Paper Doll

Chapter Eight | Leigh

2 MONTHS AGO

I'd been spending time with Percy, more than I spent time with my sister now. She became cold to me after that day I didn't come home. She still talked to me but the way she says her words were heavy. It was as if it was a crime for being not home for a night. We're both eighteen. We knew what's right and wrong and yet she's acting like we're still ten.

          "Hey, Grace. I'm going to buy something to the grocery. Do you want me to get something for you?" I asked.

          She continued flipping the channel without taking even a single glance towards me.

          I heaved a deep sigh and asked her again, "Grace, do you want me to get something for you?"

          She stopped clicking the remote. She faced me in a single glance. "I don't want anything," she answered before returning back to the task at hand, which was to watch TV and continue ignoring me.

         I sighed. I didn't get out. I wanted to clear this mess between us. I couldn't take all the silent treatment that my sister was giving to me.

         "Why are you like this?" I asked.

         She didn't answer.

         "Grace, come on. I didn't do anything bad. Why are you acting like I killed someone? All the silent treatment is killing me."

         "You didn't do anything bad." She snickered. "That's right. You didn't do anything," she said sarcastically.

         "Grace—"

         "You always tell me where you're going. You don't go behind my back. That guy showed up and you changed right away. Now tell me you didn't do anything," she snapped, cutting me off.

         "I know this is too much for you but we're grown-ups. We already know what is right from wrong. We know what we should do. Grace, I have to at least grow on my own terms," I told her, frustrated.

          She stood up and pointed the remote to me. "You never talked to me that way before."

          "I've changed and you have to accept that." My voice rose up a notch. "People change. And you know what? That's the only thing that's constant in this world. Because people change."

          "Ah!" she shouted, throwing the remote on the floor. It smashed, the battery and the other parts spilling. "You don't know how much this change affected me. I have to grow up fast for the both of us. You think it's easy to be a mom and a dad? Who was there when you had nightmares? Who was there when you cry? Who was there when you get something good? Who was still there when our parents died? I've changed for the both of us, Leigh. But you," I shook my head, "you decide to change on your own and leave me alone."

          She ran upstairs, in the comfort of her room.

          I felt bad. I didn't know all of those things she did. For me. For us.

          I was such a terrible sister.

                                                                              ░ ▒ ░

Grace didn't get out of her room that night. I prepared our dinner, readied myself to say sorry. I even made a card for her. She liked those things, letters, but how could I give those if she wasn't even here to share these foods I prepared for her?

          There's a knock on the door. I debated with myself if I should open it or not. Percy texted me and told me that he'd be here tonight. He wanted to say sorry to Grace as well. But with Grace's case as of the moment, I wasn't so sure if she wanted to see him and hear him apologize. He didn't make to her nice list apparently.

         The knock continued and turned loud. It then became a loud bang. I let out a frustrated sigh. I had to get that or Grace would snap at me for not opening the door.

         When I opened it, I was right. Percy was there, standing with two bouquets of flowers in his hand. One was of red roses, which he handed to me and the other were of white roses. Those were probably for Grace.

        "I actually imagined Grace opening the door so I could hand her flowers first and then she would allow me to get inside and that's the only time I'll hand your flowers." He winced. "Looks like we're having a rough night, eh?"

         I didn't say anything. I stayed on where I was. What if Grace was watching us? What would she do if I run to him and hugged him? I didn't want to complicate things more between me and my sister. I wanted the both of us to be okay again.

         "Bad time?" he asked.

         I just nodded.

         "I'll just leave these flowers here, then." He put the bouquet on the welcome sign on the porch. "Good night, Leigh."

         I just nodded again.

         He lingered for a few more minutes. I wanted to tell him we're okay and that that shouldn't stop him from talking to me but Grace... I could feel her watching us. He waved a goodbye before I closed the door.