I drive home, my head racing with the events of the day. I shake my head to concentrate and turn on the music, playing Paradise City by Guns and Roses. However, by the time I reach home, I'm about to go mad with all the thoughts in my head, I feel my breath shaking as I can still feel the tingle on my skin from his closeness. I shake my head and take a few battered breaths, getting out of my car and stomping on the ground with a pout.
"I AM NOT LETTING THIS DEVIL TAKE OVER MY LIFE!"
I huff and stomp to the house with my cheeks puffed out... in a manly way. I open the door with more aggression than necessary, throwing my coat on the rack and going into the living room to find Meghan watching Lucifer on Netflix. I already finished the show twice... a slow evil grin makes its way to my face and I do the evilest deed anyone can do, getting back at Meg for all those Avenger spoilers.
"LUCIFER GETS SHOT IN THE HEART AND GOES INTO A COMA, DETECTIVE IS HEARTBROKEN AND HAS TO GO AFTER HIM INTO H-" I squeak as Meg jumps up from the couch and onto me with a pillow, holding a satanic expression. I squirm as she smacks me with the pillow over and over, trying to defend myself, however, 16-year-olds are scary and not as easy to defend yourself against, as you would think...
"HOW COULD YOU TELL ME THAT!??!?! YOU CRUEL CRUEL DICK FACE!!!" She growls with a smack of the pillow to my face, I laugh evilly and try to stop her from killing me with her deadly weapon, grabbing the pillow.
"Remember the End Game? Tee Hee." I grin at her with big puppy dog eyes and an innocent grin, to which she replies glaring down at me with her lips puckered into a pout. I poke my tongue out and she growls, pulling the pillow up for another smack just as both our stomachs let out a loud and hungry growl.
We stay quiet for a second before the growl comes back and both our serious looks drop into a competition of holding back the laughter, by the third growl we can't keep the poker face and burst into laughter.
We both decide to eat out and she changes out of her Pajamas into jeans and my T-shirt that she "borrowed" last summer. I changed into a shirt that has "Fries and Furious" written on it with jeans that said "fudge" down the side. The pair was designed by Meghan for my last birthday and I love them, they capture my soul, which is dead and hungry all the time.
We go to a small diner that sells Milkshakes and Burgers just a few blocks down, the aesthetic of it is very old Hollywood and Riverdale-esk. I order a chocolate and banana milkshake with a chicken cheeseburger and wedges to top it off. Meghan gets a Strawberry and Banana milkshake with a loaded hotdog and medium fries.
"So, how was the tour of the new school?" I ask Meghan as we wait for the food to arrive. She went to check the site in the morning and got information about enrollment in the new school.
"It's actually very nice... The cafe was amazing, the people weren't as rude and pretentious as I thought they would be..." She says with a smile, "They have the fashion course I want as well."
"That sounds amazing! I'll check the school out on Monday and let's get you enrolled. How 'bout it?" I saw, raising an eyebrow.
"If you do, you will be crowned the best bro ever." Meghan grins and gives me a cheeky thumbs-up.
"So, tell me more about this Girlllllfriend of yours?" I say mischievously, wiggling my eyebrows at her. It's my solemn duty as a brother to tease her and I shall fulfil my humble duty.
Meghan choked on her milkshake, before eyeing me with a slight look of suspicion. "I mean... What do you want to know about her? Actually, what do you know about her?"
"Nothing more than what you told me," I say, tilting my head in confusion. "Why? Is there something I should know?"
"Oh, duh. Yeah... well, her name is Celestine, but I call her Celeste." She says, a small smile making it to her lips as her eyes brighten up. "She's shy and cute... sometimes a little bit dorky. Opposite of me but also very kinda like me."
"Should I order a cream cake? Cuz' someone sure is WHIPPED." I say teasingly, making a Wa'tishhhh sound. She huffs at me and throws a fry at my face, which I dodge like the ninja that I am. She shakes her head and sighs, her smile dropping as she takes a sip of her shake.
"Doesn't matter, we're breaking up." She sighs again and leans back into the booth.
"What? Why?" I ask in confusion.
"She cheated on me," Meghan says, clenching her jaw. "I asked her this morning and she got mad at ME and stormed off!!"
"What? What did she say?"
"She said that if I didn't trust her, I shouldn't even bother asking." She growls and smacks the table making a few heads turn. I look at her for a moment before leaning back, something smells fishy.
"How 'd you know she was cheating?" I ask, narrowing my eyes.
"Ella told me, you know Ella! She's been my bestie since 3rd grade and she would never lie to me! She saw her kissing a guy at a party where people from my old school were invited too." Meghan exclaims, rolling her eyes angrily.
"Oh? The same trust-worthy Ella that accidentally told our parents that you sneaked out to go to prom? Or the one that broke the trophy case at school and blamed you, but after getting caught on security tape said she got nervous so she accidentally blamed you?" I ask, trying to make my point. I can see it working as Meghan's anger soon slowly turns into doubt and she bites her lower lip nervously.
"Those were just accidents, she didn't mean any harm." Meghan tries to defend her childhood friend.
"I wasn't finished. The Ella that slashed the tires on your new bike, ruined most of your good clothes by accident and started a rumour that you are on drugs or remember the time she told you Jannie ripped your assignment and it was actually her, maybe when she took th-" I say, recalling all the things Ella the Witch of the underworld had done to my sister in the past.
"-Okay Okay! I get it... Maybe I shouldn't have believed Ella so quickly... But what do I do now Addy? Celest is probs mad at me." She whines and kicks me repeatedly with her toes under the table, flailing around the booth casually.
"Stop that! Text her and tell her how frickin' sorry you are! She's right, don't accuse her without proof. Tell her you believe her and that you are a dumbass! I can tell, you really like her, so don't be a moron!" I shrug.
Just as Meghan opens her mouth to reply, my phone rings and I check to see a call from my neighbours, Hudhaifa and Eman, the Muslim couple living next to me. I'll be honest I was way too quick and judgemental of them when I first moved in, trust me I was quite rude and immature.
I wouldn't talk to them properly, I ignored their greetings and once called the cops on them, thinking it was domestic abuse when they were...ahem... watching money heist. One of the most embarrassing days of my life. It was the same day I got stuck out of my house in the rain after running out to get groceries. Eman saw me and I could see she was battling her conscience on whether to help me or leave me be.
Then, the 4'9 hijabi girl marched over and smacked me on the head, which was a shock... She grabbed my ear and dragged me to her house, throwing a towel at me... Then she gave me hot chocolate... as I said, it was an embarrassing day. We've been the best of friends since that day, I also try not to judge anyone after that.
I pick up the call and lean forward, placing my arm on the table casually, my attention diverts from the conversation towards the voice on the other, listening to Eman speak in a hushed tone.
"Hey! Someone's spooking around your yard! Hudhaifa is asking to sneak in on the person from behind but I thought I'd let you know before we call the cops or whack a friend of yours on the head! Are you expecting anyone?" She whispers into the phone, I can imagine her peeking from underneath her kitchen window.
"Well, I'm not really expecting any friends, can you see their face?" I ask in a worried tone, making Meg snap to attention. She leans in and I let her listen to the conversation from the other end of the phone.
"No... It's kind of dark, but it's a short person... You know what? Don't worry, Huddy and I will take care of it and call you right back! Toodles!" She hangs up before I can even get a word out. I look at Meg dead-faced, a look she mimicked.
"She sounded way too excited, didn't she?" I ask, knowing Eman, she's out there with a frying pan or a bat, playing a brown Rapunzel as she drags Hudhaifa with her.
"Way, way too excited." we both quickly get up and run to the car, getting in and starting up to go home. My phone rings again and I quickly pick it up, without hesitation putting it on the loudspeaker.
"We got her!! I whacked her over the head!! IT WAS SO FUN, ADDY!!" Eman giggles from the other side before we hear a squeak and a whine as Hudhaifa's voice comes on.
"-alm down, Munchkin. You may have whacked the wrong person!" He says with a sigh, which is weirdly full of adoration for his spunky and hot-headed wife. "Addy? Eman whacked the lady before listening to her, she said she was your mother! I put her on the couch but no idea what to do with her now?"
I look at Meghan and see her jaw clench at the mention of that witch. She growls and looks back at me, shaking her head. I set my eyes on the road and let out a sigh.
"Tie her up, we'll be there soon."
"I TOLD YOU SO!!" I hear Eman yell in the background as the call cuts off, making our seriousness turn into little chuckles.
We reach home in about 10 minutes, parking in front of the house on the road and getting out. Meghan cracks her knuckles and I flick her head.
"Let's keep the murderous thoughts in check" I remind the little monster of a sister before we march over to Eman and Hudhaifa's house.
I knock on the door, not waiting very long for the answer as the door flings open to a very excited Eman, I gulp. That look has never been anything but trouble.
"What did you do...?" I ask and she looks at me with fake disbelief, putting a hand over her heart, as Hudhaifa walks in from behind her, looking slightly unsure of how to explain the situation.
"What makes you think I did anything, except what you have asked of me, my good sir?" She replies and I narrow my eyes at her, hearing Meghan choke a laugh to hold it in.
"The fact that you're talking like a victorian lady, maybe a leading factor." I say, before turning to her husband with a 'Please tell me everything is fine' look, which he avoids, making me even more suspicious.
We walk in and I soon find out why Eman was so excited, my dear mother had been tied up according to a YouTube playing in the lounge about a knot tutorial featuring a Hishi Karada*. I knew for a fact from Eman's face, she didn't know what the tie was but the deep blush on Huddy's face implied differently.
I looked at him and I could tell by his face that he wanted me to play along with his oblivious wife... I could hear Meg trying her best to hold in her laughter as she saw the scene before her and my own face is not different.
"ISN'T IT PRETTY!?!?! I DID IT ALL BY MYSELF! Huddy said I should just do a simple one but but but then I found this fun one and he wouldn't let me do it! I did it though, it was so fun!" Em goes on, I can no longer hold back and neither can Meg because we both burst out laughing. Hud puts a hand over his face and shakes his head at his wife's innocence in the situation.
Em looks around at us all confused, before looking at Meg and I, to ask us;
"What? What is it?"
I clear my throat and try to think of an innocent answer, however, Meghan beats both Hud and I to the answer.
"Em... It's a BDSM tying style... ya'know... 50 shades of grey. Daddy, Spank me.... Type of thing..." She says trying her hardest not to laugh. Em looks at her confused for a second before turning to Hudhaifa, the poor guy trying to disappear out of the situation.
"What is that, baby?" She asks him, I almost break down laughing again as he clears his throat and pets her head adoringly.
"Um... I'll tell you once Addy and Meg leave, yeah?" His reply satisfies Em and she skips over to our tied mother.
"Do you want me to untie her or do you want to take her over like this?" She asks, I hold myself back from bursting into another fit of laughter.
"Uh.. that... that would be... hard to explain if she woke up... we'll just take her and tie her up at our place... yeah?" Med wheezes out with a face as straight as she can possibly keep.
"Bu.. but the pretty knots! They took so long!" She pouts and I almost give in, not wanting to break her heart. However, for the love of all that is holy, thankfully, her husband picks her flailing and squeaking body up and waves at me to take the woman tied in the room. I chuckle and nod at him before untying our unconscious witch, trying not to listen to Em's protests on the matter of being forcefully removed from the situation... probably for... some home education. pft...
We take our mother back to our place with some stumbling because she looks thin, but weighs a ton. Meg and I throw her on the couch and duct tape her hands and feet to keep her from becoming violent. After we finish, we step back and huff, looking at the groggy and out-of-it woman on our couch.
"So, shall we wake the witch up?" Meg asks, with a sharp intake of breath, reluctant to start.
"Might as well, get the water."