The Wrong One

The week passed too quickly for Sian’s tastes, and before she knew it, she and McKenzie and Lexi were packing to go home. Zacky, Jimmy, and Johnny had gone home the day before and Sian missed him already.

On the way back to their apartment, a sudden urge came across her to go home. She had McKenzie stop the car in front of her house. She climbed out of the car, grabbed her bags and watched as her two friends drove off. When she turned around, she stared at her house. In the driveway was only one car: Samantha’s. She breathed out and made her way to the door.

She stuck her key in the door and watched it swing open. She dropped her bags and shut the door. She made her way down the hall, looking into the living room and dining room before she entered the kitchen. Samantha was sitting at the island with her back to Sian, eating a bowl of cereal.

“Did you know that Fruit Loops have a shitton of fiber?”

Sian smiled and then she saw the second bowl in front of the empty chair to Samantha’s right. She moved to island and sat down. She took the box of cereal Samantha offered her and poured some into the bowl before drenching it in milk.

“Actually, I did. A lot of things have fiber in them that we didn’t think did,” she said in between bites.

“Zacky told me it had fiber in it when I refused to buy it for him one time,” Samantha said.
They sat in silence for a few minutes while they both ate.

“How did you know I was coming?” Sian asked when she finished.

Samantha turned to her and smiled. “We may not be close twins, but we’re still connected, Sian. I know almost everything about you.”

Sian’s smile faded a bit. “Everything?”

“Everything, sis. I know about your scar.”

“How?”

“Mom told me. I came home that night to the sirens, ambulances and police officers. I saw you being taken away on the stretcher. You got more distant after that. You wouldn’t open up to me anymore and I didn’t know how to deal with it. You were at some school event and mom and I were home alone so I asked her.”

She pulled something out of her bag on the other side of her. Sian immediately recognized it as her journal and watched as Samantha flipped to a certain page.

“You read this, right?”

Sian only nodded and Samantha handed the book to her, pointing out a certain line.

“It’s been ten years since the date. I honestly don’t know how she survives. I just hope that one day she knows exactly how much I admire her and that she’s my hero.”

“Yeah, I was wondering about this,” Sian said, handing the journal back to her sister.

“What’s the date?” Samantha asked.

“Today’s?”

“No, fool, the journal entry.”

“July 24th,” Sian said, looking back at the journal.

“What happened on July 24th?”

“I…I got my scar,” Sian said as she thought about it. Suddenly, it hit her. “That’s about me?”

Samantha gave her a small smile and nodded. “Sian, I just wish you had told me about it when it happened. I wanted to help you through it so bad. I could hear you cry at night and I know it seemed like I didn’t care, but you wouldn’t let me close to you.”

“Do you mean what you wrote?” Sian asked, tears forming in her eyes.

“Sian, you’re my sister. Of course I mean what I wrote. You’re my hero and I’m so sorry you had to go through that. I wish I had told you that you didn’t have to go through it alone, but that’s my fault. I honestly don’t know how you lived with that secret. I just wanted you to know how much I admire you for being so strong and that you’re my hero.”

Sian was openly crying by then and all she could do was hug her sister. Samantha pulled her closer and squeezed her.

“I love you, Sian.”

“I love you, too, Samantha.”

“Now I want you to listen to me,” Samantha said as she pulled back and wiped Sian’s tears away. “I want you to know a little something about Europe.”

“Alright, tell me,” Sian said.

“I was there the whole time. I watched you interact with Zacky and I want you to know that I am beyond happy with Liam. Zacky is completely over me and I could tell when I talked to him. I just want you to be happy, Sian, and I think you’ll be happy with Zacky. He really loves you, Sian.”

“I know,” Sian said, choking out a laugh through her tears. “He came with McKenzie, Lexi and I to Laguna.”

“He did, did he?” Samantha said with a knowing smile.

“Nothing happened, ass. We just hung out and had fun, really.”

“Did you just use the word ‘fun’, Sian?”

“Yes, Samantha, I did use the word ‘fun’. It’s in my vocabulary now.”

“I’m impressed. I thought it was just a Europe thing,” she said, laughing.

“Nope, I think it’s here to stay,” Sian said, smiling at her sister.

“The only thing I don’t know about you, Sian, is how you really feel about Zacky.”

Sian hesitated. She didn’t know if she should really confess how she felt about him, especially to Samantha. Somehow, her sister sensed that.

“Sian, I’m not with him anymore. Sure, I love him, but in the way I love Kyle. I promise you can tell me how you really feel.”

“I love him,” Sian said out loud.

“Good,” Samantha said. “You two need to be together.”

“Why?”

“You’re good for each other. You can keep him grounded and he can keep you happy. You two deserve each other, Sian. You deserve to be happy and Zacky can do that for you. He can give you the childish ideas you should be doing. You’re twenty three, Sian; you shouldn’t be that focused on your school and job this soon. You have your entire life to think about the boring things. Have fun while you can.”

“You’re right,” Sian said, smiling. “I really do love him, Samantha. I just can’t explain it.”

“I know,” Samantha said with a knowing smile on her face. “That’s how I feel about Liam.”

“I just can’t see myself without him now.”

They spent another couple of hours talking before Sian asked her to drive her to her apartment so she could get her car and the rest of her things. She had a couple of things to take care of before she came back to Huntington. Samantha was shocked that during the drive Sian sang along with the radio. After a while, Sian turned it down.

“Samantha, I need your help with something.”

“Anything,” Samantha said as she shifted gears and pulled onto Sian’s road.

“Here’s what we’re going to do,” Sian said and launched into her plan.