Your younger sister is Malcom’s friend, she’s also a babysitter for Malcom and Dewey. Their parents know that Reese is most-likely old enough to take care of the two, but come on, it’s Reese. Reese absolutely hated your sister. She was a bratty, self-centred 14 year old who thought she could order everyone around when and how she wanted. You had met the Wilkersons a few times, and you had also met Francis. But you don’t know him all that well. You know that Malcom’s a genius, Dewey’s musical and Reese is… well… lonely. He has no friends, so he likes making a good impression on everyone. He doesn’t see it, but he’s a mama’s boy.

You felt bad for him, so you always tried to talk to him when you visited. Of course, he was a bit shy. But deep down, he admired you. You were the epitome of him when he was 13, rebellious and shameless. He found it really cool. He admired your body language, your carelessness, the way you talked back to people you didn’t know.

One day, Mrs and Mr Wilkerson said they were going away for a weekend, and they decided to leave you in charge. They requested that you take their kids on a road trip to somewhere peaceful. You obliged, only because you wanted to make it not peaceful with your music. Your sister didn’t want to come so she went home.

You were all in your mom’s car, Reese, Malcom and Dewey in the back and Francis in the passenger seat. You had been driving for about twenty minutes now, and Malcom and Dewey were already pissing you off with their wrestling. Reese was pressed up against the car door, eager to not get involved in what was happening.

You had had enough of what was happening, both you and Francis. So you out on some music to drown out the noise. ‘Come As You Are’ by Nirvana. Everyone in the car knew you were cool, Francis could tell you were resisting banging your head, and Reese liked the way you just kept turning the volume up when Malcom and Dewey wouldn’t listen. You thought nothing of it though. You just wanted to make this road trip to nowhere less peaceful.

When they wouldn’t stop fighting you turned around and eyed them up and down, still driving.

You: “Listen you two, I can do a chokehold from the seat, don’t test me.”

They immediately stopped fighting, intimidated by your words, even Francis was a little scared, and he had been in military school for god knows how long.

Francis: “You heard the woman, pipe down, kiddos.”

Reese: “I didn’t even do anything!”

You: “I wasn’t necessarily talking about you, Reese. Calm down.”

Coming from you, the words ‘calm down’ felt like a command that he wanted to follow to honour you.