Sebastian asked, turning the plate around to make it easier for her to attack the mashed potatoes.
“He’s punishing me for being slower than everyone else. Apparently, I’m not fast enough to stand around in right field,” she admitted with a helpless shrug as he sat there, thinking it over as he debated something.
Deciding that it couldn’t exactly hurt, he said, “I might be able to help.”
Looking really hopeful, Mikey asked, “Really?”
Nodding, he said, “I have an idea.”
Sighing, Mikey helped herself to a biscuit as she said, “At this point, I’m willing to try anything.”
Chapter 29
“Wait! No, I changed my mind!” Mikey screamed somewhat hysterically, but it couldn’t be helped. She also couldn’t seem to stop screaming, “I changed my mind!”
Unfortunately for her, the horrible boy that dragged her out of bed at six a.m. on a Saturday morning didn’t really seem to care. “Come on, five more,” Sebastian said only to emphasize his demand with another spray of ice-cold water from the hose.
Wondering why he was doing this to her, Mikey forced herself to continue doing pushup/squat/jumping thingies while the horrible boy stood by with the hose, ready to squirt her if she tried to stop. Once she was done, Sebastian nodded approvingly as he tossed the hose aside, making her sag with relief, that is, until he reached for the stack of egg cartons that she’d been wondering about.
“What are those for?” Mikey asked warily only to end up gasping in outrage when he pulled an egg out of the carton and threw it at her.
When she opened her mouth to ask him what the hell was wrong with him, Sebastian reached for another egg as he softly said, “Run.”
“You can’t be serious,” Mikey said only to gasp when an egg hit her shoulder.
Taking his time to select another egg, Sebastian once again said, “Run.”
This time, she decided that it might be for the best if she went for a lovely jog around the neighborhood. Decision made, Mikey turned around and–
“Hey!”
“Run faster,” came the calmly spoken words that had her running toward the street to get away from the horrible boy that she was never talking to again!
*-*-*-*
“Go away! I hate you!” came the angrily muttered words that had Sebastian sighing as he glanced down at his watch.
“We’re running five minutes behind,” he told her, wondering why she was being so damn difficult about this as he double-checked to make sure that the Nerf gun that he’d borrowed from his little brother was fully loaded. He wasn’t sure that he was going to need two hundred rounds, but it couldn’t hurt.
“I don’t care!” came the announcement that drew his attention back to the locked bathroom door.
“This is for your own good, Mikey,” Sebastian drawled as he debated his options.
“No, it’s not!”
Deciding that they’d wasted enough time with this, he made his way back to the hallway, walked the short distance to her baby brothers’ room and quietly climbed over the baby gate. Once he’d assured himself that he hadn’t woken any of her brothers up, he made his way to the bathroom door and reached for the doorknob. He wasn’t exactly surprised to find the door unlocked, but he was surprised to find the bathroom empty.
Climbing over the baby gate, he crossed to the other door and…
Sighed.
Just freaking sighed as he turned around and pushed the shower curtain aside. When the teenage girl that was currently trying to hide from him saw him standing there, she noticeably swallowed. When her gaze landed on the large Nerf gun in his arms, Mikey cleared her throat as she stood up and gestured awkwardly toward her bedroom. “I’ll just go grab my shoes.”
“That’s probably for the best,” Sebastian murmured in agreement as he stepped back, giving her a chance to do just that.
When she hesitated, he switched off the safety and aimed the Nerf gun at her. With another murmured, “Right,” a nod, and a grumble, Mikey stepped out of the tub, climbed over the baby gate blocking her room, grabbed her sneakers and headed for the door. That was followed by Sebastian deciding that two hundred rounds probably wasn’t going to be enough.
*-*-*-*
“Finally,” Mikey mumbled as she shoved the practice test aside and promptly dropped her head down on her folded arms, too exhausted to do anything more than that.
“You finished with five minutes to spare,” the horrible boy that was making her life a living hell said, sounding pleased.
“I really hate you,” Mikey mumbled, shifting to get more comfortable.
“I know