Shattered

Chapter 6

We all glance up as a girl came down the stairs. "Going somewhere?" Valerie asked.

The girl paused, her footsteps coming to a stop as she reached the bottom of the stairs. She nodded, a sheepish smile on her face at being caught. She adjusted her dress, trying to make herself look presentable. "Yep. I have a date."

A sly smile crossed Valeria's face as she talked. "Oh, finally."

She rolled her eyes in response, clearly used to Valerie's teasing. "Yes, finally. Satisfied?" I'm guessing that she is probably Valerie's sister.

Valerie chuckled, raising her beer bottle in mock salute. "Oh, I'm very satisfied. Have fun." Sam giggles.

"Oh, wait! I almost forgot-" Valerie gestured towards me. "This is Elora. She is new in town."

Valerie's sister smiled, looking at me with an air of kindness. "Hi, it's nice to meet you. I'm Anna, Valeria's older sister."

I smiled and nodded my head in greeting "It's nice to meet you, too."

"Anyways, aren't you going to be late for your date?"

Anna's eyes darted to Valeria as she spoke, her attention shifting back to her watch. "Oh, shoot! Yeah, I should get going. Sorry," she said with a sheepish grin. "Later."

With that, Valeria's sister hurried over to the front door, waving a quick goodbye before disappearing outside.

Sam watched as Anna left, and as the front door closed behind her, she spoke up again. She took another sip from her beer before continuing to talk. "Damn, that's the first time I've seen her go on a date since they broke off the engagement."

Valerie nodded in agreement, swirling her bottle in her hands. "I know, right? It's been like almost a year now... Figured she'd have found someone new by now."

Sam took another sip of her drink, leaning back in her seat. A smirk tugged at her lips as she spoke up again. "Wonder how the new guy would feel if he knew why her last relationship ended..."

Curiosity sparked in my eyes, and my ears perked up at Sam's comment. My gaze shifted between the girls, my natural cautious nature making me hesitant to snoop. But the question was burning in my mind. "Why... did they break it off?"

Sam leaned back in her chair, a sour look on her face. She took another swig from her beer before continuing to speak. "She cheated on him," she said bluntly. "And not just with anyone... I mean, she cheated with his own brother. The guy is a real ass, too."

Valeria nodded in agreement. The hate for the younger brother was clear on her face. She spoke up, her voice laced with anger."God, I hated that guy. He's such an entitled jerk."

My eyes widened in surprise at the revelation, my eyebrows raising towards my hairline. It was hard to imagine how someone could be so uncaring. Poor guy..

"Wha-... she cheated on her fiancé with his own brother? That's... wow, that's messed up... why would she do that?"

Valerie letting a scoff leave her lips. "Anna says it was a one time mistake. That she was drunk, and emotional, and that he basically took advantage of her while she was vulnerable. She says he manipulated her into it, knowing that she'd be weaker when she was in a bad mood."

Sam rolled her eyes, clearly not buying her excuse. "It's bullshit. They've been together for more than half a decade, and she just magically decides to cheat on him one time, drunk, with his brother?"

Valerie let a sigh fall from her lips, her eyes dropping down to her lap. I can see that it's hurts her because of how she feels about when people cheat, so I'm guessing it's a lot harder when it's her sister she grew up with.

"I don't know, it's just... she's made mistakes before, yes, but this... I don't get it. I wish I knew why she would do something like this..."

Sam, sensing the shift in mood, leaned over and pressed Valeria's on her shoulder. "Hey... it'll be okay. She's still your sister, even if she makes stupid decisions. You know you're always gonna love her."

I nod in agreement, noticing Valeria's saddened demeanor. I wanted to offer some comfort. "Sam's right. She's family, and you can't change that... But that doesn't mean you have to agree with or fix every decision she makes."

Valerie nodded softly, a wave of gratefulness washing over her. "I know. I don't... I just hate seeing her make bad decisions that only end up hurting her. It's hard to watch."
Valerie shook her head, trying to push away the glum feeling that had settled in her. She took a moment to collect her thoughts before speaking up.
"But, enough about my sister's love life. Let's watch a movie..."

Sam sat up at the suggestion, her smile returning to her face. She liked the idea of a change of pace. "Ooh, good call. I can go grab us something to snack on, too. Popcorn?"

Valerie chuckled, nodding her head in agreement. "Yeah, popcorn sounds great. Go get us some. And something to drink, too. My parents keep the wine in the cabinets above the fridge, if you wanna grab a bottle of that too."

Sam stood from the couch, a smirk on her face. "Damn, you know I'll never say no to some good vino." She glanced over towards me, a playful look in her eyes."What about you? You want anything?"

I thought for a moment, taking in my current position in the living room. I was feeling relaxed, much more at ease than I had in a long time. A smile tugged at my lips as I spoke up. "Some wine would be nice, actually. And I wouldn't say no to some popcorn, either."

Sam chuckled, her smirk still in place. "You got it. I'll be back in a sec." She gave us a small mock salute before heading down towards the kitchen.

Valerie shifted on the couch as Sam disappeared from the room, an easy smile on her face. She glanced over at me, a curious look in her eyes. "So, Elora... can I ask you something?"

I turned towards Valeria, a slightly curious expression on my face. I tilted my head, gesturing for Valeria to continue. "Sure, go ahead."

Valerie didn't hesitate to ask her question, her voice casual and light. "How do you feel about... um, going to a party?"

My eyebrows rose in surprise. Out of all the things i would expected to be asked, that is certainly not been one of them.
"A party? Well... to be honest I'm not really interested in parties right now, I'm still settling in town and trying to get used to everything."

Valerie bit her lip, understanding my reasoning."I get it. I'm not really a party person, either. But... I was actually talking about a party that's coming up in a couple of weeks. It's a kind of going away party for a friend that went to high school with me who's moving soon, and I think it'd be nice for you to come. To meet new people and stuff, you know?"

I paused for a moment, considering the invitation. Part of me was hesitant, I'm nervous about meeting new people. But a part of me also recognized the old me who loved partying . "I'll think about it.."

Valerie gave me a warm smile. "That's okay. Just consider it, alright? And I'm not saying you have to stay the whole time. You can dip early if you're not feeling it. No pressure."

I nod at her words, "thanks for the invitation."

Sam came back, her arms full of snacks and drinks. She had a big smile on her face, looking like she was in a great mood.
"I'm back, bitches!" she exclaimed. She made her way over to the coffee table, where she set down the snacks and drinks she'd brought in.

"So, what are we watching?"