Some say getting out of The Friend Zone is hard. Well, try getting out of The Sister Zone.
Vanessa Hayes-Wong has been best friends with Oliver Morrison for five years, one month, and fourteen days. Just as she starts to realize her feelings for him...
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—2 years, 1 month, and 8 days ago—
"What?" Mom's loud voice forces me to hold my phone two feet away from my ear. "What do you mean you're not coming home today? It's Thanksgiving!"
Once the other end of the phone falls into silence, I bring the phone closer to my ear. "I told you last week, remember? Ollie's going to London, so I have to stay to feed Kiki."
For the past three years, Ollie has been the one feeding Kiki whenever I have to go home for the holidays. Unlike me, he has no family to go home to—or at least that's what he told me. That's why he always spends his holidays in LA. But for this year's Thanksgiving holiday, Celia is inviting him to her cousin's engagement party in London.
It's a huge step in their relationship, considering he'll meet her parents for the first time. If this weekend goes well, I might hear wedding bells ringing soon.
A strange wave of disappointment washes over me as soon as the thought arrives. Huh? Shouldn't I be happy for him?
". . . I've cooked your favorite Bacon-Wrapped Turkey!" The mention of bacon snaps me back to reality.
Of all the dishes sold in our family restaurant, my mom's Bacon-Wrapped Turkey has always been my favorite. With a simple mention of it, I can already smell the smoky scent of bacon and taste the juiciness of the turkey. My stomach growls out loud at the idea of devouring a plate full of my favorite food, but I can't give in to the temptation.
"I'm sorry, Mom. But I can't make it." As the traffic light turns green, I stride across the busy street, heading toward the studio's back alley. "Kiki has been missing for five days, and I really need to find her."
For the past five days, Kiki hasn't come to the studio's back alley for her daily meal, which is strange. Ever since I first started feeding her three years ago, the only time she missed her daily meal was in the summer of 2015. After four days, she came back with a tiny part of her left ear missing—a sign that she has been spayed and vaccinated by a local animal shelter.
There shouldn't be any more reason for her not to come to the studio for her daily meal this time. That's why I'm beginning to think—God forbid—something bad has happened to her.
"Why don't you just bring that kitty home with you?" Mom asks. "It'll be much easier than having to go to your office every day to feed her."
I roll my eyes. "I told you, Mom. I can't. My apartment doesn't allow any pets, remember?"
"Then you should just find a new place to live. Your apartment seems dangerous, Vanessa. Your dad and I are worried about you."
As much as I hate to admit it, Mom's right. My apartment isn't exactly the best place to live. Different kinds of crimes happen every few days in the neighborhood, the neighbors are somewhat hostile, and the worst part is that my landlord doesn't allow the tenants to keep any pets.
