Sister, I'm Not Much a Poet but a Criminal

I walked off stage with the band, feeling high from what had just happened. For once I hadn't cared that people had been staring, which was odd, given just how many there had been.

"Molly, what happened?" Ariella came running when I entered the room she'd been waiting in.

"What do you mean?"

"Your lip is bleeding!"

I ran the back of my hand across my mouth. Sure enough, there was a streak of crimson. I licked my lip and the metallic taste fell over my tongue.

"I got elbowed in the mosh pit," it wasn't a lie.

Her eyes flickered to Frank and then back to me. "It's obviously not safe, Molly. You shouldn't do anything like that again. Nobody's going to save you out there. You're much better off back here with me."

Way to kill my buzz.

"We need to talk," I demanded, pulling her aside. Frank took a step towards us, but I shook my head slightly. I was taking this one step at a time. I wasn't ready to tell her about us yet. He stayed where he was, but watched us cautiously, as though ready to jump in if he was needed.

"What's going on?" she asked, seeming all too concerned.

"I know what you said about me the other night."

"I... about Frank being a bad influence?" she shot a dark glance in his direction.

"Yeah, and about me 'getting around.'"

"I never said that."

"Really? I think you did."

"Well, you did lose your virginity before I did," she said pointedly.

I nearly choked. "What? How the fuck do you even know about that?"

"Nick told me."

"You talked to him about it?"

"Well, he was my friend."

"No, he wasn't. You hated him, just like everyone else I hung out with," both of our voices had risen, and I was aware that the guys were listening. I really didn't want Frank to hear all of this, but there was no turning back now.

"Okay, fine. He was bragging about it to everyone at a party. I think it was actually the night before he dumped you."

Okay, that one hurt.

"You don't know what you're talking about. It wasn't like that."

"Oh, no? True or false, Molly: he dumped you after you gave it up to him and he didn't want you anymore?"

"Don't even fucking start, Ariella."

"He played you, admit it. Young little Molly, so naive. You believed him when he said he loved you, didn't you?" there was no sympathy in her tone. She was taunting me. "You fell for the bad boy. You actually thought that you were more than a piece of ass to him. But that wasn't the way it worked out, was it?"

"Shut up!" I screamed, unable to take anymore. "Just because I'm not a perfect little virgin like you doesn't mean I meant for any of it to turn out the way it did. I cared about him, okay? I thought it was love. I was wrong. I made a mistake. That was the worst I've ever felt, and now my own sister is using it against me? I have one drunken, shitty night, and you use that to make me feel like an even bigger piece of shit? I tried to believe that you were a good person, Ariella. I tried to defend you when my friends called you names. I tried, but you obviously didn't. Well I'm sick of trying," I turned away, tears stinging my eyes.

"Molly," her voice was slightly softer, but still a little angry.

"Don't talk to me. As far as I'm concerned, I'm an only child. Just forget I existed and we'll both be better off. I'll stay out of your way, and you stay out of mine," I couldn't erase the pain in my voice, despite all my best efforts.

"Molly," she sounded hurt, but I walked away, not wanting to hear what she had to say.

Frank followed me outside. "Are you okay?"

I turned to him and he wrapped his arms around me. I buried my face in his chest and let the tears start to fall. "No, I'm not okay," my voice cracked as I tried to hold back my emotions. "I just lost my sister, how can I be okay? She really tore me apart in there. I just wanted to forget. How could she do that to me? Now everyone knows and I just want to get out of here."

"I know. Don't worry, we all care about you. We want to help."

"Thanks," I wiped my eyes and saw dark makeup all over my sleeve. "But right now I think I just need time alone."

"Take my bunk," he offered. "I'll sleep on the couch tonight. That way, you can sleep in and will have a place to hide from Ariella."

"You don't have to do that."

"I want to. I'd do anything to help you, Molly."