I looked over at my brother on the other side of the backseat. All my life
I had loved him, but even I have to admit I never expected this much from
him. He looked over at me.
"What? Do I have something on my face?" He asked. I shook my head.
"No. Just thinking how proud I am." I smiled at him. He rolled his eyes.
"Thanks Lise, but I wasn't about to let my self turn into dad." He said. It was my turn to roll my eyes. It looked for a second like he was about to say something nice, but ended up distracted.
"Maggie. Who said you could go through my bag?" My little sister looked up at him. She smiled.
"I did. After all it's really my bag and I'm just letting you use it and according to the law I'm the one who can say if someone can look through it or not." Bart opened his mouth, and closed it again. I stifled a laugh.
"She's got you on that one Bart." He glared at me.
"That's why I had you sign this Mags." With that he pulled out a piece of paper. It had his and Maggie's signature on it. It was my sister's turn to be speechless. She folded her arms and pouted. Bart laughed and took his bag back and put the paper back in his pocket. I saw mom look back at us.
"Everything's fine mom." She smiled. I looked back at Bart. He had a mischievous smile. "Don't do it Bart." The smiled got wider. I sighed. I knew he was going to. Even the he'd straightened up since fourth grade; Bart still had a mean streak. I shook me head and looked out the window. If I new nothing I wasn't allowed to get involved, right? I did my best to ignore my family.
"BART!!!" Dad's shout caused me to fail at the task. The car swerved. I looked back at my dad, he was trying to drive the car and reach Bart at the same time. Mom reached over and took the wheel.
"Homey, you can get him when we get there right now you're driving." Dad growled and put both hands back on the wheel. I looked back at Bart, he was laughing. I shook my head at him.
"You can be such a child sometimes." I said.
"Come on Lisa, have some fun once in a while." I sighed.
"Your just lucky that he'll probably forget about it by the time we DO get there." He shrugged.
"Hell, it beats getting punished." Mom turned around.
"Bart, I told you not to swear in front of Maggie." Maggie rolled her eyes.
"I hear a hell of a lot worse at school mom." Mom sighed and rolled her eyes. Bart and Maggie laughed at her response. Even I couldn't help chuckling a little bit. Outside buildings started showing themselves. Small houses at first but I could see them growing into taller, office buildings. We where almost there. I looked over at Bart.
"Nervous yet?" I asked. He looked over at me.
"Hell no."
"Bart!" That was mom. Despite my brother's attempt at acting calm, I could tell he was lying. I decided not to call him on it. After all I would be too if I where in his position. He looked over at me. I didn't even have to think about calling him on it,
"I'm not nervous, I'm scared shi." He trailed off at mom's glare. "Scared silly." He finished. I giggled. Then I looked up at him.
"Why?" I asked. I didn't expect him to answer.
"Because everyone there's going to be so much smarter than me. I mean look where I came from." He jerked his thumb toward dad, who was currently trying to open a can of soda and drive at the same time.
"Maybe, but you only have half his genes. The other half's from mom." Bart looked at me with a raised eyebrow. I sighed. "Just because mom's a housewife doesn't mean she's not smart. Besides you did get 80 on the test and that's more that most people and five points higher than you needed. Besides you DO want to prove that the Simpson Y chromosome isn't as bad as they think don't you?" Bart chewed on his lip for a second.
"Yeah, but what if they're right, then I'm just setting myself up for failure." I sighed, this was not going to end anytime soon. I shrugged.
"Maybe, but at least you tired and that's the important part." Mom had turned in her seat and addressed Bart.
"Marge, we all know, if you're going to fail then there's no use trying. I've told Bart that enough times that I expected him to learn it by now." Mom 'mmm'ed.
"Homer, you know as well as I do, that telling me something so many times means nothing." Dad grunted and went back to driving. I looked out the window; we were pulling into a parking lot. I looked up at the building. A sign on the edge of the lot read 'State University'. I felt another bout of pride rising in me. For the longest time nobody thought Bart would be able to get into a community college let alone a University. I smiled at him.
"Bart, you'll do great. Besides I don't want you to stop attending until my big brother's a lawyer." He smiled nervously at me.
"Thanks a lot Lise, now I HAVE to go through with this." He said sarcastically I smiled back.
"Why do you think I said it?" As I watched Bart taking his stuff out of the car, readying it to but taken up to his room, I felt myself tingle slightly. Bart was about to start the hardest years of his life, and when he finished them he would prove that the Simpson gene could be over come.
"Lisa, you have that funny smile on your face again." I looked up at him.
"I know Bart, I'm happy."
"What? Do I have something on my face?" He asked. I shook my head.
"No. Just thinking how proud I am." I smiled at him. He rolled his eyes.
"Thanks Lise, but I wasn't about to let my self turn into dad." He said. It was my turn to roll my eyes. It looked for a second like he was about to say something nice, but ended up distracted.
"Maggie. Who said you could go through my bag?" My little sister looked up at him. She smiled.
"I did. After all it's really my bag and I'm just letting you use it and according to the law I'm the one who can say if someone can look through it or not." Bart opened his mouth, and closed it again. I stifled a laugh.
"She's got you on that one Bart." He glared at me.
"That's why I had you sign this Mags." With that he pulled out a piece of paper. It had his and Maggie's signature on it. It was my sister's turn to be speechless. She folded her arms and pouted. Bart laughed and took his bag back and put the paper back in his pocket. I saw mom look back at us.
"Everything's fine mom." She smiled. I looked back at Bart. He had a mischievous smile. "Don't do it Bart." The smiled got wider. I sighed. I knew he was going to. Even the he'd straightened up since fourth grade; Bart still had a mean streak. I shook me head and looked out the window. If I new nothing I wasn't allowed to get involved, right? I did my best to ignore my family.
"BART!!!" Dad's shout caused me to fail at the task. The car swerved. I looked back at my dad, he was trying to drive the car and reach Bart at the same time. Mom reached over and took the wheel.
"Homey, you can get him when we get there right now you're driving." Dad growled and put both hands back on the wheel. I looked back at Bart, he was laughing. I shook my head at him.
"You can be such a child sometimes." I said.
"Come on Lisa, have some fun once in a while." I sighed.
"Your just lucky that he'll probably forget about it by the time we DO get there." He shrugged.
"Hell, it beats getting punished." Mom turned around.
"Bart, I told you not to swear in front of Maggie." Maggie rolled her eyes.
"I hear a hell of a lot worse at school mom." Mom sighed and rolled her eyes. Bart and Maggie laughed at her response. Even I couldn't help chuckling a little bit. Outside buildings started showing themselves. Small houses at first but I could see them growing into taller, office buildings. We where almost there. I looked over at Bart.
"Nervous yet?" I asked. He looked over at me.
"Hell no."
"Bart!" That was mom. Despite my brother's attempt at acting calm, I could tell he was lying. I decided not to call him on it. After all I would be too if I where in his position. He looked over at me. I didn't even have to think about calling him on it,
"I'm not nervous, I'm scared shi." He trailed off at mom's glare. "Scared silly." He finished. I giggled. Then I looked up at him.
"Why?" I asked. I didn't expect him to answer.
"Because everyone there's going to be so much smarter than me. I mean look where I came from." He jerked his thumb toward dad, who was currently trying to open a can of soda and drive at the same time.
"Maybe, but you only have half his genes. The other half's from mom." Bart looked at me with a raised eyebrow. I sighed. "Just because mom's a housewife doesn't mean she's not smart. Besides you did get 80 on the test and that's more that most people and five points higher than you needed. Besides you DO want to prove that the Simpson Y chromosome isn't as bad as they think don't you?" Bart chewed on his lip for a second.
"Yeah, but what if they're right, then I'm just setting myself up for failure." I sighed, this was not going to end anytime soon. I shrugged.
"Maybe, but at least you tired and that's the important part." Mom had turned in her seat and addressed Bart.
"Marge, we all know, if you're going to fail then there's no use trying. I've told Bart that enough times that I expected him to learn it by now." Mom 'mmm'ed.
"Homer, you know as well as I do, that telling me something so many times means nothing." Dad grunted and went back to driving. I looked out the window; we were pulling into a parking lot. I looked up at the building. A sign on the edge of the lot read 'State University'. I felt another bout of pride rising in me. For the longest time nobody thought Bart would be able to get into a community college let alone a University. I smiled at him.
"Bart, you'll do great. Besides I don't want you to stop attending until my big brother's a lawyer." He smiled nervously at me.
"Thanks a lot Lise, now I HAVE to go through with this." He said sarcastically I smiled back.
"Why do you think I said it?" As I watched Bart taking his stuff out of the car, readying it to but taken up to his room, I felt myself tingle slightly. Bart was about to start the hardest years of his life, and when he finished them he would prove that the Simpson gene could be over come.
"Lisa, you have that funny smile on your face again." I looked up at him.
"I know Bart, I'm happy."
