The Vendeleer Brothers Book 2: Serenity Hill
Chapter 4: Brian's First Love

“So uh… Jordyn, do you still plan on being a detective now that you’ve decided to stay here in Serenity Hill?” Roderick asked as she continued to show them the town. At this, she began to laugh.

“Oh goodness no!” she giggled. “I am thinking of being a school teacher.”

Brian snorted.

“Sounds like fun…” he said, trying to hold back his laughter. Joey jabbed him in the ribs, causing him to wince.

“Ooooow. Jooooey!” he whined. Then he started to think about Jordyn as a school teacher, and started to hold back his laughter again.

“Well uh, Ian, why don’t you and Jordyn go and… play a game of checkers or something, and we’ll meet up with you later?” Roderick suggested.

“Sounds like a swell idea!” Ian exclaimed, holding out his arm. “Come Jordyn! Let us battle in the checkered paradise!”

“Indeed!”

She took his arm, and the two of them waltzed down the sidewalk back to Jordyn’s house.

The others watched them leave.

“Gross.” Brian said, making a face.

Roderick shook his head.

He knew when they finally got the two of them back to normal, they would be appalled over their behaviour.

If they could get them back to normal…

“Any ideas on what this is Joey?”

“Not at the moment… But I have some books in my car that we could maybe go through.”

“You got a car?”

“Yep. Come on.”

The three of them started down the well kept road.

“So Roderick, what’s going on with you?” Joey asked, raising a brow.

“What do you mean?” he asked with a smile.

“Roderick…” she said disapprovingly, folding her arms and giving him the stink eye. Roderick sighed.

“Fine. It’s just-I’m still kind of getting over the whole spirit parasite thing-that’s all.”

“That’s all? Roderick-that thing almost killed you! It’s ok to take some time after that.”

“But I’ve already taken time!” Roderick exasperated. “I should be fine by now…”

“You can’t rush these things.”

“I have to.”

“Roderick.”

Roderick stopped as Joey stood in front of him, eyeing him with concern.

“Trust me Roderick. Things like that don’t just leave you when you tell them to. Sometimes they can stick with you for years. You can’t pretend the trauma isn’t there. That’s just going to make it worse.”

Roderick looked down at the ground, avoiding her eye contact.

There was a pause, and then Joey pulled him into a hug, catching him a bit by surprise.

“You don’t need to talk about it if you don’t want to, but just know that we’re here for you.”

“Er… Thanks… Joey…” Roderick said a little awkwardly.

“Katie?!” Brian gawked, staring.

It was then that Roderick realized that Brian had not been paying attention this entire time. He looked over in surprise to see that there was someone he and Brian both knew across the street. A pretty girl with her long blonde hair in a braid looked over to them.

“Brian!” she exclaimed, running over to them. She then threw her arms around him and planted a kiss on him. Brian jumped back in surprise.

“Woah woah woah! Hold on a second!!” he exclaimed, his face flushed. “I-I thought we broke up like-three years ago!”

“That was a mistake Brian! I’m so sorry for breaking up with you! Please! Take me back!” she exclaimed, coming towards him again. Brian dodged out of the way, not knowing what to do.

“Roderick! Help me!” he yelled, hiding behind him.

“Who is this now?” Joey asked, a bit confused.

Roderick blinked.

“Uh… This is Katie… the first girl Brian really started dating. She was actually a real jerk.” he told her distastefully as she started to almost chase Brian around.

“What happened to make them break up?” Joey asked curiously.

“She told him he needed to give up certain things about himself. And he just couldn’t do it. So she broke up with him and broke his heart. It was really better for him in the long run. It’s crazy that she’s suddenly decided to show up here and now.”

“What did she try to get him to give up?” Joey asked as they watched Brian scurry up a tree to get away from his ex-girlfriend.

“Well for one thing, she was a vegan, and she wanted him to be. Which means no pizza. Could you imagine Brian giving up pizza?”

At this, Joey laughed.

“Ha! No.”

“Exactly. And then she wanted him to give up video games because she thought they were a waste of time.”

“And so since he couldn’t give those up, she broke up with him?”

“Yup.”

“Then why is she here now?”

Roderick shrugged as Brian fell out of the tree.

“RODERICK A LITTLE HELP HERE!” he exclaimed, holding the woman away at arm’s length.

“But Brian-please!” the girl pouted, reaching for him. “I’m different-you don’t have to give up pizza-you don’t have to give up video games-I want you just the way you are!”

At this, Brian paused.

“Really?”

“Yes!”

Brian sat there struggling with this for a second, looking over to his college buddy Roderick, who folded his arms and slightly shook his head.

“Uh… Katie…” he said almost apologetically. “As… as much as I… still like you… and want to get back together… I… uh… I’m… a bit different now… and… I don’t think it’s a good idea…”

The girl stared at him, her eyes glossy with tears.

“What are you saying?”

Brian sighed.

“Katie, I don’t want to get back together…”

Suddenly, and without warning, Katie suddenly poofed out of existence, causing Brian to give a little screech.

“OH MY GOSH I POOFED KATIE!” he yelled, swishing around and putting his hands to his head. “I BROKE HER HEART AND I POOFED HER!”

In his panic, he suddenly saw Joey and Brian dying with laughter over to the side.

“IT’S NOT FUNNY!! I JUST POOFED A GIRL!!” Brian said desperately.

Once Joey and Roderick finished laughing at Brian and his angry pout, they wiped the tears from their eyes.

“Brian-I have a feeling that wasn’t really Katie…” Roderick told him.

“What do you mean?”

“Think about it dude.”

Brian stood there dumbly for a moment as he thought about it.

“Well shoot.”

“This experience actually might be a good thing.” Joey said dreamily, starting down the road again. “This definitely narrows some things down for me.”

Roderick and Brian exchanged glances and then shrugged at each other, following their spiritual expert down the road.