Hunter
“You’re an idiot, Hunter,” my youngest sister, Nellie, said as she walked into my kitchen.
“I know you’re not calling me an idiot as you start to raid my fridge.” I continued eating my Cheerios. “Do you or do you not want to stay with me while you figure out what you want to do with your life?”
“You’d never kick me out.” She laughed as she pulled some eggs and cheese out of the fridge. “I have too much dirt on you.”
I rolled my eyes. “You have no dirt on me.”
“I know why Birdie dumped your ass.” She smirked at me as she placed a pan on the stovetop.
“That was a mutual breakup,” I lied.
“Yeah, right.” She shook her head. “Liar.”
“What are you making? Scrambled eggs or an omelet?”
“Why?”
“Because I want some.”
“I’m not your maid, Hunter.”
“You can say that again. My entire house is a mess.”
“Your entire house is a mess because you have your football buddies over every night drinking.” She rolled her eyes as she walked back to the fridge and grabbed more eggs. “You’re not in college anymore. You need to get a life. Your glory days are over.”
“I’m twenty-three, and my glory days are not done.” I glared at her. “Make some toast as well. I’m suddenly very hungry.” I laughed as she sighed and stomped her feet back over to the fridge. “Also, I noticed you flirting with half of my football buddies last night, so you’re really not one to talk.”
“I wouldn’t date them, though. Flirting is just that, flirting. Notice none of them were in my bed at the end of the night.” She grabbed the bread and put two slices in the toaster. “Anyway, you’re still an idiot.”
“You mean in my bed … I own all the beds in this house, and if I ever caught one of my buddies in your bedroom, you’d be back with Mom and Dad so fast it would make your head spin.” I gave her my most handsome grin. “So, why am I an idiot, Nellie?”
In return, she gave me her pointed, superior look. Nellie was like a younger, more annoying version of my mother, only she had no filter and no etiquette. She said whatever she wanted, whenever she wanted.
“Because you’re living the life Mom and Dad want you to live, instead of actually going out there and living your dreams.”
“How am I living the life Mom and Dad want?” I growled, a little defensively.
“You’re working for Dad at the bank, which we both know you never wanted to do.”
“It’s called Beauregard Bank. Our family has run it for years. It was always expected that I’d work there. You know that Nellie.”
“I know you wanted more, even if you don’t.” She shrugged. “Oh well, at least Birdie got out.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?” I snapped.
“She got out of Clifton. She got out of South Carolina.” Nellie shrugged. “She’s living my dream.”
“Birdie broke her parents’ heart by leaving town. You don’t want to do that to Mom and Dad.”
“Well, she wouldn’t have broken their hearts if you hadn’t broken hers.”
“She dumped me, remember?”
“Yeah, but we both know why, big bro.” She shook her head. “I was a freshman, remember? Everyone was talking about it for months.”
“Stop exaggerating, Nellie.” I got up and walked to the French doors at the back of the kitchen and looked out to the backyard. “No one was talking about anything.”
I tried to ignore the heavy feeling in my chest as I stared at the rose bush to the right of the tree. Birdie had loved roses.
But then again, Birdie had been a girlie girl and much more drama than she was worth.