Page 12 of Family Affair

“Then shut up and die. It’s dark outside.”

Cade approached the easel, and Frank experienced an odd desire to block his view. She was his Madonna. His brother would laugh if he knew how much of himself he put into her, and that would be unbearable.

He needn’t have worried.

Cade gave the painting only a cursory regard. “So boring. Can’t you draw something fun?”

Frank expelled a breath. “Like what?”

“How would I know? Star Wars, maybe? Or Pamela Anderson? Come on, let’s get out of here before they find you.”

“Shit.” He remembered why he was in his father’s study to begin with. Glancing at the clock, he realized that it was past midnight, and Jessica was probably asleep by now. “I was gonna call Jessica.”

“Jessica? As in Jessica DeCroux? Are you serious?” Cade gaped at him.

“Yep.”

“Where did you get her number?”

“She gave it to me,” he sounded smug, he couldn’t help it. Jessica was a junior to his measly freshman, older even than Cade, and popular at that.

“Shiiiit, maaan. I’m impressed. So why didn’t you call?”

Now Frank felt really dumb for having missed the chance that many other boys would kill for.

“Got distracted.” He left it at that.

“There’s something seriously wrong with you,” Cade said. “Jessica used to go out with Bob Neely, but they broke up a couple of weeks ago. Meaning, she dumped him. The word is Bob’s still out for blood. And FYI, he just took the first place in the state wrestling champs.”

Frank hadn’t heard any of that but pretended to be bored with the old news. “I ain’t afraid of Bob Neely.”

“Then you’re dumber than shit. That guy’s an ape. And you need to be more assertive.”

“Assertive?”

“Like, not doodle and play with paints like a ginormous dickless nerd, but, you know, go to the gym and lift something heavier than a brush. Flex your muscles.”

“Like that?” Quick, he feigned to the right and touched his fist to Cade’s chin, not enough to hurt, just to show that he was faster.

“Fuck, yeah, like that!” Cade pivoted and retaliated with a jab to his ribs.

Laughing soundlessly, they chased each other around the heavy desk, kicking and punching and grabbing limbs and clothes.

Frank scored a good one when he planted his stockinged foot on Cade’s ass, and Cade gave chase with murderous intent.

“You cocksucking weasel, you’re so dead!”

Frank ramped up his speed to get away because his brother seriously outweighed him.

It hadn’t always been the case. Being only fifteen months apart, they used to grow and develop at the same general pace, except the scales tipped heavily in Cade’s favor during the last year. While Frank remained largely unchanged, his brother shot up to surpass six feet in height, still slim but with large hands and well developed shoulders. His voice deepened, and dark fuzz populated his upper lip, providing fodder for endless jokes about the ‘stache from the younger brothers.

Their new difference in sizes drove Frank nuts but didn’t change the fact that if Cade caught up with him, he’d be fucked.

He ran in a circle, dangerously close to a free-standing bar, hitting it with his hip and rattling the bottles.

“Shit, be quiet! Come here.”

“Yeah, right. Kiss my ass.”