My Brother Tony

Word count: 2017, i know a little over the contest limit, but i ran out of stuff i could afford to take out. Enjoy!



My Brother Tony

I don’t really remember how it started. But I remember how it ended. I was eight when child services took my away from my parents. I’ve lived with my aunt and uncle ever since. This year is my junior year of high school, and I guess you could say I’ve bounced back.
         I have friends. And my best friend, well, he’s the best. His name is Gabe and I swear to god, he is my knight in shining armor when I need him to be. My aunt and uncle are convinced that we’re together, but I swear we’re not. I won’t lie, I’ve have a thing for him for a while, but we’re just friends.
         Anyways, to sum things up, I’ve been leading a normal healthy life.
         “El!” Gabe shouts at me from down the hallway.
         “Gabe!” I shout at him.
         “What’s up?” he shouts.
         “Not much! You?” I shout.
         “Same!” he shouts.
         “Would you two not shout across the hallway?” a teacher asks angrily.
         “Sorry,” I smile closing my locker and starting towards where Gabe is waiting for me.
         “Chick flick marathon?” he asks.
         “You know it!” I laugh.
         We walk home, like always. Today we’re going to my house for a random Friday night chick flick marathon.
         “What’d you think of the test in L.A.?” he asks me.
         “It kinda sucked,” I say. “I think I failed,” I laugh.
         “Me too,” he laughs.
         We walk in happy silence for a little while until we turn the corner onto my block.
         “What’s with the kid sitting on your porch?” he asks noticing a kid sitting on my porch.
         “That’s a really good question,” I say curiously eyeing the kid.
         “Excuse me, I don’t mean to be rude, but um, why are you sitting on my porch?” I ask the kid as we walk up to my house.
         The kid looks up at me. “Are you Mariella?” he asks me.
         “How do you know my name?” I ask a little freaked out. Gabe stands next to me looking very suspicious of the kid.
         “I’m Tony, and I know you don’t know me, but I’m your brother,” he tells me.
         “Um, I think you have me confused with someone else, I’m an only child,” I explain.
         “After you were taken away, mom and dad had me. Things were good, but,” the kid looks like he’s gonna cry. “They died in a car crash two weeks ago,” and he breaks down into tears.
         Me and Gabe exchange freaked out glances before I pick the kid up and proceed to skillfully unlock the door and go inside. I set him down on the couch just as he calms down.
         “Are you sure you’re my brother?” I ask again.
         He reaches into his pocket and pulls out two pictures. The first is of me and my parents, and the second of him and my parents.
         I sit down right there on the floor and look at the pictures. “I haven’t seen my parents in nine years,” I manage to get out before breaking down in tears. Gabe sits down next to me and wraps his arms around me. I cry into his shoulder for a while. I haven’t even thought about my real parents in years.
         “So, I have, a brother?” I ask the kid again.
         He nods.
         I smile at him before breaking down into tears again. This time I’m able to regain my composure much faster.
         “Did mom and dad still fight all the time?” I ask pushing back my tears and finding my voice again.
         “Yeah, but it was getting better,” he tells me.
         “You look like dad,” I smile.
         We sit in silence for a little while.
         “We’re going to have a movie night. Sally and Will are out tonight,” I explain to the kid.
         “Sounds like fun,” he smiles.
         “You like ice cream and pizza right?” I ask.
         “Of course,” he grins.
         “You are my brother,” I smile.
         “I’d be shocked if he didn’t,” Gabe laughs. “If its one thing your sister can do it’s eat pizza and ice cream.”
         “Not my fault it’s the cure to a long boring week!” I shout from the kitchen now as I begin to look for the right ice cream to start with. Cookie dough seems like the right choice.
         “So this is how things work around here, Sally and Will are almost never home on weekends god knows what they’re up to, any ways we usually do something random on Friday nights. Movie nights are common. First we eat ice cream then before the second movie we order the pizza. After pizza and second movie we eat more ice cream. Any objections?” I explain.
         “This is the coolest place ever,” the kid grins.
         “Okay, I’m warning you now, tonight is a chick flick marathon. We know they’re bad, but that’s part of the fun. We like to predict what’s going to happen and yell at the TV,” Gabe tells the kid.
         “Why don’t you guys get started, I’m gonna let Sally and Will know so they don’t flip out when they get home and there’s a kid here,” I laugh.
         “Mariella is everything alright?” Sally answers.
         “Yeah, fine, kinda. Um I don’t want you to freak out but…” I start.
         “Are you pregnant?” she asks very concerned. She’s been convinced that me and Gabe have been together for years and that we’ve been having sex.
         “NO!” I say. “I don’t know if you know this but my parents died two weeks ago, and I have a brother.”
         “A brother?” she asks very confused. “And last I checked your parents are alive.”
         “They died in a car accident two weeks ago, today when I got home there was a kid waiting on the porch for me. He says he’s my brother. He has pictures of my parents,” I say starting to cry a little again.
         “Oh my god, I’m so sorry Mariella. I have to go now. We’ll deal with this when we get home. Bye,” she says and then hangs up.
         I stand there for a minute recomposing myself again.
         “You okay?” Gabe asks walking into the kitchen.
         “Fine,” I say putting on a smile.
         “No you’re not,” Gabe says coming over and hugging me. “Don’t lie.”
         “Did you guys still live in that tiny little house?” I ask Tony halfway through the movie.
         “And does that nice old lady still live next door?” I ask.
         “She died I think,” he says.
         The tears come back to my eyes. I haven’t thought about any of this in so long. “She used to let me sleep over there when my parents fighting got really bad,” I choke out before breaking down in tears again. Gabe’s strong arms pull me into him.
         “Is she always like this?” Tony asks Gabe.
         “No, this is the most I’ve ever seen her cry. She’s usually a pretty tough cookie,” he says. “She’s never talked to me about any of this stuff before though.”
         “I’m sorry!” I manage.
         “It’s okay. You just found out your parents that you haven’t seen in years are dead, and that you have a brother,” Gabe says. Then after a couple silent moments, “I feel like I’m in a chick flick.”
         “Shut up!” I tell him giving him a nice whack to the gut as I compose myself.
         We eat our ice cream and continue the movie in almost complete silence.
         “Did Dad ever hit Mom in front of you?” I ask Tony randomly, suddenly.
         “No,” Tony says like I’m asking a crazy question.
         I lift up my shirt a little and turn to show Tony and Gabe my back. “Sometimes Dad used to hit mom. Then mom would run out, and dad would still be pissed so he’d hit me. These are my scars.”
         Gabe stares at me. He never knew it was this bad.
         “Can I touch it?” Tony asks looking at my back.
         I nod. Tony’s cold fingers feel their way over my scars. Gabe looks concerned, but we finish the movie in peace.
         “What do you like on your pizza?” I ask Tony after the movie is over.
         “Pineapple,” he grins.
         “Yep, you’re my brother,” I smile.
         Gabe laughs. “You two are crazy.”
         

         Later that night after the pizza and a couple movies we put Tony to bed in the guest room.
         “Is he asleep?” Gabe asks me.
         “Yeah, I think so,” I tell him as I close the door to his new room.
         “You gonna be okay?” he asks looking at me.
         I just walk over and hug him.
         “Is that a yes or a no?” he asks.
         “It’s a I-have-no-clue-thank-you-for-not-deserting-me,” I explain.
         “I’m not stupid Ella, I wouldn’t trust you to take care of the kid on your own,” he smiles at me.
         I let go of him and step back. “It’s not just that Gabe, it’s that my parents are, you know, dead. I mean sure they were shit parents when I knew them, but they’re still my parents. And all these years I’ve kept up this strange hope that one day they would show up and everything would be fine and we’d be a family again. I know it’s stupid but my aunt and uncle they’re not my parents. They just you know make sure I don’t screw up to bad,” I explain.
         “I always figured that was my job,” he laughs.
         “I’m a self raised piece of work it takes all three of you to keep me out of trouble,” I laugh.
         “Ella, this doesn’t change anything if you don’t want it to,” he tells me.
         “Yes it does! It changes everything! It means now I have a little kid to take care of because I know my aunt and uncle will do a shit job just like they did with me, and I think he’s even younger than I was,” I say practically breaking down into tears, sitting down right there in the middle of the room.
         “El,” Gabe says sitting down next to me. “You don’t have to do this alone, I’ll help you,” he tells me.
         “Do you promise?” I ask looking up at the boy I’ve called my best friend for years and for the first time seeing the love in his eyes. And not love like you love a sister love, love like the love you see in that old couple who’s been together for 50 years love.
         “Of course,” he smiles before pulling me close to him again.
         “How do I know you won’t break that promise?” I ask pulling away slightly.
         Then he gives me this look, and then, well, he kisses me. Nothing over the top, but nothing small at the same time. Allow me to describe the most likely look on my face, eyes wide, eyebrows raised, mouth slightly open with a little bit of a smile possibly forming.
         “That answer your question?” he smiles.
         “Where did that come from?” I ask still in shock.
         “About the 7th grade,” he tells me.
         “And did you really think that now was an appropriate time to let me know?” I ask.
         “Yeah, actually, cause you apparently weren’t gonna get the message any other way,” he says looking slightly hurt an offended.
         “Sorry,” I say looking down. “I just got a lot to deal with.”
         “It’s okay,” he says.
         We sit there in an awkward silence for the first time in years.
         “I guess now would also be an appropriate time to tell you I’ve been in love with you for a while now,” he says. “And I really hope we can still be friends.”
         “Or maybe…” I start. “We can be…more than friends?”
         He grins at me like I haven’t seen him grin in years. And he hugs me tighter than ever, I forget how strong he is sometimes.
         “PLEASE LET ME BREATHE!” I manage.
         “Sorry,” he smiles.
         “You promise though? Even when we grow up and move away, you’ll help me?” I ask him again, pleading.
         “Of course,” he smiles.
         And from that moment on, my whole life changed.