Wednesday

Summertime

I walked out of St Anthony's Catholic School for the last time. I rushed towards my car, excited to change out of the knee length skirt, hideous white polo, and uncomfortable flats. Beside me, Jennifer and Lola struggled to keep up, chatting about who her summer boyfriend was going to be.

Lola had been through a series of flings recently, but claimed she needed a boy for over the summer. "I thought Luke was going to ask me out but apparently his mom says that any good christian doesn't date until they've gone on a mission trip. I mean—"

"VERONICA" I heard her high pitched screech before I saw her. Rounding the corner of the school building into the parking lot, my younger sister Amanda stood next to my car, glaring angrily as I hurried to unlock it and get inside.

"Sorry guys, I really have to go. I hope I'll see you after camp!" I promised, turning on the engine. As I drove home, Amanda droned on and on about how excited she was about going to Camp Chippewa next week, and how she was certain she would be the most popular girl there.

Instead of listening to her, I drowned her out with some rock music that happened to be playing on the radio, music my parents certainly wouldn't be happy about me listening to. It was strange to me how much Amanda and I looked alike, but how different we acted. We were both blond and had long hair, Blue eyes, and were a little tan. Our only physical differences were the ones that came with puberty.

On the inside though, Amanda adored attention, gossiping, and being social; I enjoyed reading, playing the piano, and poetry. I'd like to think our other inward qualities were different to, since Amanda seemed to me a bit of a brat.

I approached our house, an unnecessarily large home for four people, with a white fence, large oak door, and perfectly white brick walls. The garden was perfect too. My mother prided herself on her perfect rose bushes, well cut grass, and well shaped trees.

The moment I parked Amanda rushed up the walkway, and entered our pristine entrance hall. Once I came in and saw Amanda telling Mom all about the drama in middle school, I walked boast them in the kitchen and wondered upstairs to find my room at the end of the hall.

My room was white, like every other room in the house, since Mom didn't like colored rooms. I wasn't too mad about that though, I would have hated it if she had let me paint it neon pink or aqua blue like I had wanted to as a child.

Mom did let me decorate it however I wanted though, and I took full advantage. I had a queen sized bed along one wall, with white covered but a few green pillows. One wall was decorated in my paintings, a collage of them. Most were of nature, but I had a few of people or buildings. Along one wall I had my dresser and a tall mirror. Any empty spaces  were filled with my plants. My mom had free reign of the front yard, but I was in control of our back yard garden and all the plants in my room.

I set my backpack down, and watered my plants first. It was one of my favorite things to do, especially with headphones in after a long day at school. Once I had finished watering, I decided I had better practice the piano, so I sat down at my electric piano in front of my window.

After a while of practicing I could hear the sounds of my mom working in the kitchen, so I went down to help her prepare dinner.

"Amanda was telling me that she was still a little nervous to go to camp this year, since it would be the first year of her going by herself." She started, "And your father and I were wondering if you wouldn't mind going with her just one last time before you went off to college."

I sighed. Though worded as such, this was no request. "Of course Mom. I'd be glad to make her comfortable." This of course was a lie. I hadn't even enjoyed going to camp the few times I had been during previous years.

We continued work on dinner, and called everyone to dinner. As usual, dinner was filled with Amanda's mindless chatter, my mother's awed smile, and my father's proud silence. After I cleaned up, I went to my room to mentally prepare myself to go back, as well as pack a few things. I wasn't sure if anything had changed while I had been away, but if things were the same I'd see a lot of male and female Amandas, myself included.