Dein Weg ist Mein Weg

Chapter 19: The Crash

"Hey, why don't I ever get to sit in the front?!"

"It's because you're tiny. Kindergarteners like you belong in the back."

"I'M NOT A KINDERGARTENER! I'M IN THE FOURTH GRADE!" she yelled back. "And it's not fair that you always get to sit in the front just 'cause you're in high school!"

"Irisa, be nice to your sister. Azusa, you get to sit in the front some other time," their mother interjected with a tired voice. "Now can we please get going? Your father's waiting for us."

With this outside interference backing her up, Irisa smirked at her sister, and Azusa stuck her tongue out at her in response. But after a second, she did as she had been told and grumpily walked around the car to sit behind mom. "Fine," she grumbled. "I didn't want to sit in the front anyways."

Once she had put on her seatbelt, she crossed her arms and sulked as they drove away from the harbor. So what if Irisa was in high school and lived on a boat? Boats were stupid. Azusa always got to sit in the front when she wasn't around, so it wasn't fair that Irisa automatically got to sit in the front just because she was back home. Stupid Irisa. Azusa hated when she was around.

In the front, Mom was asking Irisa question after question, giving her all the attention she could ever want. Asking her about the results of her tests and her grades, which were of course perfect, what she wanted to eat for dinner, and how everything was with her friends. But Azusa didn't want to listen. She didn't care what her idiot sister was doing. She just kept on sulking, and played a game on her phone. It wasn't like either of them bothered talking to her. Why didn't Mom ask her about how she was doing in school? Or how things were with her friends? Or what she wanted for dinner? It wasn't fair, and it was all stupid Irisa's fault. She glanced out the window, and the idea that was planted in her mind by what she saw expelled all bitterness. She reached up and almost pressed her face against the glass, calling out in excitement to her mom.

"Mom! Mom! Can we stop for ice cream?!"

"No, Azusa. We're already late," Mom answered in a disinterested voice.

"But Moooom..."

"No 'but's," she interrupted and sighed. "Why can't you be like your sister?"

Azusa sat back down and sulked again. It wasn't fair.

"Fine!" She was just going to stay quiet and not ask for anything ever again. Just like Irisa. Stupid, perfect Irisa. She was always doing everything right, always getting perfect grades, always being mom and dad's perfect little girl who never did anything wrong, always getting all of mom and dad's attention. It wasn't fair.

Meanwhile, the only thing Azusa ever got to hear was how perfect Irisa was, and how everyone hoped she would grow up to be just as perfect as Irisa, and that she should act more mature, just like Irisa. It wasn't fair.

Azusa hated it all, and she hated her stupid sister for always being so perfect. She wished Irisa would just stop existing. If she just wasn't around, everything would be much better. Mom and Dad would pay attention to Azusa and care about her, instead of stupid Irisa. Not a single thing about it was fai-

BAM!

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"It's not fair..." Azusa muttered to herself as she was lying in her bed, staring up at the ceiling in her dimly lit room. "It's not fair at all..."

It had been five years since the accident. Five years since Azusa got her wish granted. It wasn't fair. If she had known that a higher power was listening, she would have just kept her mouth shut. But no, instead she wished something stupid she didn't mean, and the universe listened with naive sincerity, granting her wish without delay. All it had taken was a second. One second Irisa was there, the next she wasn't. Just like Azusa wanted... A single moment, and now her sister wasn't around anymore.