"Justin, what's this?" Kevin calls from the living room, looking down into a box brown box with random things in it.
"It's my stuff from the garage. And some other stuff." Justin casually replies when entering the room. Kevin's look is way to interested and when Kevin reaches into the box to look around better, Justin almost throws himself in direction of the box.
"What are you doing, ass face?" Kevin asks, now having his baby brother pressed against him and the box. "What's in that box that you don't want me to see?"
"Nothing, it's just private." Justin says while trying on his most vulnerable face. Kevin's face turns more and more entertained, and his lawyer side is directly turned on.
"Maybe it was something I would have wanted." Kevin says, obviously teasing Justin to give himself away.
"No!" Justin calls out. His hands move behind his back, pushing the box away from him, across the table. Kevin watches it intently, slightly raising his eyebrows.
"Is that…" He says, looking over Justin's shoulder. His facial expression shows that he's trying to remember what it is he's seeing.
Something with that pink pattern, something from his childhood. He can't put his finger on what it is.
"It's nothing." Justin says, pushing Kevin away. "Let's go have lunch." He suggests.
"Justin we just ate." Kevin slowly steps to the side, trying to get a better view.
Then suddenly, it hits him.
"Oh my god, it's that doll!" Kevin calls out.
"Kevin, shut up!" Justin silence him. "What if someone hears you, Rebecca and Sarah are in the next room."
"I know, they're next in line to hear about this." Kevin says, his whole face now glowing with happiness.
"You wouldn't."
"Is that a dare?" Kevin takes a step in direction of the door. "You know, I could never dismiss them. I even kissed a girl once…"
"Too much info, bro." Justin follows Kevin.
Their movements towards the door are like a silent hunt for the prey. The prey on which they will slip as many embarrassing childhood anecdotes about each other, as they can possibly think of. Justin knows he's already lost that battle. Sarah already knows everything about both of them, and when it comes to upholding an image in front of Rebecca, he's got more to loose. Besides, he's too young to know the really good stuff, the punishment of being the baby.
Right when Justin thinks he's ahead, Kevin runs away. Justin enters the kitchen to find Kevin already there with Rebecca and Sarah, spilling the beans about Justin's doll in pink clothing, the one he had for years and years. The one that he played doctor on, the one he had air tea parties with and the one he held close when he was sad.
Rebecca looks up at him, smiling goofily.
"Aw, Justin." She says, still intently listening to Kevin's rant. Sarah fills in with her details, not making the situation better. Justin buries his head in his arms over the counter, waiting out the nostalgia trip.
"I hate you all." He says and looks up.
"Well, it's not like we don't have embarrassing stories." Sarah comforts and walks over to him, putting her supportive big sister arm around his neck. "You're just too young to know them." She says in a cooing baby voice and pinches his cheek, causing their audience to laugh.
"Oh, Justin, don't worry about that." Rebecca says. "It's not strange that you had a doll when you were a kid."
"No?" He asks, hesitant.
"No!" She assures him. "The weird thing is you still want to keep it." Rebecca adds, and Kevin high-fives her.
"You know, you suck." Justin says, returning to the living room. He can hear Kevin sneaking up behind him.
"Hey bro, you know we're just playing around." He says, putting a hand on Justin's shoulder.
"I know, it's just…" Justin stops by the box, looking down into it, seeing all the things in it. Childhood things and things from his dad.
"All these things are from when I was still this good kid that everyone believed in. When I still hade a future."
"That's not true, Justin, no one thinks any lesser of you than of any of us."
"No, I know I'm on the right track now, it's just, it feels like a lost several years to drugs. There's nothing from that time that I want to keep."
"Maybe that's good." Kevin says, seeking eye contact with Justin. "Don't keep things, just remember why you're not still there."
For a moment they're still. Kevin tightens his grip around his baby brother's shoulder, patting him on his arm. After a while, Justin looks up again.
"This whole thing has really ruined my macho image. I really need a beer and some girl-on-girl porn now."
"That sounds like a plan." Kevin enthusiastically replies.
"Really?" Justin responds, surprised that his brother has a sudden interest in female anatomy.
"Yeah right," Kevin whines, "porn with women, times two. It's not even straight porn where there can at least be a hunky guy."
"Again, too much information."