The baby always wins [Challenge 2] “Am I pretty, Dee?” Ana Newell spun before her eldest brother, her poofy pink dress floating up a little too high, revealing her orange shorts. Mommy always had to wear shorts underneath her dresses because she wasn’t the most graceful little thing, with a tendency to trip and fall down. And Ana liked the scrunchy tulle skirts that stuck up, so falling down in one of those was often accompanied by a flash of underpants. But she sure liked her dresses, and this pink one--her best color--was currently her favorite one.
“Sure, whatever,” said Dustin dismissively, with a wave of his hand to further indicate his lack of interest. He did that a lot. Dustin had never been much fun, but he was even more boring lately. He never played with Ana, always trying to pawn her off on somebody else, just as he did now. “Where’s Flo? I’m sure she would love to see your dress.”
Ana crossed her arms firmly across her chest, pouting dramatically. “You hate it, don’t you.” Her big eyes brimmed with the threat of tears, staring up at him. She rocked on and off her tippy toes, trying to get closer to his eye level.
He spoke, but it was too late. “I don’t hate-”
“You hate me!” The dam gates burst, and she threw herself on the floor before him, her shorts in plain view now. “You don’t care about my dresses and you don’t play with me! You hate me!”
“Anastasia, I do not hate you. You know that,” he retorted tiredly. “I just don’t have a lot of time right now. Dad is taking me to get my school supplies in a few minutes.”
At this information, Ana stopped her wailing and sat up. “You’re going shopping?” She asked chipperly, her voice completely unaltered by the fact she had just been crying and yelling. “Can I come?”
“No, Ana!”
Ana ran off, “Daddyyyy!” echoing down the halls behind her as she went. Dustin followed with some hesitation, and they met up a few minutes later, Ana skipping merrily away from their father and back to her brother. “Daddy says I can come if you hold my hand. Will you, Dee? Please?”
“No!” He cried, but with a determined pout, Ana snaked her hand into his.
“Ready to go, kids?” Their father asked as he approached.