Younger Sibling Swap

-
At the sound of the doorbell Heidi scampered past her brother calling back

"It's for YOU!" giggling up the stairs as she raced for her room.

Mark, snapping back into the moment muttered "it better not be..." quietly to himself as as he tried to come up with a plan on his way to peek out the front window. Seeing it was just somebody canvassing for who knew what and quickly ducking back before following his sister upstairs to clean himself up.

Returning to the main floor from the laundry room Mark found his sister at the kitchen table eating some fruit and crackers while finishing up her homework. A large glass of juice sat beside the diary at the end of the table nearest him as he entered the room. Surprisingly he took up the glass and had several large gulps before asking

"For me" though making the query more of a statement finishing the contents while turning to rinse out the empty glass then depositing it in the sink.

Deeply enrapt in her work Heidi hadn't even responded and Mark saw his chance to end this torture. Back at the table he knew he couldn't write in the diary himself but then neither could she if he had it and she was no match for him if he simply grabbed it taking it from her now. After a calming breath he made his move!

But he didn't. He didn't move at all. He just stood there blinkingly staring at the book. Without noticing his sister putting down her pen deeply exhaling while brushing her hair back from her face and relaxing back as she spun in her chair standing up

"Well that was more difficult than it needed to be" gathering her homework pile pushing in her chair and popping the last cracker in her mouth on her way to the counter and placing empty bowl in the sink.

By this time Mark had simply reached out, opened the book and begun reading the latest page. His sister had been busy adding another page he began reading aloud after the shocking "Mark can read the diary, but not take it." sunk in. At least that explained why he was still standing here, the thought passing through his mind.

" Seriously " he said " You wrote 'Mark doesn't like Mom's panties or bras and wants his own. He asks me to go with him to the mall for help picking them out!' There is NO WAY I'm buying any of that stuff, who are you kidding??" exclaimed Mark in both disbelief and anger turning to his sister.

Smugness replacing Heidi's joyous giggles of gleeful laughter as Mark read her diary aloud she responded toyingly

"Well you did have a choice to pick Mom's didn't you? And YOU made the choice not to, didn't you? So now you can choose your own panties and bras, just keep peeing in the what you have now or go and get some of Mom's if you really want to start peeing in her panties too?" somehow appearing to be somewhat hopeful that might be it.

"You can't do this Heidi!" Mark's voice now beginning to raise in anger

"Oh??...What can't I do exactly??" which may as well have been 'Yes I can'

"MAKE PEOPLE GO AROUND PEEING THEIR PANTS!!!" Mark was shouting now no longer able to conceal his anger.

"OH I THINK WE BOTH KNOW SOMEBODY WHO HAS, LOT'S OF TIMES!!!" Heidi now meeting his anger with her own.

An eerie silence ensued their outbursts as Mark stood looking at his little drawn red faced sister standing shoulders hunched, tightly clenched fists held at her sides and her feet firmly planted on the linoleum of the kitchen floor. He knew full well she was talking about what he had often done to her before and several of the more and the less harmful things flashed through his mind as well. He only now at 18 getting a first glimpse of what a complete jerk he was and is to his only little sister and the living nightmare he had given her all her short life. This was currently a battle he couldn't win and as the adult in the room he would have to find another way to resolve all of this and begin fixing things between them. Partly of guilt , partly of understanding and somewhat now resigned Mark calmly responded

"All right...let me get my wallet..." nodding to his sister.

Almost stumbling over backwards in surprise

"Really???" eyes wide and fluttering, anger forgotten her whole posture relaxed. "I'll go get ready" she added excitedly, then asking

"Can we ride our bikes"

"Sure we can" Marked replied with a bit of a laugh "Maybe grab an ice cream on the way back..."

Heidi spun around dumbfounded, blinked twice then raced up the stairs "what just happened here??" she thought as Mark chuckling behind her followed up to his own room to prepare.