Chapter 14

Muffins

Dexter's POV

"Mr. Cottonhorn! You want your after breakfast snack?" I yelled, looking under a some bushes.

"What are you doing?" Brair asked me.

"Uh, hi. I'm looking for my jackalope. It's his after breakfast snack." I called his name again.

"He's going to get fat." She said.

"We go running." I shot back. But she mistook as my normal tone and smiled. I could hear it in her sigh.

"Anyone ever tell you have a nice butt?" She smacked me.

"Epp!" I squeaked a little.

"Aw," She giggled. I got up from my spot and faced her. She smiled and ruffled my hair, "You're Daring little brother. Flirting with you be'd weird. Wanna come with me and Apple to the Beanstalk Bakery? Maybe get coffee?"

"Ok. Daring'd like a muffin." I told her, following the princess inside.

"Apple?" She asked.

"Blueberry." I shook my head.

"Ah. We made out made out once. We got drunk." She said as matter of fact-ly.

"Lovely." I snarked.

"It wasn't. She was a horrible kisser." Briar shrugged like it was the normal thing in the world to tell the popular boy's kid brother her friend was a bad kisser.

"Briar!" Apple kissed her friend on the cheek. She kissed back.

"I'm taking Dexie with us to get some muffins." Briar gently punched my arm.

"Oh, ok." Apple looked a bit disappointed.

"I don't-" I started.

"Dexie, you're coming with us. She's gotta get used to you. You'll be her brother-in-law." Briar took my arm and dragged us out.

Apple got an apple muffin and I got a couple muffins. Blueberry for Daring, blackberry for me, and raspberry for Darling. Briar got coffee for us, but Mom said I had to drink cocoa for the next few days. So she got me hot cocoa instead. I told her she didn't have to, but she wouldn't let me refuse. Then she fell asleep and we had to get a booth. I caught her coffee before she fell.

"So, uh, how are you?" Apple sipped her coffee.

"Good. Daring's better than he was. He can almost sit up 30 minutes." I told her.

"That's good. Look, um, I... lose anymore people. So, be careful, ok?" She asked.

"Uh, sure." I nodded.

"Huh? Oh, good. It's still here." Briar woke up and drank her coffee.

We drank and talked. It was nice. I had to go give my sibling their muffins when Apple wanted to get something for Daring. She got socks. After half an hour. Hopper saw us in one of the stores and joined us when we were out walking around. The air felt different. Sad, uncertain, unwilling. What were they hiding? Was I imagining it?

"Sorry, man." Hopper put something over my mouth. And I felt myself being put in a car with Apple yelling now wasn't the time.

Dexter's POV End