Brandy watched her brother carefully from under her long curly bangs. "I don't understand if your asking me because you want to go, or because you need an excuse not to go." she spoke softly next to her brother at the lunch table. He shook his head from side to side and answered,"I'm not sure if I want to go, but if you don't want me to, I'll definitely stay and we can have a Halloween movie marathon like last year." He finished with an impish smile. However Brandy sensed that he wanted to go, he was the strong twin, the first born, the one who would have had everything had she not slipped out afterward and ruined life for everyone, as her father's drunken words and her mother's absence constantly reminded her. She pondered her parents schedule for the next few days and knew that on their birthday her mother would be working a double shift to avoid them and since it was a Saturday, her father would be traveling to San Antonio to spend her mother's money on strippers and booze. If she gave her brother her consent to leave her alone, she knew she would be fine. And so she found herself nodding slowly and smiling gently at him,"You go and have fun Jack, you deserve a break from taking care of me all the time." A smile the size of Texas lit up Jacks face and he fist pumped the air. "Awesome, thanks sis!" He then kissed the top of her head before running off to tell his friends the good news. Brandy smiled, knowing she'd picked the right decision, happy to be able to give some of the love he'd showered and protected her with her entire life, back.
