only seventeen ♬ red hot chili peppers anthony kiedis fanfiction

Chapter 2

As I'm preparing myself for the four hours of babysitting ahead of me, I hear a gentle knock on my door.

"Wren, be ready in five minutes please," Dad notifies, behind the door.

"Okay," I call out.

I pull over my red windbreaker and zip up my tight dark blue jeans. I run my fingers through my hair once again and turn around, leaving my bedroom and walking down the staircase.

"Please call a few hours in to let us know you're alright, oh and no ordering pizza and please, please-"

"Call you when I'm ready," I finish Mom's sentence.

"Well, you seem to know the drill." She kisses my cheek. "Please try to have fun," she says once more before I walk out.

Fun and babysitting don't mesh in my opinion. It's like eating bush peas with milk. I don't tell her that. I already give the woman a mouthful of my own smarty-pants-answer-backs that she's had enough of, oh so she calls them.

"So this friend of yours, how come I've never met him?" I ask Dad once we're in the car.

"You have, you were just too little to remember, well, since the last time he saw you. Actually it surprises me that you haven't caught up recently," he says, buckling his seatbelt.

"Nonsense, my memory is terrific. Give me something, a date, anything."

"Ah let's see...you were ten years old, he was twenty. His name's Michael, but he calls himself, "Flea"- his pseudonym in the band he's in. I remember him coming over one time and got you a Barbie, after you were upset for weeks that your cousin Jill took it and flushed it down the toilet. He was so kind. We talked about a lot of things, things you wouldn't remember."

"Okay I thought we established that I would've remembered a lot of things, but clearly not this one. I remember the Barbie thing, but never heard about a Michael in my life. And what band?"

He chuckled, making a turn on the road and said, "I think they're called hot, red spicy...no, that's not it. The saucy ketchup..." he finally gives up.

I laugh. "Must be some band."

"Well anyway, he remembers you. At least try and act like you know what he's talking about. It'll hurt his feelings if you don't. Oh you were so cute, he wanted his own kids after he saw you. I just caught up with him after I would say, years."

I take in a sharp breath as the car halts to a stop. "So what exactly is so important that he needs a babysitter until almost midnight?"

"He didn't give much detail. Gotta love the man, still. He's our family friend, so I appreciate you doing this favour for him."

Family friends don't exactly knock off and don't see each other for years but whatever. I can tell it really means a lot to my parents, so I don't argue.

We walk up the long pathway, to a medium-sized house with lovely smelling grass and tiny lilies surrounding the front; I could stay out here all day.

Dad knocks on the door, and we wait a small while before a man with short brown hair comes to the door.

"Neil, it's so good to see you," I'm guessing he's Michael, or "Flea" says, enthusiastically. I laugh at that name.

"You too Michael," Dad replies in shock as they hug for a moment.

Michael's gaze is now focused on me, a gap between his front two teeth as he smiles and says, "Wow, Wren...you've grown."

"Hi. It's nice to see you again."