Song~ Dirty Little Secret by All American Rejects

There's a lot if dialogue in this. Brace yourself lol

***

  "Wake up, Vivian!" A loud voice roars into my ear, startling me awake.

  "What? What is it?" I panic, frantically looking around for any sign of danger.

  "Nothing, we just wanted you awake. It's almost 3pm." I recognize the voice to be Ainsley's.

  I groan and bury my face into my pillow. "Great, I slept almost all day. I went to bed at like 2am."

  "Well, now you're well rested and can stay up late with us," Lydia chirps happily, jumping onto my bed.

  "Can I do your nails?" Ainsley asks following Lydia's lead and plopping onto my bed.

  "Sure. Do we have snacks and chips for the marathon?" I ask, pushing away my covers and making my way to my closet to change.

  "Nope, well not yet. Mom said she'd give us some money to go to the corner store down the street to get some," Lydia responds.

  I freeze at the mention of mom. "Oh, that's good."

  "You okay?" Lydia asks curiously. I can feel her gaze on my back. "You seem a little...off."

  I shake my head dismissively. "No, I'm okay. Just a little groggy. Let's get the food first before we do anything else."

  They both nod and trample down the stairs to the kitchen where my mom is. I follow, keeping a distance so I don't have to see my mom for too long.

  I enter the kitchen to see Lydia and Ainsley each getting handed a bill. For a brief second my mom's eyes make contact with mine and I can see the pain in them. I quickly look away. Ainsley and Lydia both take one of my hands and lead me out the door after putting on our shoes and coats.  

  "How's school?" I ask awkwardly. I haven't exactly been the best sister and that hasn't been more clear to me than now since I've realized I haven't had a decent conversation with either of them in a long time. I spend most of my time alone and recently out with Mason.

  Ainsley scoffs. "It's high school. Everyday I'm surrounded by more dicks than a curious teenager at a college party. What do you expect?"

  That explains why I don't talk to her. Moving on.

  "Lydia? How about you?"

  "It's fine. A lot of it's preparing for high school which I was looking forward to until Ainsley not so gently explained it to me."

  "I'm saving you a lot of disappointment. You should be thanking me," Ainsley says.

  "Not everyone's high school experience is like yours," I say defensively. "Sure you might find it terrible, but maybe Lydia will like it."

  Ainsley shrugs. "Maybe she will or maybe she won't. I'm just telling her what I know about my experience and that she shouldn't get her hopes up."

  "You're coming off a little snobby, Ains. Don't be that way."

  She huffs in annoyance, but doesn't say anything. From the way her facial expression keeps changing I can tell she's pissed and ranting about me mentally.

  We reach the store. I turn to Lydia. "Go on ahead, we'll catch up with you."

  She nods and complies.

  Time to take the high road.

  I gently approach Ainsley. "Hey, I'm sorry I snapped at you earlier. I know you were just looking out for her. I'm trying to, too. I don't want this to ruin our night."

  She sighs. "I know. I shouldn't be so touchy. I just feel superior to her and I kinda abuse it sometimes. I know I'm bitchy a lot. I try not to be."

  "I know I am too. We cool?"

  She smiles and nods. "Of course."

  We eagerly stroll through the store picking up several bags of chips and bottles of soda as we go. We purchase our snacks, earning a warm smile from the older lady at the till, and return home as fast as we can.

  I carry the bags upstairs as Ainsley grasps onto Lydia in a piggy back ride.

  "Careful," I warn.

  "Yeah yeah," Ainsley says in a dismissive tone. She dumps Lydia on my bed while I dispose of the bags on the nightstand.

  "What do you guys want to do first?" I ask, looking between the two.

  They share a look between one another.

  "Movie marathon!" They yell simultaneously.

  Ainsley disappears to her room and reemerges with a stack of movies. "I've got Mean Girls, Easy A, the Breakfast Club, and Sleepy Hollow. That should last us all night," she says, throwing each DVD onto the bed as she calls off its name.

"All good choices," I comment. I'm left to set up the movie because they've already dived for the snacks. Looks like it's my choice then.

"Hey! Those are my salt and vinegar chips!" Ainsley whines from behind me.

"Too bad, you can share," Lydia scolds.

"I will kill you. I've done it before; I can do it again," she growls threateningly. Knowing Ainsley, she probably isn't kidding.

"Okay calm down there you sociopath," I intervene. I turn around and stare her down. "Just take mine. It's not a big deal and it certainly isn't worth going to jail for first degree murder over."

"I hate when people take my food." She huffs in annoyance.

"So does everyone else," Lydia says.

I press play on Easy A to end the argument on that note. We all gather on my bed too engrossed in the movie to say much of anything. Slowly, all becomes right in the world again as all previous arguments dissolve into the past.

Then my phone rings.

Grumpily, I lean over a scowling Ainsley to answer it. It's Kat.

I accept the call and press the phone to my ear. "Hello?"

"Hey, yesterday you said you had something you wanted to tell me?" Her voice sounds tired.

"Yeah, hold on. Let me go outside," I reply. I turn to Ainsley and mouth Kat to her to answer her unspoken question as to who's on the phone. She nods in understanding.

I exit the room and shut the door behind me.

"What did you need to tell me?" She asks. Concern is clear in her tone.

I launch into the conversation I had with my parents a couple days ago. I tell her how I felt and the secrecy that came with this knowledge. I also told her about Mason and I's conversation yesterday. She agrees with Mason that maybe this is for the best. She also said to look on the brightside; at least they're trying to fix it.

"That blows. I'm so sorry, Viv. Not only are they splitting up which puts a major dent in your relationship with them, but they're also asking you to hide things from your sisters. What happens when they find out you've known and kept it from them? That can also hurt your relationship with them. Your parents are asking a lot from you."

"I know. I'm with them both right now and they seem so calm. It's going to be a giant blow to find out that they're separating."

"You should go," Kat says. "We've been on the phone for almost 40 minutes. They're probably wondering what's taking you so long. I'll text you later."

"Okay, bye. Thank you for listening. I really needed your input." I end the call. It feels good knowing I have people who care. The conversation has left me feeling better because i know I have people who can support me.

I reenter the room. The movie is rolling through the credits. Ainsley is standing with her hands clenched into fists. Lydia is holding onto her in what appears to be in attempts to calm her down.

"You selfish bitch," Ainsley spits at me once I enter the room. "What gave you the right to keep that from us?"

"You eavesdropped?"

"It seems to be the only way we can get information from you," she retaliates shooting an icy glare at me.

"They didn't want me to tell you. I shouldn't have to be the one to tell you this. I'm not the one making the decision, they are! They told me not to tell you because it's not confirmed yet."

"But they're definitely splitting up?" Lydia quietly speaks up. My face softens at the sad expression on her face.

"I don't know. If you overheard everything I told Kat then you know everything I know."

"Great, so you tell your friend and your boyfriend before us even though it doesn't affect them. Way to go, Vivian, sister of the year! What else are you hiding from us?" Ainsley shouts at me angrily.

"Nothing! I know I probably should have told you as soon as I found out, but I was thinking of you. It would have devastated you both! I didn't want to have to be the one who had to break it to you," I explain with a pleading look.

  She wasn't having any of it. She crosses her arms over her chest angrily. Her stance makes it look like she's ready to attack me. Ainsley lets out a humorless laugh. "Look where it got you, Vivian," she spits out my name like it's poison in her mouth. "You know, if you weren't already dead by the time they actually go through with it, I would refuse to live in the same house as you. Who knows what else you're hiding."

  The whole room goes silent as she speaks those words. My mouth drops open as I struggle for words. Tears spring in my eyes at the amount of hate and loathing she has in her voice towards me. This is all my fault. For a brief second, regret flashes in her eyes before it is consumed again by anger.

  "Thanks for ruining girl's night," she mutters before marching out of the room. The loud slam of a door down the hall indicates that she's gone.

  I break down. Tears stream down my face and my breathing becomes ragged. Lydia, who I had forgotten was still here, crouches down beside me and rubs a comforting hand on my back.

  "She didn't mean it," are the words she says to me.

  "She hates me, not that I blame her," I sob. "I feel like shit."

  "I get where you're coming from, Viv. And I really do think she does too. She's just pissed. You know how she is when she's angry. She'll be over it in a few days at most. Don't beat yourself up over it. Although, that last thing she said was completely uncalled for."

  "Are you mad at me?" I ask through blurry eyes.

  She shrugs a shoulder. "It has nothing to do with you. This is between us and mom and dad. I wouldn't want to be the one to break it to you two, so it's only fair I treat you the way I would want to be if I were you."

  I laugh. "You're so smart."

  She grins sheepishly. "I just understand people, that's all. I know you and Ainsley very well. I know this will pass. You two love each other too much to let this affect you deeply. Just give her time."

  I hug her. "Thank you, Lydia. I don't know what I'd do without you."

  "Crash and burn," she jokes earning a small laugh from me.

  "Are you going to be okay?" She asks me.

  I nod. "You?"

  "Of course, always have been always will. I like to find the silver lining in every situation."

  "And what's the silver lining for this one?"

  "Even though our parents are splitting up, I still have my sisters and that's more than enough for me." With that, she walks over to the door. She casts me a reassuring smile before walking away.

  Even though Ainsley's words sting, whether she intended to say them or not, I knew she was still my sister and she still loves me. I crawl into bed and let sleep wash over me, cleansing me of my worries.