"Hey, Jade, miss me yet?" Their mother answered the phone, greeting her daughter sweetly.
"Mom, it's me, Chad. I've got something to tell you."
Suddenly, Jade panicked. She hopped into Chad's arms, peppering his face with kisses.
Feeling the dampness on his cheek, he turned to look at the girl next to him. "Jade, are you trying to stir up trouble?"
"I messed up. Please don't tell mom, I promise I'll behave in the future," Jade whispered.
She wasn't sure why she’d just kissed Chad. A blurry memory from her childhood suggested that kissing someone would save her from punishment.
"What's going on over there? Are you two fighting? Jade is your sister, why are you picking on her?"
With her hands clasped together, Jade pleaded with Chad not to tell their parents. Chad reluctantly looked at her, handed her the phone, and headed upstairs.
Jade quickly put the phone to her ear, "Mom, I miss you. When are you coming back? My brother always bullies me when you're not at home."
Chad, who hadn’t gone far, heard and thought, "Women’s words can't be trusted!"
The mother and daughter chatted over something, and the conversation went on for almost half an hour.
Chad went back to her, "Let's talk."
"Chad, mom said, if you keep bullying me at home, she will not let you off the hook when she's back."
"Who’s talking about that? I'm talking about the boundaries between men and women. I'm your brother, and we're both adults. You can't kiss me randomly."
"What's wrong with kissing my own brother? I used to kiss you and dad all the time when I was little."
Chad pointed at Jade, "You have to watch out for this in the future."
"I got it, I got it. You're such a nag. I seriously doubt your gender sometimes."
Chad was so angry he wanted to hit Jade. "Our grandpa's in the hospital, and our parents are staying with him. I'm going back home this week to visit him. If you hate me so much, you can stay at home this week."
"No, Chad, I want to go too!" Jade clung to Chad immediately.
Chad glanced at her, "Aren't you all about freedom? Go chase your freedom. I can't handle you."
"I know you care about me. Please don't be mad at me." She pretended to massage Chad, kneading his arm randomly. "I say mean things about you, but in my heart, I know you're the best brother in the world. I love you the most."
Chad didn't react, Jade kept pestering him.
That night, she refused to let Chad sleep unless he agreed to take her home with him. If Chad disagreed, she would bring her blanket to sleep with him and annoy him. Eventually, Chad had to hit her again.
Jade cried, and Chad tried to comfort her for half an hour to no avail.
"I promise to take you home."
The crying stopped instantly. Mission accomplished, Jade rolled up her blanket and left.
Chad felt cheated by his own sister, but he had no proof. Jade had averted the crisis with her tears, pleading, and incessant nagging.
Meanwhile, Mia, didn't sleep all night. She was waiting for Andre to come home, so the light in her room was always on.
She sat on the bed, staring at the door, but Andre never showed up.
She called her husband, and Andre answered. "Why aren't you asleep yet?"
Comments
The readers' comments on the novel: Sweet Mischief's Rollercoaster Romance