I, on the other hand, was simply evidence that they hadn’t gotten it right the first time. The first thing my mother said to me every time she me was “have you gained weight?” and my father rarely spoke to me unless he was explaining that I was disappointing him in some way. Although, I do remember a half dozen times when I was growing up when my dad said I was “pretty.” So I often had this odd sort of urge to look sexy around my dad now. So that is super. (If you are thinking that maybe my Dad’s attitude when I was growing up has something to do with that reputation at school I was telling you about, then you get a gold star dear reader. Turns out being smart enough to realize you have daddy issues doesn’t change the fact that you have daddy issues. Go figure).
Anyway, the long and the short of it was that Aaron was right. I didn’t want to spend the night at home with the disappointment brigade. But if I wanted more out of this than a basketball game, then I had to pretend like I was indifferent. I just sort of shrugged my shoulders and picked my cereal box.
“A hundred bucks,” my brother said. Now, you might think it is odd that I am poor and my brother has money to go to basketball games and offer me $100. 00 bribes. You’d be right, it is odd. But you see, my parents give my brother money. They claim it is because he helps around the house and gets good grades. I got decent grades and my contributions to the family are not numerous. But, as my parents have been explaining for years, in those two years I existed before my brother I was absolutely showed with gifts and affection. So they are evening things out. That made a little sense when I was five. But it is bat shit crazy now. Ah, mommy and daddy!
“Hmm…” I said, $100. 00 was some good money. But I knew that if he started there he could go higher, I went for the jugular, “$500. 00.” I said and his mouth dropped open and he shook his head.
“No way,” he said, “You’re as big a moron as dad thinks you are if you think I will give you that.” Oh yeah, my brother was very aware that he was the favorite. Luckily, pissing me off was a bad bargaining technique.
“Fuck you!” I said and got up to leave. He got up from his chair and ran after me.
“No, Nicole, I am sorry,” he said. And Hell froze over. I turned around slowly.
“How much?” I asked coldly. I saw my brother thinking through his various finances. He knew I wasn’t 100% serious about $500. 00 but he also knew that if he low-balled me too badly I’d walk. I gave him time to think.
“Okay,” he said at last, “how about $200. 00? And I will wash your car before you go back to school.” That took a lot. And my car was kind of disgusting right now. I thought it over.
“Deal,” I said and extended my hand. My brother shook it warily. But then I grabbed hold of his hand and held it tight, “why do you want me to do this for you so bad? Why can’t you ask some other girl to do this? Is this going to be like ‘Carrie’? Am I getting a pig’s blood bath tonight?” I saw Aaron’s cheeks get bright red. This must good.
“Well…” he said slowly, “The main thing is that no one here knows you. And you’re at college, so you’ll kind of disappear. That’s the main thing.”
“What else?” I asked, suddenly knowing what he wanted me for. He was a weasely little perv.
“And…” he said, “My friends back in Harrisonville always said you were really hot okay?” he said. Oh what a scumbag! He needed to make a girl jealous so he asked his sister out on a date because she was the hottest chick he could think of to make this girl jealous! But I sort of beamed, lording over him that he’d had to call me hot. I guess I can’t disagree. I am a little woman, around 5’2 and weigh about 120lbs. I have long blonde hair, green eyes, big breasts, curvy hips, a tight butt, and smooth legs. I am hot, thank for noticing that, pervy friends of my brother.
“Aren’t you so sweet… brother,” I said and made a kissy face.
“Fuck…” he was going to tell me to fuck off, then thought better of it, “-ing be cool. You’re getting paid and everything. And I know you will hate this girl, your personalities will not mix. You’ll be happy to piss her off.” I always like making girl’s jealous, stirring shit. So that sounded good.
“Meet you here at 6:00 p. m. then bro. It’s a date,” I said and I went upstairs to decide what horribly embarrassing thing I was going to wear to the game. I was feeling… slutty.
* * * * *
“Christ Nicole, what are you wearing?” my brother asked at 6:00 p. m. when I walked down the stairs towards the front door. My parents were already out to dinner, so they wouldn’t see me in my get-up.
“You want her to be jealous? And you want her to put out?” I asked, “I look hot and I look like I put out. Taking me shows what you she has to do to get with you.” I explained. And that was my story. I didn’t tell Aaron that I was wearing a skin-tight red button-up shirt with no bra because I was trying to make him look silly. I didn’t tell him I was wearing a black pleated skirt that barely covered my ass because I wanted to make him uncomfortable. And I didn’t tell him I was wearing long stripped red and black leggings that went all the way up under my skirt because I wanted to look skanky. No it was whatever silly reason I said about the other girl. Plus, I had to wear team colors.
“I guess so,” he said, looking me over. I have to admit, any time a man’s (or woman’s) eye goes over me, I love it. I like people taking notice of me. Even my awful little brother appraising my looks made my heart beat faster. “But you look like you put out for money.” But I don’t think I looked like a prostitute. I had that perfect look where girls say to each other ‘guys don’t like that, she is trying too hard,’ but in reality everyone knows that guys like when a girl looks kind of trashy. I popped open one more button on my blouse so my cleavage was essentially pouring out and we headed for the door. I felt his eyes on my ass as I walked out. They should’ve been, my ass looked spectacular.
My brother drove, his little girlfriend’s house wasn’t very far away. As per usual, we didn’t say much. We, without speaking, had decided to save up all of our sibling affection for when other people could actually see it. We arrived at her house, a big brick place with a pool in the back yard, a few minutes later. My brother, the gentleman, honked the horn. A couple of minutes later two girls walked out. I knew immediately which one was Rachel. She would be the one with shoulder length black hair, dark eyes, big breasts, and flawless build. Beth was tall (I mean like 5’11) and gawky, but with a pretty face and long blonde hair. In a few seconds they were sitting in the backseat.