Room 508, Saturday Afternoon
Sep. 27th, 2014 05:49 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
spin_kick_snapKathy 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 roomand 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 frommeta-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.]
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
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
"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.]
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
(no subject)
Date: 2014-09-27 11:49 pm (UTC)Sarah flung open Kathy's closet door--and stared down at a gremlin wearing a pair of Kathy's heels and practicing its strut.
"Kath? Are you hiding the world's ugliest cat in your closet?" she asked, somewhere between confused and afraid.
(no subject)
Date: 2014-09-27 11:55 pm (UTC)Oh god, there was no way Kathy could explain hallucinations from gremlin venom to her parents!
"Just back away and shut the door, okay?"
(no subject)
Date: 2014-09-27 11:57 pm (UTC)The gremlin, incensed at first being called an ugly cat, having its very existence denied, and then being compared to one of those assholes that had invaded the island a few years ago, did the only thing that made sense in this situation.
It lunged for Sarah.
(no subject)
Date: 2014-09-27 11:59 pm (UTC)The gremlin bit down anyway. Flesh was flesh.
"God--fuck--dammit!" Kathy howled as it scampered away.
(no subject)
Date: 2014-09-28 12:01 am (UTC)"Kathy--what--?"
(no subject)
Date: 2014-09-28 12:03 am (UTC)She began giggling then, high-pitched and creepy.
"Go!"