My Worse Enemy

"Stephanie Arcelia Martin! Get up!" My older sister, Bree, yelled, banging the door. I groaned and pulled the sheet above my head. "Go away! I'm sleepy and it's Saturday!" I yelled. I spent all night working on my Biology project and I'm exhausted. Ok, it wasn't the entire night. Maybe until 10.30pm. I slept for a while before waking up again because of the nightmare I always have. My mum passed away on December last year due to a plane crash. I still remember every single detail of what happened that night. The numb feeling when the international officer called to confirm my mum's ID, the surreal feeling, the pain of knowing that she's gone forever. My dad and Bree got over it, no problem although i can see that my dad is lonely at times. Luckily, my dad is an optimist. Me? I've gotten quieter,smiled less and focused all my attention to studying. The only time i smiled is at home and with my bestfriend .My bestfriend Keira was there for me all the time. She helped me get over most of the pain but a large part of me before was gone and now i'm a different person.

"Duh, that's why i need you," she said as-a-matter-of-factly. Bree is a senior, the head cheerleader and the popular girl.

"Duh," I mimicked her." You just want someone to carry your shopping bags for you." Bree has this 'thing' about going to the mall on Saturdays. She says it's important to get the new 'it' trend before the next week. My dad doesn't mind because he's a businessman. The banging on my door was louder and I sighed in irritation. I got up and stood a foot away from the door, crossing my arms over my chest. "You're not gona leave this alone, are you?"

"You know me too well, Steph," she giggled. I rolled my eyes. "Aww...come on. Please, please, please," she begged.

"Fine," I caved and she squealed like a little kid."But only for 2 hours tops and," I said firmly which caused her to stop squealing."NO make-overs." Even when I don't see her, I know that she's pouting.

"Fine," she sulked. I opened my bedroom door and she attacked me by giving me a huge hug which nearly knocked me off my feet. "Thanks, Steph. You're the best," she smiled. Bree has long straight, blonde hair like my dad. She has a slightly tanned skin, which i am so jealous of and beautiful green eyes. On the other hand, I'm like my mum. I have long, wavy, chocolate brown hair and blue eyes. And, also like my mum, I have pale white skin. People always mistook us for just friends and when we said we were sisters, they thought we were joking.

"I'll go shower and get ready," I said smiling. At times like this, i feel like the older sister instead of Bree.

"Ok," she said enthusiastically and walked out the door humming. I giggled and went in the bathroom to get a quick shower. I picked out a simple, black T-shirt with All time Low in silver writing at the front, a pair of worn out jeans, a pair of converse and left my hair loose. I put on lip gloss and headed downstairs.

"Morning Francoise," I greeted our chef in the kitchen and smiled as i sat at the counter.

"Good morning Stephanie," he said with a faint french accent and smiled back but titled his head to the side when he saw me.

"What?" I asked concerned. "I 'ave been working 'ere since you were juz a little toddler and i 'ave seen you smile before. Only now, your smile doesn't reach your eyes," he said. I kept quiet for a while and looked at him. He was like a grandpa to me. Francoise has some white hair in his black ones and has a deep shade of brown eyes. He has a grandson who lives in California. His grandson, Kevin comes to visit once in a while. He's one year older than me and i consider him as a big brother. We pretty much know each other since we were borned. Knowing that i wanted to avoid the subject of my mother, Francoise changed the subject by asking what would i like to eat.

"Toast with butter and honey. I'll get the orange juice myself," i said softly. He smiled warmly and disappeared back in the kitchen. After a while, i heard footsteps echoing down the hall. I looked back to see my dad walking towards me. He kissed the top of my head and sat next to me.

"Hey, Steph. G'morning," he smiled."Going out shopping with your sister again?"

"Do I have a choice?" I joked. He seems thoughtful for a while before answering, "No I guess not" and chuckled. I smiled and thanked Francoise as he placed a plate of toast on the counter. I finished the piece of toast just in time Bree came down and kissed my dad's cheek.

"Morning dad," she smiled and sat next to me. She drank a glass of orange juice and grabbed an apple from the basket.

"Did you change clothes?" I asked and looked at her.

"Of course! I'm not going out with what I wore just now. I have to look good,"she said.

"What's wrong with what you wore just now?" I asked, remembering what she wore. She wore a blouse and jeans and now she's wearing a cute T-shirt and mini jeans with a pair of 2 inch high heels.

"Too simple,"she said waving her hand in the air. "Now let's go!" She said and hopped of the stool. "Bye daddy!" I got off the stool and grabbed an apple.

"Bye dad, Good luck at work," I said and smiled.

"Steph?" My dad said. I turned around and faced him. "Yeah dad?" I answered. He took a deep breath before exhaling slowly.

"I know this is a bad time but i want to tell you to cheer up. I know it's hard and i'm sure your mum-," he said but was cut off by me.

"What was that Bree?" I yelled. "Coming! I gotta go dad. I'll, uh talk to you later. Bye," I said and ran out of the kitchen. I didn't want to discuss about my mum. It still hurts to know. Throughout the whole car ride, i kept quiet and looked out the window, silently crying.

To be Continued....