On a certain day, Shelly was hanging out with her friend Kelly at the Red Lobster. Having arrived ten minutes ago and made their orders, they spent the whole time gossiping about their friends at the school. Even during their eating, the chat didn't stop, and now it finally reached its climax.

"Yeah, just like Stacy said, that girl is a total bitch!" Kelly commented.

"Indeed." Shelly agreed. "Too bad she couldn't join us. Sucks having to study for exams."

"Don't worry. I'll tell her all of this later. So, any plans with your guy tonight?"

"Unfortunately, no. He's gotta study too."

"I see."

And then, to Kelly's surprise, Shelly hummed and rested her arms on the table in front of her, shifting her eyes to the side. She seemed thoughtful.

"Hey, don't be like that. Tomorrow for sure he'll be able to-"

"No, it's not that." Shelly sighed. "It's my stupid brother. He's been all depressed since I've got a boyfriend. Said it's because he doesn't have a girlfriend himself. Seriously, couldn't he be any lamer than this?"

She sounded indignant. Stan's self-pity was something that really irritated her. But at the same time, she couldn't help but think that he was hiding something from her.

"Damn. You're really bummed, aren't you?" Kelly noticed.

"Yeah. It's the same thing from the past. That turd thinks the world revolves around him, and fuck what I want!"

Kelly was taken aback by that lashing out. "Wow! Now you really sounded like yourself from the past. Headgear, yelling and stuff."

"You think?" Shelly covered her mouth with her hand, feeling a little embarrassed.

"Yeah! You remember how you used to be, right? Always pissed, always unkempt."

Shelly moved her hand from her mouth and put it on her head. Apparently, that was a reaction from the mention of her self from three years ago. The memory of it seemed to hurt like a splinter in her mind.

"Urgh. You don't need to remind me." She spoke up.

"Now look at you. You look happier. You look prettier too. Like if you came out of the cocoon."

Shelly gave her friend a puzzled look. "Cocoon? What am I, a butterfly?"

"I'm just saying that it might be the same with your brother. He's the same age now, isn't he?

"Yep, he is."

"You and I know how shitty puberty can be. He might be pissed that he doesn't have a girlfriend, think that it's because of his greasy face or something else, but in the end, he'll change for the better. He just needs to be patient."

Shelly understood Kelly's words, because they related to her own experience with puberty. Reflecting for a while and reaching a conclusion, she then leaned toward her, again placing her arms on the table.

"Well, I can tell you this. Being patient will suck for him. A lot."

Nighttime. Shelly returned home after spending the day out. Upon entering, she noticed Stan sleeping on the couch, still in his everyday outfit. She passed by him and went to the kitchen, where she met Sharon.

"Mom, I'm here." She announced.

"Shelly? You're so late! You missed the dinner!" Sharon exclaimed.

"It's fine, I already ate. Do you need me for something? If not, I'll go to bed."

"No, go ahead. Just tell your brother to go to bed too first."

"Hmph. Okay."

Despite her displeasure, Shelly already expected her mother to ask her something like that. She went to the couch, so she could knock Stan off it to wake him up, as she usually did, and tell him to go to sleep in his room. She moved her hand to near his back, but at the last second, something stopped her.

She didn't know what was it. Maybe she thought that wasn't the moment. Or maybe she got sick of it. Her interactions with Stan over the last days had caused some sort of change in her. But it still was an uncomfortable feeling for her.

Instead, she placed both her arms under his body and lifted him off the couch. His weight wasn't a problem for her. Now Shelly was carrying Stan, still asleep, upstairs all the way to his room. She entered it, put him on his bed, still in his clothes, and covered him with the blanket.

Afterwards, Shelly took a step back and looked at Stan, wondering what was happening with both of them. Then she gave a vent to her current annoyance.

"Why do you have to be such a pain in the ass, Stan?" She muttered.

Shelly then turned around and exited Stan's room, leaving him sleep.