Sadie

You’re sprawled out on your bed, scrolling aimlessly through your phone, when you hear the door swing open without a knock. Your heart skips a beat just as Sadie bursts in, full of energy as always. Before you can even think of reacting, she leaps onto the bed like a tiny tornado, immediately wrapping herself around you like she’s got some claim to your space. Her small body hits you with a force that feels familiar—because, well, this is Sadie. You don’t even have a second to breathe before she’s practically sitting on top of you, head tucked into your side and one leg draped across your stomach. She’s acting like it’s the most natural thing in the world. "Hi big bro!" she chirps, her voice high-pitched and playful, like you're her favorite person in the world (which you are, obviously). “What are you doing? You’ve been in here forever!” She shifts closer, practically squeezing you in her little bear hug. "You hiding from Mom again?" *she adds, her voice dropping into that sweet, teasing tone she always uses. "Or are you just being all mopey again?"🥰

Goddammit, Sadie... You’re not in the mood for this right now. You’d love nothing more than some peace and quiet, but as always, she’s relentless. You try to squirm out from underneath her, but she just giggles and holds you tighter like she’s glued to your side.

“Sadie, I’m fine,” you mutter, half-heartedly trying to push her off. “I’m just... thinking, okay? No big deal. Now, please, get off of me.”

“No way!” She pouts, clearly not getting the hint. She shifts even closer, wrapping her arms around you like she’s some sort of human clamp. “But, are you sure?” She looks up at you with those damn puppy eyes of hers, the ones that always seem to make you feel like she can read your entire mind. “You’re acting all weird. I can tell when you're upset, you know. You don’t fool me!”

Oh, fuck me. She’s relentless. Her arms tighten around you, and now there’s no escaping it. Sadie isn’t going anywhere until you tell her what’s going on, and you know it.

“Come on, you know I’m not leaving until you tell me what’s wrong,” she says, her voice softer now, dropping the playful tone as she looks at you like she’s genuinely concerned. “You can talk to me about anything. I’m your little sister, remember? I’ll always take care of you!”

Goddammit, why is she so damn stubborn? You can feel your resolve start to crack under her pressure. It’s hard to stay mad at her when she’s this persistent—this sweet and, at the same time, impossibly annoying. You try to look away, but her eyes are still locked on you, like she’s waiting for you to spill your guts. I swear, if she doesn’t let go in like five seconds...

“Sadie,” you say, your voice a little softer now, the frustration leaking out as you give in a bit. “It’s really nothing. I’m just thinking too much about stuff, that’s all.” Sadie tilts her head, not buying it for a second. That look she gives you says everything: she’s unconvinced and not letting up. She raises an eyebrow and gives you that playful smirk, the one that makes her look like she knows she’s got you cornered.

“Well, you know I’m way cooler than you,” she teases, still holding you tight, like she’s never going to let you go. She shifts a little closer, her arms tightening around you. “But that doesn’t mean I don’t care. Sooo... talk to me. What’s up?” Fuck. You roll your eyes internally but know deep down you’re probably going to cave anyway. She’s stubborn as hell, and the longer you try to push her off, the worse it gets. She’s got this way of making you spill without even realizing it. Okay, okay. You can’t keep pretending forever, right?

(Now, even as the narrator, I'm wondering... What’s really going on with you? What’s up in your head? Come on, don’t leave me hanging! Sadie’s not going to give up until you spill... What’s your move?)

(Now, even as the narrator, I'm curious. Come on, spill the beans! What's up with you?)

You’re leaning against your locker, trying to mind your own business, zoning out, when you hear that unmistakable sound—the laughter. It’s a sound you know all too well. You don’t even need to look up to know it’s her—Sadie. You roll your eyes before you even see her. Great. Just what you need right now. You can hear her before she even says anything. Of course, she’s going to make a scene.

“Big broooooo!” Her voice rings out in that dramatic sing-song tone she uses every damn time, like you’re some sort of prize that everyone has to know about. Your stomach churns a little, but you don’t let it show. You’re already regretting that you’re the one stuck in this goddamn awkward moment. You’d been having a decent day until now, but here she is, drawing attention like she owns the fucking school.

You finally look up, and sure enough, Sadie’s bouncing toward you like she’s in some sort of music video, her platinum blonde hair practically glowing under the fluorescent lights. And of course, her little entourage is right behind her—Lena, Mia, Chloe, Zoe, and Emma—all trailing after her, laughing and gossiping like they’re the royalty of the school. They’re clearly enjoying the show, the little sideshow that is Sadie and her nobody older brother.

Before you can even brace yourself for what’s coming, Sadie wraps herself around you in one of her big, dramatic hugs, practically knocking you off your feet in the process. She’s doing this on purpose, you’re sure of it. The entire hallway’s attention is now on you two, and you can hear Mia, one of her friends, whispering loudly enough for you to hear, “Aww, that’s so cute,” but with an unmistakable edge of mockery in her voice. That makes your face heat up, and your body goes stiff. The last thing you want is to be stuck here in front of these people.

Sadie, oblivious as always, pulls away just enough to look up at you with that shit-eating grin plastered on her face. The kind that makes her look like she’s winning at life or something. “What’s up, big bro? You miss me or something?” she teases, her voice dripping with playful smugness that makes you want to strangle her. You’d love nothing more than to shake her off and escape, but, well... here you are.

Oh, for fuck’s sake. You think, trying to hold back a sigh. Can’t she just leave you alone for five minutes?

Without giving her a chance to keep pushing her cute little act, you snap and grab her by the collar of her jacket, lifting her off the ground with ease. Her eyes go wide with surprise, and you can practically feel her scramble to figure out how to react. There’s a split second of shock before she lets out a little gasp, but she doesn’t try to fight you.

“Did you do your homework?” you ask, deadpan, barely hiding your amusement at the sheer absurdity of the situation. She's trying to act like the perfect little princess in front of her friends, but you know exactly how to knock her down a peg.

Sadie’s face falters for a moment as she stammers, the cool confidence she usually wears slipping a little. “Uh… yeah! I just… uh… got distracted, okay?” Her voice wavers, clearly scrambling to come up with some sort of excuse that you’re not buying. “You know, life happened.”

You cut her off before she can dig herself any deeper. “Not good enough,” you deadpan, holding her there. The tension in the air is thick, and you know she’s not getting away with this so easily. “What would you do if I didn’t tell Mom and Dad?” For a moment, Sadie goes completely silent, eyes flicking to her friends, who are now watching her like a bunch of vultures, eager to see how she handles this. Lena, Mia, Zoe, and Emma are all hanging on her every move, arms crossed, hands on their hips, looking like they’re expecting some sort of spectacle.

Sadie looks back at you, clearly flustered now. She can’t come up with anything that fast, and she knows it. The silence drags on before she blurts out, cheeks pink with embarrassment, “I’ll… I’ll make it up to you! I’ll buy you lunch tomorrow, or let you pick the movie this weekend, I swear!” You let her down slowly, watching as she brushes off her jacket like she’s trying to save face in front of her friends. But the damage is done. Her friends are still watching, some snickering under their breath, others trying to hold in their laughter. You cross your arms and lean back slightly, your job here done.

What a fucking mess this is.

Sadie’s face contorts into something between annoyance and surrender as she glances back at her friends, who are still watching the whole thing unfold like it’s some sort of live reality show. Zoe and Mia are whispering to each other, clearly entertained by your handling of this. Lena’s got her eyebrow raised, like she knows exactly what’s going on. Emma, who’s been mostly quiet, finally cracks a smile. Sadie gives you a sheepish look, clearly caught, but still trying to save whatever dignity she has left. “Okay, okay, you win. You get one reward, big bro. Don’t make it weird, alright?” she says, forcing a smile, but you can see the hesitation in her eyes. Yeah, right. You can make it as weird as you want, because you’re in charge now.

(What are you going to do with your reward, huh?)