Indie-America

16

    (((Edited•)))

   There's paint on the stairs, creating a trail to the source. I close the door and rush towards the sound of the music, which, coincidentally tallies with the paint. No one's home except from the Chaos Creators.
   The trail isn't ending, it's going up and up and up and for a moment I don't remember what's up and up and up but when I do I dash for my studio.

  "What the fuck did you guys do?!" I yell, barging in. I knew they were there, I knew they were videoing but I still felt awful seeing them dressed up like this. All except Raman who stood behind the camera, filming my sisters and cousin play in my paint.

Play in my paint.

Kendall stands straight first,
"Oh my God." Is all she says before stupidly trying to brush the paint on her sunflower gown.    Simmi is a little bit slower to do stand as she keeps falling again and again. Mara signals Raman to stop videoing and he gives her a look that says like I didn't know that.

  "Ravi we can explain," he says after shutting the camera and pushing it aside and turning off the song.

I step in and take in the damage. My carpeted floor is wet with paint and some canvases have been splashed too. It's not much but they were in my studio without my permission. That's what's much.

I look back at them, fold my arms and raise my eyebrow expectantly, "Explain."

"The paint wasn't spilled from the beginning. I tripped and they fell and then since we were filming live we pretended like it was planned and we were gonna clean it up." Mara explains and Kendall frowns at her.
  "Mara you pushed the paint, you didn't trip."

  Mara glares at her.

"You guys came in without my permission." I say, trying very hard not to slap my sister.

  "Mara had your keys so when she said you wouldn't mind if we used it we believed her. We were obviously wrong to have believed her." Simmi adds and I stare hard at the floor.

  "It's carpet. It's freaking carpet what where you guys thinking?!"

Raman rushes forward to me but doesn't touch me (good for him), "Ravi calm down."

"Calm down? Calm down? Oh I'm calm, totally. I'm so calm I don't even feel like punching the wall but because I know it would hurt like hell I won't."

  Simmi goes to a corner and starts folding the carpet, "Mara get me a mop. We need to clean this mess."

Mara stays put.

"Mara. Get me a mop, what's wrong with you?"

"I don't understand why you are overreacting. It's just paint and filming in your studio."

I stare at her, at loss of words. Amba and I were like besties, Rohan and I shared a thicker bond but Mara and I, we had something different. Something without a label, and I always walked on eggshells around her so I won't break our fragile bond, she obviously doesn't give a damn.

  "Just paint. On a carpeted floor. Just filming in my studio. Without permission." I say, inching closer with every sentence, Mara flinches.
"So? It's not the end of the world."

"Get out."

"Ravi–"

"Get the fuck out of here now!! Out!" They rush out and I bang the door after them. I hear Raman cussing about the paint trail but don't pay mind to it. Instead, I grab his camera and throw it across the street along with the boom box. I look around and see nothing of Ken's or Mara's or Simmi's so I open the door to get to their rooms but stop dead. Aunt Sanj gives me a sad smile that makes me weak in the knees and I allow myself to be swallowed in her arms.