Original Stories Fan Fiction / Realism Fan Fiction ❯ 13th Floor ❯ Surprise! ( Chapter 7 )

Tyler didn't like surprises. He didn't like them at all, which is probably why he went totally schizo when his little sister seemed to randomly pop up from behind his couch when he got home from work.

He'd been in a daze all day, and that creepy yet cute girl on the subway constantly staring at him did not help matters. What freaked him out even further was when she got off at the same stop as him, so he spent a half hour running down several side streets on routes that led nowhere rather than the direct walk home, for fear of a stalker. There are a lot of crazy people out there.

When he finally arrived at his apartment, a tired and hungry mess, the last thing he wanted or expected was for his little sister to seemingly appear out of thin air before he could even turn on the lights. “Boo!” she had exclaimed when she revealed her hiding place.

Although his mouth had refused to work, his mind and body did. He automatically assumed his Tae Kwon Do short stance, fists up, with his thoughts being somewhere along the lines of, “What the hell?!” There was an intruder, an unknown being invading his lair. His territorial and self-preservation instincts kicked in. He almost charged, but then he recognized those perfect little dimples on that baby face, the way her dark hair fell over her eyes, and that one sweater only his sister could pull off - figuratively and literally.

“Kim, is that you?” he asked, already knowing the answer.

“Who else?” she asked in that soprano voice of hers. She smiled. Tyler could hear the bells, and the big brother in him was beginning to take over.

He switched on the lights near the door. “Does Mom know you're here?” Kimberly looked down at her shoes and twiddled her fingers, not answering. Tyler took that as a no.

“I'll go call her. I'll see if you can spend the weekend.” Kim looked up once more and smiled appreciatively as Tyler left the room to make the phone call. She could hear arguing. Kim heard Tyler's muffled, “Yes, I'll go buy some tampons mom,” as she inwardly shuddered. She sat down on the sofa, set down her mini-suitcase, and closed her eyes. She was no longer listening to Tyler and her mother, but she was hearing and completely feeling her memories.

She was remembering him. Yes, another ex-boyfriend. She was so sure he was special. She was still sure. Man, he was hot, she thought, her eyes downcast. She remembered how he used to make her laugh, the way he smiled, and other things…. She inwardly giggled, and wondered why he changed. It had started with small things, like spending more time on tennis practice than speaking to her, but after a few months, it had evolved into them with hardly any contact. A tear rolled down her cheek. She knew she shouldn't be this upset over a high school breakup, but she couldn't help it. After a while, they didn't even have a neutral relationship anymore; it was a full-on rivalry! Even though Kim was in the girls' league, they had competed in tennis, and the way they fought for higher grades was almost violent. However, she was still in love, and it hurt the most when she saw him with her. She realized all her friends were right; she really didn't know him at all. She had to get away, which is what brought her to her current position: trespassing in her older brother's apartment to cry on his couch. It was then that Tyler brought her out of her reverie.

“She's worried sick about you, you know? You can't just go running off like that.” When did he come back in the room?

“Sorry,” she replied. “You never called me back.”

Tyler looked away and scratched the back of his neck. “I've been kind of busy lately.” Then he noticed her eyes, normally identical to his, were slightly watery. “What's going on?”

Tyler sat down, placing his hand on her back. His eyebrows scrunched and his expression pouring out concern, he peered at her downcast face. “Do you want to talk about it?” he asked, as another of Kim's tears escaped.

The sound of Tyler's careful words and the comfort of his hand sealed it in her mind that something was wrong. It was the straw that broke the camel's back. It was the twig that caused the dam to break. It was what unleashed the beast. She grabbed onto the front of Tyler's shirt, practically throwing herself on him, as the tears gushed, unashamed.

Tyler patted her back reassuringly, remembering how he used to do that when she hurt herself on the playground. “Ryan and I broke up,” she finally wailed into his chest in between sobs.

Ryan? Tyler racked his brain for any info on Kim's love life. “Ryan? That douche-bag? Good riddance! Tennis team is so gay anyway!” said Tyler in a righteous tone.

Kim sat up. “I'm on the tennis team,” she said rather blandly.

Oops! Then the two burst out laughing. They were siblings in every sense of the word. They even had the same sense of humor!

The howls of laughter finally dying down, Tyler reluctantly stood up. “Tell you what,” he said, his smile still present, “you go unpack your stuff, and I'll order some pizza.”

“With peppers?”

“Of course!” exclaimed Tyler indignantly. “What? Do you think I don't know my own little sister?!” Kim grinned. Tyler left the room singing in a very loud, fake, Italian accent, “Mamma mia! Pizzeria!”

Half an hour later, the pizza arrived, bringing an oddly familiar girl with it who happened to be wearing a very unflattering Pizza Hut uniform. As he handed her the cash, he couldn't help but stare. She was the girl from the subway. Surprise!

 

 

 

 

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