I Don't Care

"You walked into the room. And now my heart has been stolen You took me back in time to when I was unbroken. Now you're all I want. And I knew it from the very first moment. 'Cause a light came on-" "Clover!" a screech comes from behind me. I sighed and turned around in my chair, seeing a furious Sophie standing in my doorway dressed like a Barbie doll. "What?" I snapped, taking an earbud out. "Where's my pink crop top with the white bow on the front?" she stood next to me now, her arms crossed. I shrug now, wanting to continue this conversation. "How would I know where your ugly shirt is?" I huff. That sentence seemed to anger her more because she started to grit her teeth. I smiled at that. Something I will never get tired of is angering Sophie. "I need it for a party tonight." She says through her teeth. I could tell she was trying not to completely lose her s**t. Though her storming into my room uninvited was a normal thing. The constant arguing about stupid things is also normal. But she's a little more tame today. She hasn't thrown anything at me or had a temper tantrum yet, so I count that as a win. I know that it's only because Emma sits in the kitchen downstairs. Although Sophie is a total spoiled brat, she never acts that way in front of Emma. "Why does it matter what you're wearing when you are black-out drunk half the time?" I arched my eyebrows and put my paintbrush down. "Hell, you probably won't even remember what happened the next morning," I scoffed. I saw her hands clench as her eyes bore into mine. She starts tapping her heel on the ground as she's about to say something when Lucy comes skipping in humming something to herself. Sophie gasps as she looks at what's in Lucy's hands. One held her pink shirt with a white bow and the other held a pair of scissors. A huge smile danced on Lucy's face. "What did you do!" Sophie snatches the shirt out of her hands and holds it up to see the damage. And there was a lot of damage. It would take me a good couple of minutes to count all the holes and slices in the shirt. Chunks were taken out here and there. The fabric was undoing itself. The bow was holding on for dear life. It was barely even a shirt anymore. More like a piece of cloth, you would buy at a sewing store. "You little brat!" Sophie screamed. She looked at Lucy, her eyes filled with rage. I pulled Lucy to me and pushed her behind me. This should be the moment she starts throwing stuff. And I sure as hell am not gonna let anything happen to Lucy. She looks between me and the cowering Lucy as she holds onto the back of my shirt for dear life. My eyes bore into Sophies, daring her to do something. A couple of seconds passed with Sophie staring between us, thinking over the situation. She finally gives up and stomps her way out of my room. Once we heard her bedroom door slam shut, I felt Lucy let out an exaggerated breath and let go of my shirt. She stands in front of me, a little fear still showing on her face. I rubbed her arm, attempting to calm her. It seemed to work as her body relaxed. She stares at my painting. Her eyes search it as if she's trying to find something. She tilts her head and puts her hands on her hips. "What place is this?" A lump appeared in my throat. I quickly tried to swallow it and smiled. "This is Time Square. In New York." "It's pretty," she smiles. I smiled along with her. I'm glad I'm not the only one that thinks so. "But," her face turns into confusion. "Haven't you painted this place before?" I laughed a little and tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear. "Yes, I have. But I will never get tired of painting it." I confess. "Why?" My throat clogs at her question. As much as I wanted to tell her the truth, I knew she might not understand. Instead, I shook my head and smiled, "I just love how the lights look." She nods her head and twirls a strand of hair around her finger. We get interrupted by another screaming voice. "Girls! Come downstairs please!" Lucy and I look at each other and share a smile. "Race ya!" we say at the same time. Once we got to the living room, Lucy started jumping up and down and giggling. "I won!" I just laugh, put my hand against my head and lean back a little and act like I'm out of breath. "Oh no, you beat me. Gosh, you are so fast." "Sorry, Clover. How about a rematch after dinner?" she reaches her hand out. I shake her hand, "Deal." We headed to the kitchen to see Emma sitting at the island, her leg crossed over the other and her eyes glued to her phone. As always. Lucy takes a seat at the island, saying hello to Emma. She receives a mumbled response as Emma's eyes remain glued to her phone. Lucy's smile falters slightly but she quickly shakes it off. I shake my head, my heart clenches as she lowers her head down. Her smile didn't look as bright as it was a few seconds ago. Sophie comes prancing downstairs, her heels clicking against the hardwood floor. "What?" she sneers, chewing on her gum loudly as she inspects her freshly manicured nails. Emma got up from her chair and stood in front of us with her arms crossed. "I will be leaving for a couple of days." "Another business trip?" I asked, already knowing the answer. "Yes. There's a possible client with a million-dollar contract on the line." "How long will you be gone this time?" Lucy swivels in her chair. Emma sighs and shakes her head. Lucy's head dropped, knowing well what that meant. There isn't a set date as to when she will be back. The shortest time she's stayed on a trip was 4 months. I barely got any sleep those 4 months. Not because I missed Emma, not even close, it was because of the constant parties Sophie threw. I asked, even begging her not to throw any parties. But she threw them anyway. "So as usual-" "-you can do whatever you want, but you must attend school and not throw parties at the house." Me, Sophie, and Lucy say simultaneously. Emma laughs and grabs her purse, lugging it over her shoulder. "I'll call you guys when I'm on my way back." We nod as she makes her way toward the front door. I assume her luggage was already in her car. She waves goodbye and shuts the door behind her. I turned to Sophie with a suspicious look written on my face. I crossed my arms. "No parties." It came out more like a question than a statement. She rolls her eyes and takes her phone out again, texting someone. "Whatever." Her phone goes off again, this time it's a call. Her face lights up as she answers it. "What's the news, Gigi?" she continues to walk away into the living room. I suddenly felt a slight tug at my sweatpants instructing me to look down at where an adorable little girl stood. Lucy looked at me, her puppy eyes on full display. "I'm hungry," she pouts. I nodded and led her toward the kitchen. "What are we looking for?" Her face lights up, "Cake." she claps her hands together. I laughed at her giddiness, crouching down to her level and running my finger through her hair. "That could be for dessert." She pouts again. I sigh, "How about some spaghetti?" she instantly smiles and aggressively nods her head. I giggle and grab a pot when an ear-piercing scream comes from the living room, causing Lucy and me to jump. Sophie comes running in, a smile on her face as she claps her hands together. She starts jumping up and down and giggling like a five-year-old. Lucy and I looked at each other, trying to figure out what was wrong with her. I decided to be the one to ask. "What?" Sophie abruptly stops her little excited dance and flips her hair behind her shoulder and reclaimed her composed attitude. "I just got the news," she says between gasps. "That the Jacob Miller." Wait. Jacob Miller? Rumored "playboy" Jacobe Miller? "Is back." she continued. I have never had a problem with Jacob Miller. We run in opposite circles and have never crossed paths. All I know about him is the rumors that go around the school. And I don't believe any of those anyway. Other than being a huge flirt and having a s**t ton of tattoos, there's nothing else that I know about him. "And he's taking me, Gigi, and Leia, to the party tonight!" she shrieks. She continues to jump up and down again, somehow not breaking a heel. Part of me hopes she falls and rolls her ankle. It wouldn't be broken. Just a tiny roll that makes her limp for a couple of days but then heals on its own. I know that it sounds bad that I'm saying that, but if you had to live with Sophie all your life you would want much worse to happen to her. Wait, I will take that back. I'll end up being the one who takes care of her on my hands and feet for those couple of days. And that is the last thing that I want. "I have to get ready!" Sophie darts towards the stairs and hustles to her bedroom. How can she run that fast in heels? I hate her guts, but being able to run and jump in heels is very impressive. I turned back to Lucy, ignoring the news about Jacob Miller. "You wanna help me make the spaghetti?" She gave me one of her biggest smiles, "Yes!"