Name: Marissa

Day/Time: Saturday, 1:46AM

Current state of mind: A little bored and impatient

What are you wearing? Jeans and dark red lace tank top with a black cardigan

What are you listening to? Just A Girl by No Doubt

What are you drinking? Chocolate Stout

Where are you? On the couch in the game room

Hey, I’m Marissa, but most of my friends and family call me Riss or Rissa. Because apparently Marissa is a mouthful or something? But whatever, it’s not like I mind either of the nicknames. They definitely beat my childhood ones, which my brother will bring out occasionally because he thinks he’s hilarious. He’s not. And no, I’m not sharing them.

So, I’m going to be honest, I wasn’t even going to bother writing this stupid blog, but I’m bored, and I’ve got some time to kill. Nick and Ryan are playing pool while I’m just sitting here waiting to play the winner. But from the looks of things, I’ll probably be waiting awhile since it seems like they’re trying to set the record for the world’s longest pool game.

But enough about them, and enough about that. We just got back from the Harvest Festival not too long ago. It’s the city’s annual week-long celebration of the Autumnal Equinox. It’s a street fair that takes place in the heart of downtown. It’s a lot of fun and pretty family friendly—except for the pub crawls and beer tastings which take place on Friday and Saturday nights. We skipped those since Aria and Lexi were with us. And last night was more about them and less about us. They were the reason we went to Harvest Fest in the first place. They’d been begging us to go for weeks, so we caved and took them out for some fun on the town.

Before I continue, I probably should mention that Aria is mine and Nick’s little sister. And Lexi is Karina’s little sister. They’re both the same age and the best of friends. Those two are inseparable and can be insufferable at times, especially Aria. Lexi’s much sweeter, but Aria’s crap attitude rubs off on her. I know she’ll grow out of it. I did. Eventually.

But I’m digressing. Back to the Harvest Festival, which ended up being a group outing. Our entire coven went, even Daniel, who was resistant as usual. He hates people and is not a fan of crowds, but he sucked it up and took one for the team. I’m pretty sure he had fun too—not that he’d ever admit it. But that’s Daniel for you.

Anyway, to say that Lexi and Aria were excited about going would be an understatement. Now, they’re not into pumpkin painting, pony rides, or any of the kid stuff; they’re fourteen, not five. Though they like to think they’re eighteen and can do whatever the hell they want, like trying to take off on their own. We weren’t even there for ten minutes and they tried to sneak off into the crowd, like one of us wouldn’t notice. They were surrounded by eight adults. Eight. Obviously, they didn’t get very far and nearly got their asses grounded for the rest of the weekend. Lucky for them, we gave them one more chance, though Nick took some convincing and Aria did some serious pleading. After that drama dust settled, things got back on track.

We walked around, did a bit of shopping, checked out the local artists, and indulged in some good junk food. The food is one of the best parts of Harvest Fest—well, next to the craft beer tasting, if you’re into that kind of thing. Which I am. I love craft beer, especially porters and stouts. They’re my favorite, and they just happen to be in season right now.

So, we grabbed some beer, while Aria and Lexi had some hot cider and we made our way over to the bonfires. The band was playing nearby, and they were killing it with the eighties cover songs. Aria and Lexi wanted to make s’mores, but they got distracted by two guys from their school. There was some serious eye-flirting going on, and I’m positive that those two guys were the reason Aria and Lexi were so desperate to go to Harvest Fest in the first place. It would explain all the begging on Aria’s part to stay. She is not a beggar. She’s a prideful little shit. Pretty sure she gets that from Nick.

And speaking of Nick, if you don’t think my brother noticed all the eye-flirting going on, then you don’t know Nick. But it’s not like Aria and Lexi were being sly about it either. But then again, stealth isn’t exactly their strong suit. They couldn’t have been more obvious if they tried. Aria was so busy with her starry-eyed staring that she missed her mouth when she went to take a drink of her cider. She dumped half the cup down her chin and on her sweater. Hell, I was embarrassed for her, though I couldn’t help but laugh. I know it’s mean of me, but it was kind of funny, though I did feel bad for her.

Naturally, Nick wasn’t all that amused, and when the two high school idiots finally took notice of my brother, they took off like the town square was on fire. Not that I blamed them. If you know my brother, then you know how ruthlessly protective he is. His reputation precedes him. And Ryan doesn’t help matters. He’s just as bad as Nick. Do you know how hard it was to date when I was in school? Guys wouldn’t even come near me. Hell, they still won’t. Not that I’ve had time to date or even want to, but still, that’s not the point. They need to ease up. I’m not some stupid, naïve teenager. I’m an adult and perfectly capable of handling myself. You’d think they would’ve noticed that by now.

There I go, straying. Again. So, after the cider incident, we cleaned Aria up with the help of a little magic and a little makeup. She was humiliated and wanted to go home at first, but Lexi and I convinced her to stay, since the two guys were obviously long gone. So, we all got more drinks, ate a few s’mores, and listened to the band for a bit, before heading back home.

Aria and Lexi went upstairs for popcorn and movie night, while the rest of us congregated in the game room. Daniel and Luke are playing darts, while Holly’s playing mixologist behind the bar with Karina and Ash as her taste-testers. As for me… well, looks like I’ll get to kick my big brother’s ass in a game of pool.

If you want to chat or have any questions, drop me a comment below. Happy Autumnal Equinox to all those living in the northern hemisphere.

Marissa

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