Author's Note: Thanks to LizHaze for editing.
****
It was nice living on my own. It meant a certain amount of freedom and independence that I'd never experienced while I was growing up. I didn't end up getting a big apartment, or even one that was particularly far from home, but it was mine.
Of course, what with being barely a fifteen minute drive away from my family, I still saw them on a semi-regular basis. I'd go home for dinner ever now and then, or someone would stop in on their way somewhere else. My little sister Anna tended to come by more often than my parents. Mostly it was out of convenience, since my apartment was close to a fair number of places, including her school, and she didn't have a car of her own. If she wanted to go anywhere farther than she could walk, she generally had to either get a ride from someone or take the bus. She wasn't much a fan of the bus.
Anna had a habit of showing up whenever she felt like it. It was to the point where I was pretty sure the spare key I'd left with mom was essentially my sister's property by now. I'd gotten used to returning after work to find her casually lounging around on my couch or microwaving herself some food before she headed back out with her friends.
Her lack of predictability meant that it didn't surprise me in the slightest when she showed up one day out of the blue. She simply walked in and kicked off her sneakers before greeting me.
"Hey Ryan," she said. She dropped a plastic bag on the counter. "Mom sent you some stuff."
"Hey," I said back before moving to check out the bag.
I was pretty sure it'd be food. It usually was. Mom still hadn't gotten used to not having a teenage boy around to feed, and consequently made far bigger meals than she, dad, and Anna could eat. I got sent a lot of leftovers, which worked out just fine as far as I was concerned. The fact that Anna made deliveries every now and then sort of made up for her frequently raiding my fridge.
"So what are you up to?" I asked after having satisfied that the bag did, in fact, contain leftovers in Tupperware containers.
"Going out with some friends," she said. "I'm getting picked up here in... about five or ten minutes I guess. I'll get a text when they're close. Speaking of which, can I borrow twenty bucks?"
"No," I said flatly.
I knew how my sister's 'borrowing' went.
"Come on, I'll pay it back."
"Doubtful. If you do it'll just be because you con some money out of dad when you tell him I need to be reimbursed. And even if he falls for it there's still only a small chance I'd ever see the money. Shoulda just got the money from dad to begin with."
Anna shrugged. "I forgot to this morning. You wouldn't make me beg money off my friends, would you?"
"Absolutely I would. You're eighteen. You practically deserve that kind of embarrassment if you're still as financially hopeless as you are."
She stuck her tongue out at me, then sighed.
"You're kind of a meanie sometimes, you know that?"
"That's not how I'd put it. I'm trying to teach you some responsibility is all. That and I can't afford to toss money at you every time you think you need some. That's what dad's for. He hasn't learned his lesson yet."
Anna smiled a little and I couldn't help smiling too. It was a bit of a running joke between us how easily she could make dad cave on just about anything. Sure it was annoying sometimes how much he spoiled her, but to be fair she'd used her power to help me out more than once. She might have been spoiled, but at least she wasn't a brat. Well, not too much of one anyway.
"What if I trade you something for it?" she asked.
"That might work, if I thought you had anything I wanted."
She thought for a moment and occasionally glanced down at herself as though looking for inspiration. Obviously I didn't want any of her clothing or earrings or anything. Her phone was the only thing that might have some real value to me, but I knew she wouldn't give that up over twenty dollars.
"Maybe I could do something for you," she suggested.
"Like what? I mean, I have chores I could get you to do that'd be worth twenty to me, but they'd take longer to do than you have. It'd need to be something you can do in ten minutes, give or take. Face it, you're out of luck."
A look of resolve crossed her face. I tried not to show any sign of amusement, but I knew I'd pushed her buttons just right. She hated being told there was nothing she could to change a decision she didn't like. If I didn't want an argument I would have to be more delicate in saying no. In this case I was okay with it if she wanted to fight. She had to leave soon anyway.
Anna looked me dead in the eyes. I wasn't sure what she was going to say, but I was prepared for just about anything. I'd heard just about every ploy she had over the years. Somehow, she managed to surprise me with a new one.
"I could give you a blowjob," she said.
My mouth dropped open stupidly, and I couldn't form an immediate response. I assumed I'd heard wrong and tried to reprocess her words, but I'd heard right the first time.
"What?" I said.
"You heard me. That's something I could trade that would take less than ten minutes."
"Yeah, but--"
"So will you give me the money or not?"
I shook my head silently, then grabbed my wallet and pulled out a ten and a five. I needed to hit an atm soon, that was the last of my cash.
"Fifteen," I said. "That's all I have. And you better understand this nonsense isn't going to work again."
Anna shrugged. "Deal."
She took the money and shortly after she got a text from one of her friends. She wouldn't have had time for a blowjob after all, not that she ever intended to really go through with it. At least, I didn't think she would have done it. Probably.
For the rest of the evening I couldn't help wondering in the back of my head what she would have done if I had called her bluff.
****
The next time I saw my sister was on the weekend. I was going to my parents' house for supper, and ended up getting assigned to pick Anna up from a friend's house on the way. I'd mostly forgotten the whole 'blowjob' thing at that point.
I pulled into the driveway at the address she'd given me and sent her a quick text to let her know I was there. I could have gone in, and maybe it would have been faster, but she actually didn't take all that long coming out to meet me. I'd driven off without her one time when she took too long. She'd been cautious about messing with me when I was giving her a ride ever since then.
We exchanged greetings and Anna put on her seat belt as I pulled back onto the road. Partway into the trip she dug into her pocket and handed me a pair of bills.
"Here's your money back," she said.
I snuck a quick look at her, but she was showing no indication that it was a trick.
