Just Keep Running

"Come on, Perri! You can do this. Let's go! Just keep one foot in front of the other! Just keep running!" Holden looked back at his sister."FUCK YOU HOLDEN!""Awe. Come on! You can do this! You have been working so hard. I am so proud of you."Perri desperately tried to catch her breath. Her lungs were burning. "Let me reiterate! FUCK YOU HOLDEN!"He has been doing his best to bring his sister out of her shell. One thing they have worked on is making her shell look more like a peanut and less like a chestnut. She has followed the diet that he had planned out for her. She does her meal planning and has been swimming at the local health club in the winter and now in the family pool. He hadn't seen her in the last three months, and when he came home, He was blown away. She has lost fifty pounds and has been weaned off her anti-depression medication. "You told me that you have been running five times a week. This should not be difficult.""Maybe I lied. I may have meant I have run five times... period."He shook his head and slowed to a stop. "You know you are something else."She came to a stop, put her hands on her thighs, and bent over. "I must be because I know I am not a runner.""Stand up straight. Put your hands on your hips and bend back a little. You need to open your lungs, not compress them." She gave him one of her Persephone stares. The one that her namesake must give Hades daily. "Wow. What the hell?""I'm sorry, Brother Bear. I know you are trying to help. It's just... all of this. The diet and the running and the exercise... I don't know why I am even bothering. I am going to go to school and gain the freshman fifteen.""Why are you being so negative? You look absolutely amazing.""So, I was ugly before?"He crossed his arms and furrowed his brow. "I don't get you sometimes. Perri, you are going to be a doctor. You, of all people, know that you need to take care of yourself.""I am going to be a psychiatrist, not an internist.""Then you should know the ramifications if you have low self-esteem and a negative body image.""I'm sorry, but you are studying what? Sports medicine?""Yes. So, I know you need to open your lungs to help you breathe. Giving me dirty looks is not going to help you.""No. It's helping me immensely." She smiled and took off.On their way back to the house, they saw Annie and all of her friends heading into the backyard to go swimming. "Why do they have to come over every single day? I am getting so sick of her and her little orphans." Perri said, rolling her shoulders.Holden giggled. "Her what?""That's what I call her friends. You know little orphan Annie? Little Annie's orphans. Get it?"She's good. She's really good. He laughed and shook his head. Perri makes him shake his head a lot. "Well, I have some friends coming over too.""Oh. Holden's Hold Ons," she said, rolling her eyes."What!" "Your friends hold on and never let go.""Come on. It's only Jake, Lewis, and Bodhi." He winced. He knew she had a secret crush on Bodhi, and she was unaware he had any idea. Little did she know Bodhi had a massive crush on her. They were both so naive. But who would want their brother interfering with their love life?"So, I guess I am the only one who has no friends to invite over?" Her face dropped.He looked at his little sister. Holden couldn't fathom why she didn't have tons of friends. She is the smartest, sweetest, funniest, sassiest girl. And though she doesn't see it, she is absolutely beautiful inside and out. Andromeda, on the other hand, could swallow a thousand dollars worth of makeup, and it still wouldn't make her beautiful on the inside."Come on. You have friends. What about Ashley? You guys used to be inseparable.""She's still my bestie, but she's in France for the summer, staying with her grandparents. So again. No friends." Ashley and Perri met in the third grade. Perri and Ash had been the new kids in school. On their first day in a new school, Ashley had seen Perri sitting alone at the lunch table. She thought that Perri had pretty hair, so she sat with her. They have been best friends ever since. Ashley was more outgoing. She was always at the house. They had sleepovers, and they never left each other's side. Unfortunately, she went to France for two months every summer to visit her grandparents. She had invited Perri to go many times, but her parents never let her go. They always said maybe next year. Well, nine years later, and it was never next year. "You can come out and hang with me and my Hold Ons. We can play some poker and take all of Lewis and Jake's money. You have such a talent for reading body language. And Bodhi has a nice..."She put her finger over his mouth. "First of all, no. And second, don't even. You know I can't... um... well... you see Bodhi...""Don't hurt yourself, Perri." He gave her my cheesiest grin. He knows that he always gets his way if he shows his best cheese."Look, I appreciate the offer, but I have some studying. But thanks. Plus, I really don't think Annie wants me out there. I would be cramping her style.""Come on. You know that's not true.""Really. Watch this." She went through the gate into the backyard. "HEY ANNIE! I AM GOING TO GET MY SUIT ON AND JOIN YOU GUYS."Holden wanted to hear what his sister had to say. There was no way she would say she didn't want her twin sister to join them. He knows they don't get along, but he can't see her being that cruel."NO! THAT'S OKAY! WE'RE GOOD." Annie yelled back.He couldn't believe what he had just heard."See. You can almost feel the cramps." She grabbed her stomach. He watched her wipe her face with her shirt. Her face was red. He didn't know if it was from the run or how Annie had just treated her."I'm going inside to shower. Thanks for the run, Brother Bear." She patted him on his shoulder and went inside through the patio door. Holden watched his other sister with contempt and disgust. When he knew Perri was inside, he decided to confront Annie and her orphans. "Andromeda Athena James!""Oh fuck, Annie, you are in trouble." Her boyfriend Tommy said with a snicker."Shut the hell up, Tommy!"She stormed up to him. "What the hell, Holden! Is it your job to embarrass me in front of my friends!" her nostrils were flaring, her fists clenched. I embarrassed her?  What the hell does she think she just did to Perri? He took her by the elbow and pulled her over to the patio. "Do you really think I give a flying fuck! How dare you treat Persephone that way! What the hell is wrong with you!""What? I don't want her out here. All she is going to do is sulk and read her textbooks. Who does that? Who reads those things in the summer? And summer just started!""So you're being a bitch because she's smart and gives a shit about her education?""I'm not being a bitch. I'm being me, and I am being honest. It's not mean if it's true.""I just don't understand what the fuck happened to you. She has never been mean to you. She puts up with all the shit that you and your friends give her. I just don't get it."It was no use. She wasn't listening. She was too distracted looking over his shoulder."What's up Holden Pollux James Jr.!"Ugh! He really hated it when they called him his full name. "Hey, Bodhi." They grasped hands and chest bumped. "What's up, guys?"The four of them have been together since grade school. They were like brothers. Shit, Holden was putting Bodhi through school. "Hey, Bodhi," Annie said grabbing his bicep. She was holding on like a drowning woman. Tommy had approached the group. He was starting to seethe."Annie. Release the boy. I think your actual boyfriend might appreciate it as much as Bodhi would." Holden said. Bodhi pried her hand off of his arm."Do you really need to do that? I'm standing right here," Tommy said, looking hurt."I'm well aware of where you are, Tommy!" She rolled her eyes. "Are you really hitting on me right in front of your boyfriend?" Bodhi looked disgusted.She put her lips to his ear. "He could be my ex-boyfriend. All you need to do is say the word, Bo Bo."Holden rolled my eyes. When the fuck did my Annie turn into such an awful human being? Bodhi completely ignored her. It gave Holden a silent satisfaction. "Hey, where's Periwinkle?" Bodhi asked, looking around. "She's not out here. I know she's home. I saw her car in the drive. I haven't seen her in months. I... I want to say hi."Holden raised my eyebrow at him. He wants to say hi. Yeah, whatever, dude. "She's in the house. Annie embarrassed her and told her that she wasn't wanted out here."Annie rolled her eyes and scoffed."Why? Are you jealous because she knows how to spell?" Lewis said, giving Jake a fist bump.She put her hands on her hips, huffed, and stormed away."Holden, your sister is a bitch." Lewis watched her walk off. "She's hot as fuck, but a bitch nonetheless.""I'm well aware. I've already gone over that with her.""Lewis is right, though. She's really fucking hot," Jake said, bouncing his eyebrows. "You're lucky I like you, Jake, or I would encourage you to go for it."The three friends watched as Annie shimmied out of her shorts and slid into the pool, wearing nothing but a bathing suit that could only be described as a piece of green dental floss."You guys want to get a beer?" Holden asked.The three ignored him until they each received a slap to the back of their head."Huh? Oh, sure. Sounds good to me. I gotta hit the head first." Bodhi said, shaking his head."Didn't you like just turn twelve Bodhi? You can't have any adult beverages yet.""Haha. Very funny. I know I'm the baby of the bunch, but you guys aren't exactly legal yet, either.""I think Perri is going to take a shower. Can you hold it? Or go in the yard?" Holden said."Dude, I'm not a fucking golden retriever!" Bodhi feigned looking horrified. "Plus, if your sister saw my dick, she would fall to her knees.""DUDE! BAD FORM! She may be a bitch, but she's still my little sister.""And not the one I'm interested in anyways," Bodhi said under his breath.They all walked in behind Holden."What do you guys want to do today?" He asked while handing out beers as they each took a barstool. "I think we should go outside and torture your sister," Jake said, taking a swig of his beer.Bodhi smiled, putting his beer to his lips. "Maybe we can get Perri to come out with us.""Good luck with that. I tried.""Why don't each of us try? I'll go first." Bodhi said, putting down his beer."Didn't you just insinuate that you wanted your dick sucked by his little sister? Now you want to what? Ogle at Perri in her bathing suit?" Lewis asked while taking in half his beer."No, I insinuated that she would want to suck my dick if she saw it. Don't put words in my mouth.""Speaking of things in people's mouths---" Lewis said with a sly smile."HEY! Would you guys please stop talking about my sisters? I really don't want to hit all three of you.""Hey, speaking of hitting things, did you and Katie? You know." Lewis did a little double whistle.Bodhi made his way out of the kitchen. "I don't fuck and tell!" He called back to them."DUDE PERRI'S STILL IN THE SHOWER!" Holden called out. "USE MY PARENTS BATHROOM!"📝📝📝📝📝📝📝📝📝📝📝📝📝📝📝📝📝📝📝📝📝📝📝📝📝📝📝📝A/N: What do you think of the family dynamic? Did you have any siblings you were close to? Or perhaps ones who you were unable to bond with?Vote if you like the way the story started! Thank you for reading. 🎧RUNNING UP THAT HILL: KATE BUSH🎧