I push through the front door of my house. "I'm home!"
"Welcome back." Bianca's voice drifts from the kitchen.
I stand there, waiting for the inevitable second greeting. Selene's greeting.
But there's nothing.
Just silence.
No high-pitched "Adam!" No Selene materializing from thin air to give me a hug and ask about my day in excruciating detail. No Selene bouncing over to tell me about some drama at school or show me a funny video on her phone.
I take off my shoes, slide into my home slippers, and wander into the kitchen. Bianca's at the stove, stirring something that smells amazing.
"Hey. Selene not home yet?"
She glances back at me, and I can see the concern on her face. "Nah, she's home. Been in her room since she got back." She pauses, frowning. "She's in a really shitty mood though. Won't talk to me about it."
My stomach does this uncomfortable flip. Selene? In a bad mood? Perpetually happy, endlessly energetic, literal ball of sunshine Selene is in a bad mood?
"That's... really weird. Should I check on her?"
"Yeah, please." Bianca turns back to the stove. "I'll go up after I finish this, but she might talk to you first."
I make my way upstairs, and I can see that Selene's door is closed. The lights are on inside though, so she's definitely in there. I knock gently.
"Hey Selene, you okay in there?"
Silence.
Okay, this is officially concerning. My mind immediately jumps to worst-case scenarios. Did something happen at school? Is she hurt? Did someone say something to her? I'm already mentally preparing myself to commit acts of violence against hypothetical bullies.
"I'm coming in, alright?"
I try the handle. It's unlocked. I push the door open slowly and step into Selene's aggressively pink room.
And there, on the bed, is a suspiciously Selene-shaped lump under the blanket.
"Selene?"
The lump doesn't respond. It just sits there, radiating sadness like some kind of depressed burrito.
I poke at the blanket insistently.
"Hellooo? Earth to Selene. You alive under there?"
The blanket shuffles away from my finger, but she stays stubbornly quiet.
Great. So she's not unconscious or dead, which is good. But she's also doing the classic "hide under the covers and pretend the world doesn't exist" maneuver, which is decidedly not good.
I sigh. If Selene doesn't want to talk right now, the least I can do is be here. Be a comforting presence while she works through whatever's bothering her.
I climb onto the bed and wrap my arms around the entire Selene-shaped blanket cocoon, pulling it into a hug. It's like hugging a really sad, really soft boulder.
I half expect her to roll away, to tell me to leave her alone. But instead, the blanket shifts, and I can feel her arms coming around me. She's hugging me back through all those layers, holding on tight.
Okay. Progress.
I make myself comfortable, closing my eyes, and just hold on to blanket-Selene. We stay like that for a long while. I can feel her warmth through the fabric, feel the gentle rise and fall of her breathing. The strawberry scent that always follows her around seeps through the blanket, and it's comforting in a way I can't quite articulate.
After what feels like forever, I feel the blanket start to shift again. We let go of each other, and Selene shuffles back slightly before gently lifting the blanket up, creating a little opening.
My heart clenches painfully when I see her face.
She's been crying. Her eyes are red and puffy, and there are these little tear tracks on her cheeks. Selene, who's always smiling, always laughing, always the brightest person in any room, looks absolutely miserable.
She motions me closer without saying anything, and I slowly make my way under the blanket with her. It's dark under here, intimate. She reaches out her hands.
"Hug," she whispers, her voice cracking slightly.
Obviously, I oblige. I pull her into my arms, and she melts into me, her face pressing against my chest.
This close, that strawberry scent is almost overwhelming. Her hair is soft against my cheek, and I can feel how warm and soft she is through her clothes. Being under the covers with her makes everything feel more intense.
I dislodge those thoughts from my mind, focusing instead on the fact that my sister is clearly hurting. I slowly run my hand through her hair, fingers combing through those long pink strands, trying to be as comforting as possible.
I kiss the top of her head gently, and she hugs me even tighter. I can feel her trembling slightly.
A few minutes pass in silence. Then she sniffles.
"I messed up today," she mumbles into my chest. "At practice... I messed up so bad..."
I don't say anything. I just keep rubbing her back, my hand moving in gentle, soothing circles. I know she needs to vent right now, not have me try to fix everything.
"And Tiffany..." Her voice breaks. "She laughed at me. When I fell. She just... she laughed and kept making comments the whole time..."
I give her a gentle squeeze, encouraging her to continue.
"Even the coach looked disappointed." She sniffles again. "I'm such a failure, Adam. I can't do anything right."
And that? That I can't accept.
"Hey, no," I say firmly, pulling back slightly so I can look at her face. "You're not a failure. You're perfect."
"But I messed up—"
"Everyone messes up." I shake my head. "You're kind, you're beautiful, you're smart. One bad practice doesn't change any of that. You're perfect to me, Selene. I mean it."
I see her bottom lip start to quiver, and I quickly pull her back into a tight hug before she completely breaks down again.
She cries gently into my shoulder, and I just hold her, one hand running through her hair, the other rubbing circles on her back.
When she's recovered a bit, she starts to really vent. The words come tumbling out, fragmented and emotional: how she got called on in math class when she wasn't paying attention and totally blanked. How Tiffany wouldn't shut up about her mistakes the entire practice. How some of the other girls started giggling along with Tiffany's commentary. How she lost her favorite pen (a sparkly pink one I got her for her last birthday).
I don't say much as she's venting. I just continue to rub her back, listening intently. Occasionally I speak up to show I'm still paying attention, or to refute her when she starts putting herself down again.
"I'm so stupid, I should've been paying attention—"
"You're not stupid. Everyone zones out in math."
"I'm such a klutz, I can't even do a routine I've done a million times—"
"Selene, you're one of the best cheerleaders on the team. Everyone has off days. And hey, listen to me. Tiffany's a massive bitch."
That gets a surprised laugh-sob out of her.
After maybe twenty minutes of this, she finally finishes. Her breathing gradually settles, becoming more even and calm.
"Hey Adam?" Her voice is quieter now, softer.
"Yeah?"
"Thank you... for putting up with me… and listening to all that."
I pull back slightly, giving her an incredulous look. "Putting up with you?" I chuckle. "Don't say it like that. I'm your brother. This is what I'm here for."
I stare into her eyes sincerely. "Besides, I should be thanking you. For trusting me enough to talk to me about this stuff."
A small smile finally forms on her lips, and it's like watching the sun come out from behind clouds.
We stare at each other for a moment, and I'm suddenly very aware of how perfect she looks. Even with puffy eyes and tear-stained cheeks, she's still somehow impossibly beautiful. Those bright, large pink eyes that seem to sparkle even in the dim light under the blanket. Her flawless face, that perfect nose, those soft pink lips.
Slowly, a blush starts to develop on her face, spreading across her cheeks like ink in water.
And then she practically tackles me, pulling me into a tight hug with her arms wrapping around my neck. I can feel her breasts pressing into me through the fabric of our clothes, soft and warm, and I'm stunned for a second before I remember that I'm supposed to be the supportive brother right now, not the hormonal teenager.
Focus, Adam.
"Hey Adam?"
"Mm?"
"I love you." She pulls away slightly, and there's this mischievous glint in her eyes.
My heart skips a beat. "Love you too," I manage to say, looking away.
That's when I hear footsteps on the stairs.
"Yo, Selene! You good up there?" Bianca's voice calls from the hallway.
"Yeah!" Selene calls back brightly. She places a hand on my chest, right over my heart, and I know she can tell how quickly it's beating. A smile spreads across her face: playful, knowing. "Adam made me feel all better!"
This family is going to be the death of me, I swear.
But looking at Selene's smile, genuine and bright and so much better than the tears from earlier, I can't bring myself to mind too much.