Scottish Stars Cross

Part 12

Sorcha walked into Pasta Jay's with a determined step. The hostess greeted her and Sorcha said she was here to eat with Ella. Sorcha followed the hostess into one of the side rooms where Ella was sitting. Ella gave Sorcha a timid smile as she sat down. Sorcha ordered some wine and Ella echoed her.

They sat in silence as they waited for their drinks. Sorcha perused the menu. It was always hard trying to decide what to eat at Pasta Jay's. Everything tasted really good. Sorcha finally settled on cheese stuffed ravioli with chicken.

Sorcha sat her menu down. "What are you having?"

Ella looked up. "Is their shrimp any good?"

"I've never gotten it."

Ella looked back down at her menu. She didn't look back up until the waitress came to take their order. Ella ordered the shrimp with a hesitant voice which was very unlike her. Sorcha frowned at her sister wondering why she was all of a sudden nervous and antsy. She never fidgeted and now all she did was fidget. It was driving Sorcha crazy.

"Will you please stop fidgeting Ella? It's driving me crazy."

Ella's fingers paused in their path on the table. Ella sat back and took a sip of her wine. "Sorry, I'm just nervous."

"About what?"

Ella met Sorcha's gaze. "About having dinner with you. We've never done dinner by ourselves before."

"That's cause we never had the chance."

"I'm sorry for that's happened to you."

"Are you?"

The look Ella gave Sorcha said it all. Ella's look was filled with regret and a little sadness. "Of course I am. I never knew that Mom and Dad treated you as they did. I was caught up in my own little world." Ella gave a tremendous sigh. "If you want to know the truth, I was trying to be more like you."

Sorcha choked on her wine. "Me!" She asked incredulously as she sat her wine down and wiped her mouth with a napkin.

Ella nodded. "You have everything going for you Sorcha. You are pretty, smart, and confident. I am pretty, but that's all. I'm not smart at all and my confidence level is a zero unless I am all dolled up."

Sorcha stared at her sister in surprise. She shook her head trying to come to grips with what she just heard. "How can you want to be like me?"

"You are the eldest. There is nothing that you won't do. You're not afraid to be yourself. Growing up you were always so strong when it came to being your own person. I was afraid of disappointing Mom and Dad. I always heard them complain about you and didn't want them to complain to you about me."

Sorcha stared at Ella in amazement. This was the last thing she'd ever expected to hear from her sister. "Why are you telling me this now?"

"You are the only close family I have left. I have no one to talk to now that Mom and Dad are in jail."

"What about your friends?"

Ella gave Sorcha a pained looked before she dropped her gaze to the table. Ella ran her finger over the table and remained quiet. Sorcha thought she was never going to answer, but Ella surprised her.

"My friends were only with me because my parent's had money. They were paid to be my friend just like Abigail was paid to be yours. The only difference was that I knew it. I haven't had a close friend since I was little and you started pulling away from me."

"I wish you had told me all of this a long time ago."

"I couldn't Sorcha. Mom and Dad kept me on a tighter leash than they ever kept you. They were afraid of me turning out just like you."