From: Kit

Kit Temborough stopped in front of the storefront and eyed the window suspiciously. The dirty panes were lined with faded advertisements that might have been older than she was. At nineteen, Kit was just about to start her first year of college.

She read the ads in the window and snorted. Most of them were in Chinese, but a few of them could be read in poorly translated English. They promised a cure for all sorts of ailments: hair loss, erectile dysfunction and even bad breath.

"This has got to be the place," Kit murmured under her breath as she placed her hand on the door. She hesitated for a moment before taking a deep breath and pulling it open.

Her friend had told her about the Chinese medicine shop in the strip mall. She'd been to the mall dozens of times, but she'd never even glanced at the place she was walking into. She looked around and blinked, halfway expecting to see some sort of mystical symbols on the walls, but the place looked pretty normal. All sorts of herbs and bottles lined the walls, along with boxes of roots that she'd never seen before. She took a few steps forward and turned up her nose at a case of dead beetles that promised to cure rheumatism.

"Hi there, looking for something particular?" Kit heard someone ask from some direction.

She glanced around and saw a middle aged man on a short ladder behind a shelf. She bolstered her courage and nodded, "Yeah, I am... Maybe you could help me out?"

The man hopped off the ladder spryly, "Certainly. It's okay if you don't know what you're looking for, just tell me what you need and we'll see if I can help," he said with a sincere looking smile.

Kit glanced at the dead beetles and tried to keep an open mind. She felt like walking away, but she'd already come as far as she had and she wanted to try and make up for something terrible she'd done.

About a week prior she and her friends were celebrating her birthday and Kit was unaware that her brother was home. Kit and her brother were non-identical twins, but for the past decade Kit's birthday was celebrated a week prior to their actual birth date, just to make their birthdays feel a bit more special. Kit's parents were out of town for the weekend and she and her girlfriends had gotten into her father's liquor cabinet. Naturally, the conversation had turned towards potential love interests and the girls began to chat away. Kit knew that she had been drinking too much, but she was having such a good time that she kept going.

After a while, she was well past buzzed and giggling up a storm when her friend Lettie asked her, "So, Kit, is your brother seeing anyone?"

Kit wrinkled her nose, "No, why would anyone be seeing my brother?"

"Why not?" Lettie answered with a slight frown, "What's wrong with him?"

Kit knew that Lettie had had a crush on her brother for some time, and she knew that her brother, Jake, had always found Lettie attractive. Both of them were the shy sort and neither one had made any real attempt to talk to one another. Having graduated a year early, Jake was already in college and well on his way to his sophomore year, while Kit had been held back a year because of her grades. She envied her brother because of his smarts, though she was the more athletic of the two, it seemed like everyone in her family expected more out of him than they did out of her. It was little more than a normal sibling rivalry, but in that moment, between the alcohol and her flippant mood, Kit was feeling particularly malicious, "Well, he's so... shrimpy. I thought you'd go for a guy with a little more muscle."

Lettie blushed, the alcohol working its magic on her as well, "Who said I was interested? I was just asking."

Kit laughed, "You wouldn't have brought it up if you weren't interested! C'mon Lettie, I know you like him, it's super obvious."

"Is it?" Lettie blushed harder.

"Yes!" Kit's two other friends in the room chimed at the same time.

"See?" Kit licked her lips and laughed some more, her cheeks ruddy and red from the booze, "I'm telling you, Lettie, you don't want to be with my brother."

Lettie frowned, "You can't say shit like that and not give me any reasons, Kit; that's not fair."

"oh, you want reasons?" Kit sat up suddenly and pursed her lips. She thought about how proud her parents were of him when he graduated with honors, while they barely gave her the time of day when her volleyball team won the nationals, "I've lived with him my whole life. All he does is read all day, and he studies so much, I doubt he'd even have time for a girlfriend. Not only that, but, he's just so shrimpy."

"You said that already," Lettie was beginning to look frustrated. "He doesn't sound all that bad, I think you're just jealous."

"Me, Jealous?" Kit snorted. Of course, nothing could have been truer, but she wasn't about to let her best friend compare her to her brother. Jake made up for his lack of physique with his mental prowess, while she had always been the more athletic of the two. She'd always envied him for how easily scholastics seemed to come to him, but she'd never once admitted it. She and her brother were about the same height, but her legs and arms were thicker and years of sports had toned her body well. She was naturally tan, and he was pale from being away from the sun constantly. It was by their physical differences that she justified her indignance, but that wasn't where their dissimilarities ended. She could think of a thousand ways in which they were different, but in her buzzed state, she could only seem to dwell on the fact that he was so much more gangly than her, "When I think manly, the image of my brother doesn't come to mind. The guy can't gain any muscle at all, like, seriously. Last year he went to the gym nearly every day cause' he wanted to gain so bad, he drank protein shakes and took supplements and he only gained a little muscle for all of his effort."

"Some people are just naturally thin and they metabolize quickly," Lettie was defending Jake openly now, even though she didn't know him very well. Kit's two other friends had become quiet and were simply watching the conversation escalate.

"Yeah, sure, but it's not just his body. He's also kind of wimpy, like he doesn't stand up for himself like he should. He always does favors for people and let's himself get stepped on; not really the kind of guy that you want as a boyfriend if he's not going to defend you."

"I appreciate a non violent approach, especially with men," Lettie was openly upset with Kit now, her irritation etched in her features, "I can't believe how jealous you are of your brother, I mean, you have no reason to be, you're both really talented. So what if I really did want to go after him, would you have a problem with that?"

Kit's two other friends snapped their heads back to Kit as the challenge was issued, "N, no, I guess not. I mean, I don't care, Lettie, I just don't think you guys would be a good fit," she mumbled, thoroughly frustrated by how badly the conversation had turned against her. Instead of belittling her brother, it seemed like her trash talk had actually improved his image. Her mind raced for any kind of relevant dirt she could think of to use against her brother, and she settled on something quickly that jumped out to her in an instant, "Plus, he's got a small dick."

Lettie went wide eyed and said nothing as an almost palpable silence came over the room.

Kit furrowed her brow, "What the hell is wrong with you gu..." she trailed off as she heard someone charging up the stairs quickly. A knot formed in her stomach as she realized what must have happened. Her brother must have come down from upstairs to get a drink or something and walked in right at the end of their conversation. She had been sitting away from the stairs, so she hasn't seen him. She took a deep breath and tried, fruitlessly, to alleviate some of the tension in the room, "Oh shit..." she sighed, "Do you think he heard me?"

Lettie nodded but said nothing.

"That was fucked up, Kit, you should go apologize to him," one of her other friends boosted herself off the couch and began to gather the liquor bottles, "Yeah, I think we're done with this for now."

The fourth girl took a deep breath and shook her head, "Holy shit, Kit, you really went under the belt on that one. You can't say that kind of shit to any guy ever: it fuck's up their psychology for their whole life. What's your deal with Jake? What'd he ever do to you?"

Kit shook her head, feeling a terrible mixture of guilt, anger and confusion, "Nothing. Let's just drop it, okay? I'll... talk to him."

But she didn't talk to him. Every time she tried, she couldn't make herself knock on his door, and a week had passed. Kit felt terribly guilty, but more than anything, she was angry with herself. When they were younger, they were close, and often hung out with each other over their own friends. As they grew into their teens, however, they'd grown apart, and now it seemed as if she didn't know him at all.

"Miss?" The owner of the medicine store said lightly as he waved his hand.

"Oh, sorry, I guess I kind of spaced out there for a minute," Kit replied as she refocused on her purpose. "Well, it's about my..." She was about to speak when she realized that asking for what she was about to ask for would seem strange if she mentioned her brother. She bit her lip and continued, "My boyfriend is having a bit of a problem. He's a tall guy, but he's a bit on the gangly side. He's been trying for months to gain some muscle; he's been working out and drinking shakes and basically anything you can think of, but he still can't seem to gain any. Today's his birthday... I kind of wanted to get him a present that would help him," she took a deep breath and winced, hoping that he wouldn't think her 'problem' was as crazy as she thought it was.

"Ah, I see," the owner of the store pawed his chin, "and how old is your boyfriend?"

"He's twenty two," she lied easily. She had no idea why it mattered, but if the medicine that the store owner recommended was alcoholic or something, she didn't want there to be an issue with her brother being underage.

"Ah. And about how much does he weigh?" The man asked as he went behind his counter and began to rummage around behind it.

"Oh, I'm not sure exactly, maybe one fifty or so."

The man nodded, "I do have something for that, but..." he stood and placed a bag on the counter, "It's a bit on the expensive side."

Kit approached the counter, feeling a bit nervous, "Uh, okay... how much is it?"

"Two hundred dollars for a twelve week supply," the man said evenly.

"Two hundred dollars!?" Kit blurted. She stared in dismay at the small bag of powder on the counter. It was whitish in color and didn't look any different from a bag of cornstarch.

The man nodded, "I know it seems pricey, but if you break it down by cost per day, it's not all that much."

She looked from the bag to the shop owner, "How do you know it works?"

The man smiled, "I understand your incredulity, and you're not the first to question my concoctions, but I've been in business for a long time and no one has ever come back in for a refund."

Kit stared hard at the bag of powder and shook her head. It didn't seem like the man was trying to sell it to her, in fact, he sounded fairly indifferent. She sighed, "I'm sorry, I wasn't trying to say that it wasn't worth the money, but... how does it work? Is it safe?"

The shop owner chuckled, "It's a very complex combination of things that you've never heard of and most you wouldn't be able to pronounce. I assure you that it's completely safe, however, and entirely drug free. In a nutshell, this treatment boosts a person's metabolism and redistributes certain chemicals that the brain naturally produces. This particular remedy of mine is actual so potent that I'd require a signature, if you decide to buy it."

What the fuck, a signature? Kit thought with an increasing amount of impetuousness. "Why a signature?" She asked as non accusingly as she could, though her words were laced with doubt.

"Because if it's misused then it could lead to some serious medical problems. I don't want some muscle head coming in here and trying to sue me blind because the treatment worked too well," the shop owner said with a laugh.

Kit sighed once more. If the powder was as good as the man said it was, then she might actually be able to get Jake to talk to her again. It was true that she hadn't had the courage to apologize, but he'd been ignoring her all week. "Look, I'd really like to take this, but I only have a hundred bucks on me," she said as she lifted a bill that she'd received in a birthday card from her grandparents. This time she was telling the truth, it really was all of the money she had to spend on a present.

The man frowned, "I see, that's unfortunate," he said as he made a move to grab the bag.

Kit took a deep breath and placed the bill on the counter, "Look, is there any way I can buy half the amount for a hundred?"

The man furrowed his brow, "Why do you want it so badly?"

She blinked as she realized that she must have sounded more desperate than she'd thought, "Well, I..." she shook her head. "I said some pretty terrible things to him and now he won't talk to me. I wanted to try and give him something that he's been wanting, something unique... maybe then he'll give me the time of day," she sighed as she admitted her own motives to herself.

The man gave her a long, hard look before sighing himself, "I see. All right, if it means that much to you, I'll sell you the whole thing for your benjamin, here, but," he raised his hand, "You have to promise me that if it works you'll come back and pay the other hundred. how's that sound?"

Kit smiled widely, "Oh my god, thank you! Yes, I promise."

"Okay," the shop owner said as he took the bill and folded it into his pocket. He took a sticky note from the counter and began to scribble on it before he produced a sheet of paper from behind the register, "I'll need you to read and sign this, please."

Kit was so happy that the man agreed to sell her the powder that she took the form and read over it eagerly. It seemed like a standard waiver, so she signed it at the bottom and took the powder up into her hands.

"Hold on," the man said as he placed his hand on her wrist. He placed the sticky note on the bag and looked at her squarely, "Before you leave, I have to give you the instructions, okay?"

She nodded, wondering once more just how powerful the ridiculous powder could be, "Yeah, I'm listening."

"It's very important that you follow what the note says. Make sure your boyfriend takes the exact daily dosage, no more, no less. Tell him to drink it in a private place; it's best if he's calm when he consumes it. I can't stress enough how important it is that he takes the right dosages; remember, this is a twelve week supply. If he doesn't see results right away, that doesn't mean that it's not working, he'll just need to give it a bit more time. Got it?"

She nodded excitedly, "I got it. he's a rule following kind of guy, so I don't think it'll be a problem."

"Excellent. Good luck to you," the shop owner smiled.

"Thanks again!" Kit said as she turned to leave. She still wasn't sure if she'd been swindled or not, but she supposed she would find out.

Nearly an hour later, Kit finished her brother's birthday card and looked it over to see if she'd missed anything. She'd written a short apology letter in the card she'd gotten him and told him that she wanted to talk. After reading it over once more, she slipped it into a small bag along with a bottle of his favorite blue Gatorade and the bag of powder. She added the sticky note that had come with the bag as well as an explanation for the gift. Taking a deep breath, she grabbed the bag and opened her bedroom door slowly, peeking around to check for any signs of Jake. Her room, like his, was located upstairs, and when she exited she tip toed over to the stairs to see if she could hear any sign of him in the kitchen. The house was quiet, as it usually was during the early afternoon, and she began to walk slowly through the upstairs hallway to search for a place to leave the gift. Her parents were out till the evening, her mom at some sort of book club and her dad working. They were all supposed to go out for dinner that night for Jake's birthday, and Kit was hoping to resolve their dispute before that time came. The idea of trying to explain why her brother wasn't talking to her did not appeal to the champion volleyball player, and she didn't want the dinner to be more awkward than it was already bound to be.

As Kit thought about the dinner, she realized once more that Jake hadn't mentioned her drinking to their Father. She would have sworn that he would say something, especially after what she'd said, but he'd kept silent, which made her feel even more guilty.

She approached the bathroom door and stopped when she heard the water running, "Oh, he's in the shower, perfect" she muttered lowly as she walked past the bathroom. She padded quickly to his bedroom and opened the door, then glanced around to make sure she was in the clear. Her brother's room was as tidy as it always was, with the bed made and everything in place. His laptop was open on the desk, as well as several math textbooks. Kit scowled at the math equation as she set the bag down, "Geez, does he ever take a break?" She asked lowly to herself as she arranged his gift. After situating the present the way she wanted, she wrote a note on the tiny tag that was attached to the handle of the bag.

"From: Kit," she mouthed the words softly as she wrote. She paused, then added, "Happy b-day bro." After looking it over once more, she nodded in satisfaction then headed back to her room.

Kit waited in her room for some sort of response from Jake. After doing nothing for five minutes, the stress was killing her, so she changed and began to run on her treadmill. She wore her standard volleyball outfit: a pair of white shorts that hugged her thighs tightly and a matching sleeveless tank top with her team logo on it. She was so used to wearing the outfit that it felt like a second skin, and even though she was probably showing more of her body off it in, she felt more self conscious when she was wearing a one piece bathing suit.

She ran a mile at a fairly brisk pace and was barely breaking a sweat when she noticed her phone buzzing. She lowered the speed on the treadmill and nervously took up her phone. As she thought, it was Jake. Her thumb floated over the notification for a moment as she took a deep breath.

The text read: Hey, what the hell is this stuff you gave me?

Kit frowned and texted back:It's a natural supplement that's supposed to help you with your bodybuilding. I know you tried everything else, so I thought you might have good luck with it.

She waited a moment for him to reply back: Why couldn't you give it to me yourself? You think I'm going to bite your head off or what?

No, it's just that I didn't want to give you your present like it was a bribe or something, She paused before adding, I'm sorry about what I said, I fucked up.

Jake replied: It's been a week and you're just now apologizing? Forget it Kit, don't even worry about it, it's old news. Thanks for the present.

Kit read the text and sighed, dissatisfied with the way the conversation was going: No, I'm serious, I can't forget it. I messed up bad and I'm really sorry.

You're really sorry? Kit, you were talking shit about me behind my back for no reason. What did I do to you to deserve that?

Kit grunted, beginning to feel even more guilty as she turned off her treadmill and sat down on her bed to text him back: Nothing! Look, I was drunk and I was being an asshole, I didn't mean any of those things I said.