A/N: hey guys :D I had already had this chapter typed so I decided to post it. Here's chapter 2 for ya! Oh, and many thanks to those who have added this story to their alerts and those who have reviewed. I do appreciate it!


Chapter 2: Chores

I hummed contently from the passenger seat of my- erm, me and my brothers new car. Heh. I had been spacing out for a while before my brother had found his voice.

"Jess?"

"Hmm?" I turned to Sam who had a bit of a troubled expression, "What's wrong, Sam?"

"Are you... okay?"

"I'm fine. Why do you ask?" I gave him an odd look. That was a peculiar question, even for my brother...

"No reason, it's just that you've been spacing a lot more than you usually do!"

I gave him a soft laugh that turned into a large yawn, "I'm fine Sam, just exhausted. Unlike some people, I actually participate in P.E and run the mile like we're supposed to."

"Hey! You and I both know I have underdeveloped muscles that can't take that kind of strain for that long!" He quietly yelled at me, his tone more than defiant, it was more like he was trying to convince more himself that that was the reason than me!

I began to laugh before it turned into a massive yawn. Even the car's radio, who had been playing soft rock songs at a quiet tone, had sputtered as if it had choked out a laugh. Sam gave the radio a glare before attempting to punch it. I swatted away his had tiredly.

"Sam, don't injure our new car or I'm gonna injure you!" The threat was empty when a huge yawn erupted from my mouth during "you" and my brother laughed quietly, patting my knee gently.

"We still have a ways to go, Jess, why don't you kick back and get some shut eye?

A protest started at my lips but then turned into yet another yawn. My brother, knowing I would try to argue, laughed at me again. Giving in, I snuggled deeper into the comfortable seat and rested my head against the back of it. I was to tired to notice that no one touched my seat belt when it tightened slightly against me, I just figured it was Sam making sure I was "tucked in".


Thank god it was Saturday. Unfortunately my parents didn't care. I had been eating my Trix cereal (and watching SpongeBob) for only a few minutes when my brother came stumbling down the stairs.

"Mom left us a list of chores on the fridge," I said over my shoulder, not bothering to pay him any mind. Sam groaned and snatched the note.

Sam & Jess,

Your father and I had to go out for a few errands. Here's a list of chores we'd like to do while we're gone.

-the floor

-your rooms

-the back porch

-the windows

-dishes

We love you.

-Mom

P.S. Sam, take your sister with you to your party. I don't want her home alone.

Sam groaned again, "Do I have to take you?"

"Stop complaining Sam, I'm not even planning on getting out of the car. If I do, I don't even want to be near you or-" I exaggerated a shiver, "-Trent."

Sam laughed. I gave him a glare when I got up and washed my bowl before placing it in the dishwasher. My brother gave me a lopsided hug before ruffling my hair.

"I won't let him touch you, Jess, you know that." I gave him a small smile when I glanced out the window towards our new car.

"Hey, the car wasn't that dirty yesterday was it?"

Sam joined me at the window and scrunched up his eyebrows, "I don't think so. H-hey! Where ya' goin'?"

So he finally noticed I had left. I was already walking up the stairs, "I'm going to change and then give our car a bath."

"But what about our chores?"

"I'll sweep the back porch and the windows if you do the dishes and mopping for me!" I spared him no other words when I closed my bedroom door.

Digging for a old shirt that was two sizes to big and some daisy dukes, I yanked them on while looking for my brush. Glancing at the mirror when I hopped by, I grimaced. My hair decided to be a cross between a birds nest and a lions mane today. Yes my hair was straight but I usually look like a lion with ice-green eyes in the morning. Sometimes I would be questioned as to why I would always hang out with Sam. I would say we're related and then they would give me a blank stare. Can't say I blamed them. Whereas Sam had light chestnut, slightly curly hair and brown eyes, I had straight, dark brown-reddish hair and ice-green eyes. My parents were worried about the pigmentation and blindness but the doctor assured them that even though this pigmentation was extremely rare, it wasn't harmful to my sight. Standing back, I looked at myself. Sometimes I don't even recognize myself compared to my family. Scanning the mirror, I knew every curve and line of my body. My dark hair stops about mid back and there were sharp-edged bangs fringing my heart shaped face. In comparison to my dark hair, my even paler skin gave way to ice-green eyes and full, slightly cupie-doll lips. It was funny, though, that I was almost as tall as my brother, even if I did have a short torso, my legs made up the rest of the height. A lot of people said I was quite beautiful, but I found myself normal, even if I found my legs a bit to long for my liking. Shrugging, I tucked my hair into a loose bun and jogged down the stairs and out the back door, not even bothering with shoes.

"Jess! Don't forget that the cleaning stuff's under the sink!" Sam called from somewhere upstairs.

"Thanks bro!" I shouted over my shoulder as I jogged back inside and got out the soap that was safe for car paint and a few old sponges and rags, then walked into the garage to get the bucket. Humming a tune, I walked back out front and filled the bucket up with water and soap. Then I set to cleaning the car. It looked almost pitiful. Did Sam drive it through mud on purpose? As I was spraying the poor thing, I did some inventory. It looked like the right side and hood had the most mud. It took a good 15 minutes just to get the right side of the Camaro cleaned, not including the wheels. My arms began to ache when I had attempted to pry a particularly stubborn area of mud with my hands. Grumbling, I went back into the garage and brought back out with a chisel. The damned mud finally came off, but not without a fight. I hissed when some of the paint chipped.

"Sorry bud. The mud had to come off!"

I sighed to myself, working on the wheels, I don't even think I can qualify myself as crazy anymore. I have always talked to inanimate objects so it didn't freak my parents or brother out anymore.I worked my way across the hood when I noticed that there was a particularly stubborn spot near the middle of the hood towards the windshield. I had to lean my entire body across the hood of the car so far one foot had come off the ground. As I was scrubbing, I swear I felt the hood get hot and the engine purred for a fraction of a second. I didn't remember the car was even on...

I stood up and backed away, a look of confusion on my face, but was broken when Sam shouted out his window, "Hey sis!"

"What?" I turned to look at him, a hand on my hip.

"I already got the dishes done as well as my room! Do you want me to do the windows?"

"How long have I been doing this? And what about the floors?"

"I was about to do them and I figured I'd be nice! You've been washing the car for about 50 minutes!"

I was shocked to listen how long I was doing this. Turning, I sprayed the Camaro down, "If you don't mind doin' them! And I've only taken this long because of all the damn mud you got on him! Poor thing has mud caked on and it's hard to get it all off! What did you do, go four wheeling when I knocked out last night?"

My lovely brother mumbled something loud enough for me to hear it was about me being crazy. Turning swiftly on my heel, I sprayed Sam that was still at his window. Shrieking like the little girl he was, my brother decided to dive back into the safety of his room. Next thing I know, I'm on the ground laughing my butt off.

"NOT FUNNY!" I heard my brother roar. Shaking my head, I wiped my eyes of any traces of tears. It was to funny! Picking myself off the ground and wiping down the car, I patted the hood of the car before turning to put all the sponges and rags into the bucket. Sighing, I leaned across the top of the car, my arms spread wide in an attempt to hug the car.

"Well, that's all my unskilled hands can do for ya. Sorry," I patted the top while I got up and began to walk away.

"Honey, it's all I need."

I swear I got vertigo from whipping my head around so fast. If the radio had been on, it was lost to my humming, but I distinctly remember it not being on a talk show. Standing there for a good 4 seconds staring at the car, I turned as Sam called my name and ran into the house. I didn't bother to close the door as my feet carried my body towards the stairs, nearly colliding with Sam in the process.

"Hey, you okay?"

"Huh? Oh, y-yeah I-..." I turned from halfway up the stairs to look down at my brother. He had a concerned look on his face. Giving him a warm smile, I nodded, "I just wanted to hurry up so we can leave. I want to get out of this house really badly."

He gave me a weary look but a small smile tugged at his lips. "Well then, get a move on. I'll do the porch while you straighten up your room and change. For once, I did all the chores instead of you."

A full blown smile danced across my lips as a laugh escaped and I leapt down 4 stairs to crush my brother in a tight hug before skipping 2 steps back up the stairs and sliding across the newly mopped floors into my room with a crash.

"Damn you, Sam! It's too slippery!" I screamed at my laughing brother. Tossing my hands up, exasperated, I looked around for what to wear. Peeling my half soaked shirt away from my back and put on a tank top, I looked for my favorite shirt. It was a very loose, sheer silver shirt. It was cropped halfway so it ended at my middrift. The hair tie was pulled out when I had my fight with the shirt and I decided I didn't want to play lion tamer with it so I left it be. I lined my eyes with a thin strip of black eyeliner and some mascara before running down the stairs, phone in hand and sliding to a stop in front of my flip flops by the door. Walking out, I was surprised to see mom and dad, "Mom? Dad? What are you guys doing home?

Mom looked up from reprimanding dad about a wobbly stone to give me a smile, "Hey honey! Your dad decided that he didn't have to go to the bank today so we got home early. Actually, we got in just when you were yelling at your brother."

Dad laughed, "You need to watch your language young lady."

I gave him a kiss on the top of his balding head as I walked towards the car, "Yeah right dad, I'm a teen!"

Mom was the one to laugh now, "She has a point Ron. This stone is uneven!"

Shaking my head with a smile, I turned up to my brothers still open window, "Sam! Hurry your butt up or I'm going to leave without you!"

He shouted something I didn't quite catch but it sounded like a "I'm Coming!". Opening the passenger door, I carefully slid in and buckled my belt. Turning towards the radio, I quirked my head to the side, fingertips grazing the power button, "Now, how or why did you turn on earlier?"

Dad was scolding Sam about something about his new path and Sam was yelling at mom about Mojo. Why I have no idea, damned dog is a crack head. Finally, Sam slid into the driver's seat with a sigh. I looked at him, "Sam? What was that about?"

He shrugged, turning on the car, as Mom yelled "Be home by 11!". As we pulled out of the drive way, I turned to him, noticing his knuckles looked almost white from gripping the steering wheel, "Sam...?"

That's when he started to chuckle nervously.

"Sam? What's wrong?" I asked, almost afraid to know the answer.

"Uhh, we need make a itsy bitsy stop..." His chuckles became more nervous as we turned onto his street. My eyes became as wide as a deer in the head lights.

"No. No, Sam, please no! Not his street!"

"Sorry, sis, I did promise Mi-"

"No! Don't even say his name!" I held up one finger, cutting him off and giving him the death glare as I climbed in the back when we reached his house.

"Hey Miles!" My brother gave the blonde wonder an uneasy smile as he popped the door open for him.

"Yo! What up my brother?" He smiled at Sam. He noticed me out of the corner of his eye, attempting to give me a seductive smirk. Oh god, "Oh, and what up my sister?"

"Talk to me like that again and I swear you're hair ain't going to be the only thing that's going to be ripped out." I had Miles by the hair behind his ear, my voice growing deadly deep with each word, watching (while half way amused) Miles gulp with wide eyes. I released his hair with a triumphant smirk and relaxed in the back seat, not remembering when I had buckled my seatbelt, and looking out the side window. I finally glanced forward after a few moments when Miles asked if we were invited to the party, I gave a snort, "Dude, it's a lake. It's a public place. Of course even idiots like you are invited. If you weren't, it'd be racist!"

I laughed at Miles' priceless expression. Sam smiled but shook his head and I swear I felt the car rumble in a laugh as well. Then Sam started spazzing, "Dude, dude! It's Mikaela!"

I groaned, where's there Mikaela, there's gotta be ...

"Hey, yo Sam! Ain't you gonna let you're smoking sister out of the car?"

Speak of the devil.