After my run, showering, and dusting every piece of furniture in the house, Mom gave Danielle and I the task of setting the table. "So, did you apologize to the yokels?" my cousin asked.
I frowned. "No, and I don't think they heard me. So could you PLEASE let it drop?" Inside, I cringed. I hate being at my cousin's mercy.
"I'll do my best." Just then the doorbell rang, preventing Danielle from torturing me further. "It's feeding time," she announced.
Aunt Tamara and the Hanson brood - well, half of it - entered the dining room. I introduced Danielle to the Hanson clan, and then she and I greeted our aunt with a hello and a kiss on the cheek. This is more a sign of respect than anything else, and our family takes it very seriously, too. No kiss on the cheek is a crime punishable by death.
"Whoa! Rebecca, your hair..." said a shocked Zac.
"Yeah, I know. It's time for me to dye it again."
"What color is it naturally?" he asked.
"Hmm... something similar to Isaac's, I guess."
"Why do you dye it? Don't you like it that color?"
"It's all right. But about a year ago, one Saturday afternoon, Danielle and I got bored. We decided to dye my hair, or I decided rather. It's fun, and I like experimenting with different colors."
"Maybe we should just highlight it this time, Bec. What do you think about red or strawberry-blonde?" Danielle asked.
"Leave my daughter's hair alone! Keep this up and she'll be bald by fifty-five," said my mother, entering the dining room. I stuck my tongue out at her. Definitely not the most mature response, but it felt appropiate.
"So, guys, what do you have left to do today?" I addressed the band as we sat down to sandwiches and macaroni salad.
"We're gonna rollerblade, ride bikes through a cave, and then do some stuff in a studio," answered Taylor.
I raised an eyebrow. "Ride bikes?"
"Rebecca!" my mother hissed.
"No, it's okay Maggie. Let her speak. What's on your mind, Becca?" asked Aunt Tamara.
"Well, it's just that, I don't know. It seems sort of... childish. It's like..."
"It'll be harder to be taken seriously," interrupted Danielle, coming to my rescue. "You guys are young. People are going to be skeptical, have doubts, ya know? Why give them more reasons to? Besides Aunt Tam, hardly anyone bike rides anymore. They blade across campus to class before they hop on a bike."
"But that's just our opinion," I finished up.
"Well, we appreciate it girls. Boys, what do you think?" Walker addressed his sons.
"No bike riding!"
"Good. Then it's decided," said Aunt Tamara, jotting something down on her clipboard.
"So, what else did you guys do so far, besides run down the street here?" Danielle asked.
"Well, we took a cab. Then we got on a bus, but Zac got us kicked off. We ran through these caves, went in the ocean, and drove a car," rattled Taylor.
"Drove a car?" Danielle looked more than skeptical.
"Well, we didn't REALLY drive it. It was being towed," Isaac explained.
"It's Sandra Bullock's car in 'Speed 2'," Zac piped up.
"Speed 2? Ugh. That movie is NOTHING without Keanu," I said, disgusted. The number of sequels I like is limited.
"TELL me about it," Danielle said, rolling her eyes. "Jason Patric is NOTHING without the lost boys."
"Who are the lost boys?" asked Zac.
"The Lost Boys is an eighties movie starring heartthrobs who have since dropped off the face of the earth or landed in rehab. Sadly, Corey Haim used to be an obsession of mine." The gleam in Danielle's eye said she was taking a trip down memory lane.
"Corey Haim? I thought you pined for Kirk Cameron," I teased my cousin.
"Kirk? EWW! No way. He's such a YOKEL," was her response.
I shot Danielle a murderous glance and kicked her shin under the table.
"OW!" said a confused Isaac.
"Oops! Sorry," I apologized, turning a nice shade of crimson. I was two for two so far today when it came to making a fool of myself.