Matt's Little Sister

Autumn wind fell threw the windows of my car and blew wisps of black hair into my solid black eyes. I rolled my window up and smoothed my hair back.1

"Come on Conner leave it down." Emma Lee whined threw a mouthful of apple.2

"Why can't we have the air conditioner on? I don't want hot air blowing on me." I said rolling her window up and putting it on lock. 3

"Conner!" She yelled pressing the button to roll her window down but failing. "I want real air! Not air conditioning!" She protested.4

"Air conditioning is real air." I remarked. We sat in silence until I turned the radio on. I left Ashlee Simpson's song living in the shadows on.5

"Come on Conner! What the hell is this?" She said Taking another bite on the shiny surface of the crisp red apple.6

"I thought you liked it..." I tried to cover my tracks. If she found out I liked that song I would never live it down.7

"You know I hate that shit." She said. 8

"Me to. She sucks." I said running my hands threw my hair.9

Suddenly a smile came across her face. She threw her head back and laughed. When her face finally met mine honey blond caramel colored curls fell into her face.10

"I can't wait to tell my brother that you like this song." She said slipping her Hole CD into the CD player.11

"Yeah well, I can't wait to tell your brother you took his CD again." I smiled, satisfied.12

"He knows I have it." I could feel the mischief dripping in her voice. "But, if you don't roll these windows down I'm going to tell him and all your friends you like Ashlee Simpson." 13

"You can't bribe me." I said shaking my head.14

"Well okay..." She remarked in a sing song voice. There was a long silence and then Emma broke it. "Living it the shadows..of someone Else's dream..trying to find a hand to hold but the air conditioner feels cold to me." I unlocked the windows and drove the rest of the way to the mall with wind blowing in my face.15

I sat on the dressing room floor as I waited for Emma to come out with her home coming dress on. A tall woman with blond hair stepped out of a door with her bra on. She was talking to her friend about pants. Then her friend leaned in and said something quietly. The blond girl turned around and looked at me. She smiled shyly her face red with embarrassment. She escaped behind the door and moments later she left with her friend, avoiding my face.16

"Lee will you hurry up, I don't think I'm aloud in here." I said tapping on the door with my foot. 17

"Okay okay, don't get your panties in a bunch." She said. I saw her feet face the door. It was silent for about a minute I was about to tell her to come on when she broke in. "Don't laugh."18

"Lee, I'm not going to laugh, but I want to get out of here." I said glancing down at my watch.I heard the door open and when I looked up I almost choked on my tongue. My heart fell into the soles of my feet. She was absolutely beautiful. Her dress was the same soft sea green as her eyes. I never noticed her eyes so much until that moment. They were amazing. Light and lingering, soft and sweet. Her dress was strapless and showed of her soft clear shoulders. She wasn't just my best friends little sister anymore. She wasn't the same little girl with grass stained knees who rode her bike behind us as we skateboarded. I suddenly realized how everyone else calls her Emma and I call her Lee. I hoped that made her feel special.19

"It's that bad." She said a wrinkle above her perfect nose appearing. 20

"No..no..it's..." I couldn't find the right word so she wouldn't think I was weird. "It's...beautiful." Jesus, why did I say that?21

"Really?" She asked beaming.22

"Yeah now let's get out of here." I said snapping back into reality.23

The ride home was awkward. Things suddenly became weird between us. I thought about the things I would say around her. I opened doors for her. I didn't push her around. I didn't race to the cabinet to steal the last bag of mini muffins before she could get to them. Or grab the remote while she wasn't looking and force her to watch X-games. It was even worse when Matt got home. He opened the door and I jumped up from the chair.24

"Relax Conner it's just me." Matt said dropping his book bag on the floor and making his way from the kitchen to the living room. "Why did you let Emma torture you with the Full house Marathon?" He asked probably wondering why I didn't steal the remote.25

"Uh...I was just leaving." I said nervously. Suddenly Matt wasn't Matt. He went from my best friend to the girl I likes older brother.26

The week drug on and I kept finding reasons to see Lee without Matt around. She kept asking my why I was acting different. I kept answering with a shy smile and a shrug. Finally on Thursday the day before homecoming Matt called me. 27

"Hey man are you going to homecoming?" He asked. I could hear Lee in the back round singing 'Doll Parts'. 28

"I don't know...are you?" Me and Matt were seniors, one grade above his sister. We hardly ever went to school functions.29

"Maybe." He answered. "Emma will you shut the hell up?" He yelled. "Listen I gotta go, bye."30

"See ya." I answered. 31

The next day I decided to go to homecoming. I was late but I made it. My neon pink bow tie and shoes stole the show from my plain black suit. When I arrived I didn't spot Lee anywhere. I found her friend Alex and approached her. 32

"Hey Alex." I said nudging her shoulder. Alex was tall and thin. She was into ballet. She was in a long flowing pink dress and her blond waves were up in a bun. Guys were surrounding her, so I didn't feel out of place.33

"Hi Conner!" She said in her perkiest voice laying a hand on my shoulder.34

"Have you seen Emma Lee anywhere?" I asked combing my hands threw my hair. 35

"You didn't hear?" She asked taking her hand of my shoulder.36

"Didn't hear what?" I asked getting worried.37

"The guy she was supposed to come here with Brian Oweman... called her a effing slut. In front of everyone. He must have gotten drunk before he came. Anyways he brought some other girl with him." As she told me I could feel the back on my neck getting hot.38

"Where is he?" I asked as calm as possible.39

"Don't make things worse Conner." She warned.40

"I just want to talk to him." I lied clenching my fists as hard as I could.41

"He on the side of the school..drinking it up with his buddies." She said shaking her head.42

"Okay have a nice night Alex." I said. "You look great by the way." 43

"Thanks Conner you to." She said turning around to the crowd I broke her from. 44

For ten minutes I just stared at him. Laughing with his friends. He didn't deserve Lee anyway. I made my way over to him.45

"Conner!..I know you!" He said His speech slurring a little.46

I couldn't stand it. I wanted to be rational but I couldn't. Anger was building inside of me and released from my fist onto his face. He fell over. He laid there on the ground dazed.47

"That's for Emma Lee." I said calm. I got in my car and drove to Lee's house.48

I saw Lee and Matt's mom talking to someone on the phone in the kitchen. I knocked once and came in.49

"Hi, Mrs.Hart. Is Emma Lee home?" I asked.50

"Uh huh she's upstairs in her room." She smiled and went on with her conversation. 51

I could hear Nirvana Heart shaped box playing as I knocked on her door. 52

"Come in." She called turning her music off.53

I opened the door and saw Lee sitting on her bed in her pink and white plaid pajamas with a white tee shirt and strawberry shortcake slippers. 54

"Hey Lee." I said my voice soft.55

"Hi Conner." Her voice was shaky I could tell she had been crying.56

"Where is your brother?" I asked not knowing what else to say.57

"Oh...he's at Seth's house..." She answered.58

I made my way towards her and sat on the bed next to her. "I heard about Brian." I said. Her eyes got glassy and she turned away from me. "He won't bother you anymore." I assured her. It killed me to see her upset.59

"Just go." She said her voice cracking.60

I turned her towards me and wrapped my arms around her. I held her gently but tight enough to make her feel safe. After a minute she laid her head on my shoulder and rested her hands on my back.61

"He doesn't deserve you Lee. You are to good for him." I said into her ear.62

"I don't blame him." She said threw tears. "I'm ugly."63

"Don't say that Lee. Your beautiful. Any guy would be lucky to have you." I paused and then decided to say the words a wrote over again in my notebook "Your eyes are the stars,soft and blank drifting threw the sky that is your mind and I tremble when they surface my face."64

She lifted her head from my shoulder and looked at me. "That's beautiful. Did you write that?" She asked.65

"Yes." I answered.66

"Well, it's beautiful." She said looking down.67

I lifted her chin so her eyes met mine. "It's about you."68

I pressed my lips to hers. I ran my hands threw her hair, fingering each soft curl. I slipped on hand behind her neck and then down her back.69

"WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU DOING CONNER?" The voice was Matt's. I turned to face Matt's flaming green eyes. I jumped up. I realized I couldn't hide from this. I had to face Matt. More importantly I had to find a way to stay with Lee.70

"I love your sister." I said taking a step toward him.71

"That's my little sister man!" He yelled.72

"Give me a break Matt, I can like who I want." Lee said looking Matt in the eyes. "What are you doing home?"73

"Well I heard about Brian so I found him and kicked his ass...but looks like that's not the only ass I'm going to kick tonight." He said lifting his fist up.74

"Come on man, I'm not going to fight you. I know it's shocking to see me and your sister together, hell it shocked me. But you can't honestly say that you didn't see it coming." I said trying to pull Matt back into sanity.75

"I guess I did." He lifted his hand to his forehead. "I don't know what to do...I'm going back to Seth's when I come home you better be gone."76

After Matt left I kissed Lee one more time and was on my way. Matt finally got used to the idea of me being with his little sister. He gave me the 'you better not hurt her' speech and we have been together ever since.77