#the garcias

Stole her toys? Just to see her get mad.

Steal the backyard swing she was running towards? Oh yeah.

Tugged at her hair? Every day.

Messing with her was his favourite thing to do,

Because he loved seeing her flustered and mad,

But he also loved knowing she was stuck with him for life,

Just like he was stuck with her.

As they grew, their roles shifted.

It was Mari's turn to drive him crazy.

"What are you so dressed up for?" She asked one morning.

The two were in the kitchen, eating breakfast before school.

"What do you mean?"

"Look at you," Mari said, smirking.

Gabe wasn't wearing his usual baggy jeans, beanie, and jacket.

He was wearing a nicer shirt,

Clean black jeans,

And shoes without holes in them.

Mari's eyes sparked up. "It's for a girl, isn't it?"

"Oh my God, Mari."

"It is!" Mari beamed. "I knew it."

"Shut up," Gabe groaned, grabbing his bag and heading out the door.

He'd skip breakfast that day.

Anything to get away from Mari for a second.

Mariana could read Gabe like a book.

She almost always knew what he was thinking.

Almost always.

One day when doing the dishes, Gabe tossed an ice cube down the back of Mari's shirt.

She squealed and jumped,

Soap bubbles going everywhere,

Before she turned and glared at her older brother.

He smirked and scurried away,

Leaving her to clean up the mess.

Despite the hijinx, they were always around and there.

Given their family life, they needed to be.

A messy divorce,

Dad getting a new girlfriend,

Another wedding,

And a step-mom.

It was too much sometimes.

Sometimes they just needed to be.

"Hey," Gabe said,

Knocking on Mari's door and letting it creak open.

Mari was laying on her bed,

Knees curled into her chest,

Scrolling mindlessly through her phone.

Gabe raised a brow. "You okay?"

Mari glanced at him,

Hesitated,

Then dropped her phone on her mattress and shook her head.

He closed the door as quietly as possible,

Scooting inside,

And sitting on the floor in front of her.

Mari raised a brow back at him.

Gabe smirked. "What, you think I don't want to know?"

"Yeah,"

Gabe snorted.

Gradually, his face melted into something more sincere.

More understanding.

"I'm always down to hear some good gossip."

Mri gave a meek smile, knowing he was right.

Gabe loved to hear a good, juicy story.

"It's been a hard day."

"Why?"

Mari closed her eyes and sighed, burying her nose into her pillow.

"Kate."

Gabe blinked. "What's wrong with Kate?"

"She's being all 'mom-ish' again."

"Is that bad?"

"No," Mari sighed. "That's the problem."

Finally, she was willing to lock eyes with her brother again.

She could see the confusion in his eyes.

"I feel bad that I don't want her to. I want our, mom. But I know that it isn't possible."

She looked away again, watching Gabe's foot bounce.

"I don't want change."

Gabe gave a sappy smile. "I get it," he sighed, "I feel the same."

Mari looked back up at her brother.

She immediately felt the stress release from its hold on her chest.

"It's okay to feel bad about it. It's okay to feel it."

He offered her a meek smile.

"It's only human."

Mari didn't know how, but Gabe could be both the most annoying person on the planet,

And her favourite,

All at the same time.

He just got her.

She just knew him.

They needed that now more than ever.