Disbelief

I've always been the screw-up of our family, the one who got into trouble and had to talk his way out of it. My parents never had to discipline my sisters even a fraction of the amount they had to punish me. I was always the wild child, and I accepted that, because it meant that at least I only had to be worried about me.

I'm starting to feel like a fucking saint right now.

"So... All of that... For you to realise that you're crushing on the third hottest girl in school?" I confirm slowly. Andi and Echo are naturally joint first place, the judging was really corrupt. "Yeah, no shit, I could've told you that at breakfast this morning."

Rosie snorts at my assertion. "Don't pretend like you figured it out before me. I mean, we're friends but we've had like half a dozen conversations, maximum." She argues, but her point wilts as she realises who she's talking to. Two girlfriends within like a month of getting here, she's an amateur compared to me.

"You know Andi's gonna want to hear about this, right? Like, all of the gory details." I remind her, while standing from the bench.

"Yeah... But she barely knows Sora... I barely know Sora, I don't know how much help she'll be." Rosie ponders as she joins me in standing up and wandering towards the exit of the room. As I open the door, I notice Ty yelp in surprise with a noise that sounded like a crow calling. A preposterously high-pitched noise for a giant like him.

I can't help laughing at the display, though Rosie just seems bemused by the startled boy waiting outside of the locker room. "I know I said warn me if anyone's coming, I didn't mean me." I guffaw as Ty turns a bright red, and eventually regain control of my voice. "Good lookout, Hero, mission accomplished, would you mind escorting my sister to Andi?" I request, wiping a tear of laughter from my eye.

Ty seems as confused as Rosie right now, I know why before he even asks. "Yeah, but... Where are you going?" He manages to ask as I begin to stride away.

"Things to do, people to see." I yell back to them both. I don't want to tell them the real reason until I'm sure there's anything to tell, but I think it to myself.

"Answers to find."

*

I walk through the front door and immediately hear the sound of the TV on in the living room. Figuring that could be what I need, I head straight through but only find Poppy in her pyjamas, eating ice cream out of the tub. Okay, priorities, can't leave a damsel in distress.

"He'd never cheat on you, you know." I tell her, skipping over any normal introductions, causing my sister to look back at me. She seems surprised to see me arrive, but quickly goes back to her comfort food. "Those girls are just chasing whoever's popular, he knows it."

Poppy sighs, putting the lid back on the ice cream. "I know, it's not that... Well, I guess it's not, but it is..." She tries explaining cryptically. Realising this isn't going to be a two sentence fix, I sit down next to her and let her lean on my shoulder. "Do you ever get jealous with Andi or Echo?" She asks quietly.

"I got anxious about them being together without me once, but that was just my own insecurity, now I quite like the idea." I admit with a chuckle. Poppy simply groans at my response, clearly not what she was looking for. "Were you... Not jealous? Is that what you're worried about?" I ask, trying to probe deeper.

"No, I was definitely jealous, but that's not the problem." Poppy sighs, clearly trying to think of a way of explaining it. "I'm... Not good enough for Ty. He could have any girl he likes, and he's settling for a girl that acts all sweet and innocent when she's not." My sister growls at herself, this is definitely something that's been weighing on her mind.

I decide to tackle this straight on, I need to know exactly what the thorn in her paw is. "Ty's with you because he likes you, not because he settled, I think most people would agree you settled for him." I smile at her, but she doesn't seem to accept it. "As for not being sweet and innocent, au contraire, do you know how many times I've seen you only get a dirty joke minutes later and retroactively blush? You're definitely the innocent one." I state as if I'm trying to reassure her, but I know how she'll react.

Poppy pulls away from me with a frown on her face like I've not seen before. "You're wrong, I'm not, you just think I am. I have just as many thoughts as the rest of you, just as many desires and fantasies... Maybe I'm a bit slow on realising it sometimes, but... I do eventually." She argues, audibly holding back tears. "That's the problem, Ty thinks he's dating this angel and I can never live up to that. He'd be better off with one of those other girls, normal girls, even if he thinks otherwise... Better than being with a liar like me." She concludes, with tears finally shedding from her clenched eyes.

I can't help pulling my sister into a hug. "Oh Pops, that's not how that works at all." I whisper reassuringly. "Look at Andi, she's upbeat and bubbly, but let me tell you, when we were in her bedroom, she was not like that at all." I continue, Poppy's teary face morphing into a scowl at my oversharing. "The point is, people are never just one thing, I'm a sleazy flirt with major anxiety, Echo's a hellraiser by day and homemaker by night. Rosie is... Wow, we don't even have time to get onto Rosie. The point is, you're a person, and sometime people are lots of different things, some of those things conflict with each other, because no one on earth can honestly say they're not a bit of a hypocrite. The only thing you can do is do what comes naturally to you." I conclude, hoping it helps at leat a little.

My sister's sobs seem to quiet as we sit there, until eventually she speaks up. "Please don't tell anyone about the fantasies thing I mentioned..." She requests meekly. I can't help but chuckle at the return of her embarrassment. I tell her exactly what she needs her big brother to say right now.

"I've already forgotten."

*

With Poppy heading up to bed for the evening, and a text from Rosie that she's staying over at Andi's again this evening, this would be my best shot. I proceed through to the kitchen, where I find my Mum pushed up against the kitchen counter, with my Mama stroking her face and leaning in.

"Okay, enough of that, keep it PG." I order them as I enter, causing my parents to break apart like two teenagers that didn't leave room for Jesus. "I need to talk to both of you. It's really becoming a habit of you not telling us things and it causing trouble for us." I complain, taking a seat at the table.

My parents look at each other with confused yet amused faces, then back to me, before joining me at the table. "You're going to have to explain." Mum tells me.

So I do, I explain our visit to Echo's place, the frail Ms Birch, and how she freaked out when she saw Poppy. As I tell the story my parents seem as lost as me, until I notice a look of realisation on Mum's face. "What is it? Do you recognise the name?" I ask immediately.

Mum shakes her head, causing my heart to sink. "It's a pretty common last name, I don't recognise it, but she could've changed it over the years..." She thinks aloud. "But something about how you described her... I think we should meet her. Both of us." Mum decides unilaterally, giving Mama a smirk, making me think that they may want to go there just for ****.

If I'm a saint I'm going to need divine intervention before a war breaks out.