"Hey birthday girl, look this way !" I turned to locate the source of the voice, my brother Elias, and couldn't rid myself of the infectious grin i'd been wearing before he took the picture. I gaped at him, and laughed, reaching for the camera playfully.
"Give that back, Elias ! that was unfair ! you totally caught me off guard !" i whined, still smiling. i wasn't really mad, i actually loved pictures. i just felt like playing along, and causing more humour and drama.
"that would be the point, my dear sister. if i told you, would you have looked as happy and surprised ?" he didn't wait for an answer, just continued right on. "no, you wouldn't. so it is my duty, as your elder brother, to ensure that when we're old and crotchety, we'll still have this picture as a memento of the day my sister smiled."
he teased, a gleam in his eye. it wasn't that i never smiled, i did smile. but my "normal" look, as i call it, supposedly looks like i'm sad, or upset all the time. it seems plain enough to me, but not to everyone else.
"you know i smile ! and i laugh, too ! at everything, all the time ! so stop making fun of me, you meany." i stuck my tongue out at him, like i was three again. his jaw dropped, and he looked at me in horror.
"how could you use such vulgur language, Lacy ! my my, what would jesus think ?" he mocks, and then smirks at me. i laugh, knowing full well that neither of us truly cares what jesus would think. it was funny, anyways, and something we say to each other all the time.
"oh, well if you wanna hear vulgur language, then you'll get it, you poopie head !"
"Lacy ! well, it seems you leave me no choice. i'm bringing out the big guns now. Lacy, you are a -" except i never got to hear what elias thought i was, because right at that minute, dan came running out of the house towards us in the backyard, running at full sprint.
"Lacy, i have a present for you !" he sys, panting. i lok at him expectantly, and giggle.
"and what might this present be ?"
"WE MADE IT IN !!"  he shouts, and whoops, dancing a little jig. he turns to look back at elias, open-mouthed, and me, stunned silent. Fen made no comment, and just kept rocking on the hammock. i wouldn't be surprised if he was asleep.
"how ? when ? where ?" elias stutters, eyes still wide, but mouth closed.
"one of the bands canceled, and we got the spot ! we're playing at Corners !!! tonight !!!" he could hardly contain his excitement, and ran off to jump on fen, screaming like a crazed lunatic.
now, you might think corners is a pretty dumb name. but it is the best nightclub in the province, and every band that plays there gets to record at least one single. if they're lucky, they get discovered by the talent agents, lurking always in the shadows, hiding under the guise of unimportance. and the fact that i was going to sing there with Black Lace on my fifteenth birthday made it even better.
I snapped back to reality when i heard a shout, and two thuds. i turned around to see fen and dan tangled in a heap on the ground beneath the swaying and recently emptied hammock. Dan was still shouting and whooping, and shaking fen, sharing his enthusiasm in his typical fashion. fen remained silent, as always, but smiled a tiny bit, and nodded, acknowledging dan's news. as soon as they were untangled from each other, dan jumped up, screaming and yelling and grinning, to run off around the yard, and finally to rest on a lawn chair. i stood there, grinning at this spectacle, and ran to leap onto dan, and hug him. we both beamed and laughed and started talking about tonight.
immediately i started to worry abuot my hair, and my clothes. what would i wear ? we had played gigs before, of course, but never anything ans major and important as this. i leaped off of fen and onto the grass, dashing for the house to start getting ready. if i was going to look my best, it was going to take time.