The Fleury Life

After coming home from the road trip, I was feeling very unwell. I called in sick for days in a row at work, and I did nothing but stay home. I was tired, had a cloudy head, and pain in my hip. It is about this time that I get my cortisone shot for my hip, but because I’m pregnant, I cannot have it. And it’s starting to show. The range of motion in my hip is less and it’s just overall sore.
However, that’s not the only thing going on in my life. No, not at all, and sadly, it doesn’t just affect me. It affects my brother, and it happened almost right after he was cleared to play.
The doorbell rang that Tuesday night after being cleared for practice, and I was expecting an extremely happy Sidney. But what I got was tears.
“What the hell,” I said, shocked, once I was able to make my way to the door. Even with my bum hip, I still got there faster than Marc. “Sidney, what’s wrong?”
His hazel eyes so identical to my own met mine as I stepped back to let him through the door. With Marc by my side, Sidney held up a closed fist to which I brought up my hand facing palm up in front of me, and my brother dropped a very familiar looking diamond ring. As I stared at it, my jaw dropped and my eyes shot up to look at him. “What is this? What’s going on?”
“She canceled everything,” he said, nothing but misery in his voice. “She said she was overwhelmed with my health being so up and down of late and then trying to plan the wedding. She said she was afraid I’d be like Pronger if I continued to play and I would never live a normal life again.” His eyes, Sidney’s, who doesn’t have an angry bone in his body, hardened. “Then she preceded to tell me that she never wanted to be engaged in the first place.”
I think my heart settled in my stomach, right above where my child is in my uterus. “Oh, Sidney.” I enveloped my twin brother in my arms tightly, and Marc did so too.
“I’m sorry, man,” he said kindly, sympathetically.
He shrugged despite the fact we were draped over him. “I should have expected it. She’s been acting strange for a while.”
The tone in his voice caused me to suddenly let go of him, the movement causing Marc to let go, and I stood back, staring at my brother. “Sidney. What are you saying?”
He stared at me, our minds practically linking together. “I think you know, Erra.”
“Those were just excuses, weren’t they?” I’m pretty sure I snarled judging by the shock on my husband’s face. “She cheated on you?” I screamed, suddenly viciously furious. “How dare she!”
I twirled around on my heel, the pain in my left hip gone, and I slipped into my shows in the closet and grabbed a light spring coat since the nights are still fairly cold even though it’s warming up.
“Sierra, where are you going?” Sidney and Marc both asked, although in slightly different ways.
“You two stay here.” I looked back at them as I grabbed my keys and slapped the ring in my hand on the table. “I’m going to have a...talk... with my ‘best friend’.”
My top two men in my life exchanged an uneasy glance but I was already out the door before they could try to stop me.
By the way, don’t try to stop a pregnant woman. You won’t win. The hormones make us next to invincible.
I drove blindly, but considering I know where my brother lives, my subconscious mind took me there.
Once in the driveway, I stormed up to the front door and unlocked it with my own key and barged right in. The first thing I noticed was a bunch of bags by the front door. The next, Jenna’s horrified, tear-stricken face from the top of the stairs as she stared down at me. “Sierra.”
“What the hell did you do!?” I screamed, slamming the door shut. “What the fuck in wrong with you?”
“I’m sorry!” she yelled, crying uncontrollably. “I’m sorry! I couldn’t help it.”
“What the hell do you mean ‘you couldn’t help it’?” I stalked up the stairs towards her. She backed up slightly. “You couldn’t help but cheat on my brother? Who has done nothing but give you his live and give you the life you always wanted? Given you everything you wanted?”
Jenna continued to cry. “I’m not ready for marriage.”
“And so you cheat?” I hollered, grabbing her by the shoulders and shaking her as rage boiled through me. “How the hell do you go from loving my brother so much you accept his proposal to cheating on him?”
“I don’t know!” She broke from my grip and collapsed to the floor. “I just couldn’t help myself. I don’t know what’s wrong with me.”
“Bitch,” I seethed. Her eyes widened. “You backstabbing bitch. How dare you do this to my brother. He’s done nothing but love you.”
“I know,” she sobbed.
“I thought we were friends.”
“We are!”
I growled. “No, we’re not.”
“You promised that if Sid and I were to have a relationship, you wouldn’t let it come between you and I if we broke up.”
“Yeah, that was before you cheated on him!” I’m pretty sure my eyes flashed red. “I cannot forgive you cheating on him! If you just would have broken up with him, before you accepted an engagement you didn’t even want, then I wouldn’t have let it come between us.” My body suddenly shifted upwards, my posture straightened and my chin rising to I was looking down my nose at her. “Now, if I ever see you again, especially near my brother, you better believe I won’t let you go lightly.”
Jenna just sobbed and I turned and walked down the stairs, a sudden calm coming over me. As I walked towards the door, I spoke to her one last time. “You better be gone by the morning.”
And with that, I walked out of Sidney’s house without looking back at the girl who was my best friend since high school.
May her soul rot in hell.
Now you may think that seems harsh, but this is my brother, my twin brother. We shared each other’s feelings, including pain. And to betray him like that...
The one thing I cannot put up with is cheating. Just the word infuriates me.
I got home after confronting Jenna to Marc-Andre and Sidney sitting nervously in the living room. When I opened the door, the two of them jumped up and Riley greeting me with his wagging tail. “Hey boy.”
The two guys walked up to me. Marc wrapped his strong arm around my shoulders and I leaned into him, taking his comfort. When I was on the way home, I started crying. I did lose my best friend right now. And I was suddenly even more tired than before.
“So...?” Sidney asked, uneasy.
I gave him a week smile. “I’m sorry, Siddo.”
Sid looked at Marc, who let go, and my brother hugged me tightly. I hugged back. “I’m just glad I have someone to go to.”
I stood on my toes and kissed his cheek lightly. “You know I’ll always be here for you, Sid.”
He smiled ever so slightly. “I feel miserable,” he whispered.
“I know.” I pressed my forehead to his as he looked down at me. “But time heals all wounds. And honestly, as supportive as I was, I was always a little uneasy about you dating her, and then marrying her.”
Sid gave a quick, dry chuckle. “I know. I could feel that.”
“Just think, you will be playing again soon.” I smiled. “That will make things better.”
“Yeah... but it doesn’t cure the hole in my heart.
“We are all here for you, bro,” Marc said from behind me. I could tell that they were having some sort of guy eye contact moment. “You deserve better than someone who would even think about treating you like that.”
Sid nodded. “Thanks, man.”
“I think we all need some ice cream,” I said as I started to head towards the kitchen.
“Ice cream?” Sidney said.
“She’s been craving ice cream a lot,” Marc said to him.
I looked back at them. “And ice cream makes everything better.”
The boys look at each other again, shrugged, and followed me into the kitchen, grabbing bowls and spoon.
And so we sat in the living room watching a random movie with our bowls of ice cream, eating away the pain of a loss.