Sweetly & Home Economically ✔

The Penguin & The Golden Rule

~The Penguin & The Golden Rule~

~¤°*°*°*°¤~

By the time we made it home, my friends were already in their onesies and my dad was ready to get away from them. My mom and I hurried to our rooms to get changed for our evenings.

I put my hair into a side-ponytail just below my ear and pinned my bangs back to wash the makeup off of my face. After slipping my pink panda onesie over a tank top and a pair of shorts, I zipped it up and draped the hood over my head. With one last smile at my reflection in the mirror, I joined my friends in the living room.

Yvette was wearing her fox onesie, the color of the fleece matching her ginger hair perfectly. Jarod's was a penguin with a red bow tie. He waddled past me, giving me a fist bump on his way to the kitchen. Yvee stayed on the couch, so I collapsed beside her.

"Alright, children," my dad said, pausing to watch Jarod waddle slowly back to the couch.

He shook his head, closing his eyes for a second after Jarod sat down. My dad was used to our craziness, but Jarod often surpassed his expectations. My dear friend couldn't care less as he sipped loudly on his drink.

"As I was saying," my dad began again, but then he sighed. "Who am I kidding? I have nothing to worry about with you three."

"I am insulted, Mr. Hensley," Yvee expressed. "You should be very concerned about us getting into trouble."

He rolled his eyes. "Not when you still to this day call me mister."

"Sorry, Hensley. I'll try to do better." She gave him a sly grin and raised her fox hood to hide her face. She knew he hated to be called anything other than his first name because it made him feel old. She just loved to tease him about it.

"Abby, can't you exchange these two for new friends?"

I wrapped my arms around the two of them and pulled them closer to me. "No return policy. Besides, you love them like your own."

"Can't argue there," he begrudgingly admitted just as my mom stepped into the room. "Ready, Honey?"

In a simple but flattering black dress, she nodded and gave him a kiss. We complained, which unfortunately prolonged our torture. Then my mom slipped into her heels in the entryway while my dad held her hand to keep her balanced.

"Be good," she told us.

"Never," we all said at once. It was always our reply whenever they told us to be good. We waved as they left and waited until we heard the car pull out of the driveway.

"Now we party," I joked.

"Now we stuff our faces," Jarod added.

"Now we watch my movie because both of your choices suck," Yvette said.

I bristled, "Hey, I didn't pick my movie yet!"

"It's gonna suck."

Jarod bobbed his head in agreement with her.

I crossed my arms and sunk into the cushion. We may have been the very best of friends, but we didn't always have the same taste in movies.

"Your faces suck," I grumbled and got up to choose a movie from my collection. "Just for that, I should pick one I know you guys hate watching."

The groans of discontent started behind me. Since I had my back to them, they failed to see my smile. I did it on occasion out of playful spite--not without their revenge too--but I had no intention of doing so now. I raised the movie over my head to show them what I chose for the night.