Amson, 17, "A Lady's Dulling Song"

'What do I really want...' I thought, playing limply with the food on my plate.

One after another, I picked up a piece and dropped it, my appetite killed by my own hyperactive mind. I couldn't bring myself back to reality, zoned out beyond helping at this point, and with this atmosphere, it was unlikely to change.

The kitchen was barren and dark, only the lights above the counter illuminating the space. The sound of our struggling air conditioning was the only sound apparent in the house as both Mom and Dad were already off to sleep. So, I sat alone at the table, the light acting as a spotlight to the scene I'd formed in my head, alone.

With as much as I thought about it, I thought I might get a hint as to what might satisfy me, but I never did. It just nagged at me for the rest of the night.

I thought about the rest of our conversation-- well, the dying embers of what could have been a conversation, and I couldn't help but hang on a single phrase: "It's alright not to know, but giving in never suited you. At least the Amson I know." If only he knew...

I sighed, stopping the thought dead before it'd begun, and I finally allowed myself to eat, soaking my tongue in the lukewarm broth.

///

The shower hissed as I walked down the hall, preparing for school once more. With Mom and Dad gone, I knew who it was, the culprit hogging the house's only bathroom besides Mom and Dad's.

Maybe I'd have to settle for a cologne bath this time around.

Her inharmonic "singing" echoed painfully through the halls and down the stairs as I tried to escape the blast radius to no avail, like scratching and beating a chalkboard. I could only count on her to listen to someone scream into a microphone and call it music. My sister was never civilized to begin with, fueled by metal and her phone's battery life.

The only time I saw her not act like a recluse was when Mom and Dad weren't around, like a totally different person. No loud music, no being an asshole to me, and no meaningless chaos. It was the ideal for what this house could always be, but no, it usually never was.

Just knowing she scowled at me from behind my back was enough to remind me that it was all a face.

As I walked down the stairs, the sound of the shower stopped, along with her terrible screams. The door instantly creaked open, and the taps of her footsteps patted into where her room was, closest to the stairs.

"Amson!" She yelled as she entered the room. "The shower's open!"

It was way too late for me to start showering now, but I gave in, waddling back up the stairs and toward the bathroom. The place was in disarray, soap and water everywhere, as if she flooded the entire room.

My eyes twitched as I looked at the spectacle.

///

Booms struck the door to my sister's room, me the aggressor. After thirty minutes of waiting for her, I'd finally had enough. I'd be lucky to make it to homeroom on time.

"What're you on about this time, Am?" Lore asked, doing God-knows-what behind that door.

Lore, short for Lorelai, was the name I usually called my sister, only half-fitting the asshole she was. She knew damn well what I was talking about. I called from behind the door, trying my best to hold myself from busting the door down. Though, she'd never care to notice a single considerate thing I've done for her.

"The entire reason you're here!" I yelled. "To bring me to school!"

"Why the hell should I bring you to school?" She sounded offended. "You've got a car of your own."

I held my tongue, forcing the anger back down my throat as I released one more kick against the door, stomping my way downstairs. It was obvious that she was fucking with me, so obvious that I don't know why I bothered.

'This, for a whole week...' I thought to myself as I descended the stairs again. 'Alone...'

The crippling reality set in, and hesitantly, I pulled my phone from my pocket, dialing my safest option.

///

"Your sister sounds like a treat." Baun said, his hands gliding along the wheel. "I don't think we've met before."

Baun's truck was massive and pristine, looking as if brand new. Everyone knew how much he cared about his truck or anything he owned, for that matter. The black interior was grand, small stitches holding scratches in the leather cleanly together. It was amazing how he made his truck not look as old as it actually was.

"That's for the best." I pressed my elbow on the door handle, holding my head upright as I rethought my life.

"One thing's for certain: You've got to be the luckiest buck in the bank, Amson." Baun said excitedly. "You parents are out, and from what you say, your sister'd be more than down."

"I know it might sound great on paper, but it's probably God's equalizer for our luck. She'd ruin the party somehow, someway."

"Come on, she can't be that bad. Besides, I'm sure we could get her on board, and maybe she'll even help us throw it. You said she's got experience with parties."

I sighed, once again defeated by Baun's infinite enthusiasm. No matter what I said or how I said it, he'd spin the outcome, and I'd be powerless to protest. However, I had to make a compromise this time. For my own sake.

"We have a deal if you'll come convince her with me." I said.

"You're wanting me go to your house and convince her?" He responded, his eyes raised.

"Not alone." I assured him. "I'll be there."

It didn't take much thought for him to give and answer. I expected a little more apprehension since he'd never even met her before, but he seemed completely fine with the idea, not at all bothered by the proposition.

"Fine by me."