“Brianne, Kyla, it’s time to get up!”

I groaned, blindly grabbing a pillow from beside me and shoving it on top of my head.  It couldn’t possibly be morning yet.  I’d just fallen asleep.  It was much too soon to be morning, let alone seven-thirty.  If it were seven-thirty I’d be more awake than I felt—which was not awake at all, by the way.  I flipped the pillow off my head, groggily opening my eyes and glancing at my alarm clock placed next to my bed.

I blinked at the clock, confused.  No, that couldn’t be right.  My eyes narrowed.  I reached forward, grabbing my clock and holding it before me.  I pursed my lips, giving it a little shake as though that would miraculously change the time like an etch-a-sketch would erase a picture.  Finally I gave up, tossing it back onto the stand it sat on.  I sat up, rubbing my eyes irritably.

It wasn’t even six o’clock.

I huffed, kicking off my blankets and standing up.   I looked down at Kyla, rolling my eyes when I saw she was still sleeping.  “Kyla,” I muttered, nudging her with my foot.  “Mom says it’s time to get up.”

Kyla mumbled something that sounded suspiciously like, “Duck off, Grasschole.”  With a deep sigh, I shrugged.  Oh well.  I tried.

I stomped down the stairs, furiously tugging out the elastic band in my hair and fixing my hair to look less like bed-hair.  I skipped the last step and rushed toward the kitchen, moving my shirt back into place.  It’d gotten all twisted up while I slept. 

“Mom,” I hissed, entering the kitchen and leaning against the counter.  My mom stood in front of the sink, doing the dishes with an infuriatingly cheerful smile on her face.  No one should be that cheerful this early in the morning.  “Is there a reason why you woke us up at five-forty-five in the morning?”

My mom smiled at me, sponge and plate in hand.  “There are three teenagers here,” she said simply.

I stared at her dumbly.  “And your point is?”

“My point is that we have to leave by seven, and there are three groggy teenagers who are probably going to be rather slow in getting ready.”  My mom pointed the sponge at me.  I flinched away as water flicked at me.  “If you want any free time before we leave, you’d better hurry and get ready.”

My dumb stare continued.  “We’re leaving by seven?”

“Well, yeah.”  My mom stared at me like I was crazy.  “The barbecue is two hours away, and we have to stop at Shaw’s to get some stuff.”

I sighed, rubbing my eyes.  So, bottom line, we were woken up earlier than a school morning for groceries.  She was forcing me to sacrifice my wonderful sleep for groceries.  That was rage-inducing.  “Is Dannon up?” I asked.  If my mom was allowing him to have more sleep than Kyla and I, I was going to be pissed.  Just saying.

“That I am.”

I turned.  Dannon trotted toward me, a smile on his face.  Even though his hair wasn’t brushed, it didn’t look at all messy.  I tilted my head to the side.  I bet that what girls meant when they said, “I bet he manages to stay sexy even when just waking up!”  Not that I thought he looked sexy or anything.

I looked him discreetly up and down.  He was in a plain white T-shirt and plaid pajama pants.  I inwardly thanked him for not being one of those guys that went to bed shirtless no matter who he was with.  I’d have smacked him if he did.

“Oh, okay,” I mumbled.  I turned back to my mom.  “So, what’s for breakfast?”

“Cereal.”

Huh.  I’d thought that Dannon sleeping over would call for something else for breakfast.  Like, you know, pancakes—with chocolate chips!  And some bacon.  And maybe some French toast.  But apparently not.

“Who created this unholy time in the morning?”

We all turned.  Kyla stood behind us, giving Death a good name.  Her hair was everywhere, flying out in all directions.  I bit my lip, trying to contain my laughter as she stood there with hair covering her face.  She looked like she’d just stepped out of some sort of wannabe-horror movie.  Kyla didn’t seem to notice this, however.  She just stood there, still half-asleep as she looked down at the floor. 

“Good morning, Kyla,” my mom mused.  I glanced at her and saw an amused smile tugging at her lips.

Kyla looked up, her eyes half-closed.  I snorted out a laugh.  She looked absolutely ridiculous!  “It may be morning, Julie,” she drawled, “but it sure as hell isn’t good.”  She brought a hand through her hair, and I actually had to choke down a laugh when it stayed up straight in the air.

From the corner of my eye I saw Dannon shoot a concerned look.  I coughed, shaking my head at him to show him I was fine.

My mom tossed the sponge in the sink, leaning back against the counter.  She looked Kyla up and down.  Over the years we still weren’t used to Kyla’s unique ways of waking up in the morning.  Usually her hair was semi-pleasant—nothing like this, anyway.  This was a whole new level of crazy that none of us were prepared for.

“Before you get hair all over my kitchen, why don’t you go brush it?” my mom suggested, turning back to the dishes.

My eyes flicked to Dannon.  He didn’t look disturbed in the slightest that Kyla looked like a zombie that just emerged from its grave.  He just looked very, very amused.  My gaze moved back to Kyla.  If she were in the right mind right now, she’d be incredibly embarrassed about her appearance.  I mean, she looked like the walking dead in front of the most popular boy in school.  She was going to care.  A lot. 

“You know what?” Kyla muttered, nodding slowly.  “That’s a great idea.  And then while I’m brushing my hair, I might fall into the toilet and die.  Yes, great plan.  I’ll get right on that.”

With that, Kyla left the room, almost tripping on her own sock on her way out.

Dannon and I looked at each other and burst into fits of guffaws, unable to contain it any longer.  I leaned against the counter, clutching my stomach.  I laughed so hard that it began to hurt, throbbing dully as the giggles continued.  I stopped with a sigh, bringing a hand through my own, much more presentable hair.

“Well, isn’t she an early bird,” Dannon observed as his laughter finally became contained.

I nodded slightly.  “Oh yes,” I agreed.  “The earliest bird there is.”

| It ♥ All ♥ Started ♥ With ♥ An ♥ Apple |

“You all know I was kidding about us dating, right?”

That was the first thing Dannon said as we began our journey to my aunt’s house.  He was starting our trip to Massachusetts on that.  I looked at him from my miserable spot in the middle.  Kyla and Dannon had so rudely nominated me to the middle seat as soon as we stepped through the front door.  “Brianne gets middle!” they both shouted.  And my parents immediately agreed.  Story of my life.  Squished in the backseat next to my best friend and the boy I despised.

My dad looked back at us through the rearview mirror, grinning.  “Well, I don’t know about Julie here, but I knew you were kidding.”

“Hey!” my mom cried defensively.  “Of course I knew.  I was just playing along.”

Dannon nudged me playfully.  I scowled at him, refusing to find any humor in anything he said, for he was partially at fault for me being cramped in an uncomfortable position.  “See, Bri?  No worries!”

I shot him an irritated look.  “Shut up,” I hissed.  “And move over.  Your pants are digging into my side.”

Dannon stared at me for a moment before laughing.  I didn’t understand what was so funny.  His pant pocket’s button was indenting into my skin.  For all anyone knew, it was going to give permanent damage.  And Dannon was laughing.  How rude was that?  “Well, that’s not something you hear every day,” he mused as his laughter came to an end.  “And I can't move over. There's no room.”

“I can’t believe I have to deal with this for the next two and a half hours.”  I sighed dramatically, dragging my hands down my face.

From the passenger seat she was so very lucky to possess, my mom corrected, “Actually it’s only two hours.”  She twisted around, giving me a pointed look.  “You need to get over it, Brianne.”

I picked at the hem of my shirt, trying to rid myself of a loose thread.  That of course only made it worse.  One moment it was a tiny piece of thread hanging from my shirt, and the next, it was as long as my pointer finger.  With one last pitiful attempt to get the thread off, I let my hands fall.  “Why do I have to be in the middle?” I whined.

My mom rolled her eyes at me, twisting away from me, facing the front once again.  “Simple,” was her reply.  “You’re the skinniest.”

I looked between Dannon, Kyla, and I with a small scoff.  “Am not,” I protested.  “Kyla is.”

From beside me, Kyla shot me an incredulous look.  “No I’m not,” she denied.  “You're much skinnier than me.”

I gestured frantically between my mom and Kyla, mustering up some sort of reply.  “Mom, do you hear her?” I asked finally.  “You’re practically feeding into this poor girl’s head that she isn’t as skinny as she is.”  I huffed dramatically.  “She’s going to become anorexic because of you.  How do you feel about that?”

On either side of me, Kyla and Dannon were shaking with laughter.  I looked between them, sighing.  They’re laughter, as ego-boosting as it was, was making me very uncomfortable.  They’re bodies shook, causing me to be whacked constantly. 

My mom didn’t seem as amused as the guffawing teenagers beside me, however.  She frowned, her lips tugging down—it looked so unnatural.  “Brianne,” she said, her tone taking on the edge of a parent reprimanding their child, “as amusing as your comment may be, please don’t go around calling people anorexic.  It’s a very concerning topic.”

Only my mother.  “Sorry, Ma,” I said after a moment, rolling my eyes. 

Dannon and Kyla must have found me getting in trouble hilarious, for they began laughing harder. I scowled between them, completely irritated.  It was bad enough I was stuck in the middle seat—which I’d already made abundantly clear—but it only made it worse that the two of them kept getting in my space.  I was very tempted to slap them, but kept my hands firmly on my lap.  My mom would only ground me if I did anything overly stupid.

“These people are making fun of me!” I shouted, only half kidding.  “I demand a seat change.”  I directed my next words at my father, seeing how my mom wasn’t going to be helpful.  “Dad, make Mom change her seat.  Please?”

Apparently my dad wasn’t going to be much help either.  “No thanks.”  He smiled at me through the rearview mirror.  “I only have to deal with you this one last year.  You’re mother I have to deal with forever.”

I burst into laughter as my mom playfully slapped him on the shoulder.  “Hey!” she shrieked, pouting.

We lapsed into silence.  I pouted out the window—the windshield, actually—while Kyla and Dannon looked out their own windows.  My mom and dad held hands like gooey couples do, listening to the radio that my dad decided to fill the silence with.  I listened along with the music, trying to block everything out besides the words and the beat. 

I’d just succeeded after almost an hour of attempting to leave this world and enter my imagination when Kyla disrupted my though process.  “I have to pee!” she whined suddenly, shattering all of our thoughts.

My mom glanced at her, her lips tugging into a smile.  “You’re going to have to hold it.”

“But I can’t hold it much longer!”

That complete bull, of course.  Kyla could hold it all day if she had to.  At school she went the whole day without going to the bathroom because she hated the school bathrooms and refused to use them.  Through first period she complained, and then the rest of the day she was fine.  So, she could obviously survive this two hour car ride.

I glanced over at Dannon, surprised that he didn’t laugh at her comment.  He leaned against the window, his eyes shut.  He’d fallen asleep.  I scoffed softly, unable to help myself.  It wasn’t like he’d only gotten two hours of sleep.  I lived off nine hours of sleep and I still managed to stay awake, didn’t I? 

Well, maybe Dannon lived off twelve hours of sleep or something.  Which was really weird, but whatever.

“Kyla,” I muttered, thinking of a good way to shut her up.  “You’re going to wake Dannon up if you keep yelling.”

Suddenly Kyla was leaning over me, her hair getting into my mouth.  I made a disgruntled noise, pushing her hair out of my mouth.  She gasped.  “He’s sleeping?”  She adjusted her position, looking down at him and making hair go into my mouth again.  “Oh!” she cooed.  “He’s so cute when he’s sleeping!”

I pushed her off me, having enough of her hair.  “You’re such a creeper, Kyla.”

| It ♥ All ♥ Started ♥ With ♥ An ♥ Apple |

“Guys, wake up!  We’re here!”

My eyes popped open.  I blinked.  Dammit!  I’d fallen asleep.  After I’d told off Dannon in my head for falling asleep, too.  That was so hypocritical of me.

I blinked again.  There was something tickling my chin—something soft.  My eyes narrowed as I turned my head over slightly.  Dannon face greeted me, his eyes still closed in a peaceful slumber.  I shot up in shock, letting out a disgruntled noise through my throat.  I struggled to unbuckle.  I was in serious need of a shower now.  There was no other way to rid myself of his germs. 

I whacked him on the shoulder none-too-lightly, snapping, “Dannon, get up.”

He remained motionless.

I sighed exasperatedly, shaking him roughly on the shoulder.  “Dannon!”

Still motionless.

Wow.  It was like he was a rock.  I reached up to shake him again, but at that moment his eyes popped open, and he stretched his arms out.  I saw fear flicker in his eyes for a short second, but it subsided as quickly as it appeared.  “Hey,” he murmured softly, the sleep present in his voice.

“We’re here,” I said shortly, pushing my way toward Kyla’s door.  She’d already gotten out of the car, probably while I was sleeping, and had shut the door behind her.  “Let’s go.”

I hurried out of the car to where Kyla was waiting.  She had a huge smile plastered on her face as she hopped up and down with glee.  “You guys were so cute,” she squealed.  “I swear, it’s destined.”

I glanced at Dannon, who’d managed to get out of the car and was now stretching his arms out.  His shirt rode up, showing the bottom of his stomach.  I quickly turned away, back to Kyla.  “Don’t bring up the apple stuff here, Kyla,” I ordered.  I fixed my hair, irritably looking up at my aunt and uncle’s humongous house that stood on top of an equally as humongous hill.  “My family would kill me if they found out I chucked an apple across the cafeteria.”

I studied my aunt’s house.  I’d always loved how huge it was.  It was one step smaller than a mansion, bigger than any other house I’d ever laid my eyes on.  Uncle Dorner and Uncle Rick had painted it over to a pale yellow last year—as ordered by Aunt Jill.  She wanted the house to seem more welcoming since people were intimidated by the vastness of it.  I never understood why people were frightened of the house, but that might have been because I grew up here.

The house had three floors, not counting the attic and the basement.  My uncles renovated it a couple years ago into an arcade for all my cousins to play in.  There was a pool table, an air hockey table, a huge plasma TV to play video games on, and a huge bookcase filled with odds and ends for the kids to entertain themselves.  On top of that there was a little closet made to look like the entrance of a house so that the younger girls could play House.  It was the kid’s dream.

So weird that we barely ever went down there.

“Yeah, they probably would,” Kyla mused, ripping me away from my reverie.

I blinked.  “What?” I asked, confused for a moment.  Then I remembered what we were talking about and nodded.  “Oh, right.”

Dannon came to stand beside us, his eyes wide.  He looked the house up and down, trying to take it in.  He evidently failed because his eyes still appeared like they were going to fall out of their sockets.  “The house is huge,” he breathed.

I let out a breath of laughter.  He thought the house was huge?  It only seemed bigger from the inside.  And it wasn’t just because of all the rooms.  It was because of the amount of people filling them.

Let’s just say that I had a lot of cousins. 

“Wait until you see the family inside,” I replied, grinning at Dannon’s expression.

Oh jeez.  This was going to be interesting.