Living with my mom and sister has always been hard, but not for the reason one may think. Cassandra is a pain in the ass, sure, but that I can deal with. When my mom is a surgically enhanced bimbo stripper, and my sister is a trashy slut with clothes that never leave much to the imagination, that's when things become complicated.
I was always a good kid. I never did anything wrong, really, except for when Cassandra roped me into something stupid. Unfortunately, this is the story of my sister roping me into something very stupid.
I got in the house and kicked my shoes off. I dropped my workout back and shoved it into a corner of the hall. I would deal with it later.
I caught the smell of wine as I entered the kitchen. Mom was sitting at the table, sipping out of a large glass with the nearly-empty wine bottle right next to her. Her gold wedding ring sat on the middle of the table, the metal tarnished to a dull shine after being worn for years.
I took the bottle and replaced it on the rack behind her. She glared at me, but I kissed her hair and rubbed her shoulders to calm her down. I knew how she could get sometimes.
"Thinking about Dad again?" I asked.
"You're late," she said. It sounded almost like an accusation.
"I just went to the gym after work."
"Ah."
I turned her chair with my strong hands so that she faced me. I took her hand in both of mine. "Mom, I'll never leave you or Cass. However long you need to get back on your feet, I'll give you. I think you should try and get out there more. Maybe meet another guy. We're not all that bad."
She wiped a tear from the corner of her eye and seemed to compose herself a bit. "I have a date, actually. This Friday."
"Hey, that's great! What's he like?" I smiled for her. Her once perfectly shining golden hair had turned matte and frazzled. Her once perfectly immaculate dress code had descended into sweatpants and tank tops. She still had that rocking bimbo body I'm sure Dad had loved, but her eyes were different. Just... empty. Like there was no one in there anymore.
I listened to her talk about her date for a little while. He was some businessman who she described as "nice" and "attractive", which could mean just about anything. At least, he could have some money. Supporting an entire family with just one job wasn't easy. My work at the hardware store paid decently, but to pay for the house and clothes and food I still needed to pick up some odd jobs here and there. Cassandra got some money in from university every now and then, but she refused to get a job as it would "interfere with her academic pursuits".
I made myself a sandwich and went upstairs. It was only eight, but I was just about ready to crash. As I came into the second-floor hallway, I stumbled over a trail of dirty clothes. I picked up a thong that had gotten tangled on my foot and threw it aside.
"Cass!" I called, with no response. "Cass, if you're not going to get a job you could at least clean up after yourself!"
Silence.
I should have left her to tend her own filth, but I couldn't stand a mess. I gathered up all the clothes off the floor and brought it into her room, ready to drop it all on her in dramatic fashion.
She wasn't in her room, however, so I just threw it in the hamper. Her entire room was a mess. Clothes strewn everywhere, old video game consoles and a PC hooked up with a myriad of wires crisscrossed on the floor. Even her bed was a disaster-a tangle of sheets with plates and cups stacked precariously on the edge.
The whole setup made my fingers itch. I contemplated cleaning it for her but decided against it. She was a grown woman-she could do this on her own, at least.
Before I turned to leave, I noticed that she had left her laptop open on the bed. An unassuming detail, but I happened to see what she had brought up on the screen.
Pictures. A lot of them. They were of... me. Some were me with my shirt off, showing my tight six pack. Others were of me bending over or in my underwear. I never remembered any of those being taken. Some had been shot through windows while I was in the yard or taken behind me.
'She's been taking these without me knowing,' I thought. 'But why? And why are they all so...'
A thought hit me. I didn't want to believe it.
'Does my sister... Does she have a thing for me? No. That's crazy. I better just forget about this. I'm sure it's just some elaborate way to tease me.'
I swallowed hard. I had caught her looking at me strangely sometimes, but I hadn't thought much of it. Hell, I looked at her weird sometimes too. She had that kind of body that was hard to keep your eyes off of, sister or not. I had certainly been cursed with such a good-looking family.
I left her room in a hurry and shut the door behind me. I didn't know what those photos meant, and I wasn't sure I wanted to know. I headed down the hallway towards my own room. I really needed some rest after... all that.
That was when Cassandra came out of the bathroom. I bumped into her and we both fell on the floor, me on top.