"Alex, I'm bored!" I whined to my older brother across the room as he scoffed.
"Why don't you go catch bugs with Josh? You know Dad would never let you or Josh play with me." Alex grumbled as I sighed, climbing down from my bed before reaching the bunk beds Alex and Josh shared.
"I don't want to catch anymore bugs with Josh! Why don't we play pretend?" I asked him as he sighed, putting the book he had been looking at down.
"You know how Dad is about that." Alex commented as I climbed the ladder before climbing onto his bed.
"Come on, Alex!" I begged as I gave him the puppy dog eyes.
"Pleeease?" I dragged out as I put my chin on his arm.
"Fine!" Alex said as he rolled his eyes playfully and I grinned.
"Thank you, Alex!" I said as I gave him a quick hug before hurrying back down.
"I'll go find Josh!" I called out before running down the stairs.
Josh and I could run down the stairs and only be told to not do it again. Alex would get a ten minute lecture. It's like they hated Alex or something..
I hurried out the back door as I saw Josh catching bugs. He had a whole collection! Alex and I helped, of course.
"Joshy!" I said as walked over to my twin, calling him by the old nickname I gave him.
"Look, Jane! I caught a cricket!" Josh said as he held out his hands.
"Awesome! Hey, Alex and I are going to play a game, you in?" I asked him as he put the cricket down.
"What kind of game?" Josh asked as I sat on the swings Mom and Dad got us.
"Make believe." I said as Josh looked at me.
"We can't! You know we're not supposed to play with Alex!" Josh said in a low voice as I stood up.
"Fine. You don't have to but I am." I told him as I started walking back towards the back door.
"Wait up!" Josh said as we made it back into the house.
"What are you two doing?" Mom asked with a smile as I looked up at her.
"We're...going to work on Josh's bug collection!" I lied before we rushed up the stairs.
"Careful!" Mom called out as we went to our room.
"Josh is in!" I told Alex as he nodded.
"Okay, we're going to have to sneak out in order to get the answer machine." Alex said as I nodded.
"Dad'll freak out if he catches us!" Josh said as Alex rolled his eyes.
"Not on you two." he mumbled as I gave him a sad look.
"Let's get going." Alex said as we headed down the stairs.
"Where you going, boy?" Dad's voice asked as he looked at Alex.
"I'm going to go push Jane and Josh on the swings, sir." Alex told him as I nodded in agreement.
"You better be careful with them." Dad warned Alex as I looked at Alex.
He was starting to grow ill of Dad's attitude towards him and my brother always seemed to be on the edge of calling Dad out on it.
Dad didn't like that. At all.
"Yes, sir." Alex growled out before heading out the door.
"Have fun, you two." Dad told us in a gentler tone as he patted our shoulder and we followed Alex out the door.
I saw Alex by the tree near the swings as Josh sat on one and I approached Alex.
"You okay?" I asked as I hugged his leg as he looked down at me, ruffling my hair.
"I'm good, Janie." Alex said but I could see right through his lie.
Alex pushed us a couple minutes just in case Dad or Mom was watching and we headed to the other part of the house where the answering machine was.
I put a blank tape in the machine as we sat down at the table.
"Okay, it needs a name." Alex said as we all sat there, trying to come up with a good name for our show.
"What about S.G.R?" Josh asked as Alex and I looked at him.
"What's that?" I asked as he smiled.
"Shepherd's Glen Radio." Josh stated as I looked to Alex.
"I like it. S.G.R it is!" Alex said as I nodded.
"What now?" I asked Alex as I smiled.
I liked it when it was just us three. Nobody to scold Alex or tell us what to do.
We could actually fool around and be kids.
"We start making music." Alex said as I shrugged.
"How? We have no music or instruments." I said as he chuckled.
"We don't need them! Just...pretend." Alex said as we nodded.
"Got it!" Josh and I said in unison as Alex pushed the button and we started making music.
I started laughing slightly as we were having a good time until I heard someone approach the door.
It had been a good time.
"Josh...Jane. JOSH, JANE! What are you two doing?" Dad's voice asked as he busted through the door.
"Relax, Dad, we're just making a radio show." Alex responded casually.
It wasn't like we were doing anything bad..
"Alex, go downstairs." Dad ordered as we all looked at him.
Alex looked both shocked and hurt.
"Why?" Alex asked Dad.
Josh and I always got off the hook while Alex was constantly blamed for anything and everything.
"Just do it!" Dad said in a more stern tome.
As if it was an order.
"Fine." Alex snapped as he stood up, making the chair slide back.
He stomped out the door before slamming it behind him.
"Am I in trouble?" Josh and I asked timidly as we didn't look up at Dad.
"No, of course not." Dad said in a calm voice.
As if all of this was just Alex's fault..
"Why are you yelling?" Josh asked as Dad sighed.
"I'm not yelling at either of you. Listen to me, you two. Don't you both think this is a little to silly for you? So you want to end up like Alex? Playing all this make-believe?" Dad's voice asked us as I crossed my arms.
It's not silly, it's fun!
Besides, didn't most kids play pretend?
"I don't know." Josh replied as I kept quiet.
"Alright, from now on, just let Alex play with his own friends, okay? And if either of you need a friend, you come talk to me. Got it?" Dad asked as I sighed.
Alex didn't have any friends besides us and maybe Elle.
Dad knew that too.
Yes, sir." Josh told him as Dad looked at me when I didn't respond.
"Jane?" Dad asked me as I scooted back, the chair scraping against the floor.
"Janie." Dad said as my eyes instantly snapped to him.
"Only Alex can call me Janie. I'll play with him if I want to."I told him as I stood up and started heading for the door as I spotted out of the corner of my eye that Josh had turned off the tape.
I headed back into the main part of the house as I looked to Mom.
"Where did Alex go?" I asked her as she sighed.
"I think he went to his room, dear. Why don't you go play with Josh for a while?" she asked as I shook my head.
"I'm just going to go to my room and color." I said as I had an idea.
"Can I get a snack? Please?" I asked her with a charming smile.
Mom laughed before nodding.
"I suppose." she responded as I went to the cabinet before opening it.
Alex was hardly allowed to get anything from here.
I grabbed one of the wrapped treats before sticking another one in my hoodie pocket. I closed the door before heading up the stairs and going into our bedroom, seeing Alex lying on the top bunk.
"Alex?" I asked but didn't get a response.
"Alex? I know you can hear me." I told him as I climbed the ladder.
"Go away, Janie." Alex said as I smiled slightly.
"I got you a present!" I told him as I saw him glance over at me.
"What did you do?" he asked as he sat up.
I smiled brightly as I took the sweet out of my pocket.
"No, no. I couldn't. That's yours. I'll be fine." Alex told me as I took mine out of my other pocket.
"How did you get two? Mom only says to get one." Alex said as I smirked.
"I..'borrowed' another one." I told him as he sighed.
"Jane, you know stealing is bad." Alex said as I smiled, putting the treat in his palm.
"You deserve one, Alex." I told him with a smile as he ruffled my hair and I laughed slightly.
"I'm sorry I got you in trouble." I said as I looked down.
"Hey, it wasn't your fault, okay?" Alex asked as I smiled before hugging him.
"You're the best big brother ever, Alex." I told him before climbing down the ladder.
"I'm going to take a nap now. All that running around made me tired." I told him as I walked across the room before climbing into my bed.
"Night, Alex." I told him as he chuckled.
"Night, Janie." he replied as I fell asleep.
