Piper
The car ride is silent and I'm grateful that Sam is letting me wear my headphones. Usually, headphones weren't allowed in the car or during dinner or whenever mom felt like annoying me. I lean my head on the cool window and watch all the trees pass by. I pull my earbuds out my ear and the car is not silent. Sam is singing at the top of her lungs. I twitch my lips, amused. I wanted to be mad but Sam has always been good at putting me in a good mood. "You sound awful."
Sam sneaks a glance at me, "Beyonce would be proud." She tells me before continuing to sing.
I snort, "She would be proud of your support." I pause. "Not your voice."
Sam roll her eyes but continue to sing and I can't help but sing along with her. It was old music but that didn't mean I didn't like it. We begin to pass familiar buildings and I know we're not far from the lake. I roll my eyes. The anger suddenly returning.
"Why is she forcing me to this summer retreat?" I question.
"She wants to spend time with you, Piper." Sam explains once again. "What's so wrong about that?"
"Oh, I don't know," I reply. "She's invited, everyone." I hiss. "How does she expect to spend time with me if everyone is here." I roll my eyes. "Zoey, June, and Jayden are the people I want to hang with for the summer, Sam. I'm too old for this."
"All of a sudden you're too old for the lake," Sam says. "I didn't know swimming and fun came with an age limit."
"You know what I meant." I hiss.
"You use to like the lake." Sam reminds me. "You would literally wake up every day to ask when we would go back."
"I was eight, Sam." I inhale before exhaling. "I'm not saying the lake isn't fun but I will rather be doing it with my friends. I don't wanna spend my last summer before college with you, mom, Nathalie, and Rose."
Sam is silent for a moment. I know for weeks this trip has been putting pressure on everyone in the house. Sam didn't think I should be forced to do something I didn't want to do. Sam has always been the peace-breaker between me and mom. However, this time mom wasn't letting up. She wanted everyone at the camp, especially me.
"Let's be real, Piper."
I huff. Here we go.
"Miranda doesn't want you home alone for two weeks." Sam explains. "You and I both know why."
I groan dramatically. "I mess up one time and she's just gonna punish me forever?"
"You invited high school kids to the house, let them drink illegally, smoke weed, break things in the house..." She pauses and I look away as she reminds me of something that happened months ago. "Jewelry was stolen, a teenager almost died from alcohol poisoning, and we were sued." She pauses and forces me to look at her. "If it wasn't for your mother you wouldn't be graduating high-school or even going to college."
I choose not to say anything.
"I know you didn't mean for any of this to happen, Piper. You have never once given us trouble, ever. But, let your mother have this one. She doesn't trust to leave you home alone." Sam explains to me. One of the things I loved about Sam is that she always speaks to me with a calm and understanding tone. Even when she picked me up from the station that night I was arrested after the party.
She still had understanding in her eyes as she looked at me behind bars.
She understood I just wanted to have a popular moment. I was dared into throwing a party. The mean girls at school said I was a boring lame who never did anything fun but nerd out with my friends. I was offended and wanted to prove them wrong. Sam understood the pressure of high school...mom didn't.
"She won't even speak to me," I whisper in a spat. "Let alone look at me." I clench my jaw. "I know I'm too old to feel this way but that feeling reminds of when I would get sent back to the home because my adoptive parents didn't want me anymore."
"You know that won't happen." Sam kisses my forehead and I lean my head on her shoulder as we drive the rest of the way. Once we park I roll my eyes because everyone is already here. I can see my little brother from afar running around with no shirt and swim trunks. We get out the car and he sprints our way, "Mom." He screams toward Sam. She smiles brightly and squeezes him tightly. He rambles about the water but explains the food is better. He gets the love for food from his mom of course.
My mom finally walks over. She leans in and kisses Sam on the lips, "How was the drive?" She questions. I turn away to get my things out of the car. I know it was Sam's idea to drive separately because she knew we would only argue the entire trip. I walk toward the familiar home giving my mom a quick hey. I get stopped in my tracks, "Manners, Piper." She hisses.
I clench my jaw but turn around, "Hey, mom."
She approaches me and kisses my forehead. I stiffen in her arms. I guess the separation did her some good also. I wanted to relax in her arms but I was still mad. I pull away and hurry in the house. Rose is the first person I see. She speaks before continuing to watch TV. Nathalie comes and gives me a tight hug. "The baby is asleep upstairs." She whispers. "Try not to be loud."
I nod my head and give Nathalie another tight hug. "We can talk later." She winks at me. "Just me and you."
I smile and quietly walk up the steps. Suddenly, all my negative energy is being replaced with some positivity. Maybe, Sam is right. I needed this time. I open the first door on the right. It's usually where I would sleep a few years back. However, when I walk in and drop my bags, someone, I wasn't expecting to see so soon scares the shit out of me.
I scream.
"Chill." Delilah smirks. She's standing in a navy blue bikini and crap she does not look the same. There are various tattoos all over her body. The last time I saw her she had none. She's taller and toner. I swallow but control my emotions.
"What are you doing in here?" I question annoyed looking around the room noticing all of her things scattered around. "This is my room."
She snorts, "We didn't think you were coming, princess." She taunts and I bawl my fist from the old last name. "Or should I call you, convict. Since you've been arrested and all..."
I almost...almost launch at her. "A convict is a person found guilty of a crime, asshole."
"Oh I apologize, ex-convict." She chuckles. "You can have your room. I'll move Lily and my stuff later."
I laugh, "You still sleep with sister. That's rich coming from someone like you."
"Someone like me." She chuckles. "I'm not the one who almost got my scholarship taking away because of a house party."
"Yeah well..." I spat. "At least I'm not a slut."
Delilah shakes her head and laughs amused but I can tell by the way she's shifting and how her face is turning red that's she's pissed. "You can call me whatever you wish but the whole I'm innocent act is over now. I'm surprised Miranda didn't get rid of you when she had the chance."
That's it.
I launch at her and pull her by her hair before the two of us is falling to the floor. She blocks most of my attacks. The door opens and someone is wrapping their arms around me and pulling me up. It's Lily. She steps between the two of us and hisses, "What the fuck, Piper."
She looks different too.
When did they get so tall? I think to myself. She doesn't have tattoos all over her body but there is the planet Saturn on her wrist. Last time I heard she's in school for Aerospace engineering with a minor in astrophysics. The two of them has always been smart.
"Just keep the fucking room." I hiss grabbing my bags. I look into Delilah's eyes. "Stay away from me." I then head across the hall to the least favorite room in the house and slam the door. The room next to me must belong to Nathalie and Rose because the baby starts to whine loudly. I shut my eyes in frustration and fall back onto the bed before putting my earbuds back into my ear.
This is going to be the longest two weeks of my life.