A question caught me by surprise-1

“Hey Jack,” Jennifer greeted me breathlessly.

“Hey Jen. Care to join us?” I asked, gesturing towards the TV with my
controller.

“Can’t. Mid-term tomorrow. Some of us actually have to study once in a
while,” my sister replied with mock criticism.

“That’s your fault for setting the bar too high. Some of us know how to
manage parental expectations,” I retorted.

Jennifer rolled her eyes. “Mom and Dad would be so proud. Well, I’ll
let you two get back to killing aliens or Nazis or whatever it is your
killing today. Love you,” she said, leaning over the back of the sofa to
hug me from behind and kiss my cheek.

“Ditto,” I replied. It was something of an inside joke between the two
of us, a reference to an old Patrick Swayze movie our mother was
particularly fond of. With that, Jennifer picked up her books and made her
way to her bedroom, closing the door to block out the sounds of electronic
gunfire.

“You good to go?” I asked Nick, eager to return to our digital mayhem.

Nick just stared at me instead. ” You see! That, right there!” he
shouted. “What?” I asked. What the hell was his problem?