Don't Tell

“Come on girls. Your brother and mother will be here soon.” Dad called. We were having another awkward weekly family dinner with mom and her boyfriend. I think they’re bringing his kids this week. With a sigh I pulled on my current favorite sweater and zipped it up. The only good thing about these dinners was that Khole, my brother, came up from LA where he lives with his boyfriend Alex. With any luck, Alex will come too.
“Do you think Alex will come with Khole today?” Nikki, my twin, asked walking into my room.
“I hope so.” I said looking at her. Nik was dressed up for todays stupid dinner. Unlike usual, she wore white skinny jeans and a dark blue top with her rock necklace and emerald bracelet. “Are those my Christian Louboutin’s?” I asked.
“Yes. They work better than my boots.” She said.
“Just put ‘em back later. I got them for my grades first semester in ninth grade.”
Nikki smiled, “I got an electric guitar that semester.” The thing about Nikki is that she is determined to make it big as a singer-songwriter in LA. She’s been playing instruments and singing since we were five. She plays everything and sings amazingly.
“What are you wearing Twin?” she asked, “Please don’t let it be the usual.” I smiled sheepishly. “Avalyne! If I have to dress up, so do you.” She snapped going to my closet. It’s filled with designer labels that I don’t wear. I turned to face the closet, knowing an argument was useless.
I screamed when someone wrapped their arms around my waist and spun me around. I spun around to face Khole who was laughing. I had to join in. Playfully I smacked his arm, “You almost gave me a heart attack!”
He smiled, “I did not.”
“You did. Did Alex come?”
“Yes miss, I did.” Alex said.
“Alex!” I said giving him a hug.
“No hug for your big brother?” Khole pouted.
“Nope. You almost gave me a heart attack.” I said. It was more true than he thought. From the closet you could hear Nikki when she was finally satisfied with the outfit choice. When she came back out, she shoved an outfit into my arms and pushed me toward the bathroom. As I left, she was hugging our brother.
I sighed when I saw the outfit she choose. The top is a cross between a tank top and a corset. She’d given me short shorts with a brown belt and my white KG Kurt Geiger Charles booties. She put my Shaesby Mariposa coin necklace, my blue nile opal and diamond ring, Jules Smith gypsy fringe earrings and the Alexandra Beth leather and snake skin bracelet with it. Glancing in the mirror, I pulled my sweater back on. It was longer than the outfit itself.
“No way in hell Nikki!” I said as I stormed back into my room.
“What’s wrong with it?”
“It’s too short. My sweater’s longer and it shows too much cleavage.”
“First, no sweater. Second, you have a nice set. Third, it is not too short. The shoes make you taller, thus elongating your pretty tan legs. With a little make up and something gets done with your hair, you’ll be more gorgeous than usual.”
“Promise?”
“I wouldn’t let my twin look ugly.”
“Okay.” I sighed, pulling my sweater off. I sat on the matching seat in front of my vanity and let my twin go to work.
Fifteen minutes later, Nik was done. She had put a black bow headband in and curled my hair. She lightly dusted on shimmery white eyeshadow, thick liner, and eyelashes. Before I could stand up, she swiped lip gloss on and dusted my boobs with glitter. With a smile, she let me up.
“All done!”
“Nikki, Avalyne, time to come down.” Andy, our seven-year-old step-brother, said.
“Two minutes.” My sister said. Andy nodded and left. Twin spritzed me with Lovesick and handed me my phone. “Now we can go.”
We were sitting outside on the porch around the glass table. Mom and her boyfriend were here, his two sons were supposed to be here shortly before six. I was grateful for my step-mom and step-brother as well as Khole, Alex, Nikki, and my father. They kept the conversation going. I wasn’t one for crowds, or my mothers company. I had texted my boyfriend Tristan. Unfortunately, he was busy with a family thing.
“How has school been Avalyne?” mother asked.
“Just got my semester report card. Four-point-oh, straight A’s again.” I replied. “Hows work mother?”
“Great. I’m modeling for …” she talked, I tuned her out. I let my mind wander from sketches I’d like to draw to parts of the house that I’d like to redecorate to poems that needed written down. I don’t know how long I was zoned out, but when I came back to the real world, food was being set on the table and -
“It’s about time you got here son.” Mom’s boyfriend, Rob, said to … Tristan?
“You’re dating my boyfriends dad?!” I yelled at my mom.
“Well, not dating per say…” she took a deep breath, “We were going to wait for desert to tell you. Rob and I are getting married!”
“You’re what?!” I said. My heart was beating faster than usual due to the anger of my mothers choice of boyfriend and now the shock that they’re engaged. I sunk into my chair, unaware I had stood up. My vision started to blur and I started to hyperventilate. Faintly I could hear Nikki trying to calm me down.
I took deep breaths to get my breathing under control. Once it was, I got up and ran to my room. Quickly, I changed into my track clothes and took two of my antidepressant medication. Plugging my headphones into my iPod, I went down stairs. Tristan was waiting on the couch in the living room.
Standing up he said, “Avalyne, -”
“Not now.” I replied. I turned up the volume on my iPod, the front door slamming shut behind me. The second my feet hit the pavement, I took off.