Ellie is Puck's little sister's name in this story, if that wasn't apparent from reading the beginning of this. Which it was so… that was a pretty pointless author's note.
Ellie's POV
Some people call my big brother Puck, but one time I was talking to this meanie sixth grade boy at school, and I told him that some people call my big brother Puck, and he started laughing and I think he might have even peed his pants because he said that apparently Puck was slang for asshole and my Mommy says I'm not allowed to say that word so I don't want to call Puck Puck anymore, and I don't want to call him Noah because that's what Mom calls him and he's always in trouble whenever Mom calls him that, especially when she says Noah David Abraham Jakob Puckerman… also his girlfriend Rachel Barbara Berry calls him Noah because I think she might know about the asshole thing too, only whenever I talk about Rachel and call her his girlfriend, he always rolls his eyes and says that she's not his girlfriend, but I'm pretty sure she is and I like Rachel because she plays Princesses with me sometimes and she sings for me when I ask her to, but anyway I won't call him Puck or Noah so mostly I just call him Weirdohead, even though I don't think Mom likes that very much, but one thing she does like is when the three of us all have family dinner together, so last night we did that, and then everything started exploding and it's was all Weirdohead's fault. Like, seriously.
Mom ordered in, and she seemed in a pretty good mood because she finally got to be at home. She took really long shifts at work, so usually it was just me and Weirdohead at home from the time I got home from school to the time I went to bed.
"So Noah, how's Rachel?" she asked Weirdohead.
"She's good," Weirdohead said as he stuffed his big fat mouth with fried rice. "She just sent off her application to Juilliard, and she's already got a job lined up in New York."
Mom looked like she could really care less about Rachel and New York, even though Mom really liked Rachel.
"That's nice, honey. I haven't heard anything about your college plans for next year. Where've you applied to? Have you found out about that football scholarship yet?"
Weirdohead pushed his lemon chicken around on his plate and looked down.
"I meant to tell you… I got the scholarship to Ohio State. Found out last week."
I took a sip of my milk and started tearing off pieces of my eggroll and tossing them to the ground for our dog, Chomper. Booooooring…
Mom's whole face lit up. "Noah… really? That's wonderful!"
"I also applied to NYU," Weirdohead said quieter. "I got accepted."
"But Ohio State, Noah! A full football scholarship! You'll be the first one in the family to get a degree…"
"I can't go to Ohio State, Mom." Weirdohead stopped eating. I wished that I was at my friend Ashley's house, because she had the new Barbie Dream House.
"But… why not? You'll never get another opportunity like this! What, are you just going to drop out? Not go to college?"
Mom wasn't really in a good mood anymore, and she kept getting madder.
Weirdohead pushed his chair back and leaned back, crossing his arms on his chest.
"I'm going to New York with Rachel," he said matter-of-factly.
"You mean you're going to NYU? But… how're you planning on paying for that? You know that I've only got so much saved in the education funds, and Ellie…"
"I didn't say I was going to NYU, I said I was going to New York. With Rachel."
Mom clenched her teeth. I guess this wouldn't be the best time to ask for that new Dream House for my birthday. "What do you mean, you're going to New York? You're just going to run off, throw away every chance you have in life? What are you going to amount to in New York, Noah? A… a subway musician? A bartender?"
Weirdohead stood up. "I'll go, get a job, and save up enough money for school. Lots of kids take a year off to work after high school Mom!"
"So why don't you take a year off here? Take the year off and then go to Ohio State! You could have a life!" Mom was almost yelling now, and I sunk in my seat so she wouldn't start yelling at me too. Weirdohead looked like he'd just lost a big football game.
"This is my life," he said. "I'm eighteen, I'm a legal adult, and I'm old enough to make my own choices."
"Don't tell me this is about a girl," Mom spat at him. "What are you going to do, follow Rachel to New York until she dumps your sorry ass and leaves you stranded there?"
It looked like there was smoke coming out of Weirdohead's ears.
"Don't talk that way about her!"
"She's not going to be important in the long run, Noah! I wish someone would've told me that about your father when I was young. I will not let you throw your life away on somebody else when you have so many opportunities!"
I rolled my eyes and chucked a chicken ball at Chomper, who gobbled it up like it was candy.
"Rachel will always be important to me… I… I love her!" Weirdohead shouted.
Mom was pretty close to crying now.
"Way to ruin dinner, you spazhead," I said to my brother before putting my whole plate on the floor for Chomper to lick.
"Do you love her enough to throw away your whole life, or a career, so you can follow her to New York? That's what you want to do with your life, Noah?"
"You don't understand!"
Well, so far dinner was pretty much sucking anyway, so I reached up and grabbed my DS off of the nearby counter. Mom wouldn't notice anyway… she was too focused on yelling at Weirdohead.
"What exactly don't I understand, Noah?" she shouted. "That you think you're in love with her? That you want to be with her for the rest of your life? Do you think I've never felt like that before? Let me tell you now, in ten years, you're going to regret all of this!"
"I'm going to New York with Rach after I graduate," my brother said coldly. "I'll work, and then I'll pay my way though NYU. I'm not going to Ohio State, and there's nothing you can do to change that."
I glanced up from my DS. He was standing right next to Mom now, and it almost seemed like he was going to hit her like Dad used to when he was still around. But he didn't… no matter how many people he beat up at school, he wouldn't never hurt Mom. Instead, she slapped him, real hard… hard enough to leave a red mark.
"You are just like your father sometimes," she hissed. "You remember that when you're begging for money on the streets all alone in New York. You remember what you could have had."
Weirdohead stomped his foot on the floor and swore a whole lot before grabbing his car keys and running out of the house. Mom went upstairs to her room to cry, and I gave Chomper the rest of the chow mein. When Mom and my brother fought, they usually argued for a long time. They were both stubborn, and after a fight like that, this was bound to last a long, long time. I left the rest of the Chinese food out… Mom would clean it up tomorrow morning. It was getting darker, and I had no idea where Weirdohead was planning on driving to, or when he was coming back but I did know that Mom would for sure lock herself in her room for the rest of the night. Satisfied, I pulled my shoes on and quietly slipped out the screen door. I walked down the street to Ashley's house. After all, some Barbie Dream Houses just cannot wait to be played with.
