7 Years Ago
"Hey, Zachie. Where's you goin'?" six-year-old Gray questions curiously as he watches his older brother fumbling with the black and red tie around his neck.
"A dance," Zach replies flatly, grumbling under his breath once he finally manages to loop the end of the time through the knot—he examines himself in the mirror. "Oh my God, could I look any worse today?"
Gray's gaze slowly trails from head to toe on the 11-year-old, silently admiring the outfit his brother had thrown together last minute. He quickly rushes away to Karen's office and grabs a piece of notebook paper, a black pen and a pair of dark green safety scissors. He plops down on a barstool in the kitchen, beginning to viciously scrawl all over the wide ruled piece of paper as Karen sprints in the room and fumbles about with her camera; a gentle knock comes from the front door.
"Zach! Janice is here!" she calls up the stairwell, cupping her hands around her mouth. She gingerly places her arms on Gray's shoulders and leans over the granite countertop. "Honey, what're you doing?"
A broad grin spreads across Gray's face as he rushes over to Zach, who stares down intently at him—he holds a very bewildered expression—once he shoves the squarely cut note into his palm. "What's this?"
"A note. Take it n' read it at the dance with your girlfriend. It'll makes you feel better," Gray says quietly as he throws his arms around the 11-year-old's torso and squeezes him tightly.
"Gray, she's not my girlfr-"
July 1st, 2017
- Present Day -
"Gray? Hey, Gray? Are you listening to me? I asked you a question!" Zach exclaims anxiously as he, keeping a hand on the wheel and an eye on the road, waves his fingers in front of Gray's face. "Hello?"
"What? Oh, sorry, Zach. I was just thinking about stuff," Gray replies flatly as he slips the tips of his fingers in his right pocket and begins to run them lightly over the rough edges of the small paper axe. "What'd you ask me? I'm listening this time."
"I asked you if you want to go eat first and then go to the hardware store. Because, if so, I need to turn here," Zach stares intently at his younger brother while using his peripheral vision to watch the road ahead of him, his patience levels growing smaller and smaller as every silent second flies by. "Okay, nevermind. I'm hungry, and I already turned that way. So, I hope you're fine with eating first."
"Hm? Yeah, that's fine. I don't care," Gray comments softly as his gaze locks on the lit up screen of his phone, and a slight grin tugs at the corners of his lips. He picks it up, his fingers rapidly flying across the keyboard, and a conflicted expression fades through his smile. However, once the phone lights up again, his broad grin returns—Zach watches him carefully as he parks his car in front of the Subway and shuts the engine off, taking note of each look on his face.
Yep. It's a girl.
As much as he would love to call his little brother out on it right here and now, he forces himself to hold off for a while longer, inwardly groaning at having to wait. "C'mon, G," he playfully slugs him in the shoulder and nods towards the glass doors of the restaurant, "Let's go eat."
Gray bobs his head, glancing down at the screen as his phone buzzes once more—the same little smile spreads across his face. He slowly pushes up on the car door, causing it to swing open and trails closely behind Zach into the restaurant.
For an old sub shop, it's very neat and tidy. The tile floors beam against the sunlight, recently waxed. The air smells of freshly baked bread instead of grease and oil. It's one of the highest rated restaurants in the Madison, Wisconsin area.
"What're you gonna get?" Zach questions curiously, glancing down at his younger brother who begins to closely examine the menu. "I'll order it for you, and you can go find us a seat, okay?"
"Yeah! I'll take a- a six-inch turkey and cheese sub," Gray starts to turn on his heel to go find a booth by the windows, but Zach latches tightly onto one of his shoulders. "Oh, yeah. I guess I forgot to tell you the rest. I want a medium sized soft drink, a bag of Doritos, provolone cheese, black olives, tomatoes, lettuce and-"
"No sauces," Zach comments flatly, chuckling lightly as Gray's small blue eyes widen slowly. "What? I pay more attention than you'd ever imagine. I know more than you think, too," he whispers softly in his younger brother's ear.
"Haha, ha. That's- that's really funny, Zach," a grimace forms on Gray's face, and Zach bursts into a fit of laughter, patting his back gently. "Is a booth by the window fine?"
"Yeah. Just make sure you find one by the front. I know it sounds weird, but I need to keep an eye on my car," Zach replies flatly as Gray nods, quickly rushing off to find a seat matching his brother's description.
Once he manages to come across a booth that has a clear view of the glimmering blue Hennessey Venom GT parked out front, he plops down in the seat and pulls out his phone, seeing as it has vibrated many times.
SouthDakotaFireLight: C'mon, Gray! Why aren't you answering? My sister's out in California for her college interview, I have absolutely *no* idea *where* my brother is, and my mom's at a work meeting! I'm home alone right now!
SouthDakotaFireLight: Gray? I'm very bored! Plz answer!
SouthDakotaFireLight: GRAYSON JAMES, YOU BETTER COME BACK HERE *RIGHT* NOW!
Mitchell_2.0 has gone online
Mitchell_2.0: Sorry, Dakota! I had to go into the restaurant with my brother. Plus, I think he was starting to get suspicious of me. I don't want him to make fun of me for texting a girl.
SouthDakotaFireLight: Srsly, G? You're worried about that? If he makes fun of you, I'm sure you have something to make fun of him with. Just use it to your advantage.
Mitchell_2.0: I *would*... But, since I'm staying at his house for the rest of the summer… I don't really wanna give him any reason to make fun of/be mean to me.
SouthDakotaFireLight: Gray, you're an idiot. He's your older brother. You exist to annoy him, and he exists to be mean to you.
SouthDakotaFireLight: You guys have a very *unusual* relationship for two siblings with such an age gap.
SouthDakotaFireLight: Sure… I admire Zach a lot for everything he's done for you… But you still need to keep the whole brother-brother war thing going on here.
Mitchell_2.0: Yeah, I guess… I honestly prefer it this way… But…
Mitchell_2.0: Y'know how I was gonna tell him about my fear of water sticking around before he could find out for himself?
SouthDakotaFireLight: Yea…
Mitchell_2.0: Yeah, that didn't work out so well.
SouthDakotaFireLight: o_O
SouthDakotaFireLight: Whaddya mean?
Mitchell_2.0: Wwweeelll… I kinda had a nightmare where I was either supposed to jump in his pool from the balcony or burn to death in the house… I burned… He kicked me out and called me a baby, a wimp, a- Y'know the drill…
SouthDakotaFireLight: Wait, wait, wait! He did that to you in real life?
Mitchell_2.0: Oh! No! No no no! Of course not! He was there by my side the rest of the night after I woke up screaming… So, yeah… That's kinda how he found out. I didn't get to tell him myself. I shouted it out while I was asleep.
Mitchell_2.0: It was *so* embarrassing…
SouthDakotaFireLight: Aw. I'm sorry, Gray. :((
SouthDakotaFireLight: I'm sure he doesn't care. He *is* your typical overly protective older brother it seems like :'D
Mitchell_2.0: Well, that's one way to put it. Lol. I gotta go, Kota. I'll be back after we finish our lunch. Talk to you later!
SouthDakotaFireLight: K, G. Bye! ^_^
SouthDakotaFireLighthas gone offline
Mitchell_2.0 has gone offline
Gray glances up from his phone screen and gently sets it down on the table as Zach strolls over holding two sandwiches in his hands, along with all the other items.
"One six-inch turkey with provolone cheese and no sauce! Doritos and a medium sized soft serve drink," Zach chuckles softly, placing the sandwich, chips, and empty plastic cup in front of Gray. "And then, there's mine: a foot long Italian sub with every meat, cheese, topping, and sauce you could ever possibly imagine on it."
Gray's grin broadens as he clutches tightly onto his cup and rushes over to the touch screen Coca-Cola drink fountain. "Woah. This is new," he replies flatly; Zach slowly comes up behind him.
"Pfft. I could probably buy that thing, put one in your room, then go back and buy another one to put in my bedroom. Hell, I could afford to put one in every single area in the house!" Zach says blankly, beginning to tap on the screen of the fountain machine.
"D'you have any idea how much these things cost?" Gray questions softly, staring at Zach as he starts to fill his decent sized cup with Orange Fanta. "Like, $20,000 or more."
"Exactly," Zach responds dully as he rolls his dark brown eyes in a good-natured tone. He turns to face Gray once his cup is full and covered by a lid, starting back towards the booth; the 13-year-old follows closely behind. "I could buy a shit-ton of them, like 30."
Gray pauses momentarily as he does the simple math in his head. "Really, Zach, really? Y'know, being cocky is a surefire way to lose your money, not earn more." He begins to take a bite out of his sandwich, and, shortly after, both brothers are finished with their lunch.
"Well, that was actually really good," Zach comments softly as he crumples the red and blue wrapper from his food up into a ball, tossing it an empty plastic bag.
"Yeah, it was." A small smile begins to fade onto Gray's face, and his phone buzzes once again; he does the same as Zach with his trash. He grabs his phone and starts to type on it.
"What're you smiling about? You've been doing that the whole time we've been out today," a smug grin tugs at the corners of his lips as he leans over the smooth tabletop, giving Gray an unintentional stare down.
The 13-year-old begins to blush furiously, and, since Zach is looking right at him, it's nearly impossible to hide. Seeing as he has nothing to lose but his dignity, he finally glances up at his older brother. "Well, actually, I was hoping you could give me some advice. Not like mean-you're-trying-to-trick-me-and-make-me-look-like-an-idiot advice. Pure, helpful advice."
Aaannnnddd, there it is.
Zach knows where this one's going, in fact, he's been waiting for it to happen for quite a while now. "Okay, what kind of advice?" he questions curiously, leaving his little brother with the hardest task of the whole process: spitting it out.
"I, uh. I don't know. G-girl advice, I guess?" Gray stutters apprehensively as he quickly gazes down, "Why are you making me say everything, Zach? You obviously know what's going on."
Zach chuckles lightly and raises up from his seat, plopping down next to Gray. He gently wraps his right arm around the—clearly ashamed—13-year-old's shoulder. "It's all in great fun, little bro. I would tell you you'll understand when you get older, but hopefully Mom isn't planning on having any more kids, so you'll never be an older brother."
"Yeeeaaaahhh. Anyway, I need some advice, remember? Are you gonna help me or not?" Gray snaps irritably, his eyebrows furrowing crossly. He folds his arms over his chest, and his eyes slowly trail to the floor. "Sorry, Zach. I'm just kinda…embarrassed, I guess. I've never talked to anyone about this kind've stuff before, and I don't know these feelings. I'm so confused!"
Zach sighs and grins sympathetically at his younger brother, squeezing his shoulders tighter. "I can tell you've never talked about this before. And, no, you're not gonna understand these feelings the first time you get them. I can relate to you, bro. I've been in your shoes before. So tell me. Who is it?"
Gray hesitates, anxiously chewing on his bottom lip; it fades to a raging red shade. "It's- Is it wrong to have a crush on your best friend, Zach? I mean, I think I like Dakota, but I'm not sure. Like I said, I'm just so plain confused!"
"No! Why would it be wrong to have a crush on your best friend?" Zach questions curiously as he stares down at him. "That's not wrong by any means! But if you guys got together and then broke up, I'm not gonna lie to you, it might get pretty awkward."
Gray silently sits there, leaning into his older brother's side as he contemplates and picks apart each and every one of his emotions. He slightly jumps when his phone buzzes in his pocket, and he takes it out, glancing down at the screen. He gazes back up at Zach, baby blue eyes growing wider and wider.
"Well? What're you waiting for? Go for it," Zach grins at him and gingerly pats him reassuringly on the back. "Don't be nervous. Just stay here, and I'll help you."
Gray slowly taps on the green answer call button and puts it on speaker phone, considering that there's no one else in the restaurant with them. "Hey, Kota! What's up?"
"Gray! Hi! Are you busy?"
"Um- At the moment, no," Gray stutters anxiously as Zach shakes his head slowly, mouthing the word no to him. "Why d'you ask?"
"Oh, well… There was something I've been meaning to- uh- talk to you about lately. Are you up for a conversation?"
Gray glances at Zach, his eyes glimmering with curiosity, and the 18-year-old nods. "Yeah. Sure. I actually have something I've been meaning to talk to you about, also. But you can go first."
"No, no! You go first! I insist!"
"Oh, um, okay. Well, I um," Gray's breath hitches in his throat, and Zach begins to gently rub his back. "It's okay," he whispers softly as he simply pries the phone from the 13-year-old's fingers.
"Hi, Dakota. This is Zach, you remember me? Gray's older brother?"
"Oh, hey, Zach! Yes, of course I remember you! Where'd Gray go? Is he okay? I didn't catch what he was trying to tell me."
"Yeah, yeah. He's fine. He just wanted to tell you that he thinks you're cute and sorta has a crush on you, but he's too much of a wimp to tell it to you in person. And, that leaves me, his brother, to do it for him," Zach replies flatly as he quickly deflects the light punches Gray is attempting to throw at his shoulder.
"I hate you! I hate you, I hate you, I hate you!" he cries miserably, flopping back down in the seat—he has no way to get past his brother sitting next to him—and clutching his beat red face in-between his hands.
"Oh, well, Gray, if you're listening, I like you too, honestly. And I really want to go out on a quote-on-quote date with you, but…I can't. I'm- I'm moving to Arizona. Permanently."
Goosebumps begin to form on Gray's arms as he stares down at the phone in Zach's hands, tears welling in the corners of his eyes. "Y- You're… You're leaving?"
Zach quickly places the phone on the table and pulls Gray into a snug embrace, his face buried deep under his chin. "It's okay, bro. It's okay."
"D-Dakota, I- I have to go. I-I'll talk to you later, okay? B-bye," the 13-year-old sniffs faintly as he begins to move his index finger towards the red end call button on the screen.
"No, Gray, wait! Let me explain! Please!"
He pushes it, and it flickers to a black state. He pulls away from his older brother, gazing up at him with watery eyes. He feels as if everyone is leaving him; why does it have to be this way? "I don't- I just don't understand," he chokes on a small sob that has bubbled up his throat and slowly leans his head on the 18-year-old's chest.
"Shit, Gray, I'm so sorry. I never would've initiated it if I would've known," Zach comments softly as he runs his fingers through Gray's golden curls. "It's been one fucked up day for you, huh? Again, I'm sorry."
Gray shakes his head slowly and sniffles, pulling away from Zach. "It wasn't your fault. I just- She's my best friend. She's been my best friend since we moved here, and she's just…leaving. Like Dad. And like Grandma and Grandpa. And like- like you."
"Gray, lil' bro! No, no, no! C'mon! Dad still sees you every other weekend! Grandma and Grandpa…well, they're still with you here!"—he pokes the spot on Gray's chest right above his heart—"And me? I'm always here for you, okay? I always will be! And, so will Dakota. Even if she is leaving. You can't break a friendship like that just by one of you moving away. I mean, you guys still have phones, computers, the internet! There's millions of possible ways for you to connect with each other!"
Gray nods slowly, attempting to wipe away the remaining amount of his tears. "I'm sorry I got so emotional. It's just- I don't know. When everyone else was mean to me and made fun of me, Dakota was there. When I was standing alone in the corner of the classroom without a lab partner, Dakota was there. When- when anything, Dakota was there."
"It's alright, man. You have a right to get upset. I understand. I just don't want you to be sad when there's hundreds of different ways to avoid losing contact with her," Zach replies quietly as he hands Gray a napkin and motions towards his puffy red eyes. "C'mon. Let's go clean your face up."
Gray latches tightly onto Zach's forearm and follows him to the restroom; they pause in front of the sink. He stares intently at his reflection in the mirror and hangs his head down in shame. He's gotten so worked up over something that's so incredibly easy to prevent.
"Here, look at me," Zach instructs softly as he runs his fingers under the ice cold tap water, slowly pulling them out. He kneels down to get to the same height as Gray. "I'm gonna put a little bit of this water under your eyes to make them less puffy, okay? Are you alright with that?"
Gray nods and watches Zach's fingers as they near his face, the sparkling water dripping off the tips. He forces himself to take a deep breath once his older brother begins to, as tenderly as possible, rub the small amount of clear liquid under his eyes.
"There you go. Good job," he says in a low voice as he pulls out a paper towel and rips the end of it off, gently dabbing it under his—still slightly puffy—blue eyes. "See? You're okay. The water's helping you, not hurting you."
Gray throws his arms around Zach's neck and buries his face under his chin. "Thank you, Zach," he mumbles incoherently, his voice muffled by the 18-year-old's t-shirt.
"Of course, bro," the warm smile on Zach's face slowly grows as he carefully reaches around Gray and pulls his own wallet out of his back pocket. He wraps his arms around his younger brother and begins to fumble with it behind his back. Once he finally manages to find it, he tugs the little aged note out of the tab it had been shoved into. His grin broadens as he reads it in his head.
"Deer Zachie
I noe you saed that you do not luk vary good but I theenk you luk grate. And if that dum janis gurl is to dum to reelize that she haz the best boyfrend in the world…. Thin she can finde sumwun els. I hoap you hav fun at the danse you ar goeing to evin thoe I woent be thare. I reely wish I cud goe. It wud bee reely fun.
Luv yur litel bruther Gray"
Zach sighs faintly and stares at the note for a few seconds longer before beginning to read it out loud. "Dear Zachie,—remember when you used to call me that?—I know you said that you do not look very good, but I think you look great. And, if that dumb Janice girl is too dumb to realize that she has the best boyfriend in the world...then she can find someone else. I hope you have fun at the dance you are going to even though I won't be there. I really wish I could go. It would be really fun. Love your little brother, Gray," he pauses before continuing, "What happened to baby Gray with the two front teeth missing who called me Zachie and followed me around leaving notes everywhere? Huh? What happened to him?"
Gray groans audibly at hearing Zach read the note, but a grin spreads across his face. "He grew up. Oh my gosh, though. Seriously? Could I not spell a darn thing back then? I was, like, stupid or something."
Zach's eyebrows furrow as he pulls away from Gray, carefully folding the little note back into his wallet. "You were only six years old, a young kid. It was honestly adorable, but then you got older and kinda just stopped being adorable."
"First of all, hey! Second, aww, is someone getting a little sentimental?" Gray questions softly, audible amusement laced through his otherwise low-key voice. "And it looks like I'm not the only one that's kept an ancient paper artifact from our past."
Zach chuckles softly as he raises to his feet, Gray trailing closely behind. "Yeah, I guess not." He pauses momentarily and opens his car door. "Hey," he replies gently, plopping down in the driver's seat. "If you still wanted to go out on a date with Dakota, you could just call her up and ask her if she wants to before she leaves. This is your chance, Gray. Take it."
Gray's anxious gaze locks with Zach's seemingly calm one as his eyes widen slowly. "M-my phone. I left it on the table in there when we went to the bathroom!"
"Well, what're you waiting for? Go get it before someone steals it, Gray!" Zach exclaims attentively as he jumps out of the car and slams the door shut behind him, quickly following his younger brother back inside the restaurant.
"No. No, no, no, no, no. Oh my God, Zach! Mom's gonna kill me!" Gray clutches his face in his hands—attempting to cover the tears rolling down his cheeks in heavy streams—as his shoulders begin to tremble. "She's gonna kill me, Zach. I-I was told when I first got that phone that if I b-broke it or lost it, that's it! I'm not getting a new one until I turn 16, and I- I- I won't- Zach! I won't be able to talk t-to Dakota!"
"It's okay, bro. She's not gonna kill you, alright?" Zach comments softly, his arm resting around Gray's shoulders; he attempts to keep them steady. "I can't believe I'm doing this, and don't get used to it either because it's not gonna become a regular thing; let's stop by one of the phone stores and see if they can do anything about it."
"Okay," Gray sniffs faintly; he trails closely behind Zach to the car, plopping back down in the front seat. As they drive in the direction of the shop, the 13-year-old feels something buzz lightly on his side and shifts over onto his other hip in attempt to ignore it. However, when it happens a second time, he quickly reaches down into his front right pocket, and the tips of his fingers gently brush across a cool, smooth surface. "Zach…" He grips tightly onto the item, slowly pulling it out as a glower spreads across his older brother's face.
"Dude, are you fucking serious?" Zach grumbles irritably, his eyebrows furrowing crossly while he quickly turns his left blinker on and does a U turn. "Maybe I should hold on to that for a while, yeah?"
Gray shrugs carelessly and drops the white iPhone 5s in his brother's unfolded palm. He leans his face against the window, his heavy breath slightly fogging up the clear glass. "Take it. I don't wanna see it right now, anyway. I hate it."
"Gray, not gonna lie, you sound kinda stupid talking about the phone like it's a person. You hate it?" Zach questions firmly as an amused grin tugs at the corners of his lips.
"Yeah! I actually do hate it! Keep it for all I care! First, it tells me that my best friend is moving, like, 30 hours away, and then, it causes me to think that my mom's gonna kill me! What's that thing's problem?" Gray exclaims anxiously, flailing his arms about in the still air.
Zach stares intently at his younger brother as he parks the car close to the doors in front of the hardware store. He furrows his brows in bewilderment at the 13-year-old, shoving Gray's phone down under his own, deep in his pocket. "Actually, Mom's not gonna kill you. Zach's gonna kill you for almost making him waste 500 bucks."
Gray's gaze slowly trails to the floorboard, and he mumbles softly under his breath, "Sorry, Zach. I'm just not paying much attention to anything right now. I'm kinda, y'know, sidetracked."
Zach gingerly places his hand on Gray's shoulder, squeezing it. "Gray, you don't have to apologize. I know it was just an accident. C'mon, let's go get the paint and sprayer so we can get back home. I'm not pushing you to do this—it's totally cool if you don't want to—but I was thinking we could try the thing with the washcloth again."
Gray nods slowly, although he is not feeling too up to getting wet, and steps out of the car, following Zach to the front doors. As they slide open, a fresh gust of frosty air blows the bangs off his forehead.
"Okay. I don't think you're gonna want anything, but is there any stuff you wanna look at while we're here?" Zach questions curiously, strolling away from his younger brother and returning with a shopping cart. "'Cuz we're probably gonna have to wait for a little while when they're making the paint color."
Gray shakes his head, glancing down at the concrete flooring. Ever since Dakota told him she's leaving, he's been oddly quiet—unless asked a question or spoken to by Zach. It's strange since he's usually bouncing off the walls, and now he's trailing along behind his brother, nearly consumed in silence.
"Gray? Why are you so quiet all the sudden? You okay?" Zach asks gently as he slides his hands under Gray's arms, placing him down on the edge of the steel countertop at the paint station. As his little brother nods, a short guy with light blonde hair pops up from the other side, a notepad and pen in his hand.
"Hello! How can I help you?" he questions politely; Zach pulls out his black Samsung Galaxy S8 and taps on his gallery, searching for the picture he had taken of the paint can.
"Hey. I'd like a gallon of BEHR® MARQUEE in eggshell matte, Off the Grid. And, also, can you tell me where I would find the spray painters? Specifically a Graco?" Zach watches closely as the man behind the counter writes down the name and SKU number of the paint he had mentioned. He glances over at Gray and smiles at him, receiving a small grin in return.
"Okay! I'll start mixing your paint, and you can find the sprayers on aisle 13 right past the third checkout area. It'll be about five minutes," he informs Zach, quickly bending over to grab a purple MARQUEE gallon sized paint can. "Although, I'm not 100% sure, so don't take my word on this, I don't recall seeing any Graco sprayers this morning when I restocked the shelves."
"Okay, thank you," Zach says quietly as he helps Gray slide down off the counter. "C'mon, G. Let's go check it out." He wraps his left arm tightly around the child's shoulders and uses his free hand to push the cart along while they walk. "So I was thinking about this: While we're here, would you like to pick up some paint to do the room you're staying in?"
Gray gazes up at Zach, an inquiring expression visible on his pale face. "What? Why? It's your room in your house. I don't live there. Why would you paint it? I mean, do you like how it's decorated and painted right now?"
"Don't answer a question with a bajillion more questions, Gray. D'you wanna paint the room or not? I'm letting you claim it as your own if you'd like. I have four other bedrooms to do what I want with," Zach replies flatly as they come upon the seemingly endless aisle of sprayers, and he bends over to get into Gray's field of vision. "Listen, if you want to, it won't be very hard to spray paint that room. I'll make it any color you want. Blue—like yours back at home—green, yellow, purple. Rainbow! I don't care. I'm giving you this bedroom, bro. Make it yours."
Gray giggles softly and nods, throwing his arms around Zach's neck. "Okay, I guess if you want to do it, then I want to do it. Can we make it gray and blue?" he questions softly, and Zach rises back up, a warm grin spreading across his face.
"Of course! Y'know, it only makes sense for you to pick those colors, Gray Mitchell whose favorite color is blue," a smug grin tugs at the corners of the 18-year-old's lips as he begins to search for the specific brand of sprayer he had asked the guy behind the counter about. "Wow. How oddly convenient that as soon as I walk in, they don't have what I'm looking for. It's like they watch the security cameras outside, and when they see me coming, they're like, 'Oh, look. It's Zach. Let's place everything he needs in hiding and put it back out right after he leaves!'".
Gray stares up at his older brother with a strange expression on his face as he slowly trails away from Zach, gazing over all the different paint colors. Approximately five minutes later, the older teen pauses next to Gray's side, a bright green Ryobi Cordless Sprayer in the basket of his cart.
"Find anything, bro?" he questions curiously, glancing down at the various assortments of paint swatches he holds in his hands. "I think that one would be cool with that shade of gray." Zach points his index finger at the two cards in Gray's left palm.
Gray quickly nods in agreement, his sparkling blue eyes locking with Zach's dark brown ones. "That's what I thought, too," he comments softly as he places the other two paint swatches back on their rightful shelves and hands Zach the cards.
"Are you sure these are the ones you want? I mean, I personally think it would look really good… But I don't want you to feel that, because it's my house, you should paint it how you think I would like it," Zach replies flatly as Gray rapidly shakes his head, gently pushing his older brother in the direction of the counter. "Dude, listen to me! I don't want to spend $60 on two gallons of paint that you're not even gonna like when I'm trying to make it into something you like!"
"Zach, first of all, why are you talking about wasting money when you just said in the sub shop that you could buy 30 of those pop machines?"—Zach lips part to speak, but Gray hastily cuts him short—"And, second of all, I really do like the colors, okay? I think they would look great on the walls!" he exclaims as a small grin crosses over his older brother's face.
"Okay, alright," the 18-year-old turns on his heel to look at the guy who is still standing behind the counter, a grimace evident in his expression. "Hey, sorry to bother you again, but would you mind getting me two more paint colors?"
He waves it off as a side note and, once again, latches tightly onto his black click pen and worn notebook. "No problem. I have to have something to do here, anyway. Which colors are you interested in?"
"Okay," Zach quickly glances down at the two paint swatches in his unfolded palm and skims over the cards. He looks back up at the guy, flatly reciting the names of them. "The first one is going to be a gallon of Cosmic Cobalt. And the second one is Silver Shadow."
"Alrighty! And d'you want both of those in eggshell MARQUEE?" the guy questions curiously as he gently places the first can of paint that Zach—who nods—had ordered in front of him on the counter. "Here's a gallon of Off the Grid, MARQUEE, eggshell matte."
"Thanks," Zach comments softly, grabbing the can by the slender handle on the top and setting it down in the bottom of the cart—to the right of the sprayer. "So, have you guys been very busy today?"
The man glances up at Zach then back down as he places the paint cans in two different mixers and leans over the steel countertop. "No, actually. It's kinda shocking considering that it's summer, and everyone's trying to get their projects done before the kids go back to school."
"Yeah, that's what I figur- Uh, Gray! What're you doing?" Zach exclaims anxiously, his voice cracking while his 13-year-old brother attempts to drag him back into one of the aisles. "Dude! What was that about?"
"She's over there, Zach! I couldn't let her see me! Not now!" Gray spouts crisply, an apprehensive tone laced through his otherwise low-key voice.
"You're not making any sense! Speak English, lil' bro! Who's over there?" Zach bends down in front of Gray's fretful face and clutches tightly onto his shoulders. "Who, Gray?"
The 13-year-old hesitates momentarily, his eyes darting restlessly about the aisle, landing directly on Zach's gaze. "Dakota."
This one is superrrrr long but oh well. I did my paint research as you can see :D
