Sister's Sweet Six-er, Nineteen
Small Bargain - Definitive Edition
chapter 4
by
slappy
When Jade woke up this morning, she knew she should have been feeling happy. Today was her birthday and she was going to have a good time with her friends, her mom, and her aunt Rebecca. Plus, she was going to have so much delicious food, from the pancakes her mom was making for breakfast to the chocolate birthday cake her aunt was going to bring over. What more could a girl want for her nineteenth?
As Jade got dressed after taking a shower, however, she couldn't shake the feeling of emptiness inside her. There was one person who wouldn't be here for her birthday: her brother. Sadly, Blake was too busy with his studies at university to make it. Jade was disappointed when he told her, and now his absence was making it hard for her to enjoy her special day.
Jade stared at her reflection in the mirror while wearing her favourite green crop top and blue jean shorts - an outfit that she always felt showed her curves off nicely - and her eyes were drawn to her exposed midriff. While Jade wasn't a chubby girl by any means, her recent eating habits had given her a bit of a pudgy belly. Claire used to put her on a strict diet to try and get rid of that pudge, but she and Blake were able to get her to ease up a bit. Jade appreciated having her brother in her corner, even if her way of showing it was to tease him about liking her cute belly.
A rumble from Jade's belly reminded her that there was a stack of pancakes with her name on it. She silently resolved to try and enjoy today as much as she could even without Blake, and then she left her room and headed downstairs. On her way, however, she spotted a cardboard box with green and blue stripes on the coffee table in the lounge. Since Claire was still busy cooking, Jade went to inspect the box. She kneeled down to read the label and a faint smile formed on her lips. It told her to open the present now even though Blake wouldn't be there. Figuring that her brother must have known he would be too busy to make it, Jade lifted the lid off of the box.
When four tiny guys looked up at her from inside the box and shouted "Surprise!" Jade let out an involuntary "Oh!" before covering her mouth. It was then that she noticed that one of the tiny guys was her brother! Behind her hand, Jade's smile widened. Now that she had the one thing her birthday was missing, she couldn't be happier.
"What was that, Jade?" Claire asked from in the kitchen. As Jade took her hand away from her mouth, it dawned on her that letting her mother see the four shrunken boys might not be a good idea.
"Oh, um, nothing! Just getting kinda hungry!" Jade shouted back to her mom.
"Well don't worry, pancakes are almost ready!"
"Thanks, mom! You're the best!" Satisfied that Claire was none the wiser, Jade turned her attention back to the four tiny guys in the box. "Holy shit, Blake, this is the best birthday present ever!" she whispered giddily before picking Blake up and giving him a giant kiss. She then picked up her brother's miniature friends in her other hand and lifted them up to her face. "Oh wow, we're gonna have so much fun! Just gotta make sure my mom doesn't see you guys like this."
Jade knew she would have to make her decision quickly. The pancakes her belly growled in anticipation of would be ready any minute now, and Claire would expect her in the kitchen as soon as they were. Where would be the best place to hide four shrunken boys, including her brother? At least until she could go back to her room to enjoy her birthday present in private?
"I know!"