I've created a monster

"I think I'm going to make a real mistake. I love it." He flashed me a toothy smile. It's often difficult to tell if my brother is being facetious. Especially when he's nervous.

"What do you mean?" I asked. "What are you scared of?"

He chuckled. "Oh I don't know, let me think... I could make a complete ass of myself?"

"Well, it's too late now, we go on in 30 seconds." He looked green, and now he was making me nervous. "Just follow my lead and remember what you learned in class." I wanted to tell him not to puke, but I didn't want to actually say it out loud. Sometimes the power of suggestion can push a person right off of that tightrope.

"You won't even be able to see the audience," I offered as a last ditch effort to calm his nerves.

My brother was not particularly shy, but he was definitely not accustomed to performing on a stage. He had spent years watching me perform improv, and had always wanted to try it. He had just recently decided to overcome his fear, and cross this one off his bucket list.

We were announced. My teammates and I jogged onto the stage, matching the enthusiasm of the audience. They knew Brian was petrified, but they were kind enough to take him into the fold and show him the ropes.

We made eye contact, and nods were exchanged. We would totally carry this, he'd be having a blast before he knew it.

We started out strong, our first prompt was juicy. Laughs ensued, and when I looked over at Brian, he was grinning from ear to ear; soaking up the applause.

He began to come out of his shell, and before I knew it, none of the rest of us could get in a word edgewise.

He started every scene, and managed to dominate every prompt. I got irritated looks from the rest of the troupe. At one point, he bounded into the audience, riffing with the hecklers.

He began flirting dangerously with the women in the crowd. When he somehow managed to work asking one of them to show him her tits into a scene, it had gone beyond the point of inappropriate.

I was mortified. I had created a monster.

"Reel in your bro, girl." My co-performer, Mandy muttered to me. "Or we're in deep shit."

"I got it..." I answered, a plastered smile across my face.

My embarrassment sat on the back burner, and I somehow managed to lure him back on the stage. I don't remember how we finished our thirty minutes, the rest of the set had been a blur.

When we were announced to close out, and my brother was called forward, the audience erupted into thunderous applause. While he was soaking up the adoration, we all looked at each other with bewilderment. There were some note worthy moments from a few of the rest of us, but there was no doubt my brother had somehow managed to steal the show.

When we could finally get off the stage, we waited at the bar until the end of the night. I prepared myself for the beating I was about to get. No matter how great the show, there were rules. He was my brother, and ultimately, I was responsible for his behavior.

The club manager busted through the doors with an enormous grin. He proceeded to high-five everyone and attacked my brother in a huge bear hug. "You were awesome!" He shouted before pulling him in for another embrace.

"You've got to let this guy stay!" He addressed all of us. We looked at each other and shrugged. "What d'ya say?"

Everyone else got on board enthusiastically. They seemed eager to keep him on as a permanent cast member.

I wasn't so sure. I felt as if I had let a genie out of a bottle that I just wouldn't be able to stuff back in.

"What do you think, sis?" My brother looked at me, and all I could see was his four year old face. It was if he was asking to tag along with me and my friends to ride bikes around the neighborhood all over again. How could I possibly say no?

"I think I'm going to make a real mistake. I love it."

Word Count~ 728