Food, Cats, and Being Lazy

Chapter Eleven

On Saturday, my house was almost empty. My mom was busy in the office planning her next candle selling party. My dad was golfing. Phillip was at a friend’s house and Paige was upstairs getting ready for whatever awesome thing she had planned for the day.

So that meant I got to watch TV in the living room. Usually, I preferred my bedroom. But only because someone usually had the living room. The TV was bigger in that room. So I settled on Food Network and decided it was about time I learn how to make my own sea salt caramels.

Then the doorbell rang and disrupted my programming. Paige didn’t come barreling down the stairs like she usually did, so I groaned and got up to get it. It was Vincent.

“Hey,” he said with a bright smile.

“Hi,” I grumbled as I let him into the house. “Paige is upstairs.”

“Oh, alright. We were planning on going to the movies. Want to join us?”

“It’s okay. Really. I’m sure Paige doesn’t want me there.”

“Who cares? I’m paying. I get to say who comes.” I shook my head and grimaced.

“It’s fine. I’d rather stay home by myself than have to listen to her complain about me the whole time.”

“I only complain about you because you annoy me,” she said coming down the stairs behind me. Jerk.

“Who cares? I’m paying. I get to say who comes,” he repeated. She got to the bottom of the stairs and sneered at him.

“Seriously? Why do you want to hang out with my sister all of the sudden?”

“She’s my friend.” She laughed, but his face remained serious.

“You’re joking, right? You and Piper?” He nodded.

“She has good taste in music. And she likes cats. I’m a cat person too.” She laughed again and turned on the stairs.

“Well, I’m not going if she’s going so make your choice.” She headed back up the stairs and he watched her go. His jaw was tight like he was irritated, but I pretended not to notice. Then he looked at me and nodded toward the door.

“Come on,” he said.

“It’s fine. Go with Paige. She’ll never forgive you,” I told him.

“We’ll rent something. How about that?”

“That’s fine.”

“Then help me pick something out.” He opened the door and strolled out.

“Oh—okay.” I hurried after him and closed the door. His crappy gray Honda was sitting in our driveway. I really hoped it didn’t have an oil leak or my mom would lose her mind. He climbed into the driver’s seat so I sat beside him and buckled my seatbelt.

“You don’t have to hang out with me, Vincent. It’s fine,” I told him as he started the car.

“Don’t worry about it. I said we would hang out. So we are.”

“Paige is going to be mad at us.” He shrugged and pulled out of the driveway.

“She’ll get over it.” I sighed heavily.

“Easy for you to say. You don’t have to live with her.” He laughed.

When we got to the video store, we got out and I followed him into the building nervously. The guy behind the counter went to school with us and apparently knew Vincent. So he told me to pick something out and then went to go talk to him. I wandered around the aisles for a while, unsure of what I was supposed to get. Eventually, I settled on my favorite movie. Superstar. It was funny, and most people liked funny movies. It would annoy the hell out of Paige, but I thought Vincent had a decent sense of humor. Or at least I hoped.

So I got the case and carried it to the counter. Vincent slid it over without looking at it and then paid for it. Then we got the DVD and took it back to his car to go back to my house. He got the bag and I let him in. Paige came rushing down the stairs before I even got the door closed. So I hurried into the living room to avoid them.

“What the hell is your problem?” she snapped at him.

“I went to get a movie. Is that okay with you, or should I have asked first?” he replied.

“I thought you left to take her to the movies!”

“Obviously I didn’t. I came back and I have a rental. You can stop yelling at me now.”

“Why do you want to hang out with her so bad? I know it’s not because you’re both cat people! That was the most stupid excuse I’ve ever heard!”

“Why are you so mean to your sister? What has she ever done to make you hate her so much?”

“She annoys the hell out of me, Vincent. All she does is talk about cats and food and stupid things she sees on TV.”

“The problem isn’t Piper. It’s you. Because you’re too superficial and don’t want to be seen with someone who’s your flesh and blood and probably really looks up to you just because you don’t like the way she dresses. Am I right? Just how you were with me? Changed my whole wardrobe before you agreed to go out with me?”

“All you wore were skater shirts, Vincent. You weren’t a skater.” I could tell this fight was getting personal and I really wanted to go to my room. But they were blocking the stairs. So I sunk deeper into the couch and pretended not to hear them. I heard everything, of course.

“Who says?” Vincent snapped. “You?” She huffed in a snotty tone.

“You didn’t even own a skateboard when we met.”

“Because I broke it. When I broke my f*****g leg.” She grumbled almost silently.

“Go hang out with her by yourself if she’s so f*****g special. Don’t talk to me.” I heard her stomp back up the stairs, and I was so deep in the couch cushions I was almost drowning in it. I was pretty sure my face was bright red when Vincent stepped into the living room again.

“Hey, Superstar. Awesome. I love this movie,” he said, going to the TV to stick it into the DVD player. “My sister and I watch this all the time.” I nodded slowly.

“Yep. It’s good stuff,” I replied. He started the movie and plopped down on the other side of the couch. I really couldn’t wait for this hang out to be over.

“Sorry you had to hear that,” he said after the movie started and the previews were over.

“It’s cool. I hear it all the time,” I told him.

“You shouldn’t have to.”

“And for the record. I don’t look up to her. Not anymore.” I saw him nod from the corner of my eye.

“I wouldn’t either.”

I didn’t know what to say to that. But it’s safe to say we didn’t hang out again.