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284Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDCevobBByW
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Two Important People
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🔸Sisters exist solely to torment their brothers🔸
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Crystal Valerie Beck
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“You were supposed to serve that order to table four, you idiot.” I was certain he had said table two, and that’s exactly what I did. “I’m sorry, sir.” I had learned to apologize even when I wasn’t at fault because people wouldn’t stop unless they found someone willing to shoulder the blame.
I wasn’t a pushover, not by any means, but I preferred to avoid unnecessary escalation if a simple sorry could smooth things over.
“You’re sorry?” The next thing I knew, I felt a sharp slap. He had recently started using physical force, but I held on to the job because it was the best-paying one I had. “I’m sorry,” I repeated, not interested in prolonging the confrontation. “Get out of here, you irritating fool.” I do stand up for myself
just when it is absolutely necessary.
“I’m so sorry for the confusion. Your order will be right out.” The couple nodded in sync, both seemingly understanding and not at all bothered by the mix-up.
But why did my useless manager have to lose his mind over something so trivial?
Work continued like that for another three hours, and despite everything, today was still one of my better days. My shift was ending in four minutes. “Paris,” I called, catching her gaze as she pleaded with her eyes. “Oh my god, Val, don’t leave me alone here with Mat. You know all we’ll talk about for three hours is football.”
I smiled at her fondly. I hadn’t told her about the coupon yet. She has her own obsessions, which has nothing to do with Korean boy bands.
Today was my last day at work. I was going to take a break for the rest of the week. “I’m not coming in anymore.” She looked confused. “Did the manager harass you again?” Even though my family struggled, we were still better off than Paris’s. That didn’t stop her from throwing punches when necessary.
She was my opposite, never the type to take nonsense from anyone. “Want me to punch him?” she asked, far too eagerly. “What? No! You could lose your job. Besides, I’m not leaving because of him.” She seemed disappointed. “I still have my card. He tried to sexually harass me, and I’ve got it on video.” That was her ace in the hole.
She had been filming a TikTok video in the break room a few months ago when the manager had come in and touched her inappropriately.
It was like the universe had set him up for failure.
“Why are you quitting, then? This place pays the best, and we get great tips.” I knew it was supposed to be a secret, but Paris was my best friend. I had to tell her.
“There’s this coupon I won…” I began, but she cut me off with a sharp slap on the back. “You’re quitting your job over a coupon? Seriously, babe? I thought you were smarter than that! Your mom’s going to be furious. If this is about the manager, we can go to the police and get him fired. Don’t be foolish, Val.” She was practically out of breath by the time she finished her rant. I had encouraged her to report him right away, but she preferred to watch him squirm whenever their eyes met, guilt and fear written all over his face.
She figured that even if we reported him, he’d likely only receive probation. Worse, he’d probably continue being the disgusting middle-aged creep he was.
“First of all, Ris, ouch. You hit like a man. And secondly, ever heard of letting someone finish their sentence?” She shot me a glared at, then motioned for me to continue, already making a face as though I were about to spout nonsense.
“It’s top secret, okay? I won a coupon, and I have to travel next week to live with a boy band.” I said it casually, like it wasn’t a big deal.
Paris stared at me in bewilderment. Honestly, I was a little confused myself. “What?” she asked, incredulous. I wasn’t about to explain it again. “Come on, you have to explain this,” she demanded. Paris was one of those people who couldn’t stand incomplete stories. She needed every detail.
“How about I text you once everything’s sorted?” She hesitated for a moment before nodding. “You free on Sunday?” I asked, even though I knew she’d be busy. I just wanted to see if I could squeeze in some time with my best friend before I left for months.
“Yeah,” she said, to my surprise. She was always occupied with one job or another. “Oh, that’s great! You’ll see me off at the airport, then.” Her expression shifted from confusion to something deeper, but she didn’t press me for details.
Leaving the diner, I felt elated that today was my last day, and coincidentally, the end of the month. Even though the trip was all-expenses-paid, I still needed to have some cash on hand. Asking my mom for money was out of the question.
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“The internet bill is too high this month,” my mom said as I entered the living room. She was reviewing the monthly expenses. Just my luck. I used the internet daily, sure, but so did my brother for his video games. He’d been home most of this month, so I shouldn’t be the only one listening to her complaints.
I tried to slip away quietly.
I might have succeeded if the staircase didn’t hate me. “Val?” my mom called. Should I keep walking? She couldn’t see me with the lights off, after all.
I watched as she stood and made her way towards the light switch. I would’ve dashed up the stairs by now if I wasn’t certain I’d fall—those stairs were my sworn enemy.
“Hey, Mom,” I said, chuckling as I stood up straight. She looked like she wanted to ask a thousand questions about what I was doing standing there like a disfigured cockroach but decided against it.
“I’m heading out. Your dinner’s in the microwave, and make sure to save some for your brother.” Today was her day off. Where was she going? “Where to?” I asked. She immediately cleared her throat, grabbed her bag, and rushed out the door. That was strange.
After grabbing my food, I decided I’d eat upstairs. I could play some games while I was at it.
I heard my brother talking—was he on the phone? Perfect timing.
I tiptoed to his door, listening carefully until I was sure he was talking to a girl. I hated to admit it, but my brother was pretty good-looking, and girls practically threw themselves at him.
That freaking Casanova—definitely chatting up some girl.
Whenever he spoke to girls, his voice dropped a few octaves. He started sounding all cool and calm, like he wasn’t the same guy who’d been screaming and acting like a wild animal just a few minutes earlier.
I barged into his room just as the conversation was getting interesting. “Oh, Tom! Here you are, flirting with this girl when you got me pregnant! What the hell, Tim! Are you going to do the same to her and ghost her too?” I yelled, making sure I was loud enough for the girl on the other end of the call to hear, grateful my mom had left in such a strange way.
“What the fuck, Val?” Tim cursed, furious. I ignored him, continuing with my dramatic act.
“Don’t say my name, Tim!” I moved closer, keeping a safe distance in case I needed to make a quick escape. He stood up, and I backed away a little, still shouting. I made sure not to insult the girl so as not to scare her off completely.
He was still going to chase after her, but he’d have to work harder now. And if there was one thing my brother hated, it was girls who played hard to get.
That’s why he rarely ever succeeded with them. Funny how life works—you’re often surrounded by what you despise most.
The moment he hung up, I knew I was in trouble. I dashed out of his room and sprinted straight into mine.
He wouldn’t dare break down my door unless he wanted to deal with Mom’s wrath. I could wait this out until she got back. I already had everything planned, with enough supplies to last in my room.
“Open the door, Alicia!” he yelled, trying to jiggle the doorknob. “So you can murder me? I’ll pass.” I could hear his footsteps shuffling "you just chased the girl away" he said, before a loud bang hit the door. “I just helped the girl dodge a bullet!” I laughed, amused by my response.
The fun and games quickly ended when I heard the door unlocking. I cursed under my breath, my own stupidity—the key to his door also unlocked mine. This had always been a problem, one that I had meant to fix by installing a different lock.
“Who’s smart now?” he taunted as he charged towards me. Although I tried to reach the door in time to lock it with the new bolt, he was stronger and faster. He tackled me onto the bed.
“Wait! I’m sorry!” I gasped, tapping the bed to signal surrender. But he had me twisted into an impossible position. “I’m gonna throw up!” I cried, but he wasn’t letting up. “I just lost my chance with the most beautiful girl in the art department,” he muttered, squeezing me even tighter.
“I’m sorry!” I finally relented, and he let go, though he still held on to me. “Are you really leaving?” he asked softly. Whoa, this conversation just took a serious turn
“You said you’d go if you ever had the chance,” it was time to make use of my triumph card, he rolled his eyes noticing why I was doing
“Said I would, not you,” he replied, noting the overprotective edge creeping into his voice. “You’re going to live with a bunch of guys I don’t even know. How could Mom agree to this?”
I wasn’t sure how she agreed either, but that was beside the point. “I’m not exactly sharing a room with them. Be realistic,” I said, rolling my eyes.
He looked like he wanted to argue or give me a piece of his mind, but instead, he pulled me into a hug.
My brother would do anything—anything in the world—to annoy me, but he was never affectionate.
Back in high school, he was always protective, beating up guys who tried to bully me. I didn’t even know about it until he graduated.
I had a friend in my senior year who told me he had warned a lot of younger boys to back off.
When I was a sophomore, I developed a mild case of acne.
Even though it wasn’t severe, it was hard for me to go out without covering half my face with a scarf or a wig. I’d always been self-conscious, and one day, a group of boys made me cry. The next week, my brother got into serious trouble at school.
Mom went to school, and everything seemed resolved. We thought that was the end of it, that he wouldn’t get into fights for me anymore.
I didn’t learn the truth until my senior year when he came home from college. I asked him about it, and he said, “Nobody bullies my sister but me.”
It was the nicest thing he had ever said to me.
“I love you,” I whispered, wrapping my arms around him as tightly as I could, as if I wanted to merge into him. “I love you too,” he replied softly, chuckling. “And I’m not going away forever.”
He quickly let go, clearing his throat. “This never happened,” he said, trying to play it cool.
I laughed and played along. “It doesn’t even exist in our memories.”
He cleared his throat again, and I could have sworn I saw tears in his eyes.
“I’m going to make a list of things for you not to do. If you break any of them, you’ll answer to me,” he said, awkwardly leaving the room.
Big talk for someone with the heart of a marshmallow.
I was overwhelmed. I knew he cared, but he’d only ever said “I love you” once before, when he was seven and I was five.
I’ve always wondered how he’d express his emotions if he ever had a girlfriend because, deep down, my brother’s a softy
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