Chapter Text
A sigh escaped from her mouth.
Rachel brushed back a brown curl from her forehead, her lips pushing together in frustration. Her younger brother – her youngest brother – ran through the farmyard with one of her undergarments on the top of his head, laughing at her mortification. More specifically, the undergarment in question was the brand-new undergarment – a bra – bought by their mother due to the onset of puberty.
Sweat dripped down her skin, but a curse in Spanish slipped from her lips.
Lance, of course, continued laughing and running around like an idiot, his shirtless body glistening in the hot weather. Seemingly he didn't care what kind of image he presented, yet Rachel knew full well her younger brother hated thinking people looked down on him despite the fact many times the reactions from others were well deserved.
Such as now.
Rachel's hands clenched, her lips tightening painfully. Somehow the tears which threatened to fall didn't, yet in the back of her mind she knew – despite the fact Lance would claim she was being a big baby – that the tears which threatened to fall were from anger at her younger brother. She wanted so much to yell at him, if not outright cause bodily harm. The fact she'd gotten in trouble with her mother the last time she'd socked Lance despite the fact Lance overstepped personal boundaries like he did today didn't help.
"Oh, dear."
Hearing the sound of her older sister's voice distracted her. She turned and looked up at the geeky female. "Veronica."
"It looks like Lance is at it again."
"It's not as if you'll do anything about it." Rachel glanced away, frustrated with how her family did nothing regarding the baby in the family. Her hands clenched, her mouth twisting slightly. She definitely wanted to punch her baby brother; once she did, she would hide the undergarment and hope he never found it again. More importantly, she hoped her two older brothers wouldn't catch onto what was going on.
"Sounds like you need a distraction."
"What I need is for Lance to be less annoying."
"Well, there is that." Veronica watched Lance dash around the side of the house. "You do know if you don't let on that he's bothering you he will stop."
"That kind of feels like it misses the point."
"You mean the fact it misses the fact he is going to find other ways to bother you. That's what hermanos do."
"Meaning I should be able to get away with some of the things he does, but I don't."
"He's younger than you."
"He's not that much younger."
"He's also a boy."
"That's completely unfair."
"Okay. Why don't you come inside for a bit? I actually have something which will distract you from what Lance is doing?"
Rachel rolled her eyes, a sound of utter annoyance escaping from her young lungs. "Please tell me it's not cooking, or any other girly thing girls are expected to do because they're girls?"
"No. You won't find out unless you come inside."
Rachel reluctantly followed her sister inside. Despite Veronica telling her the task didn't involve cooking, they still ended up at the kitchen table. Her mouth twisted into a deeper frown, but her preteen arms folded across her chest in annoyance. Instead of bringing out cooking utensils, Veronica brought out tools for writing. "I'm not doing schoolwork, particularly when I'm supposed to be out of school for the summer."
"Don't worry. It's not schoolwork." Veronica smiled at her from behind her glasses.
Rachel's mouth twisted slightly, knowing how nerdy her sister was; the most likely task her sister planned for her involved some sort of geeky pursuit. "What is it?"
"The garrison is setting up a pen pal exchange for some of the younger family members of some of the garrison staff. I picked one out for you."
"You mean you're kissing up to them because you've just graduated the program and are now working there."
Veronica's mouth twisted into a frown. Her own arms folded across her chest, yet her facial features twisted in a manner that indicated she found Rachel's reaction a tad annoying. "No. I figured you'd like someone to talk to who isn't family."
"I've got my friends at school."
"Yeah, but you don't spend much time with them during the summer due to the fact you're stuck here on the farm. Added, this person is from a different country and from a different culture, so..."
"Sounds like you're trying to make me learn over the summer. I hate school. I'm only going to do enough to graduate."
"You don't want to do something with your life?"
Rachel didn't need to mull over that question long. "My options are pretty much getting married, help on the farm or get a job with the garrison. There is no way though I'd be able to get into the cadet program at the garrison."
"Rachel, you wouldn't know if you didn't try."
"What you really mean is you think you could pull some strings and get me in. I don't want to be the kid who is only there because of their older sibling."
Veronica let out a deep breath. She sat down at the table. "Are you sure you're only twelve? You're sounding very much like a snot-nosed teenager."
"That wasn't very nice."
"Let me guess. You're going to tell madre?"
"It's not as if telling her or papá will change anything."
"I think you undersell yourself. Let's put that aside though." Veronica pushed forth the paper. "You have the chance to ask a person of another culture anything you want about their culture but tell them whatever you find interesting about your own culture. Added, all the stuff you're not able to tell us, or at least feel like telling us you can tell them. How does that sound?"
"How does it sound?"
"Give it a try. You might actually like pen paling this person, but the person I picked for you – they don't get to see their older sibling that is at the garrison. Sure, there are visits and stuff, but it's not the same as our relation..."
"Okay. Stop trying to guilt-trip me. Don't be disappointed when this doesn't work out, or if Lance does end up finding some way of ruining it." Rachel let out a sigh and sat down at the table, taking the paper.
"So, your pen pal is named Ryo Shirogane. He's a couple of years younger than you."
"Boring."
"You won't know until you try, and you will try because you said you would."
"Fine." Rachel reluctantly picked up the pen.
Dear Ryo.
My name is Rachel. I am Hispanic. Specifically, I am Cuban. Yes, that's a big deal. I am a girl, but I don't like cooking and other girly things, though I do like dancing and fashion. What kind of dances and fashion do you have in your culture? What is your culture?
I heard you have an older brother at the garrison. My older sister is at the garrison as well. I have two older brothers as well. My younger brother is annoying, and I wish he'd die. He did something embarrassing today.
Rachel paused in her writing, placing a pen to her mouth. "Should I tell him? Telling him it was my bra is embarrassing, but..." She finished the letter out with, "He ran around with my underwear on his head."
Taking a deep breath, she looked up at Veronica. "Promise you won't read it?"
"I promise. It's not as if you could reveal garrison secrets, is it?"
"Not funny Veronica."