If someone were to look closely at the hallway upstairs, behind the ashy white leaves of the Marble Queen Pothos plant, you could’ve spotted ash blonde hair of Lois Angelica Kalchik. As soon as her father shut the door to Lane’s room behind him, she moved - her ballet skills helping her keep her feet light and leaned against the door, a small plastic cup in between it and her ear to amplify the sound. She heard Dancing Queen playing inside halt all of a sudden and Lane gasp. Her heart raced as she wondered how everything could possibly go wrong and her muscles tensed in case she had to break and enter.

While Kenny and Lane were upstairs, Lois’s life wasn’t as nonchalant as she had hoped it would be. She had known the Lane spilled everything to their mother for she had been the one who had tried to calm him down before Kenny arrived. Alas, there was a line everyone had and Lane had surely enough crossed Lois’s, making her give up in exhilaration. As anyone would usually find Lois, she was curled up in her favourite spot of the sofa, a can of coke in her hand as she watched the sappiest of sappy romance or high school drama animes to have ever been made. It made her giggle and feel more romantically involved than the main characters themselves - she couldn’t help it! However, today she had not been able to enjoy the complete experience. From around the corner, she had heard the muffled voices of her parents-mainly her mother, talking rapidly. She didn’t need to ask to know what she was babbling about but she got up and did anyway so that walking up and arguing with them didn’t reveal that she had been eavesdropping.

“Papa, it’s not Kenny’s fault-“ Lois heard her brother cry. It made her worry deeper when Timur Kalchik’s worried, disturbed tone didn’t say a word. She leaned closer, careful not to push the door open under her weight, wondering what would come of their friendship. Would they have to close off their entire friendship just because of her brother’s actions?

“What’s up?” Lois had asked, walking into the kitchen and plopping her empty can into the dust bin. Before her parents told her to leave, she marked her temporary territory in the kitchen by sitting on the countertop next to the kettle and folding her arms. She wasn’t going to budge.

“Your brother,” Timur had grumbled, “What is going on in there?” the heavy mug of coffee that was in his hand slammed against the marble of the counter, sending microscopic shards of the bottom rim flying everywhere. Lois threw her head back in exhaustion and snorted. Her father forgot to control his actions when he was upset, especially when it was about her brother. The countless number of times he had barged through the school doors, yelling at the staff, the teachers that they were not looking over his boy enough, that they were not taking actions to put the bullies in their place were numerous.

“You know Lane, he’s a mess!” she groaned. She measured her parent’s emotions. “Are you two…mad?”

“Lois.” Her mother snapped, “Of course not! We’re just worried…”

“Dilani called” her father muttered. The flick of a gaze he gave Lois told her everything – she wasn’t the only person who saw the ‘almost kiss’. Her blood went cold and white as her brain conjured up the worst possible message the call was to deliver.

Lois dangled her feet and swayed dubiously. She chuckled, “To thank us for being at the party, right?” she grinned nervously, “You know us Kalchiks! We know how to put the…” she jerked her gaze about trying to conjure up a saying “…’oove’ in groove” she mustered, knowing extremely well that that was not the message. She could feel her parent’s powerful glares on her. They were nowhere close to even cracking a smile. “Why? Is that not what it was about?”

“Lois, this is not a laughing matter!” Alice scolded, “leave this kitchen immediately, so I can talk to your father and-“

“Why are you guys so concerned about this?” Lois raised her voice, finding it somewhat humorous at how flustered her parents looked. She decided it was time to fight fire with fire, “This is just teenage stuff! Besides, you know Kenny! You know he’s a good person”

“Lois, I know” Mr. Kalchik sighed, “But his parents…well..”

“W-What do you mean?” Lois stuttered. “What did they say?”

“She yelled at us” her mother folded her arms, “she blamed Lane, called him things that…as a mother, I believe a mother shouldn’t say to any child.” Alice’s voice shook with agony as she clutched her heart. “Kenny’s his first friend – his best friend. Imagine what he would feel when he gets shunned and driven away from him. And-and being called a freak by some of the people he trusted the most”

 Like her brother, her face was glowing hot pink. She could almost visualize the smoke curling from her nostrils and her hairs standing on end like those on an agitated cat. She hopped off the counter and strode over to her father, jabbing her finger into his chest, “Why didn’t you yell at them?”

“Kenny wasn’t home when she called” her mother added hushedly. Lois stared on as her mother’s gaze dropped. “I can’t fathom what would happen when he returns”

“OH MY GOD!” Lois yelled  - distraught. “You know? I’m mad at both of you! For not saying anything instead of sitting -  “

“It’s too late for this, Lois!” Timur, who had been quiet for the whole while chimed up, “we didn’t have a stance in this.”

Lois softened, “Then…what do we do now“?

“Bratislav is such an intelligent boy. More importantly, he is my son” her father explained, it was like Lois had shouted out a special code because his anger fizzled out, replacing the devilish grimace with a rather pained and long gloom, “He is so, very sensitive” Lois saw the clockwork of gears ticking in his head, she listened quietly, her view of her father gradually changing, from a controlling tyrant to a father driven to rely on anger because he was unsure on how to approach and support his son’s point of view, “ I break every time he comes home crying! He is such an innocent boy! Why do they do this to him?” His bushy broom-like moustache twitched as his lip quivered without words to say, “The world isn’t yet ready to accept people like Lane..Or Kenny…I’m just so scared for him…them. Kenny’s just as much a son to me.” he let out a heavy shattered breath and turned away so that Lois cannot see the pained expression drawn across his face, “Lois. You don’t know the heartbreak a parent feels when they see their children begging for their rights on the streets! You don’t know the tension in my heart when he weeps that no one wants him around” Lois peered over and analysed as much of her father’s face she could see. A single tear came down his right eye and fell to the floor- Lois almost felt the world tremble beneath it.  She put her hand gently on her father’s shoulder and looked back at her mother who had propped herself against the fridge to silently analyse everything that had happened in the last three-or-so years, nodding in agreement at everything her husband confessed. “And now…he might lose Kenny, Lois. The only friend he has!”

“The world will only change for the better if people allow it to change, won’t it? Kenny will stand on his own feet and so will Lane. If they fall, they have me and Tim to catch them.” Lois hinted, she started pushing him out of the kitchen leading him on, “I want you to tell Lane, exactly what happened -spare no details!” she instructed. Her father looked at her proudly.

“My! Do you take sociology by chance?” he chuckled.

“Not that I know of” she laughed. Sociology wouldn’t have taught her any of this! She was just wise by birth.

And now, here she was, grinning like the Cheshire cat as she heard those exact words being said on the other side of the door. She jumped around doing a quiet little victory dance and focused back on what was being said. She wished she could simply sneak indoors and sit at a corner, entertained at how everything was going absolutely perfect. If only her father didn’t have such a keen ear to notice her remotely pressing down on the door handle.

“Papa I- I  don’t want to stop being friends with Kenny“ Lane sounded like he was hurting. Lois wondered how someone can sound like they’re smiling but after living with the tall oaf for fifteen years, she could tell. She squealed, biting on her thumb in case she was too loud and hopped in place, her ponytail swishing wildly up and down like blazing fire. She felt like blazing fire on a remorseless blizzard’s day. A hero.

“No, Bratislav, you don’t have to! ” Timur cut off dearly, “You’re my good boy- my beautiful good boy! You need friends” Figuring out that the conversation was more or less over, Lois turned around to start skipping back downstairs and give the impression that she had been there, watching TV the whole time. She almost tripped on Kenny and fell on her face.

“What the heck?!” she said in a stage-whisper. Kenny looked at her like she might have all the answers to the known universe. He had been unable to sit and wait downstairs, his anxiety and curiosity probably mauling him from every corner, forcing him to get up and follow the drama. However, he was too much of a “goody-two-chicken” (Lois’s word for someone who was too afraid to stray from their moral code even for the slightest reason-aka Kenny) to listen in on with her so had retreated to sitting quietly on the topmost step.

“What’s happening in there?” he asked in a hushed tone, his pupils large black orbs in fear.

“Chill out- they’re talking” Lois squealed and hugged Kenny in joy. She discreetly avoided mentioning the fact that Kenny’s parents knew. The door opened behind them, making them suddenly keen on who was coming out of it. A blur winded past Lois and onto Kenny, rocking him precariously over the tip of the step. He grabbed hold of the railing to prevent himself from falling. Lois smiled at her brother embraced Kenny rather viciously, not noticing Kenny was about to lose his balance.

“Lane” Kenny laughed, “I’m about to fall”

“You know,” Lois cleared her throat, “I’m the one you should be hugging n all” Lane glanced over at Lois and got off Kenny, allowing him to stand up. He sauntered over and picked her up effortlessly. For someone that looked like a walking talking pole vault, he was quite strong. “Okay, no!” Lois screamed, “Put me down! I said HUG- not whatever this is!!” he put her down and gave her a slobbery kiss on the cheek. She wondered how Kenny dealt with this all day and how he will be dealing with it from here on, “Okay, Lane thank you!” she pushed him off.

“You’re fucking amazing!” he said, “You hear that!” nodding proudly and looked head on at his father who was enjoying the happy little gathering from by the door. The peaceful smile on his face reflected trust and belief that his son would be alright, along with the pride he had of Lois. He nodded at her from the corner, making her beam. She saluted back. However, a cloud suddenly loomed over him, returning his usual dull expression. He walked past Lois, he walked past Lane and stopped at Kenny. He put his hand firmly on Kenny’s shoulder.

“I don’t want to be the bearer of bad news right now” he sighed and looked at his children, “But your mother had called before and….”. Lois gasped as she watched Kenny’s face go pale.

“Oh, Kenny” Lane mumbled worriedly.