Chosen Family

Just as Shiloh and Judah and pulled back into their driveway, Michael's big red truck pulled up behind them.

"Perfect timing." Judah smiled.

"Did you tell him you were goin AWOL for the day?"

"I may have left my phone off all day..." Judah grinned mischievously.

Shiloh shook her head smiling. "I think you take great pleasure in giving him high blood pressure."

Judah laughed. "He's not really mad, and after he lets it out he's all good. And besides... it's such fun."

Shiloh let herself out the car. "If you say so..." She turned towards Michael who was walking up. " Hey, you. How's it goin?"

"Hey Shy. Ya know I'm doing good, but you know what? I'd be great if people picked up their phone." He looked over at Judah, who was getting out of his truck, with raised eyebrows. "But enough about me, how are you, Shy?"

Shiloh smiled. "I'm doin great thanks to that guy you're about to murder there, so just give him a fighting chance for my sake, yeah?"

"I'll take it into consideration." Michael smiled.

Shiloh smiled as she walked away waving dismissively. "Ok then. Y'all two have fun, but don't play too hard."

Michael turned towards Judah crossing his arms and raised his eyebrows again. "Well hello there, Judah! How are you? You look well! Very much alive and with no reason to have disappeared off the face of the earth, but hey, I wouldn't ever want to assume anything. So, how bout you indulge me and just enlighten me just a little bit about your whereabouts, huh? How bout it?"

Judah smiled. "I went on a hike with Shy."

Michael stared at him blankly then blinked twice. "Ok. That's great. Go sibling bonding or whatever. But you know there is this amazing thing, don't know if you heard of it, but it's called 'texting my friend/the one you asked to help make your appointments and whatnot, and saying 'hey, I am gonna be out today, can you cancel the stuff I have to do today?'"

"Wow! Does that make you like my agent and my personal trainer? You wear so many hats, and I just don't know how you do it."

Michael looked at him incredulously. "No. Don't do that. Sarcasm is my shirt, I wear it proudly. It's doesn't suit you. And also, you don't get to belittle my pettiness over here, you just get to stand there and listen to me tell you how much I disapprove of you, ok?"

Judah laughed and punched his shoulder playfully. "Yet you still stick around now don't you?"

Michael stepped back. "Don't touch me." He tried to keep a straight face, but Judah continued to punch him and Michael kept trying to avoid them and keep his composure. "Stop! You have dinner-banquet thing tonight at Lovelace's place and you get a plus one. You have a date?"

Judah stopped punching him as they started to walk inside. "Nah. I'll take Shy. What's the dinner for?"

"You would know if you hadn't turned off your phone, now wouldn't you?"

Judah stopped with a sigh, shaking his head and smiling. "Look, Mikey. I'm sorry and I appreciate all you do for me, I couldn't ask for a better friend/manager/personal trainer/everything else you do for me."

Michael smiled haughtily. " Now that's more like it. I am amazing and too good for you and you should know this by now."

They both laughed and just like that it was water under the bridge.

"Alright, let's go, I gotta ask Shy if she'd wanna go with me. If she says no, do you wanna be my plus one?"

Michael looked at him. "Boy, I'm goin regardless, I don't know whatchu talkin about."

Judah laughed. "Well ok then."

He opened the door. "Shiloh! Wanna go to a dinner-banquet thing with me?"

"What time is it? What's it for?" Shiloh answered from the kitchen.

"It's at 7 and it's for growin business relations or something, don't remember." Michael answered as they went over to the kitchen.

Shiloh came up out of the fridge. "Well, it's like four-ish now and I haven't started on supper yet, so why not? I have time to get dressed, and it should be fun to see your circle of stars."

Judah looked at her confused. "Ok... um... so was that a yes?"

Shiloh put her hand on her hip and smiled. "Yes, Judah. That was a yes."

"Thanks for clearing that up for me. I was a little confused too." Michael laughed.

Shiloh put two hands up in defeat. "Whatever. I'm gonna go get ready, and y'all... well... do whatever you like."

The boys laughed and went to to grab drinks from the fridge.

Michael grinned. "Tonight's gonna be fun."