Irhaboggle Pride (2018) 30 Days, 30 Stories

Sibling Rivalry

"Pearl! Come on! Don't keep us waiting any longer!" Darton shouted up to his eldest daughter.

"Alright, Dad! I'm coming, I'm coming!" Pearl shouted back down.

"Your Dad and I are going to be old men by the time you finish!" Nick was the next to shout up to the girl.

"You already are old men, Papa!" Pearl shouted back down again.

"Oh no you didn't!" Nick pretended to scream in indignation. Pearl didn't bother to reply, choosing instead to descend the stairs with a smirk.

"Told you I just needed a few more minutes," she said.

"Yes, and you look gorgeous," Darton and Nick both agreed.

"No, she doesn't!" Priscilla, her younger sister by 10 years, interrupted. "She always looks ugly! The only difference now is that she's in a dress and she actually tried to do her hair today!"

"You little monster!" Pearl snarled, taking a step towards the child. Priscilla only stuck her tongue out, standing her ground. "I worked really hard on this and you know I've always wanted to work in fashion!" Pearl continued.

"Well, you aren't very good," Priscilla crossed her little arms. Young and small as she was, she was unafraid of pretty much everything.

"Alright now, that's enough," Nick interrupted his quarreling daughters.

"But Dad!" Three voices complained, the first two being Pearl and Priscilla, of course, but the third being Darton.

"Darton!" Nick frowned at his husband.

"I just wanted to see who would win the sibling rivalry," the larger man raised his arms in defense.

"Oh, no, don't say that!" Nick despaired, but it was too late.

"I would've won!" Priscilla declared proudly.

"No you wouldn't!" Pearly snapped back. "I'm bigger, older, smarter and stronger! You would've lost!"

"Yeah, but if you hit me, I'm gonna tell Dad and Papa and they would ground you for your whole life!" Priscilla puffed out her chest proudly.

"And what do you think I'd be doing if I were confined to this house for the rest of my life, eh?" Pearl growled, crossing her arms as she scowled. Nick only gave his husband another despairing and angry look, but he said nothing else as they headed out to the car.

"Ooops," Darton muttered, entirely unrepentant. He was grinning from ear to ear as he followed Nick outside.

There, in the car, the third and final child was already waiting. Her name was Poppy, and she was right in the middle of her sisters, five years older than Priscilla and five years younger than Pearl. As of today, she was 13 and she was, by far, the quietest of the trio. While Pearl was large and in charge, and Priscilla was loud and proud, Poppy was the quiet, invisible, middle child. But she actually preferred it that way. She wasn't as bossy as Pearl, and she was much more polite than Priscilla.

Darton and Nick looked at her pityingly. They loved all three of their children, but they sometimes felt bad about how quiet Poppy was. That wasn't to say she was friendless, or never went out, but it was clear that she was the most forgettable of the three just because of her generally passive and introverted nature. She was so quiet! Darton and Nick suddenly felt bad about having to subject her to her sisters' sibling rivalry.

"Dad, Papa, do I have to listen to them on the whole drive over?" Poppy complained about five minutes into the drive. Priscilla and Pearl still going at it. Nick, who was driving, shot a look at his husband. Darton finally had the decency to look ashamed as he turned around.