So here I am, holed up in my room until tomorrow, grounded like some little kid. I bet you are wondering why. Yeah, me too.

                            *           *           *              

We were having dinner – lasagne and garlic bread. Once again, Mom had been pulling out all the stops to try to get me eating. Haven’t really felt much like it lately. Anyway, it looked like slop. Made me feel sick! Dad had been chatting about work (yawn), Mom was chatting about Mrs Walker’s( next-door neighbour) varicose vein operation (Yeuch! Gross!) and then Frank told us he’s got the chance to go away for the week tomorrow to a computer course held at the university.

“How lovely!”

“How wonderful!”  my parents had cooed, fluttering over their precious firstborn. Mr-I’m-Always-So-Perfect! Made me want to puke!

“What do you think, Joe?” his voice was quiet, hesitant.

“Yeah. Whatever.”

“Oh. Okay.”

Ha! He’d been expecting me to shower down more praise. That had taken the wind out of his sails.

“Joe, aren’t you going to congratulate your brother? Not many students managed to get on that course.” My mother there, always trying to keep the peace, get us all living harmoniously, talking, sharing, group hugs – all that Walton’s family crap!

“Yeah. Well done. How much creeping did it take then? Please sir, look how good I am, sir. Aren’t I a clever boy, sir? I always do my homework sir. I always get A grades, sir.” Sycophantic scum! I was quite impressed by that, didn’t know I knew such long words.

“Joe”…A warning growl had come from somewhere on my right.  You can shut up too, I had thought to myself, you can talk to me, not growl at me.

“I was hoping you might be pleased for me”. My brother had looked quite crestfallen, twiddling his garlic bread. Had he really thought that I could be pleased at anything these days!?

“Well, got that wrong, didn’t you, big brother?” I spat venomously before scraping back my chair and hurtling out of the room to my bedroom.

Please don’t go……………please…………please