“Stop what?” Louder.
“Yelling.”
“Jesus, I’m not yelling, robot boy. Quit judging.”
That was it. No one could push his buttons like Stefanie, who played him with the ease of a maestro without even trying. Any plan he might have had to keep cool instantly incinerated with those two words that transformed him back into the twelve-year-old standing in front of his sister’s closed door. He’d had enough of being her punching bag. “Have you considered the idea that it’s not me who’s judgmental? That you’re an asshole?”
“What did you call me?”
“You heard me. An asshole.”
“Oh, like you’re some angel.” Stefanie had never bothered with being the bigger person and he knew she wouldn’t be the one to deescalate this. Well, neither would he.
“At least I’m not a selfish loudmouth.”
“At least I’m not a petty, critical dickhead.”
“Me. Petty. That’s rich.”
“Yeah, you,” she said. “Like how you want to buy our parents appliances to bug me.”
“It’s not about you. And speaking of petty, what about when you went out of your way last Christmas to mess up all of the gifts under the tree that I put in the correct piles?”
“Because a tree is supposed to be fun! Not a Linnean classification. Also, wasn’t that the year you bought me a planner as a gift? And the book about the value of being a quiet introvert?”
“What about when you moved around my stuff all the time even though you knew it upset me? And made fun of me for wanting to play board games?”
“You said I wasn’t allowed to play because I wouldn’t understand the game. I could understand Settlers of fucking Catan but you loved to make me feel left out from you and Dad, like I was too annoying to fit in with you.”
Nico was in no mood to hear this and went back to his own grievances. “Like you loved making me feel left out from you and Kimmy and Mom? Remember that birthday party when you all went to get your nails done and left me at home?”
“I wasfifteen.” She paused. “Is this what you’re upset about? This is kids’ stuff.”
“It’s not kids’ stuff. You’re doing it again with this anniversary.”
“Doing what?”
“Leaving me out.”
“You’re leaving yourself out! God, grow up. None of that was a big deal.”
“It’s a big deal to me!” He hadn’t realized he was almost yelling into the phone until he heard his voice echo in the office.
“You’re joking. You’re going to torpedo our parents’ anniversary because your fee-fees got hurt as a kid?”
Nico could feel his temperature rise at her mocking tone. “No, because, as I said, you’re an asshole. You do whatever you want and expect me not to care. You always have.”
“If that’s what’s bugging you, why didn’t you say so in the first place instead of pretending it’s about the anniversary?”
“You should have known!”
“How? Why?”
Because you’re my sister.But he said nothing and Stefanie, caught in her own grievances, barreled on.
“Let me get this straight. You think I should have known that you’ve been upset about something, apparently for years,” she said slowly. “That it’s my problem for not reading your mind when notonce did you think you should do the same for me. Because this is all my responsibility.”
He didn’t reply because although that’s what he thought, hearing her say it felt like something was missing.
