Title: Sugar, Spice, and Everything Nice?
J is for Juvenile
Juvenile: characteristic of or suitable for young people. Immature; childish.
Timeline: They are eleven.
Noll tried – he really did – to ignore Gene playing with the sugar cubes.
Gene had dumped the contents of the sugar bowl out, and now was carefully placing them on top of each other until the whole tower would tumble over, sending sugar cubes across the table. Gene would then pick each sugar cube up, and restart the tower, not minding the mess of sugar particles that had fallen off of the dropped cubes.
"You're being childish," Noll told him, moving his plate aside as the sugar cubes threatened to fall onto the toast.
Noll wasn't that hungry now, anyway. There was something about the taste of eggs with sugar scattered over them that didn't appeal to his taste buds.
Gene placed the twelfth cube on the tower, making the whole thing sway. "I hope I'm acting childish. I am only eleven."
Noll folded his arms, "what does that mean? Are you calling me childish because I'm only eleven?"
Gene leaned back in his chair, raising his eyebrows at Noll. He smiled, "Of course not, you are never childish, Noll."
Noll knew that he was being mocked, but let it drop. It was more interesting to wonder if he could knock Gene's tower over without touching it.
Gene could feel the tension of energy coming from his brother after he had put the twenty-second cube on top of the precautious tower. He watched as it tumbled. One of the sugar cube happened to land into his glass cup, sweetening the water it held.
"Very mature," Gene said.
Noll pursed his lips.
Gene started the tower over, only to have it fall after he set the second cube on top of the other.
Gene picked up the fallen cube and threw it at his brother. It hit him squarely in the forehead.
Noll wiped the sugar dust from his forehead. He picked up the thrown sugar cube, ready to throw it back at his brother, but at that moment their mother had to walk in, catching Noll in the position of sugar cube tossing.
Gene pouted. "Noll's hitting me." He gestured to all the fallen cubes from the toppled tower.
Luella sighed, reaching around them to take Gene's empty plate and Noll's half-full one. She didn't even have to question who had started this.
"Gene," she said, "Stop causing trouble."
Gene made a shocked face, "you think I did this?"
Luella put the plates on the counter and came back, sighing again over all the lost sugar cubes scattered around the table. Noll had put his cube down directly in front of him. It looked like some tiny pet standing before its master.
"Would you mind cleaning your mess up, boys? Don't forget to wash the table, too." She left the kitchen, smiling to herself for seemingly no reason.
Gene scooped up the sugar cubes, then, as if on sudden impulse, popped one into his mouth.
Noll rolled his eyes, not enjoying the thoughts of a speed-talking, hyper-active, sugar-infused Gene later.