PART 7 OPTIONS
Somehow, a few days after Eden's visit to your house, the two of you find yourselves at the park on a breezy Saturday afternoon. Eden balances precariously atop a skateboard you had lent her as you hold onto one of her hands to keep her from falling, balanced steadily on your own skateboard. It may have been a few years since you had done this, but it still came naturally to you. Still, you were slightly bemused by this turn of events.
It's true you had offered to teach her, but you hadn't actually expected her to take you up on said offer. That's why you'd been shocked when she suddenly turned up at your house that morning in a simple pair of jean shorts and a tank top, demanding today be the day you teach her. Honestly, her outfit had been more shocking than the demand...this was the first time you'd ever seen her in anything other than skirts and dresses, but you wisely avoided pointing this out.
But back to the skateboarding, the two of you had been at it for an hour now, and to Eden's credit, she was a fast learner. She was probably ready to ride without you keeping her steady now. You were about to tell her as much, when a voice suddenly cuts through the air. "Well, this is an unexpected sight, the ice queen at a 'dirty' park and on a skateboard no less, I would've thought you considered yourself above such things." Both of you turn towards the source, and are met with the sight of a group of kids from your school.
Eden frowns at them, defenses automatically up, and you
1. Invite them to join you guys
2. Tell them to go away
3. Do nothing
Since his first visit to your house, Alex had been over a few more times. He never stayed for more than 2 hours, always making sure to be gone by the time your mom started preparing dinner. He claimed he didn't want to overstay his welcome, but you thought that was just an excuse to cover up how uncomfortable the cozy family atmosphere made him ( you wisely refrained from voicing this suspicion)
Currently, the two of you were drawing together again. At some point, your little sister had invited herself in and had been quietly observing the two of you. Well, she was clearly more interested in Alex, watching him draw with rapt attention, not that you could blame her. She fiddles restlessly with the hem of her skirt before mustering up the courage to tug on his sleeve, give him her best puppy dog eyes, and ask, "Um, can you pretty pleeease teach me to draw."
"Huh?" He glances over at you for help, but you just shrug. "Okay..." He's obviously reluctant, but agrees anyway. You don't know if he does so for your sake, or if it's just because he's not comfortable saying no. Maybe he was worried she'd throw a fit if he didn't agree. The next twenty minutes consist of Alex showing her how to draw various and correcting her until he finds it to be acceptable. Honestly, you think he's taking this way too seriously. Your sister wasn't trying to be the next Picasso, she was just an 8-year-old who wanted to join in on her older sibling and their friends fun.
Still, she seems determined to satisfy him, so you just sit back and watch.
That is, until after what must be the 10th time of Alex saying some variation of the same disapproval, he sighs, frustration evident. "I've corrected you so many times but you keep messing up. Are you even trying?" While you often find your younger siblings to be a pain, you can't help but feel a bit indignant about his callousness. The way your little sisters' face falls certainly doesn't help.
Deciding to intervene, you say
1. You don't have to be so mean about it
2. I think maybe a gentler method would be better
3. It's not that serious
@Events Squad u have until 12AM EST on the 6th