Chapter Text
“Can’t believe I’m buying him a car…” Ron says in a proud tone that’s laced with small hints of annoyance
“He’s sure as hell worked hard for it. But, it’s still quite a bit of money.” I force down a chuckle, if there’s one thing I know for sure it’s that Ron is definitely a cheap skate.
My name is… On second thought, I’ll keep my name a secret from you. Make this book a mystery of sorts. Anyway, I was adopted by the Whitwicky family a few years ago. I think I was like 6 or 7? Don’t remember, it’s not that important anyway. Ron, the man who’s currently talking, is my adopted father. He’s a decent guy by my standards… A little sexist too but that’s slowly beginning to change. Regardless, he's a good guy, and would never want to have anyone else be my dad. That’s a lie, having a robot as a parent would also be very cool, but it's close.
“What’s got ya smiling so much…” he pauses momentarily, trying to correct his unspoken words, “kid?” Fun fact about me: I don't have gender. And, not having that in the year 2007 isn’t very common. Both Ron and Judy have a little trouble with the concept, sometimes slipping up and calling me a girl or something similar, but they always try to correct themselves, something I’m very grateful for. Not every day, you’re lucky enough to get adopted by a supportive family…
Tossing those thoughts to the side, my smile widens as my laughter stifles out. “Yo- you’re such a cheapskate!”
Seeing that I’m making a joke, Ron’s old-man laughter starts up, sounding like an old car engine. His laugh has always been funny. “Ya got me there kid.. But don’t go saying that to Judy. That woman will never let me live it down!”
He puts his hand on my head and ruffles my short, brown hair affectionately messing it all up. Damn it, Judy spent at least 5 minutes on that this morning! Letting out a displeased squeal as I tried to get away from the affection, trying my best to protect the lovely work Judy did. It’s all joking, of course, it’s just hair. But, I still feel slightly bad about messing up her hard work and the green convertible we’re in doesn’t help with my efforts to protect it thanks to the very little room in the backseat.
“You’re having all this fun without me!” A voice suddenly says picking me up from my armpits, taking me away from the front seat. “And you’re in my seat!” It’s Sam! He’s my brother and the one Ron’s buying the car for. I start kicking my legs back and forth, yelling at him to put me down. Unfortunately for me, he does, just at the cost of the lovely front seat.
Letting out an annoyed sigh I sit up and fix my hair. I’ll get my revenge eventually… Maybe I’ll steal those old glasses he’s trying to sell. Of course, I won’t do anything to them, that would just be an asshole thing to do. I’m a thief, not an asshole… plus, I’ll return them if he asks or really needs them.
Once he sees that I’m safe in the back of the car (the unfortunate disadvantage of being a 13-year-old, LET ME BE SILLY AND DANGEROUS!) Sam shoves a paper into Dad’s face, boating in with a large grin.
Ron snatches the paper from his hands, mumbling something under his breath while scouring the paper, looking for the fateful grade that will either make or break this moment for Sam.
“It’s an A-,” Sam quickly states, trying to defend the grade like it’s the last thing he’ll do, “Still an A though.”
“Technically it’s not tho…” I bud in, trying to get under his skin. I know it’s still an a and I know that Ron will still take it, if he didn’t both of us would be pissed cause he deserves a car. But, it’s still fun to piss him off sometimes.
He shoots me a glare, knowing what I’m doing. Mission accomplished, my boy is angy. Sam quickly brushes off my successful attempt to annoy him and looks back towards Ron, waiting for his answer, ready to protest if he says no. He knows he won’t, but the anxiety that he will is still there.
“Alright,” he says in an exasperated tone, slightly regretting his decision but not going back on his promise, “you're getting a car.”
Jumping out of excitement, Sam lightly smacks the car door before climbing in, asking Dad if he’s really, truly good and getting a car. The response he gets is a small nod and “yeah” as he shakes his head in disbelief, pride, and a little bit of saltiness at the fact that he promised the kid he’d spend a grand on him.
With another yelp of excitement, a backpack gets chucked my way, hitting me with a thump. Knowing he intentionally did that I let out a displeased huff before chucking the backpack to the side.
If I remember correctly, Ron did mention something about pulling a little prank on Sam… Although he said it in a much more slow, cringy way that made me remember that he, in fact, was my father and an old man.
Anyway, I can’t wait to see his face when he realizes the dealership that we’re going to. Until then, I got myself a free 15-minute ride full of zoning out and ignoring my dad and brother!