After the Snow

Chapter 14 - Sister Time

Chapter 14

Sister Time

When I woke up the next morning, the sun was just barely peeking over the horizon. I could see it through the balcony windows, the first light of the day painting the sky with pink, orange, and purple. Mackenzie was still sound asleep, soft snores leaving her mouth.

I yawned, stretching my arms above my head. Even though it was so early, I didn't feel like going back to sleep, so I rubbed my eyes and pushed myself out of bed, slowly opening the balcony doors and walking out into the warm air. Smiling slightly, I grabbed a hair tie from my wrist and put my hair in a messy bun.

I leaned against the railing, yawning again. This was such a big change from my home, but it was so beautiful. The beach stretched out to the water, and the water stretched infinitely until it gently touched the morning sky. I don't even know how to explain it, but it was one of the most beautiful things I'd ever seen.

"Bree, you're awake?" I heard a small voice say. Spinning around, I saw Kayla peaking through my doorway.

"Yeah," I whispered, "But Mackenzie's not." My sister let out a small giggle, pushing my door open a little farther.

"I'm going down to the beach, do you want to come?" She asked as I took in her appearance. Kayla had sloppily braided her hair and was standing in front of me wearing a pink bikini and flip flops.

"You're allowed to go without an adult?" I c****d an eyebrow, crossing my arms. Something told me the answer was no.

Kayla clicked her tongue, "Not really...I wasn't going to get in the water, I was just going to watch the sunrise..." She looked at the ground, playing with her hands. Chuckling, I went into my closet to grab a bathing suit. After I changed, we headed outside and walked down the sand. I spread my towel out and laid on my back, placing my hands behind my head.

"Are you glad it's summer?" I asked my sister, eyeing her. After all the time we spent apart, it was a little weird when we had alone time. Often we didn't know what to talk about, but we always got around it.

"Yes," She groaned, laying down next to me. "I hate school. It's torture." That made me laugh. I was exactly the same way when I was her age, maybe even worse.

"You'll get through it," I shook my head. "Trust me. I just graduated college, but it feels like I should be in middle school..." I bit my lip, letting my eyes wander to the ocean. The time had gone by so fast, I could hardly believe that I was completely done with school. Of course, I planned to get a job, but my priorities were on the wedding, so a job would have to wait.

"What's it like?" Kayla asked with wonder, looking at me with wide eyes. "To graduate, I mean. Me and my friends talk about it a lot...I can't wait to grow up."

"Don't be in such a hurry," I muttered bitterly, closing my eyes. Somehow, my life had gotten so screwed up. I didn't know which way was up or down, and I didn't know how to get out. "Anyway, are there any boys you like?" I wiggled my eyebrows suggestively, making her giggle.

"No..." Lies! Her cheeks were redder than a tomato. I nudged her, giggling. "Fine! You got me! There's a boy I think is cute..." Oh god, my sister was not old enough for this! We were talking boys! Then again, I was engaged...

"What's his name?" I tried to play it cool, but on the inside, I was screaming. Was my mother aware of this?!

"Peter! he's in sixth grade...Sometimes I get to talk to him on the bus. He's really nice and sweet!" She sighed, gripping a fistful of sand.

"Trust me, guys aren't always what they're cracked up to be." I laughed. When I was ten, there wasn't a boy on earth that could've caught my attention. In fact, until Anthony, boys had never really been interested in me. I hadn't noticed them much, either.

Kayla, on the other hand, was beautiful. There was no way boys didn't see her. She was only ten, but she was already starting to get curves. Then again, I got curves early too.

"I know," Kayla said, rolling her eyes, "Linda's boyfriend, Ashton, is a complete jerk-wad. He makes her cry at least twice a week." I choked on air, flipping over on my stomach to get a better look at my sister.

"Who's Linda?" I asked. I already knew, though, she was one of Kayla's friends. One could only hope she was an older friend, or maybe a friends older sister.

"My best friend," Kayla beamed, "She's coming over today, actually. You'll get to meet her!" Great. I'm guessing she was ten as well, then. But, for Kayla's sake, I forced a smile and nodded. "You know...I'm glad you're here for the summer." She whispered, looking down at her hands.

"Me too," I said quietly. For a moment, there was silence. I felt the overwhelming need to hug my sister, but for some reason, I couldn't force myself to move. A heavy weight held down my arms.

"I-I don't say this often, but I love you, Bree," Kayla suddenly said, catching me off guard. I opened my mouth to respond, but she continued. "I really do miss you, even if I don't show it...You were my best friend before we moved, and I guess I just cut you off because I hated that I was so far away-"

"Kayla, you don't-"

"No, please let me talk." She said. Tears welled up in my eyes as I nodded, swallowing the lump in my throat. "Please don't leave Bree, I need you." Her voice cracked, a few tears leaking past her eyes. I quickly wrapped my arms around her, hugging her tight.

Sometimes, it was hard to believe Kayla was only ten years old. She would say and do things that made her seem so much older. The wisdom she had a such a young age was a gift, but also a curse.

"I'm not going anywhere," I whispered, stroking her hair. "I'm here for the whole summer."

"But-but then you're going back to Scott," She sobbed, gripping me tighter. It was like she thought I would disappear. "Why are you marrying him, anyway? I can tell you have doubts."

Damn that wisdom.

"It's complicated, Kay," I sighed, "I hate to pull this card, but it's grown up stuff." She stiffed against my skin, and I knew I said the wrong thing. Sniffing, she pulled back, giving me a stone, cold glare.

"I see," She deadpanned, "Well if you have any kid things that you think I'd be able to understand, I'll be in the house." And with that she stood up, leaving me alone on the beach. I ran a hand through my hair, closing my eyes in frustration. Why do I always say the wrong things?!

Having nothing better to do, I stood up and stretched. My muscles were still somewhat asleep, I felt like I needed a run or something. Telling myself I would go on a run later, I picked up my beach towel and jogged up to the house. It was still pretty early, but I found my mom cooking breakfast.

"Hey sweetie," She said, giving me a smile. I groaned and slumped down on a stool, leaning against the island counter and placing my head in my hands. "Ah, so I'm guessing you have something to do with Kayla's nasty mood?"

"I didn't mean to," I defended, looking at my mom through my fingers. "It just popped out and...ugh, I need to watch what I say."

"Don't we all," She chuckled, turning back to her food. "Breakfast will be ready soon, why don't you go take a shower before you eat?" Actually, that sounded like a good idea. I muttered an 'okay,' before jogging up the stairs. Mackenzie was still asleep, so I quietly walked into the bathroom without making a sound.

I got in the shower and quickly washed, making sure to scrub the sand off my body. When I was done, I wrapped myself in a towel and dried my hair, deciding to leave it in its natural waves. Then, I applied the necessary makeup; foundation, blush, eyeshadow, eyeliner, mascara, and lip gloss. Finally presentable to the world, I wrapped my towel tighter around my body and walked into my bedroom.

I hadn't really unpacked yet, but I managed to find a pair of black high waisted shorts and a tan color tank top to match. I pulled them on, tucking the shirt into the shorts, and started my quest to find shoes. Deciding on a pair of tan heels, I pulled them on and walked back into the bedroom.

"Mackenzie," I called, throwing the first object I found, which happened to be a pen, at her head. It hit her on the nose. Score! "Time to wake up," She groaned and rolled over, giving me the finger. "Come on, breakfast is ready," I laughed, rolling my eyes.

"You are brave to disturb my slumber," Mackenzie muttered, "Just remember, you sleep ten feet away from me." Hah, like her empty threats could scare me!

"Whatever, don't blame me when you don't get any pancakes." Leaving it at that, I made my way downstairs. My family was already sat around the table, stuffing their mouths with food. "Well, thanks for waiting,"

My mom brushed off my comment. "So, dear, about the wedding,-" My hand immediately went for the ring, only to find my finger was missing its little piece of jewelry. Damn, I keep forgetting it!

"You know mom, do you think we could put it off for a week or two? I really just need...A break from life." To put it simply, that's exactly what I needed. Shock passed across my mothers face before she quickly composed herself, nodding.

"I get it, this is an overwhelming thing. Take your time, we can start when you're ready." I nodded in thanks, helping myself to some pancakes. It wasn't that it was overwhelming, it was that I just didn't really want the wedding to happen.

"Okay, I'm here, hold the applause," And that would be Mackenzie. She sat down next to me, still wearing her pajamas, but she had managed to tame her wild bed-head. We all ignored her. "Well, love you too guys."

"It's not that we don't love you, Kenz." I laughed. She smiled at me and grabbed some pancakes. A silence settled over us, mainly because of the awkward stares my mom kept giving me. "Mom, care to share with the class?" I asked, setting my hands in my lap.

She blinked, "Oh, no, I was just...err...." Mom blushed and looked down at her food. Well, okay then...What was that about?

"Mom, Linda is coming over today," Kayla said, standing up and walking out of the room. Dang, I had put her in a bad mood! My mom just sighed, shaking her head.

"What did you say to her?" Mom asked, staring me down. Taken aback, it took me a second to respond.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean ever since she's come up from the beach she's been in a crappy mood, so what did you say to her?"

I groaned, "I accidentally called her a kid, that's it. I didn't even mean to! She's just being a drama queen, as usual." Gosh, here I was, a grown woman, and I was being scolded by my mother. I really needed to have her stop treating me like a little kid.

"Okay Bree, today, I'm taking you out," Mackenzie stated through her mouthful of food. "I think we need a girls day."

I didn't have the mental strength to argue, so I just nodded halfheartedly and mentally prepared myself for a day full of lectures. I still hadn't told Scott about my...indiscretion with Anthony.