AN: Happy Halloween or October 31 or one year since Sandy hit or whatever. I would celebrate Halloween, if it wasn't violent. Here's a little somethin' somethin' for you guys, if you're as boring as me. For those of you that have a life, be safe, and hold the candy! just kidding! Oh, and translations are below, if the Spanglish burns your beezy. Three years of Spanish got me speaking like that anyway.
Disclaimer: I don't care if Dan Scneider came to Macy's shitface-drunk and handed me the S4 script; I will never own Victorious.
"Tori! Are you ready?" I hear my sister, Trina, yell from downstairs. I barely have a shirt on, and she's already ready to leave. We're going down to southern LA to pick out pumpkins for Halloween. Yeah, I know, we get on each other's throats almost every day. It escalated mostly when I transferred schools, but since she's in college, we get along way better. We talk almost every day now. "Date prisa, Victoria! God, you're like a seventeen-year-old me!"
"I'm coming!" I yell back.
"By the time you're done, the good pumpkins will be gone!" Trina whines; at least one thing hasn't changed. I grumble Spanish obscenities under my breath, and throw on the first shirt I see. Ironically, it's a shirt with a pumpkin on it. Chuckling, I snatch my varsity jacket from the closet. I leave my room in a rush, and descend the stairs to see Trina watching a rerun of South of Nowhere on television.
"I'm ready," I announce. Trina looks back at me, and turns off the television.
"Por fin! I thought I'd be here for another hour," she sighs in relief, and grabs her purse. "You're slower than a snail."
"Now you know how I felt before I finally got my license," I retort, with a mischievous grin. Trina gives me a hard look, but she knows perfectly that it's true. While we went to the same school, she always took so long in the bathroom. Not only that; when I was ready, she was still prepping her face and clothes. "Payback is a bitch, ennit?"
"No, your imaginary boyfriend is," Trina sarcastically replies. She gets in the driver's seat of her car immediately, when I apply myself in the passenger's seat. Why she says that, is because I keep talking about one of her study group friends, Tyler, who's really cute. He's in a relationship, but that doesn't mean I can't admire from afar. He even knows that I like him, and he even said he would date me if he weren't dating someone else.
"Your girlfriend isn't very nice either," I argue playfully.
"Shut up, you love Caroline," she mumbles. She turns on the ignition, and waits a moment for the car to warm up. Since it's a very old car, it will take a while for us to go on the road.
"You should invite her for dinner again," I enlighten, with a warm smile. "Dad will love for her to come over again."
"I know, pero, ¿qué hay de mamá?" Trina raises her voice, almost yelling. "She wanted to kick me out of the house when she met Caroline. I refuse to let that sorry excuse of a mom embarrass me again." Trina breathes a shaky exhale, and starts driving out of the parking lot. It's a very sore topic in the house. Ever since she started dating another girl, our mom was adamant on kicking her out. However, dad stopped her from making any sudden movements. "Enough about me; how's the wicked witch of the West lately?"
The only person I ever talk to is Jade anymore, so that's why she asks. They hated each other before. I don't know what happened, but they seem close now. "She's trying to reclaim the Scissoring dress again for Halloween. She says she really wants to scare the neighborhood kids."
"Wasn't she one of those Anarchy sisters last year with Sam? It was pretty funny," she chuckles. Last year, they paired up for a Halloween costume, as a bet. Only my sister and I got the reference. "She gained two pounds during that challenge, she told me."
Halloween last year was weird, but this year is just going to be calm. I only talk to two people, so you won't see me at a party. It's fine, because Halloween (for me) is mostly about carving pumpkins with my sister, who I barely see without a book on her lap. "I'm just going to eat a bag of Kit Kats for the whole day, while you party with papi chulo and your novia. Halloween's going to suck."
"Aw, you totally want to come with me? It's not that bad of a college party," Trina tries to persuade, but I know better. She goes to USC, and while they don't party all the time, they get a little rambunctious when someone spikes the punches. "I'll make sure you steer clear from the spiked punch."
"Nah, I'll never forget the time you came home on your first week of school." It was barely 9pm, and the woman was drunk out of her mind! I didn't so much carry her, but it's still a wonder how neither mom nor dad punished her for it. "You should still feel honored. Mom didn't even care about your loud gagging in the bathroom."
Trina turns a sharp corner slowly, and keeps driving at a steady pace. Before, we would've been there already with her reckless driving. "She doesn't have to care. She hasn't cared for years now. It's still a wonder how Dad still loves her, while she's a sex-addicted sociópata." The air grows thick with silence again; it happens a lot when we talk about our mom. I used to hate it, but its second nature now. Our mom is neglectful towards the both of us. She's more neglectful towards the first-born, however.
The silence plays until we get to the pumpkin stand. There are only a few people around, but a plentiful amount of pumpkins, in different sizes. We always get more than one because we always mess up on the first. In addition, we still hold a competition on who's the best carver. Trina usually wins, but last year, I included my friends to let me win. She hated it. This year, it's just going to be Dad and us instead of anyone else. On the positive side, she uses the extra parts to make pumpkin-inspired desserts. "I swear to god, Tori. I hope this is not a repeat of last year."
Last year, Trina fought with four teenagers for a pumpkin the size of a Christmas tree. Trina won, but we ended up getting a ride from Gary, who told our father. I barely got off scot-free. Trina, on the other hand, had a two-week punishment and a short-lived curfew. She couldn't go to the Halloween Kick-Back that year, considering it was her last Kick-Back before graduating. "Let's just hope those pendejos don't try to fight you again."
We step out of the car, and into the crisp, yet unseasonably chilly air of southern Los Angeles. The family, and now Trina, always goes out of Hollywood Hills to get the best pumpkins. The ones at Hollywood Hills always own the most deformed and spoiled pumpkins. They usually try to sell it to people as well. Ellos realmente creen que somos estúpidos. I hate when people fool me and so does Trina. We slowly walk over to the pumpkin stand, and visualize the good-looking pumpkins. We point at a few, and have small, Spanglish-inspired arguments about which is best.
"Okay, okay! How about...this one?" I ask, pointing towards the medium-sized pumpkin. The pumpkin is perfect for making a fat jack-o-lantern. "Come on, you love fat pumpkins."
"Eres un imbécil," Trina grins. "Pick it up before I change my mind."
My grin grows wider as I struggle to pick it up. Unlike the incredible she-Hulk standing next to me, I'm actually made of spaghetti. I can't lift up heavy things. "¡Ayúdame, motherfucker!" I pout. She stares at me blankly as a reply. "What the hell? This isn't as light as it looks."
"You need to build up your muscle," she lectures, and takes the heavy pumpkin from me. "You're 17, and you can't lift up a 20-pound pumpkin. Do you even lift?"
I throw my hands up in defeat, "Cálmate, mi hermana." I see a small pumpkin at the corner of my eye, standing tall upon a large one. "How about a small one? I like the small ones."
"Whatever. Just know that I'm gonna get you this year!" Trina wags her eyebrows with a smirk; if she doesn't cheat like every year, maybe we will have a real competition. "That means you get no help from esos idiotas you called friends."
"Indefinitely," I agree.
—
After a couple of hours, screw-ups, and a messy kitchen, we finish the competition. I'm not covered in much, but my sister looks like the pumpkin monster assaulted her. I giggle at her. She narrows her eyes, and sticks out her tongue. Dad is currently debating on who's the best, and I'm confident that it's going to be me. "Both of you were good—"
"Papá, deja de darle vueltas al asunto!" Trina yells in frustration. "Just pick out who's the best!"
He stays silent for a while. He keeps moving his head from left to right. He points over to Trina's pumpkin, and I gasp falsely. Ugh, not again! I deserved it from last year, but still! What's so good about hers—?
"Tramposa!" I yell false-angrily, as I look at her drawing of our father sitting down. It's detailed, but still - I thought my drawing of the solar system would win for sure. "You weren't supposed to use anyone from the audience!"
"You did last year! Payback is a bitch, ennit?" Trina mocks me from earlier with a 40's accent. "Not so fun on the other end, is it?"
"Yo no hablo de esa manera!" I sneer harshly. I hated it when Jade did that, and I hate it when anyone else does it.
"Look, both of you girls were fine!" Dad reassures the both of us. Of course he would say that. He only wants to make me feel better. I appreciate the effort, though. "I don't see why you two do this every year."
Trina shrugs, "We used to do this every year with you and mom, but since ella está montando un objeto fálico—"
"Stop it, Trina," I frown deeply. It's no secret that our mom is having an affair with another man. Whenever she mentions it, it ruins the fun. "It's all about the good during Halloween. Let's forget about that bullshit. Plus, it's the first time in a few years since we did this without arguing."
"No, this is the first time in years when you don't end up with a black eye, and me covered in pumpkin goop," Trina replies matter of factly. While it's true, I hate being reminded of those days. It further separated us from who we really are. While she's an annoying brat (but isn't so much anymore,) she's still my sister; my sister with the same mister. Yeah, that was cliché. "But I still won, nonetheless."
"Whatever, tramposa." I step over and give Trina a bear hug. She did win the competition fair and square, but I have a feeling that I'm going to call her a tramposa until Halloween night. Trina instantly hugs back, which makes me feel even happier. It's times like this, that I'm grateful for a sister as annoying, condescending, narcissistic, yet caring and intuitive as she is. "Love you, tramposa."
"I love you too, perdedora." Before I have time to slap her upside her head, Trina lets go of me. With a smirk, she flashes the small, portable flashlights from the cabinet below my feet. "Now, let's light these bad boys up."
date prisa - hurry up
por fin - finally (as an interjection, not as a preposition)
pero, ¿qué hay de mamá? - but, what about mom?
papi chulo - cute boy
novia - girlfriend
sociópata - sociopath (fem)
pendejos - motherfuckers
ellos realmente creen que somos estúpidos - they really think we're stupid
eres un imbécil - you're an asshole
ayúdame - help me
cálmate, me hermana - calm down, my sister
esos idiotas - those idiots
papá, deja de darle vueltas al asunto! - dad, stop beating around the bush
yo no hablo de esa manera - I don't talk like that
tramposa - cheater (fem)
ella está montando un objeto fálico - she's riding a phallic object
perdedora - loser