A PARISIAN RETURN
TWO SUMMERS LATER

:::

If Betty Graham could count on one thing in her entire life, it would be the fact that her brothers were going to irritate the life out of her.

"Guys please! Mom please tell them to shut up! I'm trying to talk on the phone!" The agitated voice echoed through the car, Betty pulling one of her headphones out to try and quiet her brothers down. On the phone was Ellie, Betty's long distance friend. She couldn't hear a word she was saying over her brothers scream singing voices.

"Boys quiet down... your sisters on the phone." There was a huff from the teen girl and then she shoved the headphone back into her ear, rolling her eyes dramatically so that the girl on the phone screen could see her.

"Technically if you wanted to talk on the phone with your friend you could've just waited till later. The world doesn't revolve around you Bon." The sound of Nick Grahams voice and the cringe inducing nickname made her shoot a fist from her side, punching her brother in the arm. Her frustration with him went beyond his loudness and to the fact he had stolen the front seat from her. He was quick to turn back and hit her, their mother shouting for the two of them to stop as  she pulled into the driveway.

"Betty hang up now! You're not going to hit your brother and then continue to sit on the phone with your friend." The girl groaned and pressed the button to hang the phone up, a deathly glare in her eyes as she looked at her brother.

"Look mom...I'm not even part of this. Are you proud?" Noah Graham said from his seat beside Betty, a genuine smile in his lips as the woman turned back to scold her teenagers. She gave him a nod and then glared at the girl sitting behind her, Betty's lips tightening into a thin line as her mother turned back the correct way and pushed her car door open. The eyes of an angry mother were usually enough to quiet a child, and this was proven by the way Betty just crossed her arms and walked towards the trunk, unimpressed with the fact her brother hadn't gotten in trouble.

Nick and Noah joined her at the back of the SUV pulling open the trunk that was filled with grocery bags. It was their weekly grocery run, but also the start of summer, their mom making them all go with her to pick out some snacks they wanted. Their mother traipsed into the house, knowing her kids knew the drill by now; they carry in the groceries, she puts them away.

Betty pushed a hair behind her ear, reaching into the back of the car and grabbing one of those giant packages of water bottles. The sounds of the plastic squeaking made her cringe but she hurried inside to put it on the kitchen island, huffing as she headed back outside. When she got to the trunk she noticed both of her brothers were just standing there, their eyes directed towards the neighbors house.

"What are you two doing?" She asked, shaking her head as she reached for some bags. They both looked away, sharing a look between them as they spoke to their sisters back.

"There's a rumor they're not even coming this summer." One of them said, the words making Betty falter. She considered them for a moment before she shook her head, turning around with an unfazed expression as she refused to cast a glance in the direction of the house they had been staring at.

"Whoever told you that is stupid. They come every summer."

"How do you know? You been texting Co-" Betty was quickly to cut off the conclusions Noah was jumping to, her head shaking as she jerked her head towards their house.

"Because I'm not an idiot. They haven't missed a summer ever ...it's not going to change randomly for no reason." She started towards the house, mumbling under her breath about how they were idiots. It was true...the neighbors hadn't missed a summer for what she presumed was a long time, and neither did their guests. It was their tradition.

She returned a third time to the car due to the fact that the boys hadn't even entered the house once, her footsteps even slower as she  heard the hushed voices of her brothers. She stood back for a moment to eavesdrop, quickly picking up on their conversation.

"...yeah well just imagine when Connie finds out that she's not in France with Aunt T this summer...he's gonna flip."

"I'm not ready for the shit show that happens when Bon and him see each other...I mean do you remember last summer when she didn't show and we had to tell him why? Dude was crushed...like he acted like someone literally killed his dog or something. He was messed up."

"Oh I know...he moped all summer—when we got drunk at Robbie's he couldn't fucking stop moaning about how she could just leave him and not say anything. I just think he—"

"Are you guys going to help or are you gonna make me carry all of them in alone?" She made herself known, an edge in her voice and a ridiculing expression in her face as she gestured towards the bags.

"Well it's be cool if you did it all on your own." Noah said, shrugging his shoulders as they both turned back to her. She raised her eyebrows at his comment and then smile, flipping the both of them off and turning back towards the house. She hurried inside, the two boys realizing she was not carrying anymore groceries in, meaning they needed to get going on it.

"Where are the groceries? I've got ice cream I need you to bring in." Her mothers voice was quick to point out her empty hands, the woman pushing a box of cereal into the pantry.

"The boys said they didn't need me and they're bringing them in." As if on cue the two boys walked inside, a copious amount of bags in both of their hands as they struggled into the kitchen. "Looks like they got them all."

"Yeah I'm more of a one trip guy." Nick said, putting the bags on the countertop and letting out a heavy breath. Noah followed suit, putting his bags onto the counter and saluting his sister before he walked away.

"Then you can help me put these away since you didn't do anything." Betty's face fell as she looked at the amount of groceries, her philosophy about her mother ringing true once again. Her theory was that her mother made Betty do everything  because she loved the twins more than her, because she wanted Betty to be the same as herself, and because she knew Betty was the one she couldn't control. This was a conclusion she had come to in the middle of the night after an argument she had had with her mom, and ever since she had made it...everything made sense.

The next 20 minutes was spent with Betty putting away groceries, her mom disappearing about halfway through to 'go to the bathroom' and then never coming back. Betty knew she would though, so she made sure to not get her hopes up that she'd have help, the girl finishing the chore faster than if her mom were actually still helping.

"What's for dinner Bon?" Noah entered the kitchen, headed straight for the fridge and opening it.

"I already told you not to call me that dude. I'm not kidding." It was a daily struggle, she was unfortunate that the irritating nickname had caught on the way it did...even her mom called her Bon from time to time. She shook her head and turned towards the cabinet, pulling it open and grabbing out a box of pasta noodles. "I don't know ask mom. And hurry up so I can make it and just be done for tonight."

"Okay I'll run." Noah sprinted out of the kitchen, Berry leaning against the countertop and looking at the stove. The moment of silence and the light droning of the tv brought her back to what she had heard her brothers saying by the car, her stomach knotting as she recounted their words.

he couldn't fucking stop moaning about how she could just leave him and not say anything

She felt ill for a moment, her stomach turning as she thought of him sitting there all alone...waiting for her. It was something she was proud of, something she—

"Mom said you can make spaghetti or whatever. She's laying down and said to wake her up when dinners ready." Betty nodded, the movement expelling her thoughts of what the boys had said. She ushered her brother out of the kitchen and put some music on, pulling a pot out of the cupboard and starting on the food.

:::

"The food is good sis...thanks for making it." Nick said, the boy twirling noodles around his fork. Betty nodded at him, pushing her noodles around her plate as she leaned against her palm, holding her head up. Noah and Nick shared a look at their sisters downcast mood, their twin telepathy working overtime as they looked back at her. It wasn't unknown to the two boys that Betty did everything. They just didn't know how to help other than to actually help her. The power struggle between their mom and Betty had been going on since she was about 14...ever since their dad had gotten the job he had now. They weren't sure if it was his long amounts of time away or if it was just the incident, but things hadn't been the same since. Their mother loved them more, and their father prized Betty above anyone else, but unfortunately for her...he was never around.

"The trash needs to go out after dinner." Another chore from her mother but Betty already knew, the girl nodding as she looked down at the plate. She didn't have much of an appetite at the moment, her nerves for the upcoming summer season making her too shaken to really eat.

The rest of dinner was spent with the boys talking to their mom and no one really bothering the obviously downtrodden eldest daughter at the table, the girl managing to eat half of her food before she excused herself and threw the rest away. She got started on putting the rest into Tupperware and sliding it into the fridge to be eaten  at random times during the next week.  The plates were put into the sink and Nick actually loaded the dishwasher for her, the boy picking up just a smidge of the slack for the night. After everyone had run off and disappeared back to wherever they had come from, she tied the trash bag and changed it out, carrying the bag out of the house and onto the driveway. 

She took the opportunity of running the trash to the curb to  take in the night air, her head instinctively turning to look towards the empty house on the left. She sighed when she looked away,lifting the lid of the trashcan and throwing the bag inside of it. She closed the lid and rested for a moment, her head turning up to look at the sky. It was then that she could see the house in the corner of her eyes, and the words of her brothers echoed through her head again.

"If anybody's up there...please let them stay home this summer. Please."  She stared up at the sky and felt like she almost saw a star twinkle, almost saw the forces of the universe working to grant her wish.  And then she shook her head, feeling ridiculous for thinking that a wish from her could ever stop them from showing up.