A Story of the Paper Vow

“Hey, I want a rematch!” I heard my sister’s overly excited voice pierce my poor eardrums. I put down the animal crackers I was snacking on and ran over as fast I could hoping to avoid another ear piercing exclamation. I turned the corner into our living room to see her eagerly on the couch with the controller in her hand. She was two years older than I. Typically wore a loose t-shirt and short shorts. She had dark red hair reaching a bit past her shoulders and deep blue eyes, with the occasional freckle here and there. Her smile though hard to witness is something that would melt the most hardened of hearts. She was quite the beauty. She was sitting on the couch leaning forward, as if nothing would tear her sight from the screen. I sat next to her and grabbed the controller.

“You always pick the pink mushroom chick.” She said mockingly.

“Well she’s faster than you!” I remarked.

“Please, one wrong look from from this turtle with anger management issues and your sent flying into next week!”

“Whatever” I yelled as the race began, unfortunalty that damned turtle looked my way one too many times leading to my eventual loss.

Damn! I cursed internally.

Haha! She laughed gleefully, “pay up.”

I walked to the workroom and took out a small piece of paper, and wrote on it, handing it to her as I returned to the room. “Ha! That’s makes a total of three! What should I make you do… she spoke mischievously. I suppose laundry day is tomorrow, and it’s supposed to be my turn… “ I tried my best to ignore her devilish glare, that damned piece of paper I grumbled internally. It was the most dangerous bet one could make and I lost three times in a row. The piece of paper signifies that the other must do one thing, of course this thing has to be doable and not ridiculous. But in the three years of tradition the paper vow has never been broken. I grimly looked up at her face listening to the ramblings of potential chores I’ll have to do. It was then we heard a car door slam.

“Oh crap” she said as she hurriedly turned off the tv.

I got ready to bolt to my room as I heard a much softer and out of character plea.

“Don’t leave me!” She whimpered, putting on a Hollywood approved face of helplessness. I sighed and went next to her and picked her up. Though not easy she wasn’t too heavy. I rushed and placed her in her bed.

“My chair!” She yelled

I ran back to find her wheelchair. As I was about to push it I heard a tired yet stern voice.

“What are you doing up.”

“I was just getting the chair for K.”

Uh-huh she murmured too tired to scold me for staying up late.

“Just get to bed.”

“Ok.” I responded hoping to escape the jaws before they decided to close. My mom was… a good mom, I suppose, whenever she’s around. She’s a nurse and works crazy hours, which leads her to be less available than most moms would be. But she puts food on the table and a roof over our head. So I have no complaints.

I hurriedly put the chair in my sisters room and bolted off to bed.

I awoke to the blare of an alarm. I groggily got out of bed realizing that perhaps bedtimes had a purpose, and slowly got dressed and ready for school. Half asleep I walked over and opened my sisters door to check if she is awake upon glancing at the figure I notice a distinct lack of colors and soon realize that she had no clothes on. I saw her sitting on her bed about to put her underwear on. It was at that time I realized two things. One that I finally understood the phrase a deer in front of the headlights. As my body was screaming at me to run, yet I couldn’t move a muscle. Two my sisters breasts were the epitome of perfection, perfect roundness with a hint of perkyness, not small nor big but just the right size with cute pink nipples. Yet, it was time to pay the piper as my eyes slowly rose to meet hers. And they did. Silence. All I could hear was the sound of my heart painfully beating. Not a scream or shout to get me to leave just a glare that made my skin crawl. And yet my body refuses to move. It wasn’t until her shoe hit my face that my fight of flight kicked in and flight won out by a huge margin.

As I slammed the door I ran to the kitchen. Heart pounding as if it would leave my chest. Yet a little bit of excitement crept beneath the fear. An emotion I’ve surely felt before, but at this level, and towards my sister? I hastily brushed away such feelings preparing myself for the storm about to come. After a deep breath I packed the lunches our mom made earlier into our book bags and got ready to get her. I knocked on the door. “Are you ready?” I asked as calmly as I could as if nothing was out of the ordinary. After a while heard a quiet yes. I opened the door and purposely avoided eye contact as I put the backpack on the back of her chair. I picked her up and placed her on her wheelchair and pushed her out of the house and onto the street. The school was only half a mile away so we walked there.

“If you had to be an insect which one would you be and why.” She asked out of the blue. “Uh a beetle I guess” I responded still nervous the storm was still brewing. “Huh, I’d be a butterfly” she said with a tone slightly off beat. “They are pretty and every one loves them.” “Don’t they die quickly” I responded. “Is that a bad thing” she replied. “I uh.. yes it is if it’s so short there won’t be enough time to appreciate the butterflies beauty.” I said hastily, it was these conversations I hated the most. She never had much luck with school, for some reason people are dicks, especially to her. Every time we walk to school she starts talking a bit more a pitch higher. I could tell she’s scared. I wish she would just start yelling at me for this morning, for anything.

“Oh come on, how many times do you look at a butterfly, twice? Three times? Does one not glance at one and move on.” I started to get a pit in my stomach, perhaps when I was younger such talks were just small conversations but now I know better. “Well I think butterflies are truly beautiful, I could watch them all day.”

“Yeah right” a scoff came from her. “Speaking of watching all day…” she trailed off only to be met with an audible gulp from behind. I could feel the heat returning to my checks as I recalled the incident this morning. Though such embarrassment seemed like a relief. “Uhh sorry about that” I responded hoping that she would forgive me.

“I’m never forgiving you.” She said, dashing my hopes then and there. “Oh come on I said I was sorry. “

“Yeah right! I’ve seen rocks that move faster than you” She remarked with defiance.

“Well I .. uh … you were just so beautiful that I uh couldn’t look away.” I manage to sputter out hoping to receive mercy. “Uh-huh”, she said, though much of the anger seemed to dissipate. We finally arrived at the school and I dropped her off at class. “Lunch together?” I offered. “Sure”. She responded as I left for for my own classroom.

The bell rang at 11:50 for lunch and I headed out to the cafeteria. I looked for her but I couldn’t find her.

“Hey have you seen K?” I asked one of her classmates.

Who? She replied

“Uh Kaitlyn have you seen her.”

“Oh she was in math with me she might still be there.”

“Ok thanks.” I turned and walked toward her math class. Should be 103 I recalled. As I approached the door I heard lots of noise in the adjacent room. Curious I walked over and opened the door.

“What’s wrong, get up!” I heard a sarcastic and mocking voice. “Come on just try! You can do it” “Katy no legs!