either my sentence or my plans to hug Dale, throwing me over a shoulder.
"W-What?" I splutter, confused at the abrupt change of trajectory.
"I won." Virgil says blankly, already striding towards the bed with me still thrown over his shoulder. "You should be running towards me, not him."
I go quiet at this, not knowing what to say and I let him continue the journey to the bed.