46. Writers choice

"Angel? Why can't we play monopoly?" Clara leaned on the side of Angel's bed as he tied his shoes.

"I told you Clara, I'm showing someone around town today."

"Why don't they know their way around town? It's not too big."

"Well, they're new here, and that's why I'm showing them around."

The six year old pouted. "You don't like playing with me anymore."

Angel smiled and pulled the girl onto his lap. "Ohh you know I love playing monopoly with you!" He tickled her softly, causing her to squirm. "Who else would let me be the dog every time?" He picked her up and set her back on her feet, tousling her hair a bit. "Now come on. Mama's gonna be home soon and if I don't have you fed she'll throw a fit."

Clara started out of Angels room. "She'll throw a fit at you anyways."

Angel sighed, finding it odd that his six year old sister already knew how it all worked. His mother would come home, yell at Angel for something or other, forgetting to do the dishes, or putting them away in the wrong places if he did wash them. Then she would dote over her little girl for a few minutes before making dinner, having Angel clean up, and then going to her office to work until the next morning.

Angel had always envied his little sister for getting all the love, but he cared too much about his sister to ever take that out on her. And anyways, Angel and his father were pretty close, so it's not like he was incredibly deprived or anything.

He followed his sister into the kitchen and opened the fridge. "What are you in the mood for?"

"Pudding! Chocolate." She slid up onto a stool and smiled after him expectantly.

"I don't think chocolate pudding counts as dinner." Even so, he pulled out a bowl of pudding and set it on the counter, pulling two spoons and handing her one as they both dug in.

She spoke through a mouth full of pudding. "We'll worry about that after we play monopoly."

Angel let out a heavy sigh. "I tell you what, we put this away, and I make you some real dinner, and I promise that I'll play monopoly with you after I get home, okay?"

Clara gave him a searching glare that he found very grown up for a six year old, and put her spoon down. "Agreed."

"Okay, what do you want?" Angel moved back to the fridge to put away the pudding.

"Ham and jelly sandwich." Now, where most would find this odd, Angel already knew that it was her favorite, and she only got it when their mother wasn't home, so he just pulled out the ham.

"What kind of jelly?"

"How about we try peach this time?"

Angel laughed shortly and took out the jelly, setting it all on the counter. After making the sandwich and refusing a bite of it from Clara, he sat with her, waiting for her to finish eating before washing up the dishes.

"Okay, mama's gonna be home in a few minutes, so look child like." Clara always had a way of being much more grown up when it was just the two of them, or just them and their father, but when their mother came home, she seemed closer to her age.

She just nodded and skipped in the direction of her dolls. "You sure you don't want to play?" She held up a doll to him.

"Later, I promise."

Their mother walked in just as Clara went back to her dolls. "Hey mama!" She jumped up to give her mother a hug, which she returned whole heartedly.

"Hey baby! How was your day?"

"Angel and I are playing monopoly later!"

"Ohh that sounds like fun. Don't you usually play while I'm a work?" She looked up to Angel raising an eyebrow.

"I'm showing a new guy around town for a little while today. I won't be long."

She stood back up and Clara went back to her dolls. "Did you do all your homework?"

"Yes."

"And the dishes?"

Angel nodded.

"Well then I guess you can go for a few hours. You best be home early though. I have to go food shopping and you need to stay with Clara."

The little girl looked up with a pout. "I wanna go food shopping!" Clara always got chocolate when they went food shopping together.

"We'll see. If you're good."

The phone rang and Angel jumped to answer it as his mother went into her office. "Hello?"

"Hello, is Angel there?"

"This is he."

"Hey! It's Collins. You ready?"

Angel nodded and then realized Collins couldn't see him. "Yeah."

"Okay good, cause I'm outside."

Angel pulled back the curtain to the front door and there was Collins. He hung up the phone and grabbed his jacket before joining Collins on the porch. "Where did you get a wireless phone?"

"Ohh it was my dads, and when he got a new on, I rewired his old one. It's totally free!"

Angel couldn't help but laugh a bit at how enthusiastic Collins face looked as he said that. "That's great." He waved his arm out in front of him. "Shall we?"

Collins bowed and held out his arm in the same direction. "After you."

Angel walked off the porch with a smile, Collins following after. "So with is it you actually want to see?"

"Umm, where can we get pizza?"

"The pizzeria." Angel gave him a look that was half amused, half quizzical. "But I thought you wanted me to show you around? You're not gonna be able to see anything sitting in a pizzeria."

"I can see you." Angel blushed and looked to the ground, but Collins laughed, leaving Angel to wonder if it was the comment or the reaction that he found funny, and touched Angel's shoulder softly. "S'ok, we can each get a slice to go, and you can show me around while we eat."

"I didn't know we were eating. I didn't bring any money." Angel shrugged his shoulders.

Collins just smiled, looking ahead down the street. "I had already planned on treating."

Angel blushed again as the entered main street, where the very few stores, restaurants, and teen hangouts were.