Alex watched Zac trot up the stairs. After a few minutes she saved her stuff and got up and looked at the mural that her brothers had been working on for as long as she could remember. She began to envy their talent once more, when she caught sight of something in the corner of the wall. She saw a little flower patch that over the top had Jessie’s name and a rainbow that had Avie’s name an a some scribbled with Mack written above it.
She sighed heavier, trying not to cry. She had wanted so desperately to color on that wall ever since Zac and Taylor started but every time she had asked Taylor had been the first one to tell her no and tell her to go away. Even though that had been when they were little she still remembered and she never asked again thinking that maybe Taylor had matured and was a little less possessive of things.
Everyone but me has now colored on this wall but me. She realized letting the tears break the threshold of her eyes and spill over her cheeks. She wiped the tears from her face, then she saw it the date above the drawings her sisters and brother had done. She remembered that date on because she was supposed to have gone somewhere with her friend and she couldn’t because she had gotten sick with the stomach flu. She had been sick in her room while her siblings had been down here doing what she would have loved to do more than anything in the world.
The tears now spilled over her cheeks freely. She went over to the laptop and saved her work. Why did I do that it was trash anyway? She questioned herself and ripped her hard copy in two and threw it all over the practice room, still crying she went upstarts and put Taylor’s laptop on his desk and went outside to be alone.
Zac went back down to the practice room and stopped as he stepped on the last step. His mouth was wide. His hand still resting on the banister.
“What the heck.” What happened? He wondered to himself. He went to the nearest piece of paper that was on the floor. He saw that it was Alex’s hand writing. She ripped her story up? Why? He slowly began picking up the pieces.
Taylor walked in and noticed that his little brother was in the middle of the floor picking up paper and taping it together. Taylor’s eyebrows drew together in confusion.
“What happened, Zac?”
“That’s what I would like to know.”
“What are you taping back together?”
“Alex’s story.”
“The reason that it is all over the floor is what?”
“Taylor, if I knew that one I would be able to end world hunger.” Zac looked up at Taylor through his thick lashes as though Taylor was the dumbest person alive.
“What?” Isaac asked as he walked down the stairs.
“Well, I was just trying to explain to brainiac here that I don’t know why Alex ripped up her story and threw it all over the practice room.”
Isaac looked at his brothers for a second and then went right back up the stairs.
“What do you think he’s doing?” Zac asked Taylor.
“My guess is that he is going to work a little older brother magic on out little sister.”
Isaac had finally found her on the swing out side on the front porch. “Hey Al, is this seat taken?” She shook her head and scooted over for him to sit down. “What happened in the practice room today?”
Alex looked up at him almost embarassedly. “I got angry.”
“About what?”
“Stuff.”
“Like what stuff?” She just looked at him, “Come on Al you can trust me I’m you’re big bro.”
She smiled lightly, her eyes big. A big fat tear rolled down her cheek. “I was looking at the mural on the wall. "Well Jessie, Mac, and Avie all colored on it the day that I was sick. It just hurts that I was always told no. And now Taylor tells them that they can. I know I suck at everything but does everyone have to rub it in my face?”
Isaac looked at he speechless. He had no response.
She felt bad now. “I’m sorry it isn’t you’re fault. I’m gonna go apologize to Zac and Taylor and clean up my mess.”
“No, no, stay here. Zac cleaned it up and is taping it together.”
“Oh.” She looked at her hands in her lap.
“I never knew that you wanted to paint on that so bad.”
“Well, I had always asked Taylor. And it’s not so much painting on it or anything. I just wanted to be apart of something that you guys do. I don’t have a major talent that I can show you guys or anything… Oh well never mind I’m gonna go and apologize to Zac and thank him for putting my piece of crap back together.”
“Hey now! Don’t you ever talk about my little sister’s stories like that! They are not crap. My sister is a talented girl. Just not in the way the rest of us are.”
She gave him a weak little smile. Then she went inside. She found Zac he had just finished taping her story back together. She knocked and entered.
“Zac, can I have my story back?”
“Yeah, here.”
“Thanks… and I’m sorry for making such a mess.” She left quickly so not as to give him time to respond.
