"Do you think it's ever okay to stab someone in the eye with a fork?"
Maisy sighed and rolled her eyes. Her brother could be such a dork.
Mason wasn't satisfied. "I mean, what if someone was trying to cave your skull in with a hammer, what about then?"
Maisy put down her pencil. "Mason, if you don't let me finish my homework in peace you just might find out." She regreted saying that when she noticed the mark above his eye. A new one.
Mason grinned. "Sure, sis. Whatever."
Girls just weren't much fun, that's what Mason knew. Still, you could tease them, so they weren't entirely useless. Still restless, he continued to let his thoughts have free reign. "You know, i'll bet I could belch the alphabet if I drank a soda fast enough."
Maisy continued her homework without looking up. There really wasn't much for it. Mother said he was hyper-active, whatever that meant. Well, she knew, sort of, but really he was just a bratty younger brother. She really didn't know why they had to make up names for it.
Mother called them down to dinner and Mason jostled his sister on the stairs, pretending he was going to trip her. She called him a choice name and got a reprimand from mother for her efforts.
"But mom, he was..."
"Maisy, I really don't care. Stop it at once and set the table."
Mason made a face at her, pointed his finger and mimed laughter behind his mothers back.
Maisy scowled at both of them and set the table, a bit too abruptly.
"Maisy, just get it done without the theatrics." Mother tried to keep in mind why she loved her children.
As they ate, the children's parents engaged in the usual what did you do today chatter until Mason's father noticed the mark above his eye. "Mason, what happened?" he asked.
Mason touched his face and keep his eyes down as he mumbled. "Oh, nothin' dad, just some guy at school. You know..."
"No, Mason, I don't. You got in a fight? Is that it?"
Mason put his fork down. "Yeah. It's nothing. Just a...you know, disagreement."
"About what?" Dad was not going to let this go.
"Oh, I don't know. I guess I mighta said something. I don't really remember." Mason continued to avoid eye contact.
"Mason, why do you do this?" Mom took over.
"Do what?"
"You know very well what, young man. What have we told you about these antics of yours?"
Mason put on his best contrite face. "I'm sorry. I guess I just get kinda bored sometimes."
His parents exchanged looks. Maisy frowned. "Mason, you know you can't just..."
"That's enough, Maisy. We'll handle this." Mom was always taking sides.
"Mason, try to behave. Please?"
Mason grinned. Dinner continued without further conversation.
The next day the school bus was late and Mason amused himself by throwing rocks at the birds on the lawn everytime they landed, which was frequently since he was throwing bits of leftover toast from breakfast all over the lawn. Maisy did her best to ignore him and went over her math homework to make sure she's gotten everything right.
As usual, he wouldn't sit next to her on the bus, which was fine. She could hear him engaging in the usual roughnecking with the other boys at the back, but she tuned it out and read her book, Beadle The Bard, the latest J.K. Rowling.
As they arrived at school one of Mason's classmates grimaced at Maisy. "Your brother is such a dweeb!" Maisy shrugged her shoulders and headed for class. The day went as usual until it was time to catch the bus home. Mason wasn't at the bus stop when she got there, which was odd. She looked around and didn't see him anywhere. One of the older boys was looking at her sheepishly and she got a bad feeling in the pit of her stomach. She marched up to him.
"Alan,where's my brother?"
"Um...well..."
"Just tell me, dammit!"
"He, um, he pissed off one of the big guys at lunch. I heard him tell his friends he was gonna fix him." Alan looked down at his shoes.
"Where, Alan?"
"The construction site around the back."
Maisy ran like she never had before. As she neared the site she could hear the crowd jeering. She pushed her way through in time to see Mason on the ground being pounded by one of the older boys, Jeremy. A real bully that one. What the hell could Mason have done? He was such an idiot! She ran over and screamed at Jeremy to let him up but he just swore at her and went back to his pounding.
Maisy stood back and felt her blood boil. She looked about and then marched over to a wood pile and picked up a two by four. What came next she would have trouble remembering later, but all at once Jeremy was lying on the ground, out cold. Mason was slack-jawed, staring at his big sister in wide-eyed wonder.
Maisy glared at him, grabbed him by the ear and pulled him to his feet. He howled in protest.
"We'd better not have missed the bus."
As they walked quickly and quietly back Mason looked deep in thought.
"What, Mason?"
"Oh...nothing. Well, um, thanks, sis." It took all he had.
"Never mind little brother. Just wait till mom sees your face!"
Mason shrugged his shoulders and did his best to keep up with her pace.
"Hey Maisy."
"Yes, Mason?"
"Do you think it would ever be okay to force somebody to eat an earthworm?"
