Chapter 23

Mac: Age 22
Kira: Age 19
Michael: Age 15
Naomi: Age 13

Leif: Age 14

Briana and Bobbie: Age 5

It was a big year; Mac had graduated from college with an engineering degree that summer, while Kira had begun her junior year as a major in sports education with a minor in theater the following fall.

Michael was now in tenth grade, making decent grades and on the wrestling and basketball teams. He was shy, but had plenty of friends, even if he still hung out mostly with Leif. He no longer responded to Mikey; he preferred now to be addressed as Mike, or when the occasion was appropriate, asked to be called Michael.

Girls didn't fail to notice the dark, tall boy with the green eyes; Montana always knew Michael would be a charmer like his father from the time he was a baby. Still, much to the bemusement of his friends save Leif, Mike seemed drawn to the types of girls not unlike his own mother. After all, he had grown up with the mentality his papi had instilled in him, "Do you want to sleep with a pillow or a pole?"

Not that he'd slept with anyone; for one, he wasn't allowed to date alone yet, and second, both he and his latest girlfriend, Mia, were both virgins. Mia was a cute, brunette girl with blue eyes that was a little chubby, not the type the rest of the boys at school would have chosen to date, but Michael was drawn to her and both his parents and sisters approved of her.

Mia and Naomi had even become fast friends despite Naomi being only in eighth grade and Paul often pointed out to his son, "Mia kind of reminds me of your mami. If I was about thirty years younger and didn't have her….."

"Jeez, Pops," Michael would sigh at the reference. "You got your own woman. Leave mine alone."

"Yeah, Papi," Kira would laugh, giving him a playful smack. "Dirty old man."

"What's so dirty about complimenting one's own son on his good taste?"

Naomi would just smile and nod at him, pleased her dad thought so well of her friend and that someone so good looking as her brother, who could have anyone, would pick someone so nice as Mia.

Naomi was struggling with her own issues. At thirteen, most of them were normal, but she always saw herself as different from the time she was a child. While her sisters and Michael had their father's coloring and features (with the exception of Michael having their mother's eyes), Naomi was not only fair skinned as Montana, but also had her mother's tendency to battle her weight.

As a result, Naomi always felt unattractive and insecure, no matter how much her dad and Michael had tried to build her up. She couldn't help but smile, though, at the time both her brother and Leif had gotten in trouble at school when a boy had teased Naomi.

The two of them had taken the liberty to let the offender know in a not so nice way that that kind of thing was not tolerated. Leif was short, but he was a scrapper, and he'd taken the boy down with little trouble. He and Michael had gotten suspended for a week for their trouble, but both felt it had been worth it. Besides, Michael had long suspected his best friend was developing a crush on his baby sister, though Leif had denied it.

"Well, you aren't hanging around here to see me all the time, bro," Michael would laugh. "And we know damn well Kira isn't your type and Mac won't give any dude that isn't over six feet tall, doesn't own a BMW and wasn't in a fraternity the time of day."

"Yeah, what a bony ass, shallow bitch," Leif would agree. "Girl needs a few cheeseburgers. Nothing like Mia and Nomi, that's for sure. Even your mom, for that matter."

"Dude! Gross! Could you please leave my mother out of this? It's enough to know she and Pops still….you know….." Michael gestured his hands.

"Screw?" Leif grinned. "Yeah, so do my folks. Only Dad's a lot louder about it."

"That's a little more than I needed to know, Leif. Jesus."

"So you and Mia done it yet?"

"Do what?"

"God, Mike, are you that much of a dumb ass? IT."

"If you mean sex, no. Pops won't even let us go out unless it's a group or chaperoned until I'm sixteen, much less us doing that. Not that it's your business anyway."

"Yeah, same here, not that chicks are lining up to go out with me to begin with. No one goes for short guys."

"Don't underestimate yourself, bro. You're a nice-looking dude."

"Sure, but you have better luck. Guess I'll be stuck either being pestered by The Pesky Twins to play Barbies or watching old videos with Dad again for the fall dance. You taking Mia?"

"Yep, since it's a school function, Pops made an exception and is driving us. You know, you could ask Nomi."

"Oh yeah, take a junior high chick, as if my image doesn't suck enough, Mike."

"There's not much difference between eighth and ninth grade, dude. Damn. Besides, it isn't like we're on to you checking her out anyway, plus I think she likes you too."

"I don't think a girl calling someone Short Pants likes them," Leif shook his head.

"Nomi's covering it up; women do shit like that. Come on, will it kill you to ask her?"

"Probably."

"Chicken shit." Michael began to cluck and do a chicken dance.

"Oh, you're real funny, London."

"Five bucks says you won't have the balls to do it."

"Make it ten and you're on," Leif replied.

"This is going to be fun," Michael laughed, convinced his awkward friend wouldn't have the nerve.

Later that evening:

"Mami!" Naomi said, excited.

Montana looked up from her paper, bemused that her youngest child was in a mood that wasn't gloomy for a change. She and Paul often worried about Naomi; the girl always seemed so withdrawn and beating herself down, no matter how they and even Michael encouraged her. Naomi was such a bright girl, a talented artist and writer, yet she always seemed to compare herself to Mac and Kira, who had grown into beautiful young women with their share of boyfriends, and always felt she'd come up on the short end.

But now, she was so different, and they were eager to find out why.

"What is it, sweetheart?" Montana finally asked.

"You'll never, never, never, never, never, believe it!"

"Well, we won't if you won't tell us, hija," Paul said, laughing.

Michael too was interested, turning away from the TV. "Yeah, Sis, what's going on?"

Naomi grinned over at him. "Leif asked me to the fall dance!"

Paul looked at her, bemused. "It's Leif now? What happened to 'Short Pants'?"

"Papi, really, that's such a baby thing." Naomi rolled her eyes. "But yes, he asked me. He could have asked any high school girl, but he chose me!"

"Well, I hope you said yes," Montana smiled at her daughter.

"I did!" Naomi nodded eagerly, and then went over to Michael, patting his shoulder. "It's okay, Mike; I know about the bet. You owe him ten dollars."

"Jesus, that evil little guy has the biggest mouth," Michael sighed.

"Like father, like son," Paul agreed.

"I got to call Mia!" Naomi announced happily.

"Oh God," Michael groaned. "What did I get myself into?"

Montana chuckled. "May as well get used to it now, darling."

"That reminds me, I have to call Brian," Paul spoke up. "I wonder if he knows about this, especially the bet thing. He'll love it."

"Thanks a lot, Pops; I'm glad you're getting a kick out of this." Michael shook his head.