Andlat's Story Spot

To Cody’s relief, their moms did not make him stay with Bethany as her baby sister, but the ordeal did convince them that Cody and Bethany had become best friends. There was little Cody could do other than grin and bear spending almost every day at Bethany’s house. He made sure never to go to her room with her, for fear of more dress-up, but their moms loved seeing Bethany dragging him around by the hand to go play hopscotch or jump rope or whatever game came to her mind. No matter how many times he reminded her that he was older than her, she simply smiled and continued to treat him like a mix between a little kid she was babysitting and a plaything. His mom said he was just at a sensitive age where he wanted everyone to see him as macho, but Cody felt it was something more than that. Thankfully, once school started (the first time he could remember being happy for school), Cody did not have to see Bethany every day. Sure, whenever his mom worked late, he might end up spending a few...

Cody stared at the plastic cup in front of him. He did not mind meeting the new neighbors, if only it weren't for two things. Firstly was the cup in front of him. Mrs. Dalton had said they were still unpacking their kitchenware, but he could not help but notice his mom and her got glasses while he got a faded pink Barbie cup that matched the cup sitting in front of Bethany, the second thing he did not like about this encounter. She leered across the table at him. Despite being five or maybe even six years younger than him, she seemed to tower over him enough to make him feel like a baby, even if she was really only about a head taller. "He's easily the shortest in his class." His mom had said as if unaware that that particular fact hurt him more than any other every time it was brought up. He sighed. At least the cookies were good. "Bethany, how about you and Cody go play in your room for a bit while me and Cody's mom chat?" "Oh, sure!" Bethan...

  “Why did I ever agree to this?” Cody muttered. “You’re the one who said you wished there were photos of you and Bethany where you weren’t in a dress.” As far as Cody could remember, that was not how it had happened. He remembered spending hours trying to convince Bethany that he didn’t really want to dance along to Cocomelon videos in nothing but his underwear, ever aware of the photo of them in their dresses. When mom finally said it was time to go and Bethany was trying to find where she had hid his pants, he had muttered that he wished his photo wasn’t up there for everyone to see. How mom had twisted that into this… this ordeal! “It’ll mean the world to her!” Mom said once she told him just what she – and Bethany’s mom too, he was sure – had planned. “Yeah, and prove to her that I’m a baby.” “Oh, come on.” Mom said. “You and I both know you aren’t and I think Bethany does too.” Cody snorted. “And it’s so cute how she always wants to take care of you and how yo...