again.
Sierra stepped back and I had to suppress a giggle. Only she would choose to wear a t-shirt that said “Quit Looking at Me” for her first day at a new school.
“Nice.” I said, laughing.
“What?” Her forehead creased as she glanced at her outfit.
“Nothing. It’s just so you.”
Sierra grinned. “Would you want me to be any other way?”
“Never.”
I studied my sister. I’d never seen her so calm looking. Her face seemed slightly different. Like she didn’t have a care in the world. I’d always thought the permanent chip on Sierra’s shoulder was just her attitude, but now I wondered if she’d been just as worried as me all those years. If she’d stayed up at night wondering what we were going to do, how we were going to survive. She was only a year younger than me, Sadie only two years. They always just felt so much smaller than that to me, like little kids I needed to take care of. Being removed from that situation, even for just a few days, showed it a little more clearly. Maybe I’d counted them out too quickly. Maybe I should have looked at them as allies instead of responsibilities.
“Have you seen Sadie?” Sierra asked, pulling me from my thoughts. She looked over my head, watching the faces passing us by. I’d always hated being the shortest.
“Not yet. I hope we haven’t missed her somehow.” My eye followed the same path as my sister’s.
“Sadie? Early to something? I don’t think so.” Sierra frowned.
“Audrey! Sierra!”
We both turned just as Sadie barreled into our arms. I didn’t think I could have hugged her any tighter. With both of my sisters beside me again, I felt complete.
“I missed you guys!” Sadie said when she pulled away from us. Her gray eyes were shiny. Mine felt like they looked the same.
“I missed you so much!” I told her . I wiped my nose quickly, afraid the emotions were causing me to become red-faced and gooey. Every happy emotion under the sun swirled inside of me. Sadie was okay, she didn’t have any bruises or cuts on her. The past couple of nights I’d tossed and turned in bed, wondering what they were doing to her at that house, why they wouldn’t let her answer the phone. But she seemed okay, so maybe they were just strict.
“Ditto.” Sierra said.
“Sadie! There you are!” A voice spoke up behind us.
Sadie pulled away from me and Sierra and turned her head. “Sorry Tori.” She said. “I had to get over to my sisters when I saw them.”
Sierra and I exchanged a glance. Tori? That had to be the girl from the Gable’s front porch.
I looked the girl up and down as she stopped beside us. Short, hot pink skirt, black l ace top, black knee length boots, fake orange tan. What the hell? We were in Alabama. Not on the Jersey shore.
“You, uh, looked different when we saw you from the car the other day.” Sierra managed to say. Her eyes were wide.
Tori giggled. “Oh, yeah. It freaks Ma and Pa G out if I dress like that, kind of scary like, you know? They don’t mess with me when I look freaky. They’re like, scared of me or something. I just sneak this stuff into my bag and change when I get to school.”
My eyes were trained on my youngest sister, who laughed right along with Tori. She noticed me looking and crossed her arms over her chest.
“What?” Sadie asked.
“What? Your friend looks like she turned the make-up gun up to whore, that’s what.” I couldn’t help it. It slipped.
Sierra’s mouth dropped open for a split second before she burst out laughing. Tori stuck a skinny arm on her hip bone and jutted her bottom lip out.
“Rude much?” She asked.
“Audrey!” Sadie stomped her foot on the floor.
“Sadie! How old is she, fifteen like you? Are you kidding me right now?” Part of me wanted to take Tori by the elbow and lead her straight into the principal’s office to demand why they let anybody come to school like this. It took me a second to realize normal teenagers probably wouldn’t
Sierra stepped back and I had to suppress a giggle. Only she would choose to wear a t-shirt that said “Quit Looking at Me” for her first day at a new school.
“Nice.” I said, laughing.
“What?” Her forehead creased as she glanced at her outfit.
“Nothing. It’s just so you.”
Sierra grinned. “Would you want me to be any other way?”
“Never.”
I studied my sister. I’d never seen her so calm looking. Her face seemed slightly different. Like she didn’t have a care in the world. I’d always thought the permanent chip on Sierra’s shoulder was just her attitude, but now I wondered if she’d been just as worried as me all those years. If she’d stayed up at night wondering what we were going to do, how we were going to survive. She was only a year younger than me, Sadie only two years. They always just felt so much smaller than that to me, like little kids I needed to take care of. Being removed from that situation, even for just a few days, showed it a little more clearly. Maybe I’d counted them out too quickly. Maybe I should have looked at them as allies instead of responsibilities.
“Have you seen Sadie?” Sierra asked, pulling me from my thoughts. She looked over my head, watching the faces passing us by. I’d always hated being the shortest.
“Not yet. I hope we haven’t missed her somehow.” My eye followed the same path as my sister’s.
“Sadie? Early to something? I don’t think so.” Sierra frowned.
“Audrey! Sierra!”
We both turned just as Sadie barreled into our arms. I didn’t think I could have hugged her any tighter. With both of my sisters beside me again, I felt complete.
“I missed you guys!” Sadie said when she pulled away from us. Her gray eyes were shiny. Mine felt like they looked the same.
“I missed you so much!” I told her . I wiped my nose quickly, afraid the emotions were causing me to become red-faced and gooey. Every happy emotion under the sun swirled inside of me. Sadie was okay, she didn’t have any bruises or cuts on her. The past couple of nights I’d tossed and turned in bed, wondering what they were doing to her at that house, why they wouldn’t let her answer the phone. But she seemed okay, so maybe they were just strict.
“Ditto.” Sierra said.
“Sadie! There you are!” A voice spoke up behind us.
Sadie pulled away from me and Sierra and turned her head. “Sorry Tori.” She said. “I had to get over to my sisters when I saw them.”
Sierra and I exchanged a glance. Tori? That had to be the girl from the Gable’s front porch.
I looked the girl up and down as she stopped beside us. Short, hot pink skirt, black l ace top, black knee length boots, fake orange tan. What the hell? We were in Alabama. Not on the Jersey shore.
“You, uh, looked different when we saw you from the car the other day.” Sierra managed to say. Her eyes were wide.
Tori giggled. “Oh, yeah. It freaks Ma and Pa G out if I dress like that, kind of scary like, you know? They don’t mess with me when I look freaky. They’re like, scared of me or something. I just sneak this stuff into my bag and change when I get to school.”
My eyes were trained on my youngest sister, who laughed right along with Tori. She noticed me looking and crossed her arms over her chest.
“What?” Sadie asked.
“What? Your friend looks like she turned the make-up gun up to whore, that’s what.” I couldn’t help it. It slipped.
Sierra’s mouth dropped open for a split second before she burst out laughing. Tori stuck a skinny arm on her hip bone and jutted her bottom lip out.
“Rude much?” She asked.
“Audrey!” Sadie stomped her foot on the floor.
“Sadie! How old is she, fifteen like you? Are you kidding me right now?” Part of me wanted to take Tori by the elbow and lead her straight into the principal’s office to demand why they let anybody come to school like this. It took me a second to realize normal teenagers probably wouldn’t
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