UnEnchanted (An Unfortunate Fairy Tale #1)(27)

Mina had forgotten that Nan hated caramel almost as much as Charlie hated cottage cheese. “So you thought you would cover the taste of caramel with something else you liked?”

Nan bobbed her head. “Yeah, I actually love cottage cheese and thought it was a great idea, and would surely make your brother freak out and I would win. The only problem was that when I added the cheese to the cereal and put it in my mouth, it took every ounce of strength not to immediately eject it out. My mind thought the milk had gone bad. But I did it, I won.” Nan began to do a victory dance around the kitchen.

Sara walked in and looked at the bowl in front of Nan and turned her nose up at it. “Ugh, Charlie has taken it too far, he’s wasting cereal. I paid good money for those boxes.”

Nan looked sheepish and grabbed the bowl away from Sara. “No Mrs. Grime, that’s actually my cereal. I’m having breakfast with Charlie.”

Sara raised one eyebrow in disbelief at Nan.

Nan feeling slightly pressured now to prove her point took the spoon and shoveled another spoonful into her mouth. Mina could almost feel Nan’s panic, but was impressed when her best friend hid it well.

Satisfied, Sara looked around. “Where is Charlie?”

“Bathroom,” Mina answered quickly. Sara went back to her bedroom to grab her keys and wallet. Once the room was clear, Nan spat the cereal out into the garbage and began the sink and orange juice routine all over. Mina took the bowl of cereal away and dumped it down the garbage disposal, removing any hint of Nan’s stupidity. “So now that you won, what are you going to make Charlie watch?”

“I don’t know, I was thinking of something really horrible like the whole first season of Power Puff Girls, something completely girly and embarrassing.” Nan’s face lit up with the prospect of torturing Charlie. “Or maybe, I could find a documentary on the making of cottage cheese.”

“You do realize that you would have to sit through it as well.” Mina pointed out.

“Hmmm, then that won’t do. What do you suggest?”

“Why don’t you pick something you both will like?”

“What! That takes away the whole fun of the competition! It’s the reason I rose to the challenge. NO! He must suffer,” Nan pointed her finger in the air dramatically. Nan would have made a great sibling if her parents hadn’t divorced when she was young. Neither one remarried so Nan is the epitome of an only child; loved, spoiled and a little lonely, which is why she loves hanging out with Charlie. Nan always said if she had a younger sibling she would want a brother, because than she wouldn’t have to share her clothes with him.

“Don’t you mean YOU must suffer?” Mina conjectured.

“Meh, whatever.” After Nan had finished with her tirade, she turned to Mina and directed her penetrating best friend radar her way. “So dish.”

“About what?” Mina asked casually.

“About WHAT? I can’t believe you. I didn’t drive all this way for nothing on a Saturday morning, I have cartoons to watch. Dish about what happened two days ago that made you miss school and send Brody into a coma.”

“He’s in a coma?” Mina panicked.

“No not literally. Yeesh.” Nan held her hands out in front of her. “He’s been walking around the school like some sort of zombie. Not talking, ignoring everyone and has completely withdrawn himself inward.”

“You promise it’s not going to show up on any web page, interview, tweet or text?” Mina knew when dishing important info to Nan that she had to cover all of her bases.

“Nan rolled her eyes and held up two fingers. “Boy Scouts honor.”

“You’re a girl.”

“Fine then, Girls Scouts honor.” Nan held up three fingers.

“Don’t think it counts if you’ve never actually been a girl scout.” Mina countered making sure there were no loop holes in her friends credibility.

Mina looked over Nan’s shoulder towards her brother and mother’s room and decided that they needed to find a more private spot. Tapping Nan’s shoulder, Mina motioned for her to follow her down the hall and into her room. When the door was securely shut, Nan had jumped across Mina’s hastily made bed. Mina perched on the end more daintily.

“Nan, I’m cursed.”

“Yeah, I know, we all are.” Nan kicked her legs back and forth and grabbed a magazine from Mina’s nightstand. “It’s called being a teenager. You, more so, because you live in the Stone Age.”

“No, my last name isn’t even Grime, it’s Grimm and I personally am cursed or fated, to follow the same path as the generations of Grimm’s before me.” Mina felt better now that she got that out in the open. She had been thinking for the last few days on how to break the news to her best friend.

Nan just stared at Mina blinking her eyes in thought. “Yeah, right. I’m supposed to go to Yale and become a lawyer like my father and his father before him, but do you see me treading down that path. No way Jose, I’m hitchhiking to Julliard instead.” Nan flipped a couple more pages and then oohed over a cute skirt.

Mina snatched the magazine from Nan and sat on it so her friend couldn’t grab it back. “I’m serious Nan, I’m in over my head and I need your help.”

Nan sat up and gave Mina her full attention. “You’re serious aren’t you?”