𝐌𝐄𝐍𝐀𝐆𝐄𝐑𝐈𝐄 | 𝐒𝐡𝐨𝐫𝐭 𝐒𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐬

🌹 One Big Unhappy Family

Author's Note: Another story of merged drafts, dated "November 25, 2006", "November 10, 2009", and two with unknown dates ranging from 2007-2008. Also, definitely NOT going to recommend the whole "alligator wrestling" thing - I mean, it's real but I don't think anyone should actually do it. Just catch them and eat them - don't play with them LOL I hope y'all enjoy this short story <3

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Amy looked up from the book she was reading to chance a look at her twin brother from across the backseat of the car, trying to ascertain if he was as nervous as she was. But no, Jesse seemed unfazed by their latest turn of events, pulling on the door handle of Mr. Grayson's old Cadillac. Mr. Grayson being Grandmama Rosy's boyfriend for years until he proposed just last month. Even though they had been dating a while, it still felt weird to be riding in his car.

Jesse continued to mess with the locks and handles as if he hadn't a care in the world, as if somehow the prospect of Grandmama Rosy's upcoming nuptials didn't bother him in the slightest. Amy couldn't fathom how, though. For the past six years, all they had ever known was their secluded life, just the three of them. To involve someone else at this point? Preposterous!

When their parents had died in an accident, it shattered their world. Nothing was ever the same. Dad had been an only child while mom's siblings, on the other hand, fought tooth and nail to have custody. All they wanted was the money they would inherit when they turned 18, though - nothing more than that. It certainly wasn't out of familial love.

But the whole idea of having a "new" grandfather in their life was...strange, to say the least. First off, what did Granddad think about all of this? Sure, they had been divorced the past twenty years - maybe it wouldn't bother him. Yet...perhaps he hadn't really considered his 85-year-old ex-wife would remarry.

Amy turned her head to gaze out her window once again, the pine trees flying by in a blur of brown and green. It was only when the car made an abrupt turn did she realize they had made it back home. Grandmama Rosy was waiting outside for them, standing on the doorstep. She walked over just as Mr. Grayson parked the car and leaned in his open window to kiss him.

"Is it just me or...?" Amy whispered to her brother, trailing off.

Jesse grimaced, shaking his head, "Nope, it's gross to me, too. Old people shouldn't do that. At least not where other people can see them anyway."

Climbing out of the car, Amy and Jesse barely said a 'hello' to their grandmother before racing into the house. The sooner they were away from the senior citizen PDA, the better.

"'Oi! No mud on me carpet, you little buggers!" Miss Biggs called after them, hands on her hips as her reddening face turned up in a scowl, "Now you come back here and get yourselves cleaned up! You have visito-"

Her twin only rolled his eyes as he headed out the back door, Amy close on his heels. Their British housekeeper, Miss Biggs, was rather a sweet woman most days. She made the best cookies, always had a warm word for everyone and did her utmost to keep the house tidy with two 13-year-olds living in it. Until she found dirt where it wasn't supposed to be, that is. Then she really went on the warpath.

It was moments like these, she could see the similarity to her grandmother. The thought brought a chuckle bubbling up from Amy's throat for Miss Biggs was quite a petite lady with gentle features. A lot like Grandmama Rosy except her grandmother was very tough and was once a world-renowned Louisiana alligator wrestler. She shook the mental image of her grandmother in a skin-tight hot pink wrestler outfit out of her mind - no one needed to visualize that.

It wasn't until she had followed her brother outside that she realized what Miss Biggs had been fussing about. Sitting on their lawn drinking lemonade were two children, a boy a few years older than the twins and a girl of around five. The boy glanced up, smirking over at the twins in a superior manner that instantly grated on Amy's nerves. Getting up to stride over to where they stood in the doorway still, he greeted them with a condescending smile.

"Ah, you must be Rosy's grandchildren. Amy and Jesse, wasn't it?" he said, continuing before they could answer, "We're Harold Grayson's grands. I'm Quinton and this is my little sister, Mia,"

He said this last sadly with a slight gesture to the girl standing beside him who was dressed in a pink jumper and black tights. The same smirk was plastered on Mia's face and she nodded once to the twins before turning on her tiny heel.

"Awful, ugly little thing, isn't she?" Quinton sighed as she sauntered off.

"Isn't that a rude thing to say about your own sister?" Amy said, her tone cold as ice.

It was clear he hadn't made any brownie points with her.

However, Jesse only shrugged off his sister's accusation of their visitor, "I'd introduce you the same way if you were my little sister,"

"Which is exactly the reason I shoved your big head aside and came out first." Amy snapped back in response.

While they were arguing, Quinton seemed to take this as an opportunity to leave and sidled past them into the house. Entering the living room, he gazed around him at the old family photos decorating the walls before glancing down with interest at the monogram that was beautifully-embroidered onto the doily resting on the small, brown coffee-table by the love-seat. Evidently, it was very different from his own home.

As Grandmama Rosy came waltzing into the house with a huge smile and Harold Grayson's arm wrapped tightly around her waist, Quinton, Mia and Jesse took their seats on the couch. Amy scowled from her place in the corner, watching these events unfold with a bad taste in her mouth, like pickles dipped in ranch dressing. It was like Cheaper By The Dozen without the happy ending.

And it could not end well.

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