Unlasting

Brianna

"Worst housemate eeever," I screamed from my room.

"You know you love me," Rachael screamed back.

"I've got pancakes. Come out of that room you dork. It's a beautiful Saturday morning. You should have gone jogging with me."

"Oh my god. I can't believe you made a sentence with me and exercise in it."

She chuckled. "I'm so sorry grandma. What was I even thinking?"

"Screw you," I said resting on the door of the kitchen with my cat-faced nightwear and my hair in a messy bun. "With friends like you, who need friends," I joke, a big grin on my face.

"How was jogging?"

"Very rewarding."

I was surprised. "I thought you didn't want to lose weight? I remember you saying you just wanted to keep fit."

"Oh yeah. The jog was rewarding cause I met a cute guy. He was so fiiiine, I almost forgot to breathe."

I laughed so hard my tummy hurt. This was typical Rachael. Her Achilles heel is something I was too familiar with. Her quirkiness, brilliance and even her humor, fly out the window the moment she sees a cute boy. She even manages to be on her best behaviour and that usually happens only when Dr. Katherine is in town.

"Laugh all you want bitch, but when we have cute babies and babiekins wants them to model for their magazine, you won't be part of the rich and glamorous lifestyle we'll be living."

Rachael's killing me this morning. My tummy hurt so much from laughing I found it equally difficult to breathe.

"Cool down tiger. You don't even know if you'll see him again."

"Jokes on you cause, we're going on a date tonight. La, la, la, la, la, la, la." She sang.

"Really? You gave him your number after meeting him for the first time today?"

"That surprises you? He's a cute boy, I'm a cute girl. Let's not delay the universe's wish any longer." Rachael claps her hands and rolls her eyes even more than normal as she said these words, and I know she's switched to diva mode.

"Okay smarty pants. I asked a stupid question, let's move on."

She rolls her eyes again, a snarky comment playing on her lips, but she lets it go and smiles. She thinks she's won, like this was a competition of wits.

"I am totally gonna ignore what I-know-you-know-I-know is on your mind."

She laughs her girlish sweet laugh and I can't help but admire her dentition, making a mental note to look at mine later in my room when I'm alone. I walk over to the kitchen island, grabbing a plate of pancakes.

"Hmmmmmm.... How delectable."

"You're welcome."

"I never said thank you."

"You just did. And besides, your eyes tell me all I need to know, no words needed." She clicked her tongue and at same time cuts her eyes at me.

I blush. Rachael could be so sweet sometimes and I keep thinking, whoever's going to end up with that girl would be one hell of a lucky man. She's a true gem.

"You should be a poet, stupid. You'd do great charming men and women of the world with your poetic genius, rather than wasting God given talents trapping ignorant and needy cute boys."

"First of all, get down from my kitchen table, you pig."

I shake my head childishly like I've done every single time I sit on her island and she tells me to get down in her motherly tone.

"Secondly..."I continue her statement, letting her know that just like every other time, her attempts to get me to come down failed and the topic was no longer in discussion.

"Why do I even bother." She mutters to herself, but loud enough so I would hear. I smiled, pancakes full in my mouth.

"Secondly, name one ignorant and needy cute boy I've dated." She said confidently.

"Is this a trick question? Cause uhm, you know I've got the answer, right?"

Her confidence remained unshaken.

"It starts with a Z and ends with a K."

She puts her palms over her face as realization dawned on her. Seconds later she was laughing so hard I thought she was choking on her pancakes.

False alarm.

I joined her laughing, as we started reliving the moments she had with Zack.

That night as I laid in bed, a bittersweet taste in my mouth. I was happy here, though I couldn't help but miss my mother and brother. I even missed the man who treated me like a daughter without knowing I was his wife's child. I felt bad for always having held a grudge against him when it wasn't his fault in the first place. He married my mother because he loved her and he made her happy, he didn't know I was his stepdaughter and that was all my mother's fault, not his. And though he didn't know my true identity, he loved me like he loved Joshua.

I slept that night dreaming of a reunion with my brother and father and maybe my mother too. Five months was long enough to be away from home, though Rachael has been the absolute best, I was homesick, and it was high time I faced my problems.