My brother Max was a huge crybaby, he cried over the smallest things like a broken toy, scraped

knee, and even sad tv shows, but lately he hasn’t been crying at all. My brother is very strange,

 he is always smiling now and laughing at almost everything! He’s a strange one. Max started

ignoring me a year ago after he accidentally pushed me too hard into the street one day we were

playing, so I don’t know what his problem is but its like talking to a brick wall around him, he

 just keeps ignoring me! Ever since then, our house has been banal, mom and dad stopped

sleeping in the same room and would yell every time they clashed, and I could tell this bothered

max, but he just smiled through it, and its been like this since I was pushed, is it my fault?

Since mom and dad started ignoring me too, I figured it was something I did so I tried my

 hardest to get their attention by attempting many things like throwing dishes, turning the TV

off and on, making loud noises, and even opening and closing doors and windows.  My attempts

at getting their attention normally leads to mom or dad saying, “IS THE HOUSE HAUNTED!?”

or “IS THERE A GHOST?!” I am not a ghost! But I always try it with Max, now max is  a very

strange one he doesn’t get afraid like mom and dad do, in fact I don’t think I’ve ever seen him

have enmity towards anyone, get upset over a small thing, or act autonomous at all since the

push, is it fine to start worrying about my little brother now? Today my parents were out, and I

 was watching TV about an austere old man and his cowardly dog until I heard a strange noise

 coming from Max’s room, so I walked over there to go check on him and I found him scratching

 his wall with his gums redder than my mother when we don’t do as we’re told the first time, so I

dash over to max, “Maxie, are you okay!? Maxie!” he didn’t respond to my screams, and kept

scratching the wall. Why, why does he always ignore me!? I’m trying to help him and he just

 scratches at the wall! “MAX LISTEN TO ME!” I smack his face as hard as I could, he froze,

 and turned around to me holding his check in his hand. “Sissy?” he said in shock and fear, he

 looked like he seen a ghost, but on the other hand he noticed me! “Yes! Yes it me, sissy!”

I could almost feel my heart explode with this, but while I have his attention I just have to ask

Him, “Hey, what’s with all the smiling you’ve been doing lately?” after I asked, his face

Descended into a confused smile. “Sissy, I am doing what you asked me to’ he said “huh? What

did I ask you to do?” did I tell him to ignore me and his surroundings? “you told me, before you

passed away, to always keep a smile on my face” my eyes widened, “Did I really say that?” wait

hold on, did he say “DEAD!? IM DEAD!?” I yelled “yes sissy, I” he paused for a moment “I

pushed you too hard into the street” he said with a shaky tone. I think I get it now, has he been

smiling through all his guilt? I look at my little brother and see that sad smile and dried up blood

on his face, realizing that his behavior is all my fault. “Maxie, I am so so sorry” I try to fight the

tears in my eyes, but they won. Max looks up at me, “Sissy, I should be the one saying that” I

look down on him, and I tell him the one thing he needed to hear during my absence, “Maxie,

stop smiling” Max looked at me surprised “what?” he said with confusion “you need to stop

 smiling and cry, it was sweet of you to keep my promise, but it isn’t right for you to keep on

living like this” I put my hand on his shoulder to put him at ease “Maxie, its okay to be sad, its

 okay to cry, me seeing you cry shows me that you actually care, its normal to be sad about these

 things”. Max stopped smiling after I said that, and his tears start to pour out of his eyes like mini

 waterfalls, he sobs while in my arms, but this time his crybaby attitude left me feeling

bittersweet. “I Love you little brother, never forget that” I could feel myself ascending into the

sky, but I never took my eyes off my crybaby little brother.