The Big Day

Chapter 16

All of you are tired. Nobody in the house slept for a long time. Your mother, because your father woke her when he heard the tumult, Maureen because your father woke her up, Megan, Millie and you... well.

"Good Lord you look like a zombie!" Megan says, after spinning her around in the kitchen.

"I feel that way too. Didn't slept so well."

"Oh, what's happened?" asks your mother. You shrug it off and don't notice your sister’s looks. Millie is still sleeping upstairs. You shovel your breakfast in your face, don't actually taste what you eat, and in your head, are already in the car and planning the trip.

An hour later your body followed your brain. After an intimate farewell by your parents, you and Megan sit in your car - Maureen in hers behind you - and wait for Millie, who had to go to the toilet again quickly. You look in the rearview mirror and see Maureen checking her makeup in her car with a hand mirror.

"What do you think she needs that for?" asks Megan, who is also looking back. You wiggle your head and weigh your words.

"I guess she'll be going to town looking for prey right after we get there." Megan snorts almost contemptuously. But then you feel her hand on your thigh and turn to her.

"I'm looking forward to the time," she says, beaming all over her face. You beam back and put your hand on hers. You don't miss how Megan blushes slightly.

"I am also excited. It's going to be a great time.” You squeeze her hand and she yours. Then the back door of your car opens and Millie slips inside. After making sure your sisters are buckled up, you lower the window, reach out and let your arm spin three times in the air with your forefinger up. You have to laugh when you see the questioning look of Maureen in the rearview mirror and drive off. Your parents wave you goodbye.

To your relief, Megan and Millie have managed to gather their friends in two locations around town. At first, Millie got her turn. When you drive to the side of the street, your sister waves excitedly to them. Susan and Claire McKinley slip into the car one after the other. Susan hugs you from behind and also Megan and says: “You are too late. Seven minutes."

"Say that to miss ‘but I have to go to the toilet again’" Megan grunts and points to her little sister. Meanwhile, Claire waves to you and gives you an embarrassed smile that you return with a friendly one.

The two wear their usual outfits. Long sleeved shirts, that of Susan in blue, Claire in red. Her hair is held back by clips of the same color. Claire wears her denim dungarees with the straps over her shoulder, while Susan, the braver one of the two, casually dangles her straps.

When Susan and Claire are already buckling up, Denise Van Buren swirls into the car next.

"Boa, what's that?" Megan holds her hand in front of her nose and you too have to cough.

"What? I got that from the internet. Comes straight from Japan,” Denise defends her perfume. "Here, smell" she laughs, holding her scented arm between you and Megan.

"From Japan? Where exactly? Fukushima?” you grunt and cough again. "Just take that away. Everyone else, open the windows. Now!"

It takes a while until everything is in place and the background noise rises to the level of a Van Halen rock concert as the four girls squeeze into the back seat, which is actually intended for three people. Susan and Claire share a seat belt and you can start driving with confidence. You and Megan don't do anything about the noise in the car because you notice that Millie is actually part of the 'problem', which is quite surprising for both of you. You look at each other meaningfully, shake your head and Megan makes a clear gesture with her fingers on her temple. You grin and keep going.

A few minutes later she stops again and this time Megan opens the door to greet her friends. Again you have to smile as the three girls waiting for you and hugging your sister screaming. They just play a little bit, you think, but if not today, when is the time for something like that. You lean out of your side window and whistle provocative.

"Hey girls! Do you want to join us? We're going to the lake and could use some company.” The four look at each other.

"I'm in!" Megan calls and jumps in the air, raising her arm and pulling her legs up. As always, you almost go crazy when you see that.

"Wait a moment. We don't know you at all. You could be a pervert who just wants to take advantage of us,” Rachel Huerta (20) calls out indignantly. The girl always seemed a bit reserved to you, but all too often her lineage breaks out as a hot-blooded Latina and she forgets her reservedness for a while. You always have to giggle when she realizes what she is doing and quickly pulls herself together.

"He's too pretty for that," says Karen Grant, eliciting a creepy look that makes the girls giggle. At 21, Karen is the sex bomb of your school and the target of all boys... and some girls. Today she presents her remarkable bust size in a sheer long-sleeved sweater with incised holes for the thumbs, a knee-length white skirt and black leggings that end in shiny shoes.

"And too intelligent. He knows the punishment for such behavior.” This saying by Carrie Wilson makes your face derail for a second, you remember the last night to well.

"But you could certainly get him out of jail if you sit in the Senate," laughs Karen again. Karen could find something funny in a zombie apocalypse. Carrie just rolls her eyes, but it's true. At some point Carrie Wilson will rule you all. And you have no problem admitting that you like to be her Monica Leweinsky, even if you don't smoke...

"Hey Finn," Emma Jackson smiles from behind her glasses and waves at you.q

"Hey Emma. Nice that you come too.” Emma embodies the bookworm like no other. Unlike Carrie, who could walk straight to a law firm in her costume, well, Emma seems to be the least concerned about her outfit. Always casual and as if she had just got out of bed. You envy her a little for the luxury because Megan always wants to dress you up when she goes out with people. But today Emma surprises you with a tight-fitting t-shirt, shorts and long black stockings that reach just above her knees.

"Wow. You look good,” it escapes and you bite your tongue. Emma has not always responded well to male advances and you suspect lesbian traits in her. You are far from putting any thoughts in the girl's head when you already have two sisters who need your full attention.

In an other world you might be a couple. She fits you like a fist on the eye. She has almost exactly the same interests as you. Her humor, though rarely showcased, is on the same level as yours. And you could talk to her for hours about films, politics, history and such boring stuff. Yea, even the films too. Yes, the films too. After all, you both look at the heavyweights of the genre with beaming eyes. Megan is not very interested in your films, Millie always says, they are too complicated, too creepy or too political, but Emma is debating with you – every god dammed time – whether Han should shoot first or not.

But unfortunately, these nice times with Emma don't happen very often. You only see each other when Megan invites her friends over to your home and only when the time is right.

You have always stepped back a little from them to give Megan her freedom. And because you fear that her friends might see through the thin layer of lies that you have built up for protection.

In another world that would not be necessary. Especially not, if Emma were your girlfriend in it. But you don't live in this world. You live in yours. And in your world there is no place for thoughts about you and your happiness. Not one day, you were sad about it. You are blessed every morning with the most beautiful, funniest, lovable and most desirable... stop, wait... You really like Emma. But in this world, Megan and Millie are closer to you, need you more and give you all you can ask for. And besides, Emma never tried to land with you. In contrast to Karen, who attacks your defense like the Red Army attacked the Seelow Heights.

"Thank you. Nice that you noticed it,” Emma smiles shyly and strokes a strand of hair behind her ear. Then she looks at you again and gets you out of your daydreams. "Where can we put our luggage?" You point behind you and as if by a sign, a annoyed Maureen honks twice. The girls say goodbye with the promise not to go separate ways after arrival and the rest of them squeeze into your older sister’s car. It doesn't take thirty seconds, then the girls start joking and laughing again at the back and Megan gets a call from Karen to keep her busy for the rest of the ride.

And so you are alone with your thoughts on the trip, which does not bother you. You still have a lot to clarify with Megan as well as with Millie and you are already preparing for it. But you don't know exactly what you want to do. Two girls that you love dearly. Two girls who may feel something for you. Two girls whose lives you could destroy if you weren't careful. Your mood is getting darker, but luckily nobody seems to notice. That is the problem that you cannot avoid. If it is you who is there for the two, then you also have to make the decisions. So far so good. But if the two want more from you, it's up to you to draw the line so that one of them doesn't get hurt at some point. How would Millie react if you hooked up with Megan? Or Megan if Millie were the lucky one? You bite your tongue in anger. Do you suppose both would like you just because they got close to you once? Sure, it looks very… interesting between you and your sisters! You grunt angrily.

Who are you kidding? You like to think you can do something with both. The chemistry between you is definitely right. But that's not what you remember every few minutes. It's about helping the two to deal with their feelings - if they really have some for you and you don't just think with your lance again - and finding a way to make them happy without one of them fall by the wayside. Fuck.

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