Room 508, Saturday Afternoon

[spin_kick_snap]

Kathy and Sarah had managed to escape from their parents for a little while. Immediately after the school tour, Mrs. Li had declared she needed to rest and Mr. Li had announced that he needed to make a very important business call, which he'd need absolute silence for. Neither Li daughter needed to be a meteorologist to recognize that a storm was brewing, and Kathy had suddenly remembered 'that thing' she needed to fetch from her her dorm, grabbed her sister by the arm, and practically dragged Sarah out the door and down the hall.

Not that Sarah was protesting, mind. Kathy had just gotten a bit faster than she remembered.

"So, this is it," Kathy said, opening the door to her dorm. "That's my side," she said, as if Sarah wouldn't recognize a bunch of her stuff from home. Her side was, of course, immaculate. Kathy was tidy by nature (and nuture, honestly), and knowing that her parents would probably want to see her room and pass judgment on it had instigated a cleaning frenzy. She'd remade her bed three times to make sure the sheets were tight enough.

Which, of course, meant that Sarah beelined straight for it and flopped down on top of it, making herself comfortable and thoroughly ruining the lines of the comforter. Little sisters, yo.

"I've seen hospital rooms with more personality than your side," she announced, looking up at the walls. Kathy had taken down all of her posters, which ran the gamut from K-pop bands to gymnasts mid-routine. "I think you've managed to create the one room that would actually be improved by the addition of a kitty 'Hang in there' poster. Congratulations."

Kathy laughed, shoving Sarah's feet off the bed. She was still wearing her shoes, the brat. "Shut up," she said, sitting on the newly vacated section of blanket. "Normally it's better, but, you know. Mom and Dad. I figured if there was nothing on the walls, there was nothing they could object to."

"Yeah, and when they're here, I bet you go all crazy and put up inspirational quotes by Einstein and Neil deGrasse Tyson on your walls. You rebel." She grabbed her phone to tweet My sister is a nerrrrrrrrd to the world at large. "How does your roommate even live with you? Or is she a giant nerd, too?"

"I'll have you know that nerd is no longer an insult," Kathy said primly. "We've become mainstream. We're awesome now." Sarah rolled her eyes and pretended to gag. "And, no, Flick isn't a nerd. He's way cooler than me."

"Well, he'd almost have to be," Sarah mumbled. "Not that Flick is a name, it's a verb. And--whoa! Did you say he? Like, you room with a boy? A real boy? Is he cute?"

"No, I live with a marionette with aspirations," Kathy said, rolling her eyes right back at her sister. "Yeah, Flick's a real guy and yeah, he's like ridiculously cute. Most of the guys who attend school here are."

Sarah sat upright, grabbing onto Kathy's shoulders. "Ohmigod. You live with a hot boy. That is so exciting. Have you guys made out yet? Have you ever seen him naked? Have you guys ever shared a bed 'to conserve body heat?'"

"Nudge, nudge, wink wink, you know what I mean?" Kathy asked dryly. "No, we haven't made out, we haven't seen each other naked, and the heat works just fine thanks. I'm pretty sure he has a girlfriend or something, and even if he doesn't, I am so not his type."

"He likes cool girls?" Sarah teased, then ducked to avoid getting swatted. "But seriously, Kathy, I don't even know what to do with you. You live with a hot guy and you haven't even made out? You are the lamest person ever. You know the cripples Jesus healed in the bible? They started less lame than you are."

"Oh my god, Sarah!" Kathy was facepalming. "Not cool! Not cool!"

"Says you," Sarah sniffed. "Sometimes I really do think you're as oversensitive as Dad says."

There was silence then, long and taut between them. Kathy hopped off the bed to fiddle with some of her books and Sarah stayed on it, feeling really guilty. That was super-douchey of me. Like, if douche were a class, I'd be the curve breaker, not you. Not a tweet this time, but a text. It just seemed easier to type than to say. Both sisters had a weird relationship with apologies. Kathy apologized for everything, often. Sarah avoided making them as much as she could and preferred to send them over written media.

Go figure.

"So," Sarah said a few minutes later. "What was the thing you wanted to get? It can't be more books. I saw the stack you hauled in last night. No one's gonna believe you needed one more."

"Good point," Kathy said, turning away from her shelf and giving Sarah a soft smile. "Umm...I guess...Oh! Right! I need a costume for the talent show!"

"Talent show? When the heck did my sister become someone who signs up for a talent show?"

"See?" Kathy preened. "You don't know everything do you?" Though honestly compelled her to admit, "But I didn't. Sign up, I mean. My friend Sparkle did. As a joke. And by the time I found out, I couldn't back out. So..." She shrugged. "Stuck with it."

"Sparkle? Flick? Anders? Like, is there anyone with a normal name around here? Even by L.A. standards, that's weird."

"How do you know about Anders?" Kathy demanded. "And you're one to talk, Sarah Li. Gonna bake me a pie later?"

Sarah stuck her tongue out. "I get around."

"Not yet you better not," Kathy muttered.

"Anyway, Katherine Hana Li, at least I'm not some named for some creepy H.R. Pufnstuf island!" Both sisters were back to grinning, treading over ground familiar enough to take away and sting.

"Excuse you, infant, but Honalee is from meta-for Puff the Magic Dragon. Get your facts straight."

"You're, like, the only person under forty that even cares about that," Sarah sniffed, trying to look disdainful and not laugh.

"Oh my god, how could you even say that? Puff is like...an institution!"

"You belong in an institution!"

"You'll drive me to an institution!"

"Nerd." "Brat."

Sisters.

[Open for anyone who wants to come in, though Sarah's thread in the comments comes last chronologically. Warning for an ablest joke in the text, because thirteen year olds are the worst.]

Comments

[the-family-li.livejournal.com]

"Hiiiii," Sarah said, giving Flick her prettiest smile. "You're not interrupting anything. Just a bit of sisterly girl time, but we can have that whenever."

You know, what with Kathy living on the opposite coast. Also, Sarah, you were thirteen. Just stop.

"You must be Flick, right? You're just as cute as Kathy said you were!" She batted her eyes, ignoring her sister's groan and facepalm. "I'm Sarah. So nice to meet you."

[spin_kick_snap]

"Kathy's obnoxious, much-younger sister," Kathy interrupted. "Hey Flick. Come on in. We're just trying to figure out what I should wear tonight for the Talent Show."

Also, she was so sorry for her sister. So, so sorry.

[flickofthewrist]

"She said that? Well, she's cute too," Flick said, glancing Kathy's way. "Hi, Sarah. Good to meet you. Welcome to room 508."

See, this family meeting had already gone better than the one he'd just had. Thank goodness.

"What talent are you gonna be showing off?" he wondered. "Probably makes a difference in what you're gonna wear, right?"

[spin_kick_snap]

It helped that Kathy's parents weren't here. Otherwise, they'd have to be explaining to Kathy's dad why there was a boy in her room and everything would go downhill from there.

Rapidly.

"I and--uh, thanks? About the cute thing? Yeah, I mean, she asked and I wasn't gonna lie and...yeah.."

[the-family-li.livejournal.com]

Sarah watched her sister flail around and sighed. How was it possible for someone to go through life for sixteen years and get no game at all?

"Probably gymnastics," Sarah said because, you know, someone should answer Flick's question. "She's been a rhythm gymnast for, like, a decade now. Hasn't Kathy ever shown you how she can wrap her legs around her head?"

She was helping!

[flickofthewrist]

"She can do that?" Flick was both surprised and genuinely impressed. "Are you double jointed? Or...man, just thinking about that makes me wince. I'd dislocate my hips."

[the-family-li.livejournal.com]

"Oh my gosh, Kathy! You never showed Flick what you can do? For shame, Kathy! You should show him now!"

Sarah's middle name should have been brat. Or monster. Or something infinitely less complimentary.

[spin_kick_snap]

"I don't think he's all that interested," Kathy said, glaring at Sarah like she could maybe set her sister's brain on fire. "And I'm not, like, double-jointed or anything. Just really flexible. A lot of yoga and gymnastics from a very young age, that's all."

She did a quick vertical split, pulling her leg up to press her calf against the side of her cheek. "See, no big. But, umm, that's not what I'm doing tonight."

[flickofthewrist]

"Ow."

Flick winced and rubbed his leg and instantly felt like he'd pulled a muscle.

"That's amazing." He was actually pretty damn impressed. "And painful looking, ow. You're not doing that tonight? Probably not to make everyone feel phantom pain, right?"

[the-family-li.livejournal.com]

"Or to bore them into a coma," Sarah snarked. "Her moves are awesome, but the music is always a total snoozefest."

[spin_kick_snap]

"This from the girl who wanted to make me a routine to One Direction's 'She Don't Know You're Beautiful' or whatever it's called."

[the-family-li.livejournal.com]

"You mean your theme song?" Sarah asked brightly.

[spin_kick_snap]

Kathy glowered at her sister, unsure whether to be complimented or insulted. Which was why she decided to turn to talk to Flick instead and ignore her sister entirely.

"I'm, umm, going to be singing instead." She said. "I didn't sign myself up, so I didn't really get to choose my act."

[flickofthewrist]

Even if Kathy didn't look too pleased right now, Flick had to say she was making him long for his own brother right now. He never got to have fights like this.

"What kind of talent do you have, Sarah?" Flick asked, raising an eyebrow. "Something better than Kathy? I bet you could get into the talent show if you wanted."

[Sorry omg! Premature pinging!]

[the-family-li.livejournal.com]

[Soooo not your fault! I'm sorry, I get carried away!]

"Oh, I can totally sing," Sarah said brightly. "We could have done some kind of awesome sibling duet if she'd told me she was signing up!"

[spin_kick_snap]

KATHY WAS WILLING TO LET YOU HAVE HER SISTER, FLICK. GO AHEAD. FREE TO A GOOD HOME. OR A NOT-SO-GOOD HOME. WHATEVER!

"I told you, I didn't sign myself up! If you wanted to, you climb up onstage and sing yourself! You can take my spot!"

[flickofthewrist]

"But she didn't know she was getting signed up and wasn't able to do that with you," Flick said, glancing at Sarah. "So, you should be the person cheering the loudest and longest for her. And then maybe before you leave she can take you to Caritas and you can do that duet."

[spin_kick_snap]

Orrrr Kathy could flee from a gremlin-induced performance and hope to never be heard from again. One of those.

"Caritas has singing?" she asked. "I've only ever been in there for the Three Minute Dates. I must have missed that. But, no way. I'm not taking my little sister to a bar."

[the-family-li.livejournal.com]

Way to say 100% the wrong thing, Kathy.

"There's a bar? That you can go to? That I can go to?! That you've been to? For dates?!"

Jeeze, Sarah, leave some italics for the rest of us.

[flickofthewrist]

"I don't really classify that as a bar," Flick said, shrugging. "It's got a band and it serves anyone. It's clean and there isn't some creepy old man wearing leather pants leering at women. If they hold dates there, it's gotta be somewhat a good place to go."

[spin_kick_snap]

"It serves alcohol!" Kathy sputtered. "And the band is--"

She darted a look at her sister and decided not to mention they were zombies.

"The band is creepy. Really creepy. Even if they don't leer."

[the-family-li.livejournal.com]

"You're such a spoilsport," Sarah grumbled. "And don't think I'm about to forget about those dates you mentioned."

But she had something far more important to focus on now. Like batting her eyes at Flick and saying, "If my sister is going to be a boring old killjoy, you'll take me, right? I'm so curious about everything on the island!"

[flickofthewrist]

"...your sister might kill me for that," Flick said, glancing over at Kathy. "I mean, we have together and so I'd like to not wake up with her suffocating me with a pillow."

He didn't really think Kathy would do that, no.

"So, we might have to take a rain check on that till you're a little older."

[the-family-li.livejournal.com]

"Ugh, Kathy, you're the literal worst," Sarah complained, flinging herself back onto the bed. "Just because you hate fun doesn't mean that I have to."

[spin_kick_snap]

Flick, were you really sure you wanted a sibling? Really? Kathy's offer of free sister for sale was still on the table!

"Yup, exactly." Kathy rolled her eyes. "The literal worst. In fact, as soon as you're gone, I'm gonna drag Flick to Caritas and spend all night doing drunken karaoke. I just don't want you to have any. My right as a big sister. I just joined a message board to talk about ways I can up my horrible older sibling game."