Sister Dearest

Chapter 2 - A Pandemonium of Parrots

After days of sleuthing and going batty over what she didn't know was being kept from her, Elody was happy to sit and talk with her friends, even if their conversation was confined to the thirty-five minute slot of their school lunch hour.

Her fourth period, Vet Tech, was followed immediately by lunch, a horrible transition especially if you factored in the daily lunch menu. Elody wasn't sure what was even in the sloppy joe's mystery meat, or what a sloppy joe was, so she opted for a salad and baked potato, which was a daily occurrence.

"...and the third time, Marshall made a fool out of himself because when he flicked the paper football, it hit Mrs. Pasternak in the butt." Jenna said, eliciting a laugh from Dawn.

Jenna and Dawn were her very best friends at school and in life.

Dawn was a girl that most people underestimated in all aspects of life for unfair, biased reasons; she had Down Syndrome. In reality, she was smart, kind, and a great friend. But even if she wasn't, she still deserved dignity and respect.

Jenna had been friends with Elody since they were young, both of them being cast out from popular social circles due to their disabilities. When they became friends, it was like it had been that way forever- they just clicked. Jenna's personality was everything Elody wanted to be and more.

Between Dawn, and Jenna's cerebral palsy, Elody and her autism completed the forever friendship trifecta.

"Did he get detention?" Dawn asked, taking a bite of her perfectly crafted ham and swiss. Dawn always brought lunch from home (an insanely smart decision that Elody and Jenna were openly jealous of).

Jenna nodded, flipping a couple of her braids behind her head.

"Sweet! I don't like Marshall." Dawn said.

"Me neither," Jenna shook her head. "He's blessed with the beautiful ignorance of improper social etiquette."

Jenna looked over to Elody, who was repeatedly pushing the salad on her plate around with her fork.

"Are you okay?" Jenna asked.

Elody sighed. "Honestly, no. Dawn, do you remember that blood type test we did on Monday?"

Dawn nodded, looking confused.

"Well, it said I have type AB blood. My parents have types A and O. That means, if we're all right, I can't biologically be their kid." Elody dropped her fork and hugged her sides.

"Woah," Dawn said.

"That's wild," Jenna said. Both of the girls were fully turned to face her at this point.

"Could it be wrong?" Dawn asked.

Elody shakes her head. "I made sure it wasn't. On Tuesday I went in to Mrs. Reed's before school started and did another test. It was still AB. Then yesterday I called the doctor's office and they said I was AB, too." She took a deep breath.

"I just haven't been able to think about anything else." Elody continued. "I think that my mom had an affair. Or maybe I was adopted."

Jenna's eyes widened, and Dawn stopped mid-bite of her sandwich.

"Don't look at me like that!" Elody sighed, exasperated. "Think about it- if my mom has type A blood, she could still have a kid with type AB, just not with a man who has type O. And it would make sense that I was adopted. I'm not even from Britain, geographically. I was born here. How convenient for them." She raised an eyebrow.

Jenna shrugged. "Vada's parents have an Irish accent and she doesn't. They're her real parents."

"Yeah. Maybe you're getting too worked up." Dawn said, a bit of concern in her voice.