Mykailla was currently in the living room, watching some random cartoon on TV... Well, she was paying more attention to her reading, but she needed background noise.

She was about to turn the page in her book, when it was harshly ripped from her grip. "MICAH!!" She yelled at her brother, who snatched her book in passing. "Give that BACK."

"Geez, sis. Calm down." He laughed, holding the book up high in the air to keep it from Mykailla's grasp. "I invited Rick over, so you need to either go upstairs and read, or socialize down here with him and I."

"I'd rather read upstairs in peace." Mykailla huffed angrily, jumping up in the air, ATTEMPTING to reach her book. Being 5'1" sucks.

"Are you sure?" Micah questioned, holding the book up higher. "He's a bookworm too."

"I know, and I don't care. He's an a**." Micah was about to reprimand Mykailla for calling Ricky an 'a**', but got interupted by Mykailla shouting to their mother. "Moooom! Micah won't give me my book back!"

"Michael," a woman's soft, yet demanding voice warned. "Give your sister her book back." The woman that the voice belonged to came out of the kitchen, her purse on her shoulder and sunglasses on top of her head. "I've got Caroline's bachelorette party to go to. I hope to be back around-"

"Ten." Micah and Mykailla cut their mom off in a parental tone. The two siblings looked at each other, then chuckled. Micah handed Mykailla her book back, earning a poke in the ribs as payback. Their mother, Ashley, had a nasty habit of talking with her friends for hours on end. No matter the time.

Mrs. Bates rolled her eyes at her children, smiling. "I give you curfews. It's not the other way around."

"Yeah, yeah." Micah rolled his eyes playfully, smiling. "Go on. We'll be fine.. Rick is coming over too, so we'll have a responsible adult. Which is stupid because I'm taller and I can actually reach the top-"

"Micah!" Mykailla laughed, shaking her head. "Stop complaining about him being older."

Mrs. Bates chuckled, shaking her head. "I'm off. Bye, loves." She walked between her two children, kissing Micah's temple, whispering a "make sure she gets her medication", while ruffling Mykailla's hair. Micah nodded. "I know, mom. Bye."

Mykailla smiled, fixing her hair. "Bye, mom." Mrs. Bates smiled again, heading down the hall and to the door. She opened it up, jumping slightly in surprise as she was met by a young man."Richard. You scared me." She chuckled.

"I'm sorry, Mrs. Bates." Ricky chuckled. "And it's Ricky, please."

"Right," Ashley smacked herself upside the head lightly. "I'm sorry. I always forget."

"It's okay." Ricky gave his small half-smile. "Well, I'll let you go now.. I assume you're going somewhere?"

"Indeed I am. Nice to see you again, Ricky." Mrs. Bates chuckled slightly, slipping past Ricky as he slipped inside the house. "Keep them out of trouble." Mrs. Bates added, before walking to the car.

"Will do. Bye." He smiled again as he shut the door slowly. The boy slipped his hands into his pockets as he headed towards the living room--

~

"Wait," Chris interrupted Mykailla's explaining, waving his hand. Mykailla huffed a sigh, rolling her eyes. "You mean to tell me that your mother was totally cool with you guys having friends over when she wasn't there? Ashley Bates, your mom, was okay with both you guys and a skinny little Goth dude being home alone?"

Mykailla rolled her eyes again. "Yes. He was legally an adult. He was liked by my mother. Shut up. I'm telling a story."

"Sorry." Chris huffed, crossing his arms. *Continue."

"Okay, so..."

~

-- "Micah?" Ricky called out, entering the living room.

The sight was interesting..

"Wha--, Oh, hey Rick!" Micah greeted happily, trying to keep Mykailla from punching him in the face.

"Uh.." Ricky started, removing one of his hands from his pocket to scratch his head. "What's, uh, what's happening there?"

"Micah is being an a**hole, and won't let me go!" Mykailla squirmed around again, beating Micah's chest with her book. "I just want to go upstairs and read, you little--" She trailed off, grumbling some profanities.

"Micah, just let the girl read in peace. Upstairs. Away. Not here. Elsewhere." Ricky tapped his chin, looking up in thought. "Hm.. That's all I got. As long as she's not down here." He shrugged, smiling.

"Love you too, dip-wad." Mykailla glared at Ricky; he just smiled sweetly again.

"You two need to-" Micah grunted, setting (almost dropping) Mykailla on the floor. "You little-!" He started, before Mykailla just smiled sweetly and bolted upstairs, holding her book tightly to her chest.

"Victory!" She cheered, slamming her bedroom door behind her.

Ricky was half-smirking at Micah. Micah rubbed his chest where Mykailla had punched him, wincing slightly. "That little-"

"B*tch?" Ricky supplied.

"Hey," Micah warned, glaring slightly. "Do not call my sister that again. Ever.'

"Geez, okay. Sorry." Ricky rolled his eyes subtly, plopping down on the cream-colored sofa that was behind him.

"Why don't you guys get along?"

Ricky shrugged in response, looking at Micah. "She's the one that started hating on me."

Micah sat down in the armchair that was closest to the couch. "Since when?... And She doesn't hate you."

"Yeah, she does, and I'm not terribly fond of her either.. Remember what happened the first time I came over?" Ricky asked, crossing his arms and raising an eyebrow. "She was giving me dirty looks the whole time I was here! And she tried to get me to leave before I even got out of my car! Do you not remember any of this?"

"Uhm.." Micah scratched the back of his head. "No?.. I don't know, okay? I had a lot of things on my mind.. That was," Micah thought a minute. "Back when I was, uh,-"

"Weren't you in that advanced math class or whatever?"

Micah clapped, then pointed at Ricky. "Yes! Yes. I remember now.. I was kinda out of it that day, because there was going to be a big test the next day.. And Mrs... Er, whatever her name was, was a harda**."

"Oh yeaaah... Okay, so you actually don't remember the first day I came over." Ricky sighed quietly. "Well, Mykailla was being a-" He cut himself off before calling her a 'b*tch' again. "Being a jerk the whole time."

"Hm, well.. Maybe she was on her, er, cycle?" Micah suggested, shrugging slightly and raising an eyebrow.

"Maybe.. But, dude, it's called a period. Call it that."

"No! It just feels.. Weird to say."

"You have a sister! A seventeen-year-old sister! She's a woman, Micah. Get used to calling it that, and saying it. That's what it is. It's just a word."

"Why is this not even a little bit weird to you?"

"I have a sister, remember?..."

"Oh yeah, well.. Just- Ugh. Shut uuuppp."

Ricky laughed lightly, shaking his head. Micah rolled his eyes, smiling slightly. "Let's just decide on what food we're gonna order, okay?.. Ya jerk."

"Hey!" Ricky laughed, Kicking Micah's shin lightly.

"Hey yourself, ya little 5'7" midget!" Micah laughed as well, grinning.

"5'7" isn't short, a**hole!"

Micah laughed again. "I'm just teasing! Chinese?"

Ricky rolled his eyes, trying not to smile at his friend. "Yeah, yeah. Sounds fine."