Sterling's Daughter

"Laya, wh...?" Zena scowled, unimpressed as Laya almost snatched the bread knife out of her hand. She heaved an enormous sigh. "What are you trying to prove?"
"I told you, I'll do the bread," Laya said innocently. Zena stared at her, looking frustrated.
"How are you planning to do that?" she demanded. "You have a broken arm. For pete's sake, girl! Give that knife back!"
"No," Laya hissed. "Look, I'll manage."
She snatched up the loaf of bread by holding it against her body with her cast as best she could. She headed for the furtherest bench in the kitchen from the open dining area and lounge and put the loaf of bread down there. Then she readied the knife.
"You're a moron, Laya. That isn't going to work," Zena put a hand on Laya's arm and held it still. "Listen. What's up with you? You're usually the last person to work in the kitchen when we have visitors in."
"Nothings 'up'," Laya forced her voice to stay calm. There was a silence between them, broken occasionally by the talk and laughter from the lounge room and the deck that the doors opened out onto. Laya could feel Zena's eyes drilling into her, and she knew her sister wasn't buying a thing she had just said. She tried to focus on cutting the bread, but it went horribly wrong, just like Zena had predicted. "Aaaagghhh!" Laya slammed the knife down on the board, giving up. Zena jumped, startled, then resumed giving Laya the cool, even stare. "Fine!" Laya whipped to face her sister. "I don't like Will! I hate him! Why does everyone give me crap about him? Why?"
Zena's eyes went a little wider and her lips parted slightly in what might have been astonishment.
"Okay, so...humm...why do you hate him?" she asked curiously.
"Because he..." Laya hesitated. "He..."
"Yes?" Zena raised an eyebrow.
Laya felt trapped. Yes, she'd hated him. That was before he'd apologised to her, and helped get her away from that creep at the party last night, and she'd kissed him and she'd loved it. Wait. What?
"I don't know," she thought glumly, before realising that she'd actually said those three words out loud.
"If you want my opinion..." Zena's voice trailed away, looking at Laya warily. Laya didn't always welcome her opinion very willingly.
"Go ahead," Laya flapped her hand vaguely.
"My, there must be a pretty grim problem hanging around you," Zena sounded slightly amused. Laya glared at her.
"He's pretty cute. And he has a sense of humour..."
"...when he's not out to trip you over on the concrete," Laya rolled her eyes. "Or is that the sense of humor you're talking about?"
"Don't be horrible. He's into horses, and that's a quality you want in a guy right? I mean, I seriously doubt you'd be into a guy who wasnt into horses. Am I right?"
"Yes," Laya sighed heavily. "And if you're lecturing me that he's the right guy for me, then just go aw..."
"You let me give my opinion and i'm doing just that," Zena interrupted as she crossed her arms, looking pleased with herself. "You've got your dream guy right on your doorstep. Well, he's actually in your lounge at the moment, but whatever. Listen, sis, just between you and me, I think you're afraid of falling in love."
"Afraid of falling in love?" Laya repeated. "What have you been drinking, Zena?"
Zena actually laughed.
"If you really didn't like him or hated him, you would have just brushed all the teasing off," she grinned. "You are sooo in looove."
"You're dead," Laya said simply. Zena laughed again before walking out of the kitchen to the lounge. "I mean it!" Laya yelled after her. "I will get you back, freak!"
"Laya Sterling!" Mum marched into the kitchen. "There are visitors. Don't talk like that!"
"Sorry," Laya mumbled.
"After dinner we're talking to the Hamilton's about Will's new horse. I know a lady in town who's selling several mares that promise to be pretty good horses. I'll suggest her to them and maybe we could even go looking at them sometime with Will."
"Great," Laya plasted a fake smile on her face.
"Laya, what are you doing to the bread?" Mum almost shrieked, seeing the almost mangled end of the loaf of bread. She made a lunge for the knife and yanked it out of Laya's hand.
"Sorry, just trying to help," Laya muttered.
"Honestly, you're making a mess of everything! The tomato you had a go at this afternoon was utterly lacerated!" Mum wasn't trying to be horrible or make her feel bad, but for some reason it still hurt. She had a brief flashback to the night of the accident that had given her the stupid broken arm. She shuddered at the thought of it, feeling hot tears burning at the back of her eyes. She'd made a mess of that night.
"Yeah, I can't argue with that," her voice wobbled a bit, and she clenched her teeth furiously in an attempt to fight back the tears that pricked at her eyelashes as Mum swung around to look at her. Mum's eyes widened a little bit.
"Honey, what are you talking about?" she asked as she set down the knife.
Laya felt the tears spill over.
"I make a mess of everything! Everything! I messed up the night I broke my arm, I messed up with you, I messed up with my promise, I messed up Tempo's life, and I messed up with Will!" Why it was all coming out now Laya had no clue, but she did know that her voice was growing louder by the second.
"Will doesn't blame you..." Mum began.
"No, not that!" Laya blurted out. "He helped me last night and I repay him by shoving him away and being a jerk. Darn it all, I like him too much!"
Whoa. That had so not just come out of her mouth.
But it had.
Mum opened her mouth to speak.
"Why?" Laya felt like screaming as the tears flowed down her cheeks. "Why do I always mess it all up?"
"You don't," Mum said softly. Laya shook her head vigorously.
"Yes, I do. I always do!" turning on her heel she ran, blinded by the tears that blurred her vision. She hit someone heavily as she barrelled out of the kitchen, and heard Dad calling to her as she bolted out the front door, slamming it behind her.
Boy, had she messed up.