Tightrope

I'm Thinking About An Encore

"It's so adorable," Alec proclaimed as Kaelin and I piled into the back seat of his car after school; this task was relatively difficult, given I had to slide the crutches along the seats and hop my way in. "Watching the youth of today study tirelessly to educate themselves. I can only hope that your elders, such as myself, can build a world fit for such intelligent young minds to thrive in."

Alec was situated behind the wheel of his tiny Volkswagon Beetle. Because he was so tall, the sight of his massive body folded into the tiny car was highly amusing. My older sister Olivia was in the passenger seat, sipping daintily on a McDonald's Chocolate Thickshake. Alec and Liv were like a fun uncle and auntie duo; like Kaelin and I, those two had been attached at the hip since birth. Those two spent half their life in the Beetle, despite its size. Liv had a brand-new Mercedes—one she bought after the crash had totalled her BMW—but for some reason Alec's barely functioning, yet admittedly cute, Bebe the Beetle was their ride. 

Kaelin flicked his ear. "You graduated four months ago."

"Ah, young grasshopper. You'd be surprised at the wisdom this cruel world imparts upon impressionable new adults such as myself. I've seen and learned things you can't even imagine," he said.

I grinned. "Alec, I have it on good authority that you've done nothing with your four months of freedom but video games and shoeys."

Liv shrugged. "Life before and after a shoey is not the same."

Alec nodded in agreement. "Shoeys open your eyes, grasshoppers, it's a whole new world."

Kaelin's older brother had inherited the classic insanity that their branch of the Montez family was famous for. Kaelin's vagueness hadn't been passed on, but the complete inability to filter his thoughts, a penchant for overtalking and hoarding tendencies made them an entertaining pair.

"Oh, hey Harry," said Alec, as the boot clicked open and the final member of the set clambered into the car. Harry didn't share many of the classic Montez traits. He was the black sheep of the family, in a way, if rational thought and common sense made you odd these days. He had been the single most irritating person alive until last year, but when Kaelin and her brothers had visited our cousin Elena in her country town of Casserine, apparently Harry had resolved whatever intense personal crisis had made me want to hit him with chair.

Harry's voice was muffled by the seats dividing the back of the car and the boot. "Hey, guys." Because he was the youngest, annoying or not, he naturally had the least individual rights. Hence, he was relegated to sitting in the highly illegal spot in the boot next to Alec's golf clubs and smelly football uniform.

"Where's Austin?" Liv asked. My younger brother Austin was rarely home; he was the kind of kid who was involved in every club, every sport, every group of friends. He was the teacher's golden child, even if he was an irritating little turd. After Liv and I, (and my cousins Elena, Alec, Kaelin and Harry) I think every teacher breathed a collective sigh of relief to have a balanced, attentive Montez child.

"Oh, I saw him at recess," I said. "He's staying after school to do some catch up work."

Liv snorted. "Nerd."

Kaelin nodded in agreement, as if she didn't read a couple hundred books a year.

"Does that mean I can come sit in an actual seat?" Harry asked hopefully from the back.

"No," said Alec immediately.

"Why not?"

"You might start thinking you have rights or something. I don't know. It's character building," Alec said.

Harry sounded grumpy. "You just want to turn around a few corners really fast and send me flying, right?"

"Yes," Alec replied cheerfully as he pulled out of the car park. His speed was in the realm of barely legal, and I heard a faint clunck as Harry was thrown across the boot.