Read Online Mutual Hatred - Love Game by Ruth Houston - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Ruth Houston
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Shelley when they saw her.
"Hey Lily. How are you today? And hello Katie!" she cooed.
"Wanna see what I painted during art time?" asked Lily, jumping up and down.
"Sure, Lil. Come on Katie, let's go see what your big sister painted!" Shelley said enthusiastically.
Shelley, with Katie in tow, followed Lily inside to the art room. Lily searched high and low for her painting and pulled it off the bulletin board it had been posted on.
"Ta da!" she exclaimed, "Guess who it is?"
Shelley couldn't help but grin. "It's me, you, and Katie! Wow, you're really good, Lily."
Lily smiled in satisfaction at Shelley's approval. "You can take it home. I'm going to make another one now. Want to paint with me?"
Shelley nodded in agreement. At six years old, Lily and her four year old sister were the little sisters she never had. It was adorable how Katie already looked up to her big sister as a role model. The three girls spent the next hour painting pictures of themselves and their families when Lily suddenly asked,
"Shell-ley, will you braid my hair?"
It was completely random, but Shelley didn't mind. She quickly obliged and was about halfway through the second braid when a voice said,
"Why are you everywhere I go?"
Shelley looked up. Brandon.
"Well it's not like I stalk you. I've been volunteering here for three years!" she said defensively, "Aren't you supposed to be at practice?"
"It ended awhile ago."
"Oh."
It seemed like it was taking all his might not to pick a fight with Shelley in front of the kids.
"Yeah well, I'm gonna go play with the boys and teach them how to play football."
Brandon was on his way out when Lily tugged on the bottom of Shelley's shirt. "Is he your boyfriend?" asked Lily, her eyes wide.
Shelley snorted. "No way!"
"I think he likes you."
"He doesn't," Shelley said firmly, "Besides, don't you think boys have cooties?"
"Boys are stu-pid!" Lily said loudly, "They won't let me play with them."
"Why not?" Shelley finally finished braiding Lily's hair and pulled a mirror from her purse.
Lily examined her hair and adjusted the bows at the end. "Because I'm a girl," she pouted.
"I have that problem too," said Shelley, pocketing the compact mirror.
"Why can't girls play with boys? It's NOT FAIR!" complained Lily, "They won't even share the ball with me even when I tell on them!"
"You have to show them you're boss, Lily. You mean business," suggested Shelley.
"I tried doing that yesterday," Lily said sadly, "I just want to play! Why do boys get to do everything?"
Shelley patted Lily gently on the head. "Things will get better when you're older. Just wait."
"But I don't want to wait! I want to play NOW!" Lily stamped her foot to show her frustration.
Sighing, Shelley took Lily in one hand and Katie in the other. "Come on, we're going to play with the boys."
Lily's big, brown eyes widened. "Are we really?"
"Of course! And if they have a problem with it I'll talk to them about it."
"Thank you, Shelley!" Lily squeezed her hand.
They walked into the bright sunlight and marched over to where Brandon was showing several boys how to throw a football. They watched for a few seconds.
"So you hold it like this, see? With your fingers by the laces like this," Brandon demonstrated, "And then you get in position like it told you. Now throw it. Yeah, just like that Cameron!"
He glanced up, as if sensing Shelley's eyes on him.
"Oh what do you want?" he asked.
"The girls and I want to play football too," declared Shelley.
"No!" shouted the little boy named Cameron, "No girls allowed!"
All of a sudden, everything clicked.
Hands on her hips, Shelley demanded, "Brandon, have you been teaching these boys that girls shouldn't play football?"
Unabashed, he answered, "So what if I have? I gotta teach them at an early age before they become like Nickol and the other girly men we have on the team."
"Let. Lily. Play. With. You," Shelley said steely, "Or I'll tell them how you let me boss you around!" She
"Hey Lily. How are you today? And hello Katie!" she cooed.
"Wanna see what I painted during art time?" asked Lily, jumping up and down.
"Sure, Lil. Come on Katie, let's go see what your big sister painted!" Shelley said enthusiastically.
Shelley, with Katie in tow, followed Lily inside to the art room. Lily searched high and low for her painting and pulled it off the bulletin board it had been posted on.
"Ta da!" she exclaimed, "Guess who it is?"
Shelley couldn't help but grin. "It's me, you, and Katie! Wow, you're really good, Lily."
Lily smiled in satisfaction at Shelley's approval. "You can take it home. I'm going to make another one now. Want to paint with me?"
Shelley nodded in agreement. At six years old, Lily and her four year old sister were the little sisters she never had. It was adorable how Katie already looked up to her big sister as a role model. The three girls spent the next hour painting pictures of themselves and their families when Lily suddenly asked,
"Shell-ley, will you braid my hair?"
It was completely random, but Shelley didn't mind. She quickly obliged and was about halfway through the second braid when a voice said,
"Why are you everywhere I go?"
Shelley looked up. Brandon.
"Well it's not like I stalk you. I've been volunteering here for three years!" she said defensively, "Aren't you supposed to be at practice?"
"It ended awhile ago."
"Oh."
It seemed like it was taking all his might not to pick a fight with Shelley in front of the kids.
"Yeah well, I'm gonna go play with the boys and teach them how to play football."
Brandon was on his way out when Lily tugged on the bottom of Shelley's shirt. "Is he your boyfriend?" asked Lily, her eyes wide.
Shelley snorted. "No way!"
"I think he likes you."
"He doesn't," Shelley said firmly, "Besides, don't you think boys have cooties?"
"Boys are stu-pid!" Lily said loudly, "They won't let me play with them."
"Why not?" Shelley finally finished braiding Lily's hair and pulled a mirror from her purse.
Lily examined her hair and adjusted the bows at the end. "Because I'm a girl," she pouted.
"I have that problem too," said Shelley, pocketing the compact mirror.
"Why can't girls play with boys? It's NOT FAIR!" complained Lily, "They won't even share the ball with me even when I tell on them!"
"You have to show them you're boss, Lily. You mean business," suggested Shelley.
"I tried doing that yesterday," Lily said sadly, "I just want to play! Why do boys get to do everything?"
Shelley patted Lily gently on the head. "Things will get better when you're older. Just wait."
"But I don't want to wait! I want to play NOW!" Lily stamped her foot to show her frustration.
Sighing, Shelley took Lily in one hand and Katie in the other. "Come on, we're going to play with the boys."
Lily's big, brown eyes widened. "Are we really?"
"Of course! And if they have a problem with it I'll talk to them about it."
"Thank you, Shelley!" Lily squeezed her hand.
They walked into the bright sunlight and marched over to where Brandon was showing several boys how to throw a football. They watched for a few seconds.
"So you hold it like this, see? With your fingers by the laces like this," Brandon demonstrated, "And then you get in position like it told you. Now throw it. Yeah, just like that Cameron!"
He glanced up, as if sensing Shelley's eyes on him.
"Oh what do you want?" he asked.
"The girls and I want to play football too," declared Shelley.
"No!" shouted the little boy named Cameron, "No girls allowed!"
All of a sudden, everything clicked.
Hands on her hips, Shelley demanded, "Brandon, have you been teaching these boys that girls shouldn't play football?"
Unabashed, he answered, "So what if I have? I gotta teach them at an early age before they become like Nickol and the other girly men we have on the team."
"Let. Lily. Play. With. You," Shelley said steely, "Or I'll tell them how you let me boss you around!" She
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