“ Momma, I really don't like how you tie my hair. I look like a baby. Everyone tease me at school saying I have a tree on my head. ” I complain to momma. I just don't understand why parents these days are so boring and old-fashioned.

“ Well, you look adorable, honey. ” of course, she would say that. She thinks I'm dumb and I can't understand that she's lying to me. She thinks I'm still a little kid.

I turned frigging five this year. I'm a big girl.

“ What time is it? ” she asks.

“ It's seven dot dot fifteen. ” I look at my barbie watch and tell. See, I know how to read time.

“ Hans, what are you doing? Amber is getting late. You know it's your turn to drop her school today. ”, momma shouts from my room while doing my braid. Dad really takes a lot of time to get ready, “ Dad, I'm getting late. ”

“ I know, I know. And I'm here, ladies. ” dad finally walks in and kisses me and momma. Yes, now I will complain about her to dad, “ Dad, ask momma to learn better ways to tie my hair. This woman just doesn't listen to me. ”

I know my last sentence would make momma angry and dad laugh. I like how I sometimes accompany dad to tease momma. Dad is my best crime partner and momma is the cop.

I mean, she's not always strict. Since dad is mostly very busy and hates shopping, he says he gets very bored. Momma takes me shopping and she helps me with my homework, even though she's also very busy.

Sometimes while talking to me She acts like a kid herself. She talks to me in different voices, the cute one, the strict one, and the best, chipmunk one.

But I just hate it she doesn't let me eat ice cream saying I'll catch cold.

And you know a secret about her? She has a lot of names. Dad calls her Noriana. Aunt Joe sometimes call her Nora and sometimes Nore. And some people call her Scarlet Snow.

While I just have two names Amber and Bear.

Last month, we had a big fat party because she sold one million copies of her book. A lot of media and people in shiny clothes were there. They say she writes stories, but I've never seen any of her stories in my books that we study in school. Perhaps, she's not that famous.

“ Fine, I'll watch some hairstyle YouTube videos later. ” she lies once again. I know she will not watch any videos.

“ Bear, you ready? ” dads asks taking my glittery blue frozen backpack.

“ Yes, dad. ” I look myself in the mirror for the last time, because looking again will not make my hair look any better. Holding dad's index finger, because his hand is too big, I walk out of the room.

“ Amber. ” momma calls from behind. Oh, I just hope it is not I think it is. “ You forgot your notebook. ”

Oh no.

“ I don't need it. ” I tell.

“ Sure, you do. Miss Fitzgerald will check your homework today. ” ahh why does she check my school diary everyday! “ She's on leave today. ” I lie.

“ Amber Josette Anderson. Are you hiding something, young lady? ” she bends down on her knees and looks straight at me. I have to tell her now.

“ There's a boy in my class, he teases me and calls me a nerd because I do all my homework and the teacher never scolds me. ” oh how embarrassing! I'm going to cry now.

When I look at momma with tear filled eyes, I see her blushing and looking at dad. And when I see dad, he's smiling and looking back at her. They're internally mocking me. I cry more loudly.

“ Hey, Bear, first stop crying, okay. ” dad wipes my tears, lifting me up he places me on the kitchen counter. “ Do you know when I was young, I knew someone whom I too used to call nerd. But do you know why I called her nerd? ”

“ Because she was boring. ” I internally cry.

“ No. Because I liked and admired her. And was probably a little bit envious of her smartness. She was very intelligent. ” he caresses my dark hair. I can tell momma is staring at him, with a little smile, that I'm not sure why. But i think it was silly of him to praise another woman in front of momma.

Elders are so stupid.

“ So does that mean he likes me as well? ” I ask world's most important question.

“ Probably, probably not. What you should keep in your mind is that, be confident in yourself. Don't let anyone bother you with their opinions about you. ”, Momma says while putting that notebook into my backpack.

No wonder momma is a writer. She sometimes says a lot of philosophical things that goes straight above my brain. Anyways, I'm late for school.

“ Now, let's go, Bear. Shall we? ” Charlie carries my bag while dad lifts me up in his arms.

***

Sitting in dad's Tesla, I watch dad staring at his iPad. Typical businessman. “ Tyler, what are those? ” I ask to Mr. Driver, pointing to some magazine in the front.

“ Oh, these. Find it yourself, dear. ” he passes me those magazines.

“ Oh frickle frackle! Dad see it's your photo on the front page of Forbes Real-time balloonair magazine. ” I immediately jump to his side to show him his photo. “ It's billionaire. And do you like it? ” he chuckles.

“ I do. You look very handsome here. Give me your phone, I'll send a picture of it to momma. ” without waiting much, I bring out his phone from his coat by myself and text momma.

And now, it's time to go to school. I like it there. Except a few kids. They are sometimes very rude to me. But there are some good ones as well. Tyler opens the door for me and I step out.

“ James, hey. Wait for me. ” I call from behind as I see James, with Uncle Lemon. I run towards him with my little legs. I can hear him groan, “ Oh, she's here again. ” so I stick my tongue out, pull my under eye a little to tease him.

“ Liam, glad to know I'm not the only one on the pick and drop duty, mate. ” dad greets Uncle Lemon with a handshake.

Uncle Lemon and Aunt Joe are my parents' old friends. And I love them. They are my favorite. They take me to amusement parks and we go on picnics when momma and dad are not in town. I don't like James much though, he fights a lot with me but I think that's how brothers are.

“ I'd say the same. ” Uncle Lemon chuckles.

“ Uncle Lemon, how's Aunt Joe? Did she get her tooth fixed? ” I ask innocently.

“ Hey, don't call me that. ” he warns for the thousandth time and I grin like a devil as always. “ And no, not yet, she has her last sitting next week. But she misses you a lot. ”

“ Don't worry, I'm gonna stay at your place today. ” I wink at James, poking him once again. Momma is going to New York for a press conference. She will be back till night though. And Dad too will be at office till late. So Aunt Joe and Uncle Lemon's home is like my second home.

I spend so much time there that they even have extra clothes for me.

***

“ Amber, do you know I hate it when you come to my home? ” James, who's sitting beside me whispers in my ear, while Miss Riley is explaining about the vowels in the front. Oh, so he's jealous.

“ Yes. Because Uncle Lemon and Aunt Joe love me more. ” I tease him more. But where's the lie?

“ Just like Aunt Nora and Uncle Hans love me more. ” he confronts. How dare he? Yes, sometimes, only sometimes they give him more attention but obviously they love me more.

“ James, shut up or I'll say a bad word. ” I warn him. But before I could tell him any further how angry he makes me, someone from the back throws a crumpled piece of paper at me.

“ Nerd ” written on it. Oh so it was Ben who threw it. An unintentional smile comes on my soft lips, thinking if he actually likes me, because of what dad said to me this morning.

“ What is this? ” James asks from beside.

“ Nothing. It's just Ben. ” I tell. Surprisingly as I turn to see him, he looks mad and giving a terrifying stare to Ben. What is wrong with James?

“ You stay away from my sister! ” he yells in the middle of whole class. Ben starts crying and everyone starts looking at us. Even Miss Riley stops whatever she was telling and comes to our seat.

“ James, stand up. ” he stands up. “ Now speak. ” he doesn't.

“ James, say sorry to Ben. ” he is one stubborn boy. I feel bad. It's my fault. “ James, say sorry to Ben or get out of the class. ”

“ No, Miss, I say sorry. I was fighting with him. It's my fault. ” tears starts coming out of my eyes.

“ Amber, shut up. I'm handling it. ” James, tries to shush me up. And just then Ben starts crying more loudly. Because he pissed his pants. Oh dear God. Everyone starts laughing.

He pissed his pants.

“ James, Amber out of my class. Now. ” Miss Riley orders, and we both walk out of the class. Actually, it's for the best. Now I can finally scold James.

When I look at him to give him a proper lecture, I find him laughing. It cackles me up as well. I can't really blame him. The way Ben was crying after pissing his pants was hilarious. “ I'm going to tell Aunt Joe how you made Ben piss his pants. ”

***

With my left arms hooking tightly around Ms. Chuckles neck, I tap on dad's cheek to wake him up. His slumber starts to crack and I shush him before he could say anything.

“ Bear, what happened? ” he whispers while sitting on his back.

“ I want icecream. ” I tell as I hold Miss Chuckles tightly.

“ What it's midnight. It's too late. You can have it tomorrow. It's sleeping time. Come, I'll read you some boring bedtime stories so you can fall asleep. ” he yawns and I frown. I fill my cheeks with air and let them look like two balloons on my face.

“ Bear, it's not good for your throat. And besides, you know your momma. Neither you nor I can handle her if she decides to scold us. ” he says. Why is he so scared of momma? He should be more like me. Never scared of anyone.

“ But she's asleep. Dad, just a little bit. One bite. No, no just half bite. I really want to eat it. ” my eyes throwing those innocent glares and I can see he's on the edge to fall my trap.

“ Bear... ”

“ Dad, please. Pretty please. Sugar please. Candy please. ”

“ Ok. Fine fine. But just one bite. ” and he's fallen in my trap. Haha. Yay.

He puts me on the kitchen counter and open the fridge. The lights are very dim and he brings out a Cookies N' cream flavoured icecream tub. I grab two spoons. One for me and one for him.

Oh yes. I love icecream. I love love icecream. It's the best thing in the world. I can eat a whole factory of icecream-- wait- who turned on the lights?

“ What are you two doing here? ”

Oh frickle frackle. Momma's awake.

“ Momma it was dad's idea. I told him not to eat icecream. I just did not listen to me. ” I go and hide behind dad. I can't even dare to look at her face. She must be very mad.

I'm so scared.

What if she slaps me?

“ Amber. ” she calls calmly. “ Come here. ”

“ It was my idea. I'm sorry. ” I tell and come out in front of her.

“ Amber, darling, never be scared to tell the truth. I don't let you eat unhealthy because it's not good for you. But remember one thing, no matter how scared you are, you don't ever have to lie. Lying is bad. ”

“ I'm sorry. ”

“ It's okay. ” she says.

What? She did not scold me?

She's not mad because I told the truth, eventually. Actually, I know I sometimes get very scared of her but it's not because she would scold me. In fact, neither she nor dad has ever raised their voice at me.

It's her silent glare that I'm most scared of. Her wide eyes, oh dear god, they scares the snake out of me.

“ Now come on. It's time to go to bed. ” dad mumbles from behind. Yes, before momma changes her mind and grounds me, I better go to my room. “ Yes... But after we finish this icecream tub. ” momma winks at me.

My momma is the best.

“ Come on, sweetie. ” she lifts me up and makes me sit on the dinner table.

“ Hey, I'm here as well. No one's going to ask this handsome gentleman to join in? ” dad whines and I laugh. “ No. After this, you and I are having a little chat, Mr. Hans Gentleman Anderson. ”

Poor dad. I can't stop laughing at his scared and terrified face. Haha.

Jokes apart, I know momma can't see him drooling over the icecream like that. So she takes out a spoon full of icecream and stuffs it in his mouth with her hand. And then she kisses on his cheek.

Ew. Momma, dad not in front of your five year old daughter.

Who's going to teach these brats some ethics?

Ugh. This is how my life is. Filled with smiles, emotional blackmailing, teasing and a lot of drama. Now I'm going to brush my teeth and sleep. As you should too.

Good Night.

❤❤❤

And that is a wrap folks.