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Sven was 12, and his parents told him ‘no’ again.
A new ice-cream parlour had opened a few days ago, and he really wanted to go.
He had heard that this new parlour had a lot of different ice-cream flavours, and everyone was raving about how life-changingly delicious it was.
He was desperate to see what all the hype was about.
But, like with everything else, his parents didn’t agree to it.
They said that ice-cream certainly wasn’t a priority when exams were on the horizon, and if he really wanted it, then he’d have to do well on his tests.
Sven didn’t care about the grades.
He excelled naturally at school anyway. Getting top As would be a breeze.
What he couldn’t handle was the time.
Exams ended a whole week from now. There was no way he could wait that long!
He could’ve asked his aunts - he was their first nephew and they adored him - but they were out of the country for a vacation in Korea.
So, way too impatient and craving the sugar, he went to bother the closest thing to a third parent.
“Hell no.”
Her answer was piercingly sharp, popping Sven’s optimistic bubble before he could even finish explaining his master plan.
“C’mon Scar! Dad’s always busy in his office and Mom’s on a trip for another photoshoot. Sneaking out would be a breeze.”
“Simon’s gonna snitch.”
Of course Simon was the deciding factor.
“Pfft! We don’t have to take him - he’ll never even know we're gone.”
“We’re not leaving Simon alone in the house. Do you know how upset they’ll be at me if they were to ever find out about something like that?”
“They’ll never know. Like I said, easy peasy outing. We can make it quick.”
“I’m being serious, Sven. My answer is no. Go bother someone else with your useless problems.”
With a finality, Scarlet turned on her heels and went to her room, leaving Sven in the hallway to roll his eyes and sulk.
He made a big show, huffing and kicking at the carpet before slamming his bedroom door.
Stupid Scarlet.
His plan was flawless.
Sneak out of the house with some cash, walk to the ice cream parlour, buy the ice-cream, eat the ice-cream, and head back.
It was ridiculously simple.
But Scarlet had said no, going into her room to…study and come up with insults to say to Tanya or something.
Well…
Well…he didn’t need Scarlet’s permission!
Sven was almost a teenager himself, he could do this on his own!
It’s not like anyone would realize he’s gone, anyway.
Sven was all set in a matter of minutes.
He changed into some casual wear and took all of the very limited money he had saved.
He flicked his lights off, and turned on his console and put on a game, making sure the music was loud enough for Scarlet to hear if she came out of her room.
Operation Ice-Cream was a go.
With a practiced ease, he kept his footsteps light, closing his door silently and creeping down the stairs.
He checked beforehand - Simon was reading in his room, and Dad was in his office.
Still, he was sensible to exercise some caution, landing at the ground floor and moving to the storage room.
He moved through memories forgotten by time, the room itself feeling too dusty and stagnant for his liking.
In his excitable haste, he almost knocked down a box, quickly moving to steady it.
Glancing at the contents inside, he managed to see two framed photos.
One of them depicted only his parents.
They both had smiles for the photo, standing close together. They looked younger, and he noticed the lack of a second ring on his Mom’s finger. This was when they were engaged.
But Sven found that the photo looked…off.
His parents looked stiffer, their smiles seemed disingenuous, and the picture itself had a cold feeling he couldn’t describe for the life of him.
It didn’t look like the many photos of his parents around the house, that was for sure.
The second picture was from a while ago, when Sven was barely a toddler from the looks of it.
Simon was wrapped in a swaddle, gently held by Mom. Dad was off to the side, placing a steady hand on her shoulder while his other seemed to herd both other siblings into the picture frame.
Sven discarded all that information. They have a ton of pictures all with the same thing.
What caught his eye, however, was Scarlet. More specifically what she was holding.
A black cat plush, with a pink nose and green eyes.
She held it securely, the plush toy’s curled tail hanging limply.
…
Huh.
Sven had no recollection of that toy.
Sure, he’s seen his older sister with her Barbie dolls when they were kids, but he swore he’s never seen that cat plush before.
Well, that doesn’t matter to him.
He blinked, almost sneezing from the dust. He needs to stop getting sidetracked like this.
He finally got to the back of the room, unlatching and sliding open the window.
The fresh afternoon air was a welcome change from the stuffy room, and he immediately climbed out to be embraced by the summer sun, making sure to leave the window slightly ajar so he could get back in.
Hopping down to the neatly cut grass, he took a moment to appreciate the exhilaration he felt.
He hadn’t had the time to sneak out in a while.
He soaked up the adrenaline and the freedom like he was doing this for the very first time.
Essentially getting the hardest part of the easy plan done, he climbed over the gate, making sure to not be in front of any of the windows.
Ice-cream parlour, here he comes.
His heart beat excitedly as he walked, still feeling the childlike adrenaline of breaking the rules.
The colours seemed brighter than the one-note paint of his house, the uneven grass brushing against his shoes.
Distantly, he thought about college.
He hoped it was something like this.
Away from the restrictions of his parents, able to go around and do whatever he wanted, whenever he wanted.
He could buy stuff and eat as many waffles as he wanted for breakfast and do whatever else adults could do!
Yeah.
That sounded nice.
The bell jingled softly as he stepped inside, seeing a few customers already.
He felt himself shiver a bit, already wishing he at least brought a longer sleeved shirt.
Whatever.
He could just eat the ice-cream outside.
Sven confidently walked up to the counter, inspecting the different ice-cream flavours.
They admittedly all looked good, almost every one a different fun combination he wanted to try.
He hummed, stuck on trying to make a decision as the worker finished with the customer in front of him.
The lady looked surprised to see him, and glanced around.
“Hey, kiddo. Where are your parents at?”
Sven blinked, focusing on the ice-cream lady in front of him.
“Uhh…they’re waiting for me outside.”
The lady seemed to take that as a reasonable answer, and quickly moved on.
“All right then. What do you want, little man?”
Sven glanced down at his options, rubbing the back of his neck.
“A scoop of cookie dough and another scoop of raspberry, please.”
“Cup or cone?”
“Um. Cone is good.”
He liked to eat the cone with his ice-cream, liking the taste and texture it added. Although, Mom often commented on his messiness whenever he ate it.
Mom wasn’t here right now, he could be as messy as he liked.
He watched excitedly as the lady scooped up the two delicious-looking scoops of ice-cream into a large cone.
He reached out for it, but paused when she named a price.
Sven made a face, stuffing his hands in his jean pockets and digging for his cash. When he brought his hands up again, the amount was significantly less than he originally thought.
All the 10 dollar bills he thought he had were actually just singles, and suddenly, he found himself unable to fully pay for his ice-cream.
Only three dollars short too!
Why was this place so expensive?!
Adopting a meek expression, he handed up his money, looking down in mock shame.
“I’m sorry, Ma’am, but this—“
The extra three dollars he needed slid neatly across the counter, and it took him a moment to process Scarlet right next to him.
And Simon.
The lady handed him his ice-cream cone after collecting the money, but Scarlet didn’t even spare him a glance, moving to look at the flavour options.
“Two scoops of strawberry and one mocha caramel and one coffee flavour, in two separate cups please.”
Sven tentatively licked at his dessert as Scarlet assertively ordered, paid, and received both ice-creams like clockwork.
He shrank a bit when she finally turned her eyes to him, seeing the hostility flashing in her startlingly bright eyes.
“Let’s go outside. It’s cold here.”
The siblings sat under an oak tree by the pavement, silently eating their respective ice-creams.
The moment was peaceful.
Quiet.
…
Too quiet for Sven’s liking.
“You’re mad at me, aren’t ya?”
Scarlet didn’t look up from her ice-cream, and he didn’t know what to make of that.
“I knew you’d try something stupid like this.”
Was the only response he got.
She sounded exasperated, her tone tinged with annoyance.
He shot a glance at Simon, he was engrossed in his book as he slowly ate his dessert.
“Uh…is Dad gonna find out?”
“Obviously not, or we’re all getting in trouble.”
Scarlet was snappy as usual, but there was something harsher about her tone that set him a bit on edge.
“How’d you convince him not to snitch?”
“I’m right here, y’know.”
Simon deadpanned, looking up from his book.
Sven only shrugged apologetically and grinned.
“Simon was craving it, so he won’t tattle this time.”
“Hey! I’m not a tattle tail.”
“Sure ya aren’t, little bro.”
Sven chimed in, messing his face a bit as he bit into the cone.
Simon looked offended, but Scarlet groaned, holding out a tissue.
“Seriously, Sven. You’re almost a teenager and you still eat like an actual 5 year old.”
Sven rolled his eyes, but accepted the napkin nonetheless, wiping his face.
For once, he didn’t shoot back with a comment of his own, leaning against the tree trunk.
He heard the whistle of the soft wind, the ambience of the busy pedestrians as they walked by, the distant jingle of that bell.
He glanced at his siblings, and then looked up at the cloudless blue sky.
…
“…You scared me. Idiot.”
The admission was so soft it almost carried soundlessly into the breeze.
But Sven heard it.
He slowly turned to Scarlet, observing as she picked at the wild grass at their legs.
“I…didn’t think you’d check.”
He stumbled a bit, still caught off guard.
“Of course I did. I’m not your older sister for nothing. I know you and your stupid plans.”
Scarlet’s head was tilted down, her hair obscuring her expression, but her annoyed tone gave way to something that almost sounded like a mix of both concern and relief.
There was a period of silence between the pair.
Simon glanced up, clearly listening, but he let things play out on their own.
Scarlet picked a small white flower, twirling it around idly.
“Don’t ever do this dumb shit again, you understand me?”
On a normal occasion, Sven would roll his eyes and mutter a half-assed ‘yes Scarlet’. This time, he raised his brow curiously, hearing the new vulnerability in her tone.
He waited, but she said nothing more, crushing the flower in her palm and throwing it aside.
Sven relaxed against the trunk once more, finishing up his ice-cream.
Another period of silence dominates the moment, but Sven doesn’t feel on edge this time. In fact, there’s something almost peaceful about things now.
He glanced at his sister one last time, watching her eat her ice-cream. Neat, tidy, back straight, even spoonfuls.
He sighed, turning away and watching the cars on the distant highway.