Fake It 'Til You Make It

|16| Injustice

"Vienna? Are you coming to school today?"

I figured she wouldn't. After all, my sister was still curled up on the livingroom couch, the T.V on low volume and a blanket draped over her. Her eyes flew open, fear etched onto her face as a tear dripped down her cheek. My heart broke for her, it really did.

Her head shook back and forth. "I-I can't," she croaked, her voice hoarse from the sobbing she did late into the night. "He'll be there, waiting."

Gently, I sat next to her feet. "I'm not sure what happened after we left, but he must have gotten in trouble. Your brother would have taken care of it."

At the mention of the devil, I heard him pounding down the stairs. I turned to look at him and gasped. His left eye was swollen shut, and he had bags under both of them. A few bruises and cuts covered his arms, and a sigh escaped his lips.

"Carson?"

His eyes briefly connected with mine, then landed on his sister. However, I noticed he didn't eye me with the usual annoyance in his gaze.

"What happened?" I tried again, causes his eyes to snap back to my own. "He's in jail, right? Or, in trouble? The hospital? Something?"

The way his fists clenched and his jaw worked made an uneasy feeling worm its way into my stomach. Then, he gulped in a deep breath, trying to calm himself. "Ada, you're new to this town. You still don't understand how things work."

I stood up from the couch, nerves on edge as confusion flooded through me. The way he acted made me think something was wrong, very wrong. My sister was nearly raped, and I felt like the proper actions hadn't been taken. "I might not be the most familiar with this city, but I am familiar with the way justice should work. I thought you were going to take care of things! Don't you care about your sister?"

"Of course I do!" He snapped, causing his sister to flinch.

Carson sighed. "Come on, I'll give you a ride to school.

I stared at him in shock. "Since when have you ever been nice to me?"

"Since you saved my twin sister," he replied solemnly.

His words touched me, and I followed him out of the living room. However, before I had a foot through the door, I shouted a goodbye to Vienna. I felt uncomfortable with leaving her home alone, but I had no choice. So, I walked out into the fresh, humid air, hopping into Carson's vehicle.

"Thanks," Carson sighed, fingers tightly gripping the wheel as he flew out of the driveway. "If you hadn't made me drive to that party, who knows what would have happened to Vienna. And, despite what it might look like, I really care about my sisters. And, maybe you're not so bad either."

I wasn't sure what to think. This boy, my brother, had been such a jerk to me. Now, however, I saw a side of him I never thought I would. "Well, maybe you're not too bad yourself. But, why did you have to be so mean in the beginning?"

He shrugged. "I mean, you were different, new to this town. You were tangible evidence of my dad cheating on my mom. I guess I'm not used to being the nicest person, either."

I nodded. Maybe, just maybe, I should give him a chance, I thought. Besides, I had always wanted an older brother. Hating him wouldn't do me any good. We were family whether we liked it or not. "So, friends?"

"How about siblings?"

I smiled at that, leaning my head back against the headrest. Glancing out of the window, I noticed colors flying by, cars racing beside us. There were all part of this town, yet I knew nothing about them, and vice versa.