ADAN GONZALEZ347Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4gnma6QwTL
The day was the kind of day that made the sun feel personal. Like it woke up angry and decided, I’m going to ruin lives today.347Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzkWE9L1Gnx
The air was so thick with heat you might as well call it a solid. It was always nice to finish a school year but if only the weather felt as good.347Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6sTG5oqMOa
Naturally, I wore a hoodie.347Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnYs9ycaeTw
Why?347Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXTfY6LiNsi
Because I looked cool in it, and I will give no further explanation.347Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmDbs3ibqmG
I was sprawled across the living room couch like royalty. My feet were on the armrest. My head hung off the other end. Julian sat nearby, legs kicked up, phone in hand, earbuds in—probably watching some weird stuff.347Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrcoDvNl0u5
He was like a darker, taller, older version of me—but with a meaner backhand.347Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4xLhV9L2xM
Giselle and Brielle, my younger twin sisters, were sitting on the floor trying to build something out of leftover cardboard boxes and duct tape. Whatever it was, I was pretty sure it had no right existing.347Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0mAMzNMQMm
“Yessss…” I said, stretching with my hands behind my head. “The day won’t be boring after all.”347Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPJt8KKEZZC
“Yes,” the twins echoed in unison.347Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡk5ubpTCR6j
“No,” Julian added instantly, without even looking up.347Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8Ns4DImJnh
I narrowed my eyes. “You always have to be like that?”347Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3R62f4tBQW
Julian shrugged. “Balance. Yin and yang. Somebody’s gotta cancel you out.”347Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡytlIyLlWuJ
He wasn’t lying. Once, I got so annoyed with him in the garage that I shouted at the top of my lungs. He got so mad, he picked me up and threw me across the garage like I was a beach ball. That might sound exaggerated. It’s not. I tasted the air before I hit the concrete.347Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6S2slPdI69
My sisters were less violent, but way more persistent. Like emotional termites. They’ll wear you down with endless questions and facts about cartoons you’ve never even seen.347Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcoY7qDqM5n
As I laid there, repeating “yes” to the rhythm of my own boredom, Cassedy walked in—our older sister. She was eighteen, smart, sarcastic, and anime weeb.347Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWWRUm3GdvA
She paused. “What’s with all the yessing?”347Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8gHcM8T0Du
I rolled my head around to face her, upside down. “Yes,” I answered.347Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6vGBB4GYUy
Cassedy blinked. “That’s not even—You know what? Never mind.” She turned to the twins. “What’s with all the yes-yes-yessing? Unlike you, I speak English. You might’ve heard of it.”347Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpjFJo9HyYM
She started doing little hand gestures like she was teaching a kindergarten class.347Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡj6uJ4eKTNd
“Sorry,” I said, “never heard of it. Mind explaining it?”347Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwjrUmyzoX2
“No.”347Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡO0fMTgS2bR
“Oh. Okay.”347Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcUpSwknoq8
We all sat in a weird silence, broken only by the occasional buzz of Julian’s earbuds or Giselle’s duct tape being yanked.347Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvsXcirSQUx
Then I started humming. Loudly. Off-key. Just to make it awkward.347Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡK25Q4ajNh2
Cassedy flinched. “Can you not?”347Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡil0jn5ckqO
“I can,” I said proudly. “But I won’t.”347Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡV18wariCMm
Julian pulled his earbuds out. “A friend invited us to his house,” he announced. “Said it’d be fun or something.”347Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9Qzz3IU02n
Cassedy frowned. “Wait—everyone knew about this?”347Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQg8Pdj3Bu6
We all nodded.347Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZvqSHMOO5K
“And no one told me?”347Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡU3UJowDaf6
More nods.347Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGibdWq4azN
“How—how did I not hear about this?” she demanded.347Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2xOogIWdNz
We nodded like robots malfunctioning in sync.347Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCYfbkWcxgP
Cassedy crossed her arms. “Words, people. Use actual words.”347Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvL2kHaOgVN
I shrugged. “I guess we just forgot but it would be cool if you joined us.”347Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeC1gqdnx8J
She huffed and turned to leave. “I’m not going if you’re all acting like that.”347Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡN2YetpxzDW
“Wait,” I said, leaping up from the couch like I had a sudden prophecy. “You must join the clan.”347Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5kF1MmfF4i
I waved my hands like I was summoning ancient spirits.347Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡj5GcfJED82
Cassedy raised a brow. “Do I get ready?”347Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHd5tHJnW3j
Julian looked down at himself. His T-shirt had a mystery stain that could’ve been mustard or something. His shorts were basically rags. The twins looked like they were melting inside their sweaters. I, of course, had my hoodie.347Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡABvtIQ3Rn8
“Does it look like we’re ready?” Julian asked.347Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQz7ipcGQma
“No?” Cassedy said hesitantly.347Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQHAnXHezZf
“Exactly,” he replied, like that ended all discussion.347Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfZXk1Eq0cd
Cassedy sighed and walked off muttering something about getting her shoes. Brielle started balancing a water bottle on her head out of boredom.347Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJ0Yg85ZX9x
“Hey!” Giselle shouted. “That’s my bottle!”347Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxd5X38VEyR
“No, it’s mine,” Brielle said.347Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ310kYdnmCt
“No it’s not!” she lunged at her.347Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfMBtHi0y9e
The living room became a war zone of pillows, cardboard, and duct tape.347Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGbLM7EeZeQ
Julian kept watching his video like we didn’t exist. I just watched in amusement. Cassedy returned just in time to get smacked in the leg by a flying pillow. “Okay,” she said, expression flat, “I’m definitely staying home.”347Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlTDZIdJ35V
“Nooo!” I said. “You must join us!”347Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgSeRUuXdtS
She rolled her eyes again. “You’re lucky I’m bored.”347Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdokpZTbDx3
At that moment, our mom stepped out of the hallway and said, “¿Están listos para irse?”347Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgwFjABZ3kz
“Yup!” we all replied in unison—except Julian, who gave a thumbs-up.347Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQjF1uLk8TT
A knock came at the door. I opened it.347Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6cJOqoUHXC
Davis stood there, hands in his pockets, usual serious face on. He was always quiet. Polite. But something about him felt older than the rest of us—like he was carrying things in his head we weren’t allowed to see.347Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqWqS0ZeLH3
“You ready?” he asked.347Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDtZpyWxQ89
“Always,” I replied, slapping his shoulder as we all filed out behind him.
