/I don't own anything you recognize in this story. /
Morgan Hess stood in front of his old house looking up at the two-story building that he had once called home when he was younger. After leaving home for college, Morgan never considered coming back to the place where so many bad memories hid themselves like hidden weeds among the flowers to cut you when you least expect it.
Morgan took a breath and stepped up onto the porch and knocked on the door. Immediately a dog started barking like crazy and another one began joining in with the first one. The just-turned nineteen year-old smiled slightly. He recognized the first dog as Isabel, one of the dogs that Morgan grew up with. But he didn't recognize the second dog. Maybe it was the dog that replaced Houdini that his father had talked about.
"I'm coming! Just hold on a minute," a voice said within the house. "Get back, you stupid dogs get back. Isabel, Buddy, get back!"
Finally the door opened and Morgan saw him faced with his fourteen year-old sister, Bo. Morgan broke into a grin and opened up his arms for a hug. Bo grinned back and rushed into Morgan's arms and the two of them hugged for about five minutes before breaking apart.
"I've missed you, Morgan," Bo exclaimed. "Come in, come in."
"I've missed you, too, Bo," Morgan said as he stepped into the house and Bo closed the door behind him. "How's everybody been?"
"Oh, as normal as ever. Or abnormal, as I should say," Bo said, smiling.
"Is uncle Merrill still working at the gas station?" Morgan asked.
"Yes, but he's starting to get back into baseball again. He's always loved baseball, you know," Bo answered.
Morgan nodded. "I see."
"Morgan, it's good to see you!" Graham came into the front hallway and walked over to his son, embracing Morgan's arm before reaching out with his other arm and giving a full-armed hug.
"Nice to see you, too, dad," Morgan said, hugging his father back.
Graham pulled back from his son and gave him a look over. "My, you've grown since the last I saw you. How's college?"
"It's ok. The freshman year's kind of hard because you're the newsies and have to learn the rules of the campus. But I think next year will be better," Morgan said, grinning.
"Well, come in, come in. Let's go in the living room. Your uncle Merrill won't be here for another hour. He's taking up baseball again if Bo hasn't informed as much," Graham said as they moved into the family room.
Morgan sat down on the couch next to Bo and looked around. Everything was the same as Morgan had left it, everything in the same position. There were so many memories in this room that he couldn't count them.
Morgan turned to Bo and grinned. "I see that you're not leaving glasses of water around everywhere like you used to."
Bo gently punched her brother in the arm. "Come off it, Morgan. I haven't done that since I was five and anyways, that was when I had some unconscious knowing that the aliens were coming and I needed to place the glasses everywhere."
Morgan frowned slightly. "You remember that?"
"Of course. If something big happens early in your life, then you're bound to remember it. And anyways, I was five years old then, I can remember a lot of stuff at five," Bo said.
"I know. I was just teasing you. I know you have a good memory, Bo," Morgan assured his sister.
"So, anyways, what was your favorite subject at college, Morgan?" Graham asked quickly, a little too quickly to change the subject in Morgan's opinion. "Did you make any new friends?"
"Well, actually, I liked all my classes. You know, Spanish, English, World History. I find it all interesting. And yeah, I've made a few friends in the geek section," Morgan exclaimed.
"The geek section?" Bo giggled.
"Yeah. Where all the people who are too smart for their own good and nobody wants to be with them because we're too smart," Morgan replied.
"Now, come on, Morgan, don't be so stereotypical," Graham chided his son.
"But hey, it's true," Morgan said.
Just then, Merrill came in with a bat over his shoulder. He was a broad shouldered man in his thirties. His moppy brown hair was soaked in sweat and dirt and sweat mingled on his face. Morgan didn't doubt that the girls would kill to see him like this in person and get a picture with the guy. Morgan wished he had that kind of thing with the girls.
"Hey, Morgan. I didn't know if you'd be here or not when I got back. But it's good to see you!" Merrill exclaimed.
"Good to see you too, uncle Merrill," Morgan replied.
"I didn't expect you home so early, Merrill," Graham commented.
"Yeah, well. Coach said we could leave early since we've been doing good all practice," Merrill replied.
Graham nodded. Morgan noticed that Merrill was his normal self as usual, but his brother had somehow changed in the last year. What was wrong?
"Well, I guess I better get up to my room and get myself rested, shouldn't I?" Morgan stated.
"Yes, you should because we're going to go out to eat later on tonight, if that's ok with you," Graham said.
Morgan nodded. "That's fine with me." Morgan stood up and started walking towards the stairs to head towards his room. He heard a soft pattering behind him and turned around to see Bo walking after him.
"I thought you might want company," Bo said sheepishly.
"If you're meaning to ask if you can come in my room with me, fine. I don't mind, really. I have to get used to it at college, what with roommates and everything," Morgan said, smiling slightly.
Bo smiled back. Morgan couldn't help but notice that Bo had such a pretty smile. Actually, she was quite beautiful. Maybe she had a boyfriend now. After all, all freshman high school girls liked getting boyfriends, or at least most of them, anyways.
As they came into Morgan's room, Morgan stripped off his clothes to only his underwear and flopped onto his bed. It was so warm and comfortable, and he wanted to sleep, but he couldn't fall asleep while his sister was visiting with him.
"You shouldn't strip down to your underwear with me around, now, Morgan," Bo said. "Maybe that's ok when we were little kids because we didn't know the difference."
"Oh, come on, Bo, you've seen me half-naked when we go swimming," Morgan protested.
"Yeah, but that's different," Bo argued back.
"Don't see no difference," Morgan shrugged.
Bo sighed and sat on the edge of Morgan's bed. "Do you think dad's acting a bit strange, to you?"
"Yeah, I kind of do. What's his problem, do you know?" Morgan asked.
"A little. He's found a new woman and she's weird. She doesn't like teenagers a whole lot and she's always trying to tell dad how to raise me," Bo stated.
"That's a little harsh," Morgan said.
Bo nodded. "Yeah, it is. And she said when you get here she's going to try and straighten you out, too."
"Oh, something to look foreword to," Morgan said sarcastically. "What's her name?"
"Yeah, really. The woman's name's Ayanna," Bo said.
"What...an unusual name," Morgan said.
Bo nodded. "Well, I better let you get some sleep or you'll be dead at the restaurant."
Morgan smiled. "See you later, then."
"'Bye," Bo said and soon she got up from the bed and left.
Morgan sighed and turned over onto his side. He and his sister were unusually close than most siblings, but Morgan didn't mind. He liked it better that way. Before drifting off to sleep, Morgan thought of how everything seemed changed after he got back from his freshman year at college- His father acting strange, getting a new girlfriend, etc. Oh, well, he'd have to get used to it.
Morgan Hess soon fell into a dreamless sleep, not worrying about anything. He'd let things go with the flow for a while.
Author's Note: Here you go, everybody. I hope you liked it. I think this is going to be a good story, but I don't know, you all will just have to review. Thanks much for reviewing! You keep reviewing and I'll keep writing because I know you all love reading and reviewing.
Morgan Hess stood in front of his old house looking up at the two-story building that he had once called home when he was younger. After leaving home for college, Morgan never considered coming back to the place where so many bad memories hid themselves like hidden weeds among the flowers to cut you when you least expect it.
Morgan took a breath and stepped up onto the porch and knocked on the door. Immediately a dog started barking like crazy and another one began joining in with the first one. The just-turned nineteen year-old smiled slightly. He recognized the first dog as Isabel, one of the dogs that Morgan grew up with. But he didn't recognize the second dog. Maybe it was the dog that replaced Houdini that his father had talked about.
"I'm coming! Just hold on a minute," a voice said within the house. "Get back, you stupid dogs get back. Isabel, Buddy, get back!"
Finally the door opened and Morgan saw him faced with his fourteen year-old sister, Bo. Morgan broke into a grin and opened up his arms for a hug. Bo grinned back and rushed into Morgan's arms and the two of them hugged for about five minutes before breaking apart.
"I've missed you, Morgan," Bo exclaimed. "Come in, come in."
"I've missed you, too, Bo," Morgan said as he stepped into the house and Bo closed the door behind him. "How's everybody been?"
"Oh, as normal as ever. Or abnormal, as I should say," Bo said, smiling.
"Is uncle Merrill still working at the gas station?" Morgan asked.
"Yes, but he's starting to get back into baseball again. He's always loved baseball, you know," Bo answered.
Morgan nodded. "I see."
"Morgan, it's good to see you!" Graham came into the front hallway and walked over to his son, embracing Morgan's arm before reaching out with his other arm and giving a full-armed hug.
"Nice to see you, too, dad," Morgan said, hugging his father back.
Graham pulled back from his son and gave him a look over. "My, you've grown since the last I saw you. How's college?"
"It's ok. The freshman year's kind of hard because you're the newsies and have to learn the rules of the campus. But I think next year will be better," Morgan said, grinning.
"Well, come in, come in. Let's go in the living room. Your uncle Merrill won't be here for another hour. He's taking up baseball again if Bo hasn't informed as much," Graham said as they moved into the family room.
Morgan sat down on the couch next to Bo and looked around. Everything was the same as Morgan had left it, everything in the same position. There were so many memories in this room that he couldn't count them.
Morgan turned to Bo and grinned. "I see that you're not leaving glasses of water around everywhere like you used to."
Bo gently punched her brother in the arm. "Come off it, Morgan. I haven't done that since I was five and anyways, that was when I had some unconscious knowing that the aliens were coming and I needed to place the glasses everywhere."
Morgan frowned slightly. "You remember that?"
"Of course. If something big happens early in your life, then you're bound to remember it. And anyways, I was five years old then, I can remember a lot of stuff at five," Bo said.
"I know. I was just teasing you. I know you have a good memory, Bo," Morgan assured his sister.
"So, anyways, what was your favorite subject at college, Morgan?" Graham asked quickly, a little too quickly to change the subject in Morgan's opinion. "Did you make any new friends?"
"Well, actually, I liked all my classes. You know, Spanish, English, World History. I find it all interesting. And yeah, I've made a few friends in the geek section," Morgan exclaimed.
"The geek section?" Bo giggled.
"Yeah. Where all the people who are too smart for their own good and nobody wants to be with them because we're too smart," Morgan replied.
"Now, come on, Morgan, don't be so stereotypical," Graham chided his son.
"But hey, it's true," Morgan said.
Just then, Merrill came in with a bat over his shoulder. He was a broad shouldered man in his thirties. His moppy brown hair was soaked in sweat and dirt and sweat mingled on his face. Morgan didn't doubt that the girls would kill to see him like this in person and get a picture with the guy. Morgan wished he had that kind of thing with the girls.
"Hey, Morgan. I didn't know if you'd be here or not when I got back. But it's good to see you!" Merrill exclaimed.
"Good to see you too, uncle Merrill," Morgan replied.
"I didn't expect you home so early, Merrill," Graham commented.
"Yeah, well. Coach said we could leave early since we've been doing good all practice," Merrill replied.
Graham nodded. Morgan noticed that Merrill was his normal self as usual, but his brother had somehow changed in the last year. What was wrong?
"Well, I guess I better get up to my room and get myself rested, shouldn't I?" Morgan stated.
"Yes, you should because we're going to go out to eat later on tonight, if that's ok with you," Graham said.
Morgan nodded. "That's fine with me." Morgan stood up and started walking towards the stairs to head towards his room. He heard a soft pattering behind him and turned around to see Bo walking after him.
"I thought you might want company," Bo said sheepishly.
"If you're meaning to ask if you can come in my room with me, fine. I don't mind, really. I have to get used to it at college, what with roommates and everything," Morgan said, smiling slightly.
Bo smiled back. Morgan couldn't help but notice that Bo had such a pretty smile. Actually, she was quite beautiful. Maybe she had a boyfriend now. After all, all freshman high school girls liked getting boyfriends, or at least most of them, anyways.
As they came into Morgan's room, Morgan stripped off his clothes to only his underwear and flopped onto his bed. It was so warm and comfortable, and he wanted to sleep, but he couldn't fall asleep while his sister was visiting with him.
"You shouldn't strip down to your underwear with me around, now, Morgan," Bo said. "Maybe that's ok when we were little kids because we didn't know the difference."
"Oh, come on, Bo, you've seen me half-naked when we go swimming," Morgan protested.
"Yeah, but that's different," Bo argued back.
"Don't see no difference," Morgan shrugged.
Bo sighed and sat on the edge of Morgan's bed. "Do you think dad's acting a bit strange, to you?"
"Yeah, I kind of do. What's his problem, do you know?" Morgan asked.
"A little. He's found a new woman and she's weird. She doesn't like teenagers a whole lot and she's always trying to tell dad how to raise me," Bo stated.
"That's a little harsh," Morgan said.
Bo nodded. "Yeah, it is. And she said when you get here she's going to try and straighten you out, too."
"Oh, something to look foreword to," Morgan said sarcastically. "What's her name?"
"Yeah, really. The woman's name's Ayanna," Bo said.
"What...an unusual name," Morgan said.
Bo nodded. "Well, I better let you get some sleep or you'll be dead at the restaurant."
Morgan smiled. "See you later, then."
"'Bye," Bo said and soon she got up from the bed and left.
Morgan sighed and turned over onto his side. He and his sister were unusually close than most siblings, but Morgan didn't mind. He liked it better that way. Before drifting off to sleep, Morgan thought of how everything seemed changed after he got back from his freshman year at college- His father acting strange, getting a new girlfriend, etc. Oh, well, he'd have to get used to it.
Morgan Hess soon fell into a dreamless sleep, not worrying about anything. He'd let things go with the flow for a while.
Author's Note: Here you go, everybody. I hope you liked it. I think this is going to be a good story, but I don't know, you all will just have to review. Thanks much for reviewing! You keep reviewing and I'll keep writing because I know you all love reading and reviewing.