40fandoms: Fandom 35
Apr. 7th, 2009 07:34 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
tallulahgs[Title] Your Family Is Different
[Fandom] Francine Pascal's Sweet Valley series
[Rating] G
[Notes/Summary] Jessica and Elizabeth's daughters each think the other one has a better deal.
"Now. What did you want to buy with Grandma's money?"
"Can we go to Lisette's?" Amanda said, squinting up at her mother through the sunlight. "I was thinking, they've got a sale on so I could get some new jeans and then maybe a top as well. And maybe some earrings."
She was anticipating the sigh before she heard it, but it still made her scowl.
"More clothes, Amanda?"
"It's not like I have lots of clothes! And it's my money!"
"But you don't need any more clothes. Why don't we go to the bookstore instead? A good book will last you a lot longer than clothes."
"Mom," Amanda said through gritted teeth, "I don't want to go to the bookstore. I want to go to Lisette's."
"Don't start shouting at me, please."
"I'm not shouting! Why can't you just let me do what I want with my money? You didn't even let me choose how much of it to put in my savings!"
"Yes, Amanda, but you see -"
"Auntie Jess isn't making Daniella put her money in savings."
Her mother's hand tensed on hers. "That's because your aunt doesn't know how to save her own money, let alone somebody else's. I love my sister very much, but she's not a very good role model."
"Auntie Jess is cool," Amanda muttered.
"Yes, but she's not very responsible, is she? She may be four minutes younger than me, but -" Amanda mouthed the next bit, but scowling at the ground so that Mom wouldn't see - "it seems more like four years!"
"You just don't like her."
"I do like her. I've just had to live with her all my life."
"But, but..." Amanda took a deep breath, trying to stay calm and pretend this was just a scene in a story she was writing, "you had to let her make her own mistakes, right? In the end, you can't choose for someone."
Mom patted her shoulder. "I suppose, but..."
"Soooo... you need to let me make my own mistakes too. Even if I end up regretting it."
There was a pause, and then her mother laughed, awkwardly. "You know, sometimes you really remind me of your aunt."
Amanda knew it wasn't really meant as a compliment, but she figured she was going to get go to Lisette's. Plus, Auntie Jess was awesome, so it didn't matter.
***
"Okay! Where do you want to go first?"
"I don't care," Daniella said, trying to sound as bored as she could. "Wherever you want."
"Oh, come on, stop sulking. You've got all your birthday money to spend, the shops'll be open for three more hours, why aren't you getting in there?"
"I don't want to go shopping. I want to go home."
Her mother sighed, a big fake sigh that made her sound like a kid herself. "Well, if you feel like that, I suppose we can just head right back to the car and drive home. It's your choice. Seems like a shame, though. I was looking forward to a nice mother-daughter bonding experience."
"I didn't want to spend the money anyway. I want to save up for a computer."
"Yeah, whatever." Mom shook her head. "Next week you'll be wanting something else, so what's the point of doing that?"
Daniella figured her only chance was to be as obnoxious as possible so that Mom would get annoyed with her and make them go home as a punishment, so she said, "Aunt Elizabeth thought it was a really good idea."
"Huh. She would." Mom snorted. "The way she brings up your cousin, I'm amazed Amanda's as normal as she is."
"I think she's a good mom," Daniella said, rolling her eyes. "She's always nice to me."
"Yes, about that. Every time we go over there you disappear with her and end up borrowing loads of her books. I'm getting sick of it; your room's a mess and I bet you haven't read half of them."
"I'm going to! If I didn't have to do cheerleading then I'd have finished them by now!"
"We've been through this before. I want you taking exercise, not just sitting in your room all day. You should see how much weight your aunt put on in college because of that."
"You just want me to be in cheerleading because you're too old and boring to do it," Daniella said.
Mom's mouth fell open. The next moment she'd straightened her sunglasses and grabbed Daniella's hand and was dragging her back the way they'd come. "Right, that's it. You are so grounded."
Daniella made sure to keep a miserable look on her face, but inside she was grinning. Mom would've forgotten all about her birthday money within a few days. She couldn't wait to tell Aunt Elizabeth about her computer plan. Aunt Elizabeth would think it was really mature, and Daniella really wanted her to think that. Because Aunt Elizabeth was the best.
[Fandom] Francine Pascal's Sweet Valley series
[Rating] G
[Notes/Summary] Jessica and Elizabeth's daughters each think the other one has a better deal.
"Now. What did you want to buy with Grandma's money?"
"Can we go to Lisette's?" Amanda said, squinting up at her mother through the sunlight. "I was thinking, they've got a sale on so I could get some new jeans and then maybe a top as well. And maybe some earrings."
She was anticipating the sigh before she heard it, but it still made her scowl.
"More clothes, Amanda?"
"It's not like I have lots of clothes! And it's my money!"
"But you don't need any more clothes. Why don't we go to the bookstore instead? A good book will last you a lot longer than clothes."
"Mom," Amanda said through gritted teeth, "I don't want to go to the bookstore. I want to go to Lisette's."
"Don't start shouting at me, please."
"I'm not shouting! Why can't you just let me do what I want with my money? You didn't even let me choose how much of it to put in my savings!"
"Yes, Amanda, but you see -"
"Auntie Jess isn't making Daniella put her money in savings."
Her mother's hand tensed on hers. "That's because your aunt doesn't know how to save her own money, let alone somebody else's. I love my sister very much, but she's not a very good role model."
"Auntie Jess is cool," Amanda muttered.
"Yes, but she's not very responsible, is she? She may be four minutes younger than me, but -" Amanda mouthed the next bit, but scowling at the ground so that Mom wouldn't see - "it seems more like four years!"
"You just don't like her."
"I do like her. I've just had to live with her all my life."
"But, but..." Amanda took a deep breath, trying to stay calm and pretend this was just a scene in a story she was writing, "you had to let her make her own mistakes, right? In the end, you can't choose for someone."
Mom patted her shoulder. "I suppose, but..."
"Soooo... you need to let me make my own mistakes too. Even if I end up regretting it."
There was a pause, and then her mother laughed, awkwardly. "You know, sometimes you really remind me of your aunt."
Amanda knew it wasn't really meant as a compliment, but she figured she was going to get go to Lisette's. Plus, Auntie Jess was awesome, so it didn't matter.
***
"Okay! Where do you want to go first?"
"I don't care," Daniella said, trying to sound as bored as she could. "Wherever you want."
"Oh, come on, stop sulking. You've got all your birthday money to spend, the shops'll be open for three more hours, why aren't you getting in there?"
"I don't want to go shopping. I want to go home."
Her mother sighed, a big fake sigh that made her sound like a kid herself. "Well, if you feel like that, I suppose we can just head right back to the car and drive home. It's your choice. Seems like a shame, though. I was looking forward to a nice mother-daughter bonding experience."
"I didn't want to spend the money anyway. I want to save up for a computer."
"Yeah, whatever." Mom shook her head. "Next week you'll be wanting something else, so what's the point of doing that?"
Daniella figured her only chance was to be as obnoxious as possible so that Mom would get annoyed with her and make them go home as a punishment, so she said, "Aunt Elizabeth thought it was a really good idea."
"Huh. She would." Mom snorted. "The way she brings up your cousin, I'm amazed Amanda's as normal as she is."
"I think she's a good mom," Daniella said, rolling her eyes. "She's always nice to me."
"Yes, about that. Every time we go over there you disappear with her and end up borrowing loads of her books. I'm getting sick of it; your room's a mess and I bet you haven't read half of them."
"I'm going to! If I didn't have to do cheerleading then I'd have finished them by now!"
"We've been through this before. I want you taking exercise, not just sitting in your room all day. You should see how much weight your aunt put on in college because of that."
"You just want me to be in cheerleading because you're too old and boring to do it," Daniella said.
Mom's mouth fell open. The next moment she'd straightened her sunglasses and grabbed Daniella's hand and was dragging her back the way they'd come. "Right, that's it. You are so grounded."
Daniella made sure to keep a miserable look on her face, but inside she was grinning. Mom would've forgotten all about her birthday money within a few days. She couldn't wait to tell Aunt Elizabeth about her computer plan. Aunt Elizabeth would think it was really mature, and Daniella really wanted her to think that. Because Aunt Elizabeth was the best.
