Closer To The Truth

"Thank you for cooking, 'Laska," I told my sister as we both sat down on the couch, holding our plates of pasta.

She smiled and stuck her fork in the noodles. "It's no biggie, sis. It's the least I can do."

I took a bite of the food as she flipped channels on the TV. A commercial for Olive Garden came on, and as lame as it sounded, I felt a pang in my heart. The last time I had gone to Olive Garden was when I was with Craig. Tears pricked my eyes and I let my fork fall on my plate, losing my appetite.

"What's wrong, love?" Alaska asked, looking at me.

I shook my head, wiping my eyes. "It's stupid."

"Rocco, if you don't tell me what's wrong, I'm gonna dump this plate of food on you. You know I'll do it," she said.

I managed to let out a small laugh. "It's just ... The last date Craig and I went on, was when we went out to eat at Olive Garden."

She sighed and laid her plate on the coffee table before grabbing mine and doing the same thing. "Roxie, Craig is the biggest douche I've ever met in my entire life. Him breaking up with you, is the best thing that could have ever happened to you. I know you still love the kid, but trust me, the right boy will come along soon enough and make you realize that."

I sniffled and nodded my head, although I didn't exactly believe her optimistic words. "I hope you're right."

She laughed and gave me a side hug. "I am right, so just believe me."

We both grabbed our plates and began eating again. Once we were done, Alaska suggested going out for ice cream, claiming that it was the best thing to eat when dealing with a broken heart.

I slipped my feet into a pair of black sandals before grabbing my keys. "You ready?"

Alaska came out from her room, pulling her hair through a hair-tie. "Yes, ma'am."

I made my way out and she followed behind me. As we began walking downstairs, two guys were making their way up. When they saw us, they stopped. The boy on the right smiled, looking behind me.

"Yo, that's the girl I was telling you about," he stated, looking at his friend, who began laughing.

"No way! The one who told off Craig?" he asked. His friend nodded his head, and from behind me, I could hear Alaska curse under her breath.

"Craig?" I turned around and looked at my sister. "Alaska, you never mentioned seeing Craig."

She glared at the blond before us. "I bumped into him at Fry's," she said.

"You did more than that! You knocked his ass off his high horse, which is hard for anyone to do," the boy in front of me said.

I narrowed my eyes. "What did you say to him, Alaska?"

"Nothing! Look, can we just-"

"Nothing!? You told his ass off after he tried to hit on you!"

I gasped, not believing what I had just heard.

"Will you just fucking shut up!?" she yelled, scowling.

Tears returned to my eyes and I shook my head. "He - he hit on you after knowing that you're my sister?"

She sighed and gave me a sympathetic look. "Roxie, I told you he was a fucking pathetic guy. I'm sorry that I didn't tell you, but I just thought it'd be better if I didn't mention it."

"Let's just get to my apartment, John. Everyone's waiting for us," the boy with short auburn hair said.

"Yeah ... I'm sorry for causing any confusion, but I just had to tell you thanks for making my night. Craig's my friend, but he's also one of the biggest douchebags I know," 'John' said, patting Alaska on the back before following his friend up the stairs.

"Thanks, I guess," Alaska muttered.

Once they were gone, I took a seat on one of the steps, putting my face in my hands. "Why didn't you tell me about this sooner?"

She took a seat beside me, shrugging her shoulders. "I just saw how heartbroken you were, Rox, and I didn't feel like it was really necessary to bring up that asshole."

I wiped at my sore eyes. "I can't believe him ..."

She wrapped her arm around my shoulder and rested her head against mine. "I couldn't either, but now you see why I dislike him so much. Even that boy, who's his friend, knows that Craig is a major douche."

I sniffled and nodded my head. "It still hurts knowing that things are over between us, but I guess you're right; I'll be better off in the long run."

She grinned and slapped my shoulder. "That's more like my big sister!"

I laughed. "Yeah, I guess so."

"So, I'm thinking that we should go crash a party," she said, gesturing towards the apartment where John and his friend had gone.

"How do you know they're having a party?" I asked.

"Listen," she stated. I did as she said and heard loud music, along with heavy bass coming from behind the door.

"Let's go," I shrugged. We both stood up and made our way to the door.

Alaska took the initiative to knock, and a second later, the door was pulled open. A boy with short dark brown hair, and deep green eyes stared at us. "Hi?" he questioned, more than stated.

Alaska beamed a smile. "We're friends with John," she told him.

Before I could say anything, the boy was yelling John's name. "Come on in," he smiled as he widened the doorway for us.

Once the door was shut, I could see that there was a relatively small mix of girls and guys in the room, all of them with a red party cup in their hands. John appeared before us, smirking. "I hope you aren't here to beat me. I just got a cast off my wrist."

I let out a laugh while my sister rolled her eyes. "I'll beat your ass another day. Right now, my sister and I were hoping to get in on the party," she told him, swinging an arm around my shoulder.

"Oh, for sure. There's drinks in the kitchen, you guys can help yourselves to whatever you want," he told us, pointing his right index finger in the direction of the room.

"Thank you, John. You're quit hospitable," Alaska smiled.

He laughed. "You're welcome ..."

"Alaska."

He smirked and looked at me. "Roxie, right?" I nodded my head. "Cool. Well, like I said, help yourselves."

"Oh, we will," my sister sang before pushing me towards the kitchen. She grabbed a bottle of Bacardi Hurricane and smiled. "If my memory is correct, this is one of your favorite drinks."

I laughed. "Yes, ma'am."

"Perfect!" She grabbed two cups and poured a healthy amount of ice into them, before filling them with the blue liquid. After handing one to me, she took the other for herself and we tapped our cups together. "Here's to a shitty boy who lost the best thing he will ever have, and to a pair of amazing sisters," she grinned.

I smiled. "I'll drink to that." She laughed before we both took a drink.

Soon enough, more people had come to the apartment, and I had lost Alaska after a few drinks. Clutching my cup of rum and coke, I walked down the hallway, seeing two doors. After knocking on the first one, no one answered and I opened it slowly. After seeing it was empty, I walked inside and shut the door behind me, going to sit on the bed.

It felt nice not to be in the center of the party, and to finally be able to think, although my thoughts were a bit jumbled from the alcohol I had consumed. I took a large swig of what was left in my cup, before placing it on the nightstand and falling onto my back. I closed my eyes, and began singing an old song that had suddenly popped into my head.

Soon enough, my eyelids began drooping on me, and I fell asleep, not caring that I was on a stranger's bed.