"Slow down, Jonathan," Andrew told him with his usual cocky voice. "You don't wanna choke, or do you? I forget!"
Jonathan rolled his eyes. As much as he wanted to hurt Andrew, he knew it'd only end up hurting him in the end. Kim would surely pound his bottom-more like murder him!
"Hey Andrew, come on now. Can't you be nice to Jonathan for today?" Brent asked.
Andrew's face grew red, but he said no more. Someday I'll kill you Jonathan Peachy. . .
"Dad, when will Mom be comin' back?" Jonathan asked suddenly.
"'Bout a week or so maybe. Possibly before then." He took a seat and started sipping on his coffee. "Why'd you ask."
"Never mind," he mumbled under his breath. I wish she'da died already, he thought as he finished up his pancakes.
After breakfast, Jonathan headed back to his bedroom where he could pray and read the Bible alone. He knew that his family would ridicule him for being such a "crazy religious person."
Jonathan was in the middle of a prayer when someone burst the door open. He quickly looked up, eyes big.
"What are you doing?" Andrew asked cockily. He took the book off Jonathan's lap and held it by the cover as if it were the most disgusting thing in the world. "I should tell Mommy, then she'll kill you!"
Jonathan gulped. "Andrew, please don't!" he pleaded. "It's only a book."
"The book of idiots," Andrew added with an evil smirk. "Only a jackass would read such a horrid thing."
Then why aren't you reading it? Jonathan thought silently. "Do you even care about me?" he asked suddenly.
"No, duh!" Andrew said sarcastically. "Of course I don't, who would?"
Jonathan shrugged. "Dad does-a little." He played at his socks.
"No duh," Andrew mumbled as he usually did. He then took the book in both hands and tried to rip it.
Jonathan jumped up and fought for his book. He kicked and screamed, trying to do anything to spare the book any bodily harm. "Please, leave it alone!" he begged.
Andrew, although he was a total wimp, finally did rip the book in half. Afterwards, he took each page and tore them into a zillion little pieces. "There, no more book," he laughed.
Jonathan had the urge to swear, to scream, to fight, but he did none of the sort. Instead, he held back and prayed. He knew praying would result in something bad from his mother, but for the time being, it was the best thing to do.
Andrew waddled out of the room and hooted. Jonathan could hear him boasting to Casey about what he'd done. "Ripped it right in half," he boasted.
"Uh-huh," Casey would sigh occasionally. Apparently, he could care less about Andrew's "accomplishment."
Brent soon stepped into the room. "Hey buddy, whatcha doin'?" he asked kindly.
Jonathan shrugged. "Not much," he replied, face sour. "Just kinda sittin' around."
"I see." He sat down beside his soon. "Andrew really hurt you, didn't he?"
Jonathan nodded slowly. "Yeah. Don't matter though."
"Why?" Brent wondered, voice calm. "Why doesn't it matter if you're hurt?"
"It's only me we're talkin' about. Remember, I don't matter in this family. Mom made that rule a long time ago." He sighed deeply, then turned away from his father.
Brent laid a hand on Jonathan's shoulder. "I'm sorry," he whispered. "Life shouldn't be like this. But you gotta understand my position. . ."
Jonathan whirled himself around. "No I don't, you gotta understand my position!" he yelled. "I'm the one who's abused! I'm the one who no one cares about! It's all me, me, me! You aren't the one who has it hard!" Out of his own control, he slapped his father's face. "That's what I always get!"
Brent's chest tightened. "Do not slap me!" he scolded, trying to keep his cool.
"I'll do whatever I darn well please!" Jonathan shot back, sarcasm in his voice.
Brent gripped his arm and very tightly. "Say that again?"
Jonathan's angry eyes drilled a hole into his father's heart. "I'll do whatever I darn well please," he repeated, voice bitter.
"Grounded," Brent said, hopping off the bed. "You Jonathan are grounded until your mother comes back! You're grounded from using the television." He stomped out of the room, not bothering to close the door.
Jonathan bit a hole into his pillow. Not only was he grounded, but he'd gotten on his father's bad side. That was a side Andrew had been on for years. Nobody wanted to be on Brent Peachy's bad side if they knew what was good for them!
For the next few hours, Jonathan sat on his bed humming "Alyssa Lies." He always got choked up when he hummed the part, "As she tries to cover every bruise." For some strange reason, that part always hurt him the most.
Suddenly, Jonathan felt very guilty. He had this urge to go apologize to his father. Slowly, he got up and lumbered into the living room.
He took a seat beside his father on the couch and cleared his throat.
Brent looked up from the newspaper he was reading. "What do you want?" he asked sternly.
"I came to apologize," he answered meekly. "I'm sorry for slapping you and yelling at you, Dad. Can you please forgive me?" He could feel his face heat up, and the sweat was pouring down his face, but he knew God was pleased with his decision.
Brent smiled broadly. He ruffled Jonathan's hair as he pulled him into a tight hug. "You're not the one to be forgiven, I should be. I'm sorry for being so self-centered. Can you please forgive me, son?"
Jonathan nodded against his father's chest. "I love you Dad," he said.
"I love you too, buddy. I love you too." Brent nearly burst into tears to have such a moment with his youngest son. "Hey Jonathan, you know what?"
Jonathan shrugged. "No, what?"
"You aren't grounded anymore," he replied with a smile.
"Cool!" Jonathan exclaimed, eyes shining. "You know what else?"
Brent shrugged as Jonathan had done. "No, what?"
"You are grounded!" he laughed. He then ran away from his father, cackling the whole time.
Brent chased him about the house, acting like a giant child. "Get back here!" he yelled, laughing at the same time.
Jonathan, not looking where he was going, ran right into the wall. He moaned, but did not fall to the floor. "Ow, how stupid can a person be?" he asked, rubbing his cheek.
Brent took a good look at his face. "Looks like you're gonna have a nice purple bruise on your cheek," he told his son.
Jonathan groaned. "Nice, more bruises!" he grumbled, stomping his foot. "I hate this!"
"Hey, settle down. It's only a bruise. It'll go away in time." Brent thought Jonathan was acting quite silly.
"Yeah, after an eternity," Jonathan moped. He kicked at a shoe laying on the floor. "I'm so bored."
Andrew walked by and picked up the phone. After a little while, he began blabbering to his girlfriend about how much he missed his mother.
"Jackpot," Jonathan whispered, edging closer to his brother without him seeing.
"Yeah I know. He's always wanting to be my partner, but he never does any of the work."
Jonathan rolled his eyes. Once again, Andrew was complaining about his friend, Jonathan Bergmuller. He always said Jonathan was always misbehaving, yet he'd always hang out with him!
"I wanna be your partner too," he mumbled into the phone.
Jeez, don't you know how to speak up? Jonathan wondered as he continued to listen to the conversation. Suddenly, an idea popped into his mind. He sprinted to his parents' bedroom and placed the phone at his ear. Why hadn't he thought of this sooner?
"I feel really bad for you every time you have to work with him," his girlfriend said into the phone.
"I know. I hate the way he is."
Jonathan listened intently as Andrew's girlfriend confessed her deepest feelings toward him. He nearly barfed when she said that she loved him. Who the heck would love him?
"I love you too," Andrew replied, voice still low.
"You are such a sweetheart! I can't wait until we can get married!" she exclaimed excitedly into the phone.
Jonathan pulled the phone away from his ear and gave it an odd look. "Married? He asked her to marry him-and she said yes?" He started laughing a little. "This can't be possible!" He lifted the phone back up to his ear.
"Yeah, I have to get a ring first and do it right," his brother told her.
"It doesn't have to be anything special, just as long as it comes from your heart," she said dreamily.
Jonathan shook his head. "This girl doesn't know that he don't have a heart," he whispered to himself.
"Well, I gotta go now," Andrew said suddenly. "I'm sorry, but I have some things to do." He hung up the phone.
Jonathan, curious as he was, snuck over to the living room and watched Andrew's every move. He saw Andrew running about the room, apparently looking for something. A smile crept across his face as he realized Andrew was looking for a ring of some sort for his girlfriend.
Andrew brushed past him and hurried into his bedroom. He soon came out with a dress-up plastic ring with a big, green heart for a diamond! It was one of those plastic rings little girls used to play dress-up!
Jonathan started laughing hysterically. "What the heck are ya doin' with that?" he wondered-as if he didn't already know.
"I'm gonna propose marriage to Chelsey with it," he answered as if the ring were normal.
"O---k---a---y," Jonathan said while slowly backing away. Inside his head, he was thinking, What a nut? He quickly scurried away and flopped onto his bed. It was time for nap, although he was a ten-year-old boy.
Jonathan woke up and felt awful swollen and itchy. He stretched, then headed into the bathroom to pee. When he pulled down his pants, he noticed the tops of his legs were red and blotchy. What the heck? he thought, gently rubbing his leg.
After washing his hands, he looked in the mirror. "Ah!" he screamed, scaring himself. His face was red and swollen too! "What in the world happened?"
Andrew lumbered into the bathroom. "What are you screaming about?" he asked.
"Look at my body, I'm all red and swollen!" Jonathan cried, holding his arms out to Andrew.
"Hmm, looks like you have a rash," Andrew mumbled. He made duck lips and examined Jonathan's body.
Jonathan watched Andrew's face. Every so often, he could see Andrew trying to hide a smile. This angered Jonathan. "You did this!" he blurted. He pointed his finger at Andrew and started screaming some things no one could make out.
"I just wanted to pull a prank," Andrew lied. He patted Jonathan's head. "I honestly didn't mean for this to happen."
Jonathan swat his hand away. "What'd you use?" he demanded.
"Weeds, I know how allergic you are to them," Andrew answered without a care in the world.
"Dad!" Jonathan called on the top of his lungs.
Brent came running in, worried something bad had happened. "What, what happened?" he asked anxiously.
"Look what Andrew did to me while I was sleeping." Jonathan revealed his body to his father. "He rubbed weeds all over me."
Brent gave Andrew the meanest look he'd ever given anyone. "What the hell were you thinking?" he bellowed, shaking Andrew.
"I donno," Andrew replied meekly.
"You are grounded Andrew Peachy! You may not talk to Chelsey for a week!" Brent then dragged Andrew to his bedroom. "Stay in here for the rest of the day!"
Jonathan, itchy as he was, began scratching his body like crazy. The rash was almost unbearable to him!
"Jonathan, don't scratch," Brent reminded with a caring tone.
Jonathan rolled his eyes annoyingly. "I can't help it, it itches real bad," he whined. He squirmed uncomfortably on the couch. "Ugh, I can't stand it!"
"I wish we had some itching cream or something," Brent sighed, rubbing his eyes.
"Me too." Jonathan let out a loud moan. "God, can't you please take this terrible itching away? Surprisingly, I don't think Mom would've let this happen if she were here." He cracked his knuckles. "She wouldn't have let Andrew get away with this."
"Miss her?"
Jonathan chuckled. "Only a teeny tiny bit," he admitted. "She'da taught Andrew the 'right way.'"
Brent nodded slowly. "Andrew wouldn't be able to sit if she were here."
"Yeah, it's amazing the things he can do while she's gone. . .I'm surprised, but I actually do love her a little. Probably only 'cuz she's gone. . ."
Chapter 18
School Shopping
"Come on boys, Mommy needs to buy you all some new clothes for school!" Kim called in early July.
"Mom, school's not for another month or so," Casey reminded with a roll of his eyes.
"Mommy doesn't care, we can start shopping now!" she yelled into his face. "Are you going to argue with Mommy?"
Casey stepped back and shook his head. "Uh-uh, not after last time," he replied, remembering back to the time when he had argued with her and had gotten a great thrashing. Thrashings were usually for Jonathan, but on occasion his brothers did get some.
"Jonnythan, get out here!" Kim called.
A door burst open and Jonathan soon appeared in the living room. "You're takin' me with shopping?" he asked, eyeing her closely.
"Duh!" she snapped, making him feel like an idiot.
"'Kay, let me go put on my sneakers," he said, turning away from her.
"Why don't you wear the Adidas sandals Mommy bought you?" she wondered, eyes wide and creepy.
"'Cuz I feel weird in sandals," he admitted, hoping a beating wasn't coming his way. Then he quickly added, "I'll wear them if you want me to."
"Go put them on," she ordered, arms crossed.
Jonathan ran to obey his mother. He couldn't get her angry, or she may just buy him some ugly clothes for school. She may even buy him girl clothes if he got her mad!
He soon returned, sandals on his feet. "I'm ready to go," he said, not sounding very enthusiastic about shopping with her. What if one of the kids at school saw him with such a nerdy-looking mother?
Kim lead the children over to the car, then got in the driver's seat.
"I call shotgun!" Andrew hollered, opening the passenger's seat door.
"No arguments," Casey mumbled, looking at Jonathan.
Gladly, the two normal brothers sat in the back seats. They were the most like each other too.
Kim ever so slowly pulled out of the garage and made her way down the road. She never drove more than thirty miles an hour.
"Casey, you're so lucky that you're almost an adult," Jonathan told his big brother. "Wish I were your age."
Casey shrugged. "Yeah, it's hard being my age, but I kinda guess you don't have it any easier," he whispered, making sure Kim wouldn't hear to him.
Jonathan nodded. "You bet your buns it ain't easy. I'm afraid of what kind of clothes she'll buy me. 'Member how she threatened to buy me girls' clothes if I didn't behave last year?"
Casey rolled his eyes. "Do I, I was about ready to go down on my knees and pray!"
"Why didn't ya?" Jonathan wondered, thinking prayer wouldn't be a bad idea for Casey.
"'Cuz I don't believe in no God. If there was such a thing, you wouldn't be abused right now." He sighed. "How can you believe in something so unreal?"
Jonathan shrugged. "I just do," he replied, voice very quiet.
"That's enough whispering!" Kim interrupted. She looked in her rearview mirror at them. "Mommy wants to hear all the conversation going on!"
Jonathan and Casey exchanged strange looks. Both boys seemed to be thinking the same thing, "Why do you always refer to yourself as 'Mommy?'"
"Mommy, can I help pick out the clothes for Jonathan, since I have such a great style?" Andrew asked in his odd voice.
"Yes, that's a wonderful idea, A!" she exclaimed.
A? Jonathan thought inside his head. His name's Andrew! What kind of a nickname is "A," unless it stands for "Asshole?" He laughed a little, but tried not to make it noticeable. A. . .
A few minutes later, Kim pulled into the Wal-Mart parking lot. She picked one of the parking spaces in the way back, then stopped the car. "Get out everyone!" she ordered, voice odd as usual.
Jonathan got out first, then Casey got out. They both stood next to each other, Jonathan using Casey as a bodyguard.
They followed Kim into the store and over to the clothing section. "Let's find some clothes for Jonnythan first," Kim suggested.
Andrew looked and looked for some of the clothes he would wear if he were Jonathan's size. He picked up a shirt with long sleeves and black stripes running down it. The shirt was an ugly cream-color and it looked terrible. "I'd wear this."
Jonathan's jaw tightened. I can't look like a nerd! he thought to himself. Can't I at least get some cool clothes? Maybe some sports' pants and shorts? T-shirts and jeans? Anything but what Andrew likes!
"Aw, Jonnythan would look so nice in that!" Kim exclaimed, clapping her hands together.
Jonathan's face flushed red when he saw many people staring oddly at the strange family. They thought it was dumb to make a kid where such clothes when he didn't look like a nerd.
"Won't he look cute, Casey?" she asked, giving him these big, expectant eyes.
Casey drew his eyebrows together and made his eyes real big, like he thought Kim was an idiot-which she was. "Heck no, that's for nerds like Andrew!" he cried, throwing his hands about.
Kim seemed taken aback by this. "Mommy's Andrew is not a nerd!" she disagreed. "If you don't like Andrew and Mommy's choice of clothing, why don't you help Jonnythan pick out some school clothes?"
"Sure, let's go Jonathan!" he agreed, grabbing Jonathan by the arm. They walked together over to the "cool kids" clothes.
Jonathan immediately picked up a pair of jeans.