2. Of Evil Little Sisters

Later on at night, I'm in my room, done with my homework and texting my bestie, Jennifer.

"Jo?" I hear mum's voice shout from the kitchen. "Aren't you supposed to do the dishes tonight?"

I put my phone away, cursing. "What? No, it's Maria's turn tonight," I scream right back. 

We are not lunatics, communicating across our expansive house just requires a little bit more effort.

"You didn't do them yesterday," Maria's voice joins the clatter. 

I leave my room, already guessing how this will end. I go down the hall and through the living room to the kitchen. 

"Sam did it for me last night," I say when I get there. 

"You didn't do it, that's what matters," Maria says, turning to face me with a self satisfied smirk. She tosses her long dyed hair back, as if challenging me to say something. 

Oh, the little devil... 

"I got it done, that's what matters," I shoot back. 

"Why would you get your small brother to do dishes for you?" Mum asks, hands akimbo, a pinched look on her face.

"He's not so little, Mum. He is ten, for heaven's sake. He can even cook better than some people in this household," I say, making sure to shoot a glare my younger sister's way. Maria Hansen doesn't like getting her hands dirty, and I guess not learning how to is how she keeps it that way. 

Mum waves her hand in dismissal. "Just clean the dishes, Jo. And I want the kitchen clean, too."

I can sense Maria's smug look. I decide not to look her way since I might get tempted to slap it off her face. 

I march behind the counter, my mood already plummeting for the night. 

Instances like these, I wish for the morning to come fast so I can go to school and not have to deal with her anymore. 

Are all younger sisters absolute evil, or is it just mine? Maria is always in competition with me, for what I have no idea, and sometimes it's hard to ignore her since she is an attention seeking expert. 

By the time I get back to my room, sleep is already catching up with me. I change, grab my phone, and jump in between my covers. I look through the texts I've received. 

Jen, 8.15pm: Guess what, Jo. 

Jen, 8.17pm: Hey, u there? 

Jen, 8.20pm: Ava! 

I look at the time on top of the screen. It's only twenty seven minutes since her last text. 

Me, 8.47pm: What? 

Seconds later, my phone pings. 

Jen, 8.48pm: Jax is taking me out on Friday!!!! 

I read that text the first time, reread it, confirm that is really Jax she is talking about, then reply. 

Me, 8.51pm: Lol, funny..... Not so funny, Jen. 

She replies instantly. 

Jen, 8.51pm: I'm not kidding! He said it's a surprise, I have no idea where he is taking me. 

I can hardly believe what I'm reading. 

Me, 8.52pm: You're fúcking kidding me, Jen. Y would Jax take u out? Y would u even... U r fúcking crazy! 

Jen, 8.53pm: What's the big deal about it? 

Me, 8.53pm: I can't fúcking believe u ryt now.

Jen, 8.54pm: He is no longer Angela's bf, 

I can't believe she said that! 

Me, 8.55pm: That's the deal, he was her bf! 

Jen, 8.56pm: U r so ridiculous, Av. We'll talk about it tomorrow, night. 

Me, 8.57pm: Night. 

I go over the conversation before throwing my phone onto my bedside cabin. I knew Jennifer can be selfish, but this is taking it too far. 

The wound of having Angeline ripped from our lives is still fresh yet here she is, already cozying up to the only guy Angeline had ever loved. 

Angeline, Jennifer and I had been a team, since the first year of high school. I had known Angeline longer than that, though, having attended the same primary school. Jennifer was my first assigned desk mate the first school term, and we quickly became friends.

Jax transferred to our school in the middle of the second year, and Angeline instantly crushed on him. They both played ball games, which is how they met. That was the beginning of their love story. A love that the other kids at school envied and desired. They cleared the second year, the third year, and were definitely going to clear the fourth year together, but tragedy struck. 

It was just a fall. At first. 

It had been a hot Saturday, and a group of us from school decided to go diving at a river that passed nearby. Jennifer, Angeline, Jax, and I were there. 

It was all fun until Angeline went to dive from a big rock at the side of the river. It had gotten muddy during the course of the afternoon and was, therefore, slippery.

When Angeline climbed on top, she slipped. 

She went into an unexpected dive, head over body, sinking below the surface of the water. 

I remember watching with bated breath, waiting for her to surface. 

She did, but with a sour look on her face, her hand clutching her head. Jax swam in and brought her to the bank. 

She had hit her head and decided to sit the rest of the session out, watching the rest of us.

Days after her bruised skull had long healed, she started complaining of headaches. It got so severe, searing pain that made her eyes hurt and kept her away from school. Her mother took her for a CT scan. 

It was revealed that she had hit her head so hard that she developed internal bleeding behind the skull. The brain was swelling and the pressure was getting too much.

Before they could get her to a condition that was stable enough for a brain surgery, she passed away. Because of a stupid diving trip in the woods, I lost my oldest and closest friend. 

All that happened a mere two months ago, and I still had dreams and nightmares about it. When I was with Jennifer, I noticed Angeline's absence, imagining what she would say at what point. She was never far from my thoughts. Maybe I was thinking about her far too much than would be considered healthy. 

Then Jennifer comes out of the blue, the flowers on Angeline's grave not even bloomed for the first time, saying she is now dating Jax. 

Sometimes I don't know how that girl thinks, and this is one of those times. 

I cannot wait to interrogate her tomorrow.