stepsister • chaelisa

f i f t e e n

lisa slowly sat up, uncovering her pale face with the stains of tears. the warmth vanished, causing a chill to go down her spine. the only thing the younger stepsister could think about was the scene that played in her mind, tears forming again, but she held them back, thinking of sweet things which caused her to be a little happy.

the knock on her door pulled her back into reality, averting her attention to whoever wanted to come in. "lisa, baby, it's me! can i come in?"

"you can come in, mom." lisa sniffled quietly, hoping it would be the last because she didn't want to cry in front of the woman.

the mother came in, staring at her daughter who looked so sad that she couldn't just sand at the door anymore. she wrapped her arms around the young girl, pulling lisa's head onto her chest. "baby, what's the matter? i heard you screaming that you wished they wouldn't have gotten married. who are they?"

the younger panicked, thinking of whatever lie she could come up with. "oh, um, one of our teacher's got married recently and since she's on her honeymoon, all we get is thick packets that have to be done by the time she comes back which sucks."

"oh, well, you're smart so i'm pretty sure you can finish those packets." her mother softly patted her on the back, smiling dearly at her daughter. "we're having chicken alfredo tonight, but since i'm pregnant, you or your sister will have to help cook."

the word sister ringed throughout her ears, creating loud echoes of the word. she nearly cringed, almost creating a displeased face at her mother. "um, yeah, i'll help."

her mother smiled before leaving the younger to herself. she arrived in the kitchen with her wife, gazing at the woman who tried to make fresh pasta, but seemed to be just creating a large mess of flour. "you good?" rose's mother chuckled, rubbing her belly as she caught the woman's attention.

"yeah, but the dough is not cooperating with me." lisa's mother placed all her weight on the dough, but it only seemed to just be falling apart every time which lead to her mashing it all together again. it was such a repeated process.

"hey, um, earlier i heard lisa shout that they wished they had never gotten married before, but when i asked her, she said that it was just one of her teachers." rosé's mother ranted, fiddling with her fingers.

"okay, so?"

"what if she was lying? what if she was talking about us?"

"what do you mean?" lisa's mother wiped her hands on the black apron, giving up completely on the dough.

"you remember how they were just best friends before we met?"

the woman nodded, remembering the two girls always being so happy and excited to see each other whenever the other came into their sight.

"well, look at them now," the married couple gazed at the lonely teenager who sat by herself with her guitar sitting by her feet. lisa's bedroom door was closed and could have be locked. "they're so distant from each other and they're somehow always in an argument, but you know what i realized?"

"what?"

"this all started happening after we got married."

the two woman stood, thinking of the past and the present and how different things were. it was the truth, the girls just seemed so different after they tied the knot, but no one knew why.

"what if they were hiding something big from us?"

"babe, every teenager keeps secrets and hides things from their parents. that's just a way of life and don't lie and say you didn't do the same."

"i know, but i just wanna know. i can't stand to see our girls like this. our family is breaking apart and i don't want that to happen," rosé's mother wrapped her arms around her six-month-old belly. "we have a baby on the way and if this baby is born into a family that is falling apart, i would have wished i never had it."

"hey, don't think like that. we'll fix this and hopefully, squash whatever is between the girls. just relax and rest while lisa and i cook dinner."

"i love you." she pecked the older's lips, stepping away from her as she made her way to the bedroom.

"i love you, too, babe." lisa's mother grinned. "lisa!"

it was a matter of seconds before the teenager was by her side, waiting to hear the instructions. "come on, we need to go get some noodles from the store." the two girls left the quiet house, silence appeared to be following them as the car ride was pure silence and awkward. when finally entering the store, lisa followed her mother, gazing at the large shelves of food and sweets that were packaged and waiting to be eaten.

"lisa, you would tell me anything, right?" her mother caught her off guard, catching her attention as she heard her mother's voice.

she nodded, smiling. the question was rare and quite unexpected because that question has never been asked. "yeah, mom, why?"

"you and your sister. you two used to be stuck to each other like glue, but now, you two are distant, which has your mother thinking that you two are unhappy with us being married." lisa's mom ranted, oblivious to her daughter reaction as soon as she said that. meanwhile, the younger's eyes widened, practically choking on her saliva that she tried to swallow.

"no, of course not, you know us best friends have those moments where we can't stand each other but end up right back with each other." lisa said, convincing her mother as much as she could. "we have a little sibling on the way and we just want the best for our family."

"you know, you just made my life so much better by saying that."

after dinner, lisa quickly ran into the older's room. "i'm still upset with you, but just hear me out on this, okay?"

rosé slowly nodded, placing her guitar down, stepping closer to her sister. "what do you want to talk about?"

"i think our parents are onto us."