"Billy?"
"Yes."
"But he's not cool like Alexander. He's a dork."
"I can't imagine a brother of yours who's a dork."
"Well, you don't have to imagine - you can see for yourself." I rose from my chair and headed for the doorway.
"Hey, Billy. Get in here," I called.
"I'm busy," he answered.
"There's someone I want you to meet."
When I didn't hear any movement, I said, "Excuse me" to my, headed down the hallway, and pounded on Billy's door.
"I need to talk to you," I told him.
"I said I'm busy."
"I have someone I want you to meet."
"Me?" he asked skeptically. "Go away."
"No, really. It's Alexander's sister. Please be polite, for once."
He didn't respond.
"Open up, already!" I demanded. I was seconds from storming into his room and pulling him out by his ear.
But then he opened his door. "I'm the one in this house with manners," he snarled. "It's you who acts like you live in a zoo." Billy finally came out of his room and followed me into mine. Stormy smiled brightly.
"This is Stormy," I said. "Stormy, this is Billy."
"It's a pleasure to meet you," she said, extending her hand. He wasn't sure what to do with the formality and finally shook it.
"Hi," he said. "I heard you were coming to town."
"Yes, I'm visiting my brother."
"Well ... it was nice meeting you," he said.
There was an awkward pause between the two of them.
"Okay, thanks for saying hi," I said. "Now let's get back to the clothes and our plans for the evening." Billy Boy returned to his room as Stormy continued to beam.
"Want to go to Hatsy's Diner for some shakes?" I asked her.
"Yes! And maybe Billy can come with us," she said.
"Uh ... he's not into anything that doesn't involve microchips."
"Well, we'll just have to change that for next time," she said as we grabbed our things and headed out of the house.
Stormy was super impressed with the jukeboxes on the tables and the framed records on the walls. Conservative customers gawked at us, since we stood out like tombstones on a lawn. I was used to this treatment f Ss tfonrom my fellow Dullsvillians, but I felt protective of Alexander's sibling. I glared back hard at anyone who looked, and most turned back to their meals. Stormy was so caught up in the nostalgic restaurant that she didn't even notice.
"This is so American!" she said.