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“Keenie motherfucker!”
“Teachers Pet!”
“Femboy Dwarf!”
Edward and Oliver walk ahead of me, fighting as usual. I swear, sometimes it feels like being friends with these two isn’t worth the trouble
“Oh really with the short jokes? You can do better than that!”
“I'm just saying, I've seen your mom. You got no reason to be the shortest motherfucker in the entirety of the 6ix! And that's including those heels of yours!” Oliver runs his motormouth like there's no tomorrow. I love him to death, but kaaatie is his vocabulary annoying at times.
“Oh shut it buddy, and don't bring up my mom, I've seen how you eye her!”
“Can't blame a man. That bitch be looki–”
“CAN YOU TWO SHUT UP FOR KAAATIESAKE!?” The two recoil at my outburst and immediately shut their traps.
“Finally, damn.”
Edward slows his pace to walk behind me, while Oliver pushes forward.
“What am I gonna do with you guys? You two have been doing this shit for years now. Aren't you meant to be older than me? Fucking act like it!”
“Sorry.” They both affirm. Hey wait a minute!
“Oliver, aren't you with Δlice?” Oliver pulls out his signature smug grin, damnit.
“Hey, it's just a look.” He puts his hands up before looking at Edward sinisterly. “And besides, I love an older woman with pointy legs. She can–”
“Okay enough of that Ollie. I know you're just ragebaiting Eddie, but I don't wanna hear you thirsting over Bloomie anymore than he does.”
He giggles while Edward crosses his arms. After a few minutes of more casual conversation, we finally reach my house. We huddle together, before doing our awesome secret handshake, the both of them reluctantly doing the parts that involve touching each other.
“Bye Zip, see ya, eh.” Eddie continues down the street. Oliver pulls out a cigarette, and I use my breath to light it.
“Wanna dart?” “Nah, I'd love to but I gotta watch after Chip, and I would prefer to set a good example.”
“Just smoke it out here, what he doesn't know can't hurt him, eh.”
I enthusiastically take it, not before using it to light the other cig. We stand in the shade of the porch while watching the world go by.
I have to give props to my bumass dad, he did bless me with lungs that can smoke like nobody's business. Shame that chip won't get the same luxury of underage smoking. We never figured out who his parents were, but he seems to be mostly–
I burst into a coughing fit, accidentally inhaling the normally blissful smoke.
“Shit, you okay bud?”
“Yeah.” A few more coughs follow. “Shouldn't have been so caught in my thoughts.”
“Heh, that's enough smoke for you. Anyways im headed to the Timmies by 5th, bye Zoey.”
“Wait!” He turns to face me. “Please try to get along with Edward, ok? I know you guys don't see eye to eye on anything really, but please try.”
“Fuck no.” He crosses his arms, and taps his foot.
“Pleeeease? Do it for me?” I pull out my best puppy wendigo eyes. Oliver stands uncomfortably, before sighing, and giving me a light hug.
“Fine, but I'm not making any promises. Bye Zip” “Bye Ollie!”
I head inside, careful to not slam the door in case Chip is still asleep. I very delicately seal the door, then slowly turn around. Chip is standing right in front of me. I love this little rascal.
“Hey Chippy, how're you feeling now!” “Bedduh. Nose zdill zduffy.”
“Oh poor baby.” I wrap my arms around him before kissing his forehead. I pick him up and take him to his room, placing him on moms bed. Yeah he still sleeps with mom at 6, so what? I still sleep with her sometimes, especially during winter. You'd do the same if yours was as fluffy as mine.
“Go to sleep buddy. I love you.”
“Love you doo Zibby.”
I close the door gently and then enter my room. Posters of my favorite bands line one wall, the other, a bunch of Chips drawings. The walls are white as most things in this world, except the drawing wall, which is a dull red.
A bunch of junk is scattered on the floor, with paths carved between the door, bed, and desk. More of it sat on my desk, alongside my computer, filled with violent games, photos, and folders upon folders of dumb shitposts I've collected and left to rot over the years. Kaaatie knows how old some of those are, I wonder if I’d even get the references now.
I leave my door open to keep an ear out for Chip before hopping onto my bed and pulling out my phone. After a few hours of numbing my mind, I finally turn off my phone with no memory of what I had watched over the past few hours. I head downstairs to the kitchen to get a snack and see the fridge door open.
“Hey Chippy, watcha got there?”
The door closes and to my horror I see him with blood trailing down his mouth, nibbled raw meat in his hands.
“A znag.” He says nonchalantly.
“What is that?”
“De deer dat mom god lasd nighd.”
“Oh buddy you can’t eat it like that. Here, let me warm it up for you.” I offer my hand, which he denies.
“No. I lige id lige diz.”
“Why? Don’t you know that isn’t good for you, you could get even more sick.”
“Mom eads lige diz all de dime.”
How does he know that? Mom has deliberately tried to eat normally around us for years. I didn’t catch her eating savagely until I was 10.
“I do diz all de dime, and I nevuh god zig.”
He gags, spitting out some on the meat.
“Cmon man, why are you actually doing this?”
He looks at his feet guiltily, shuddering. Great, now I feel guilty. I lower myself to his height, hand on his shoulder and give him the most sympathetic look I can muster.
“Hey, look at me please.”
He slowly turns to look me in the eyes.
“I won’t judge, just tell me.”
“I j-jusd wanna be lige m-m-mommy.” He confesses before tearing up. I wrap him in my arms, his crying muffled by my body.
“Shhh, its okay buddy. Why do you want to be like her?”
“B-B-Because shez z-zad, and I w-wanna help her.”
“Shhh, its ok Chip. You already make her happy. She would be way more sad if you weren’t here. We both love you so much, that’s why she adopted you in the first place. We both need you.”
Great, now I’m tearing up. How could I have not known he felt this way? I’m the worst sister ever, how could I be so stupid?
“W-why are you grying Zibby?”
“It’s nothing little guy. Don’t worry about it.”
“I dold yuh, you dell meh.”
I chuckle, “Clever boy.” But my joy falters. “I had no idea you were going through this. I should’ve known better.”” I hold him closer, my throat burns. “I’m such a bad sister, aren’t I?”
Time seems to freeze, my own words repeat in my mind in an unbearable silence. I doesn’t deserve him, he doesn’t deserve a horrible sister to look after him. He deserves someone better, someone-
“Nuh uh.” He denies, like he read my mind. “Yer zmart, and I love yuh zistuh.”
We stay there for a while, long enough for our tears to dry, and our breaths to steady. The door opens, and I turn to see mom with her hand over her mouth and Aunt Grace impassive as usual
“Oh hi mom, hey Grace.”
“Uhh… what’re you two doing?” Grace asks awkwardly
“I wuz eading raw mead.” “WHAT?!” Moms voice destroys my eardrums as her antlers burst out of her skull. Good thing I covered Chips ears.
“Well uh, its a good thing you brought me here, i guess. I’ll take care of that.”
“Yeah. You do that Sarah.” Mom says with a psychotic look before walking into the other room.
While Grace casts her spells or whatever, I can hear furniture being torn apart in the next room. Chip looks at me with fear, but I smile reassuringly.
“Okay that should be your cold taken care of, I’ll check your body for any infections from that meat.”
She lays her hands over his body, his clothes and skin turning transparent as she inspects his torso layer by layer. In the process, mom comes back, her antlers gone and her face back to its usual melancholy. I decide to hold her hand, and she looks down on me, turning her head a bit to the left.
“He saw you, and wants to be more like you. He says its to make you happy again. Oh, also he says he’s been doing this for a while but never got sick”
Her frown deepens then goes back when Aunt Grace finishes.
“You shouldn’t worry about him. His appendix is the strongest I’ve ever seen.”
Mom sighs in relief. “Well thats good, thanks Sarah.”
Aunt Grace simply nods, before patting Chips head, who seems perfectly fine.
“Would you like to stay, Auntie Gracie?”
“Sure sweetie.” Grace smiles slightly. That boy is a miracle worker.
Mom pulls out some rabbit meat and wild potatoes before working on the stew. Grace sits on the couch and pulls out some papers from her satchel. I decide to go out back with Chip. He immediately runs to the trampoline as I follow him.
"Cmon Zippy, jump harder! I wanna bounce!"
The warm orange light of the setting sun envelopes us. I’ve always loved the sun and sky, the only consistent source of color in our lives. At least, the only one that isn’t dangerous to be around. As pretty as that forest is, I never want to be caught out there.
As I lay back while Chip jumps next to me, slightly bouncing me up and down, I think about him. He’s a smart kid, and his innocent eyes fill me with a love like no other. I’ll die to protect those eyes.