When siblings get TOO close... Only Fergus and Fiona are my characters.
Chapter Eight
Bring It On: Whitney
I decided to let Fiona have my room while I slept in the living room, but I removed all potentially dangerous stuff just in case. Fiona had been staring at the trinket Rocco had given her the whole time, not responding to any question.
When I went into the living room carrying my pillows and duvet under my arm, Fergus was pacing around angrily and impatiently. I ignored him and fluffed my pillows out on the couch. Fergus sat down on the armchair, then stood up abruptly again.
When his pacing got too much to bear, I snapped, "Will you please stop that and sit down?"
Fergus sat down immediately, but he began fiddling with the ornaments on the side table, making irritating clinking sounds as glass met glass. I went under covers and clapped my hands over my ears, but the clinking become banging and finally I could bear the sounds no longer. I threw the duvet off and flung one pillow at Fergus.
"It's not like Rocco abused Fiona or anything. If you ask me, it's all Fiona's fault! Rocco is a perfectly fine gentleman but it was Fiona who bullied him with all her bitchiness. Rocco loves her, geddit? But Fiona was s--"
SLAP!
The sound of the slap reverberated through the house. I brought my hand to my stinging cheek, glaring fiercely at Fergus. I tasted blood on the inside of my mouth. There was a stomping sound coming from upstairs, and Fiona ran down the stairs with a horrified expression.
"You idiot!" she shrieked as she kicked Fergus vehemently. "It was my fault! I bullied Rocco, made him into a person he wasn't. That was why he called me a bitch. You stinking fool, why did you hit Whitney! Oh Whitney!"
I felt tears of humiliation and rage sliding down my cheeks. I gave Fergus a dirty look and dived under the covers. Then I emerged, grabbed a Kleenex and spat out the blood accumulating. Fergus' look of rage turned into one of horror.
"Oh my god! Honestly, I didn't mean to--I was--" Fergus was saying incoherently as he grabbed my hands. I pulled my hands away and hid under the covers. I was hurt, hurt down to my bones. No one, NO ONE had ever hit me this way before.
Meanwhile Fiona was still screeching at Fergus, calling him worse names I had ever heard. I closed my eyes and tried to ignore the ballyhoo going on.
I hate Fergus.
~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~
We were in luck, because Dad suddenly had a business call and both of them, Mom and Dad, had to go to Hong Kong in the middle of the night. When I woke up, I found a note on the coffee table:
"Dearest Kids, (kids!)
We have to go to Hong Kong, as there seems to be some hitch in the legal proceedings of ABC Inc. (Both of them are lawyers) and we need to be there immediately. Stay put for five days, and don't go wild. We have trust in you.
Love,
Mom and Dad"
I put the note down and got up from the couch. My face feels swollen. When I stood up, my foot brushed against something warm. I looked down. Fergus! Lying fast asleep on the floor. I remembered the slap he gave and walked away.
I inspected my face in the bathroom mirror. It didn't look as bad as I anticipated. There were little bruises were his fingers were; those could be easily covered with make-up. I soothed the still-burning skin with some cool water.
When I opened the door, Fergus was leaning against the frame, looking so recklessly handsome, too indecently handsome for a geek. I gave him a hurt look and tried to squeeze past him, but he blocked most of the way. He held me around the shoulders and forced me to look at him.
"I'm sorry, Whitney. I shouldn't have slapped you. It was just because I can't stand Fiona being degraded. Fiona's my little sister. But I'm sorry, Whitney. I didn't mean to hurt you. I felt so low, so despicably low last night. I hate myself!" he cried, suddenly pulling me to his chest tightly. "I really like you, Whitney, and it just kills me when you give me that look!"
"Fergus, you're hurting me! Let me go!" I struggled involuntarily against his strong embrace. Part of me wanted him to hold me, another part of me wanted to kill him. But Fergus just held me tightly. I gave in finally and we just stood there, hugging each other, bathed in the morning sunlight.
It was until the phone rang when we returned to Earth and I quickly fled the kitchen bathroom.
~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~
"Hey Whitney!" Oh, it was Torrance.
"Yeah?"
"Just wanted to remind you about the Toros demo tomorrow night."
"There is? How come I wasn't informed?"
"I think it was the time when you were ill when we decided to hold the demo. Are you up to it?" her voice was full of concern. Good thing Torrance was our new captain and not that Big Red.
"Yeah! What routine will we be doing?"
"Oh, it's the Nationals routine. Remember, it'll be at eight in the auditorium. And bring your pompoms too because we may be doing some of our, I mean, some of the Clover's, ah, modified cheers."
"Sure thing. Bye Torrance," I replied, thinking about Isis and Jenelope.
"Remind Jamie and Fiona too. Have a great weekend! Bye!" Click.
I felt excited. A proper performance again! I hastened to tell the good news to Fiona and Jamie, who were equally enthusiastic.
Bring it on!
Chapter Eight
Bring It On: Whitney
I decided to let Fiona have my room while I slept in the living room, but I removed all potentially dangerous stuff just in case. Fiona had been staring at the trinket Rocco had given her the whole time, not responding to any question.
When I went into the living room carrying my pillows and duvet under my arm, Fergus was pacing around angrily and impatiently. I ignored him and fluffed my pillows out on the couch. Fergus sat down on the armchair, then stood up abruptly again.
When his pacing got too much to bear, I snapped, "Will you please stop that and sit down?"
Fergus sat down immediately, but he began fiddling with the ornaments on the side table, making irritating clinking sounds as glass met glass. I went under covers and clapped my hands over my ears, but the clinking become banging and finally I could bear the sounds no longer. I threw the duvet off and flung one pillow at Fergus.
"It's not like Rocco abused Fiona or anything. If you ask me, it's all Fiona's fault! Rocco is a perfectly fine gentleman but it was Fiona who bullied him with all her bitchiness. Rocco loves her, geddit? But Fiona was s--"
SLAP!
The sound of the slap reverberated through the house. I brought my hand to my stinging cheek, glaring fiercely at Fergus. I tasted blood on the inside of my mouth. There was a stomping sound coming from upstairs, and Fiona ran down the stairs with a horrified expression.
"You idiot!" she shrieked as she kicked Fergus vehemently. "It was my fault! I bullied Rocco, made him into a person he wasn't. That was why he called me a bitch. You stinking fool, why did you hit Whitney! Oh Whitney!"
I felt tears of humiliation and rage sliding down my cheeks. I gave Fergus a dirty look and dived under the covers. Then I emerged, grabbed a Kleenex and spat out the blood accumulating. Fergus' look of rage turned into one of horror.
"Oh my god! Honestly, I didn't mean to--I was--" Fergus was saying incoherently as he grabbed my hands. I pulled my hands away and hid under the covers. I was hurt, hurt down to my bones. No one, NO ONE had ever hit me this way before.
Meanwhile Fiona was still screeching at Fergus, calling him worse names I had ever heard. I closed my eyes and tried to ignore the ballyhoo going on.
I hate Fergus.
~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~
We were in luck, because Dad suddenly had a business call and both of them, Mom and Dad, had to go to Hong Kong in the middle of the night. When I woke up, I found a note on the coffee table:
"Dearest Kids, (kids!)
We have to go to Hong Kong, as there seems to be some hitch in the legal proceedings of ABC Inc. (Both of them are lawyers) and we need to be there immediately. Stay put for five days, and don't go wild. We have trust in you.
Love,
Mom and Dad"
I put the note down and got up from the couch. My face feels swollen. When I stood up, my foot brushed against something warm. I looked down. Fergus! Lying fast asleep on the floor. I remembered the slap he gave and walked away.
I inspected my face in the bathroom mirror. It didn't look as bad as I anticipated. There were little bruises were his fingers were; those could be easily covered with make-up. I soothed the still-burning skin with some cool water.
When I opened the door, Fergus was leaning against the frame, looking so recklessly handsome, too indecently handsome for a geek. I gave him a hurt look and tried to squeeze past him, but he blocked most of the way. He held me around the shoulders and forced me to look at him.
"I'm sorry, Whitney. I shouldn't have slapped you. It was just because I can't stand Fiona being degraded. Fiona's my little sister. But I'm sorry, Whitney. I didn't mean to hurt you. I felt so low, so despicably low last night. I hate myself!" he cried, suddenly pulling me to his chest tightly. "I really like you, Whitney, and it just kills me when you give me that look!"
"Fergus, you're hurting me! Let me go!" I struggled involuntarily against his strong embrace. Part of me wanted him to hold me, another part of me wanted to kill him. But Fergus just held me tightly. I gave in finally and we just stood there, hugging each other, bathed in the morning sunlight.
It was until the phone rang when we returned to Earth and I quickly fled the kitchen bathroom.
~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~
"Hey Whitney!" Oh, it was Torrance.
"Yeah?"
"Just wanted to remind you about the Toros demo tomorrow night."
"There is? How come I wasn't informed?"
"I think it was the time when you were ill when we decided to hold the demo. Are you up to it?" her voice was full of concern. Good thing Torrance was our new captain and not that Big Red.
"Yeah! What routine will we be doing?"
"Oh, it's the Nationals routine. Remember, it'll be at eight in the auditorium. And bring your pompoms too because we may be doing some of our, I mean, some of the Clover's, ah, modified cheers."
"Sure thing. Bye Torrance," I replied, thinking about Isis and Jenelope.
"Remind Jamie and Fiona too. Have a great weekend! Bye!" Click.
I felt excited. A proper performance again! I hastened to tell the good news to Fiona and Jamie, who were equally enthusiastic.
Bring it on!