Chapter 3 - Chapter Three

Chapter Three

"Where is the other one?"
Sandy frowned, the voice wasn't familar, it was probably the visitor.
"At a friend's house for the night." It was her father's voice this time, but there was an edge to it.
"Um, I'm done with dinner, can I go?" It was Charlie. Figures, he's going to come out and ambush me and then I'll never figure out what they want. Even though Sandy had a twin she was closer to Charlie. She supected it was because they had been together through all their childhood, doing sports. When Effel and Cammy and Lindsey played barbies or something.
Sandy's whole family was glamourus. Cammy was blonde, Effel, even though identical to Sandy managed to look beautiful while Sandy was a mess, and Linsey was dark and tan and the picure of a model. Charlie was.... well Charlie, he even managed to look okay. Her parents were slim and tall, her mother blonde and her father with dark hair.
And all the pretty genes were used up on my siblings, thought Sandy. But she didn't care that much, hanging out with the dorks she did, she fit right in. A plus card was that she was an ultra-jock. So she knew everybody.
Charlie came out of the dining room, his expression betrayed none of his feelings, but Sandy knew he wasn't suprised to see her.
"Who's the visitor?" Asked Sandy in a whisper.
"Some guy." Charlie was frequently giving obvious facts away as private information. It was an annoying habit.
"Effel and Cammy are coming." He muttered.
"And Lindsey?" Sandy asked.
"Being sociable."
"I really didn't need to ask."
Charlie grinned and began to walk down to the part of the house that was theirs. Their house had been set up specifically for their family, thought Sandy. The back of the house was Sandy and Charlie's, sharing a bathroom and a study. You might think it would be pretty disgusting to share a bathroom with your older brother, but it wasn't really. And the study was just a room plastered with sports posters. It also had a desk with an apple laptop and an electric guitar. It was always messy but no one except Sandy and Charlie ever used that room, so it didn't matter.
On the complete other side of the house was Cammy's disgustingly pink bedroom, and right above it was the loft Lindsey and Effel shared. Sandy and Effel had used to share the loft, but things had changed as they got older. Linsey had complained endlessly about what a slob Charlie was and Sandy and Effel weren't exactly the closest so it was decided Sandy should move out. Right next to Cammy's room was her parents', so it worked out perfectly. The suck-ups right next to the parents... And the loud eletric guitarists in the back.
Sandy grinned and reluctantly followed Charlie to the back of the house. Natrally they both crashed on the sofa in the study.
"You're supposed to be in your room you know." Said Charlie.
Sandy gave him a 'get serious' look and went over to computer. Charlie watched as she booted up the computer and brought up her email.
Wait a second, thought Charlie, that's my backround!
"What's this?" Asked Sandy in a verrry annoying voice. "Awww, Vawawy sent wou an email."
Valery was Charlie's girlfriend. Outraged, Charlie jumped from the couch and dashed over to where Sandy was laughing uncontrolably, but by then Charlie was > laughing, too. Just then Cammy opened the door, a sour expression on her face.
"Sandy, you're supposed to be in your room!"
Sandy's laughter disapeered.
"I know Cam," She said disgustedly, "just gimme the food will ya?"
She walked to where Cammy was standing and grabbed the food. Then she pushed into her room, her glum mood back. She heard Chalie trying to calm a tramatized Cammy and she wished she had done something else. Not because it was mean to Cammy, but so she wouldn't have made more work for Charlie.
She carried the plate over to the neon green card table in the corner, and stared at it glumly. Cold potatoes, whopee.
Later that night Sandy snuck out her window. It was an easy process; remove the screen, and slip right out. The warm summer night air swirled around her as she crept silently through the frame. Once outside she began to walk. A fast walk, an escape walk. Once she was out of sight of her house her gait relaxed. Sandy loved night, everything was a secret at night. So silent and so unsaid. It was marvelous.
An hour later Sandy slipped back through the window, and carefully refastened it. After that she fell onto her bed in to a heavy dreamless sleep.
---
She woke up very late in the afternoon and sighed as she read the alarm clock. Twelve-thirty. She'd wasted half of her last day of freedom. Sandy didn't know how to feel, really. She was excited about school and at the same time dissapointed about the short summer. She made her way into the study. She felt like reading something.
Charlie had passed out on the lounge chair, but Sandy wasn't quiet about coming in. If she had to get up, so did her perfectionist brother. Besides, he was in her favorite reading chair.
She poked him hard in the ribs and he shot off the chair with a yelp. Sandy rolled her eyes and plopped down on it with a poetry book, leaving Charlie helpless on the floor.
"I'm Sandy, I'm selfish over a stupid chair and my brother is lying broken on the floor as I laugh mercilessly like the cruel tyrant I am," Charlie said in a nasaly voice that sounded more like Cammy than her.
"Translation: Shut up, give me my chair, and let me read." Sandy replied tartly without looking up from her book.
Charlie laughed, sat with his back to her chair, and opened his laptop.
"Get any more love mail?" Sandy asked conversationally.
"Shut up, Sandy." Charlie said.
"Translation: Yes."

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