Page 5 (1/2)

Royally Raised Emma Chase 22520K 2023-09-01

See-- he’s afraid of The Bitch too

"I came every day He wouldn’t open the door for me"

I sense the couch dip as she sits beside h the back of ly worried, she reminds me of my mother When I was a boy and sick at home, Mom would come into my room with hot chocolate and soup on a tray She would kiss my forehead to see if it still burned with fever She always made me feel better

Themoisture to my closed eyes

Ah I’m not sure if she hears me My voice is lost in the sweet-scented pillow

"I have the flu"

I hear the opening of a pizza box and a groan as the stench of rotting cheese and sausage drifts from the container "Not exactly the diet of someone with the flu, Little Brother"

I hear further shuffling of beer bottles and garbage, and I know she’s starting to straighten the mess up I’m not the only neat freak in !" She inhales sharply, and, judging by the stink that joins the putrid pizza aro she just opened a three-day-old ice creaht

"Drew" She shakesthe exhaustion fro on? What happened?"

As I look at the troubled expression ofbitch of a sister, I’m throenty-two years back in time I’m six years old and my hamster, Mr Wuzzles, has just died And just like on that day, the painful truth is ripped fros

"It finally happened"

"What happened?"

"What you’ve been wishing on me all these years," I whisper "I fell in love"

I look up to see the smile form It’s what she’s alanted for me She’s been married to Steven forever, has been in love with hireed with the way I live my life and can’t wait for me to settle down To find someone to take care of me, the way she takes care of Steven The way our mother still takes care of our dad

But I told her it would never happen-- it wasn’t what I wanted Why bring a book to the library? Why bring sand to the beach? Why buy the cohen you get theto see the picture here?

So I see her beginning to snize, I say, "She’ssomeone else She didn’tshe didn’t want me, Lex"

Sympathy spreads across my sister’s face like jam on bread And then deter drains, patch dented walls, and reh her head at this ht back together again

I wish it were that easy

But I don’t think all the Krazy Glue in the world is going to piece ain

Did I mention I’m a bit of a poet too?

"Okay We can fix this, Drew"

Do I know , hot shower I’ll clean up this disaster Then, we’re going out The three of us"

"I can’t go out"

Hasn’t she been listening?

"I have the flu"