Jim flicked the signal left as he merged onto Interstate 95 for the hour long drive to the Orlando Airport. His stepmom was working and Dad was on a business trip up north, so the task of picking up Erica had fallen to Jim. He was almost 20 and would be graduating from the local state college soon. For now, he was living at home until he decided what to do next. Erica was his stepsister; His dad had married Erica's mom, Rachel, nearly ten years earlier.
The family had always meshed well, with the exception of Rachel's contempt for Erica's free-spirited shenanigans. Despite Rachel's objections, Erica had chosen to accept a scholarship from an art college in Vermont. She was out of classes for spring break and had flown home to visit for a few days.
The family had made this trip many times throughout the years to pick up relatives, so getting to the terminal was no problem for Jim. Standing near the gate, he caught himself checking out a hot brunette in a Ron Jon's tank top, jean shorts and Converse high tops. Approaching Jim, she cocked her head to the side with a quizzical look on her face "Jim? You ok?"
Suddenly, Jim realized he had been eye-banging his own sister, and the thought disgusted and intrigued him in equal measure. "Wow, yeah, I'm just kinda still checked out from the drive. I'll definitely be ready for a nap when we hit the house."
Shifting her bag excitedly to her right shoulder and leaning in toward Jim, she asked "Have you got any on you?" acting a bit more cautious than was really warranted for the occasion. It was Florida, after all. "Not in a damn airport! But yeah, I got a couple J's in the car for the ride home."
Erica and Jim had always gotten along fairly well, with their bond growing stronger toward the end of their teenage years. When Erica had gone away, Jim missed her more than he had expected, and having her back home for a few days would be fun. The trip back home was filled with gossip, laughter, and plans for the week.
The family home was split level, with the "kids" bedrooms upstairs. Each bedroom had a French door leading to a shared balcony deck that jutted out over the space between the detached garage and the house.
Erica's old room had been largely untouched since she left. Rachel had filled the closet completely full of winter clothes, though. "Mom says she'll get those jackets out of there tonight." said Jim, setting her bag inside the door.
Erica did a little half twist on her toes, a bemused smile on her face. "I mean, they're fine in there, I really didn't bring much at all." It was true...you can definitely pack a lot lighter in Florida, and Erica was no stranger to that, having been raised on the coast.
"Welp, I'm gonna head on to my room now, if you need anything just tap." said Jim. "Ok, 'night...wait, you got a T shirt I could use for tonight? I've been in this thing way too long and I forgot to pack a sleep shirt." Erica said, sniffing her armpit and making a disgusted face. Turning aside, Jim said "I'll go find one and leave it on the railing." Squirming a little, Erica said "but I'm going to take a shower and I need it to get to my room."
Chuckling, Jim motioned for her to come in. "I wouldn't want to come out and have mom and dad freak out with me walking half naked around the house! Remember how they used to get so pissed at me? If I told them everything else, they'd both have a stroke!" she hooted as she strode toward the closet and began rifling through Jim's shirts.
"I figured if you and Dad could walk around in only underwear, I could too...Ooh can I do this one?" holding up a baggy well-worn Misfits shirt. "If you want I guess, I don't wear it anymore. You can just have it, really." Jim replied, hands in pockets. Erica folded the shirt over her arm and lightly punched Jim with her free hand. "Thanks, you're a pretty adequate little bro" she said, turning away down the hall to her room.
It was barely a whisper, but Erica heard it. "We all know about your walks, Erica." Jim didn't even really mean to say it, he just...did. Erica, rushing back to Jim with a puzzled and frantic look on her face, whispered loudly, half shouting "How did you know, and who's WE?!"
Jim shifted uneasily "Dad was actually the first one to catch you, said he was out on the garage one night sneaking a cig and he glanced out the window to see you walking down the driveway. You weren't doing it all the time, so he and Mom decided that it was an isolated thing I guess..."
Jim then related how he would set his alarm to wake up at 2:00 A.M., which seemed to be the regular schedule for her adventures. "I actually started following you from a distance because you would go farther and farther every time." Erica leaned awkwardly against the wall, as if trying gently to cover herself even more. Her eyes were downcast, face reddened in stark contrast to her pale skin that had always belied her native birthright.
After a moment, she looked up, teary-eyed and waved her hand dismissively "Well, I guess the whole family knows I'm like this now...they probably think I have mental problems." Chuckling, Jim said "well I mean you are pretty messed up..." An enormous snot bubble expanded from Erica's left nostril as she guffawed in that laugh-as-relief-from-trauma type of deal. Recoiling in mostly authentic disgust, Jim shouted "get back you sick freak!" which got her laughing even more, as she fell to her knees.
The dog barking downstairs broke the moment. A Buick SUV, Mom's car - was pulling in. Erica jumped up. "Shit! Somebody is with her! Tell them I'm in the shower and I'll be out soon." To which Jim replied sarcastically, "wow. that's scandalous. I'll just tell them you've become a full time nudist." Peeking her head out of the bathroom door, she shouted half jokingly, "You'd better not say anything, I can still beat your ass!"
Jim mused that yes, she probably still could. They had fought and hurt each other in the way that even blood brothers and sisters do...and yes, Erica had soundly defeated him in the vast majority of their conflicts.
But for a stepsister, she was pretty chill, and had always done the right thing when it came to her adopted brother. She enthusiastically delivered many ass-kickings on Jim's behalf when they were kids, and she was always athletic in a practical sort of way, having played team sports from elementary through high school.
Jim turned to go downstairs and heard the water come on in the shower. For a moment, his mind was filled with an image that was not entirely unwelcome. He opened his eyes wide, tousled his hair and continued down to welcome his parents and who ever else they had brought with them.
Coming around the corner, Jim was happily surprised to see his Aunt Cathy and her daughter, Melissa.
"Wow, I didn't even know you guys were coming!" exclaimed Jim, hugging each of them enthusiastically. Aunt Cathy and Mel were his favorite Aunt/Cousin, respectively.
"Actually, it was kind of a surprise." said Cathy "I had to take a few vacation days off or forfeit it, so I thought we'd drive down and see our favorite relatives." Cathy was an 80's kid who had done well in Real Estate, but now worked for a logistics firm.
Nobody ever explicitly stated it, but everyone knew that Cathy smoked weed. She had always been the cool, slightly unstable Aunt that kind of just did life her own way.
Melissa was 3 months older than Jim and also working toward her degree. She was a slim, quiet bookworm with a blue streak running through her sandy blonde hair. Her and Jim had always gotten along well; some would say a little too well.
Just then, Cathy looked around, asking about her niece "Erica made it in, right?" Rachel rolled her eyes and did a flourished wave in the air. "Who knows, that girl has always taken forever to get ready." Jim loudly interjected "and she still looks like shit when she finally comes down." Erica's voice boomed from upstairs "I heard that, you asshole!"
Rachel urges Jim and Melissa to the stairs. "You two go up there and get her to come down, it's still early enough to catch coffee and dessert somewhere close maybe."
She then turns to Cathy. "Also, you guys are staying here tonight. We have the spare bedroom and Mel can bunk with Erica" said Rachel sweetly but firmly. "I mean, we can get a room over on 26 no probl..." Cathy trailed off as Rachel shouted yet another threat at Erica.
Jim started up the stairs, followed closely by Mel. The shower was still running, so Jim just leaned against the wall. Melissa sat down cross-legged on the floor. They spent several minutes talking about the standard things, like school and work but then gradually shifted toward more suggestive topics. "So, should we continue where we left off last time?"
Just then, from the shower, Erica began singing "Ironic" in her best Alanis voice, and it was not the best, nor even good. They both started laughing; first at Erica, and then at each other's laughs. Soon they both had tears in their eyes and Mel had fallen forward on to her hands and knees to catch her breath.
They laughed and chuckled for the entirety of Erica's performance. After a long exhale, Mel crawled forward to Jim's feet and looked up at Him. Slowly rising to her knees, they locked eyes as she removed her hair band from her wrist and tied up her ponytail...
Jim, preoccupied, didn't notice Erica's head and shoulder sticking out from behind the bathroom door. "Is anybody around? Also, like did I just miss something?"
Mel jumped quickly to her feet, blushing considerably. Just then, a cacophony of laughter erupted from the living room, where Rachel and Aunt Cathy had found the wine and were updating each other on the local gossip for their respective towns.
"It looked like..." Erica started. Jim cut her off... "I know what it looked like, but it wasn't. We were rolling out here hearing you sing, and Mel was just getting up."
Erica shot them both a glance that could have meant anything from "I'm watching you two" and "I'm in if it happens."
It was not a big surprise that Erica stepped out in just a towel while holding the T-shirt loosely across her chest. She tiptoed over to the railing to check for potential threats. Satisfied that she wouldn't be spotted, she hung the shirt over the railing and confided "Wouldn't it be a trip if I just walked down there and acted like it was normal?" They all agreed, including Melissa, that Aunt Cathy would probably be super chill about it.
Turning to Melissa with her hand on her hip, Erica said "Jim told me like, an hour ago, that Mom and Dad know that I went on naked walks at night. I was so sure no one had seen me, but Jim said he used to follow me for miles."
Melissa clapped a hand to her mouth in genuine disbelief, and when she moved her hand, a smile was spread over her face. "Like naked naked?" she asked. Erica and Jim both nodded at the same time. "So your entire family knows that you're a public nudist, there's worse things, right?" she offered.
"I'm really hoping they'll think that I was just going through a stage..." Erica trailed off. Jim cocked his head "It was just a stage, right?" Erica, leaving the shirt on the railing, smiled coyly and spun around back toward the bathroom.
