I am just different

Reuniting

>Emily's POV<

Lauren and I have been cleaning her apartment this morning. You won't believe what we found under her bed and in all the cupboards. I didn't know Lauren was so messy, she wasn't when we still lived in Malibu. 

We bought a lot of different cupcakes. We wanted our reunion to look like a high tea. We set up the table in her living room. We decorated her couch with colourful pillows and we put some beautiful pink flowers on the table. Everything was perfectly set up, we sat down on the couch.

"Half past four, they can come any moment." Lauren said. "Dani and Amy arrived yesterday, they called me this morning. They slept in a hotel and.."

The bell rang. Lauren stood up and walked to the door. Before she opened it she gestured me to go to the kitchen. We agreed on letting the girls sit in the living room while I hide in the kitchen. Lauren thought that would be better, in that way I could have the chance to get used to the voices and personalities again. 

 I heard the door open. 

"Hi, Laur! Nice to see you again! Wow, your apartment is so neat. Did you clean that for us? Nice, Laur."

I recognized the voice immediately, it was the same one as on the phone. Dani. I wanted to run to her and hug her, but I stayed where I was. 

"Hi, Ames."

"Hi, Laur. Why did you want us to come over?"

"Eh, I organized some kind of reunion."

"What do you mean?" I heard Amy ask. "Or the other girls coming too?"

"How did you get contact with them? I thought they didn't want to see us anymore."

"Well," Lauren answered. "I hope they are coming."

I heard them walk to the living room. Then Dani spoke up. "Oh, nice! Cupcakes! I think this is the best reunion I have ever been to."

Please, please, let the others come too. It won't be the same with only three sisters. The door bell rang again, I heard Lauren open it. I expected to hear a new voice, a familiar one, but it just stayed silent in the hallway. 

"Katherine! So good to see you!"

>Lauren's POV<

I was so happy to see Katherine again. I put my arms around her, she started crying. She didn't change much, she still looked like the sweet, motherly Kath. I opened my mouth to say I much I have missed hear when I heard someone walking up the stairs. Katherine let me go and I looked into the staircase. There, I saw my big sister, staring at me.

"Lisa! You got my message! Come in!" I led them all to the living room where Amy and Dani where sitting. They all cried and hugged each other. I went back to the hallway, waiting for Christina. 

Five minutes later, the door bell rang. I quickly opened the door, hoping to see Christina. And yes, there she was. 

"Chrissie!" I cried.

"Oh, Laur. I am so sorry I left you!"

We went to the living room too. There was an awkward sphere in the room. 

"So, girls. I am happy we are all together again. I understand that it must be hard for you, it is for me. But I wanted to get together to.."

"Is this the surprise?" Dani asked.

"Yes, the surprise is in the kitchen. I looked at Christina, she knew what I was talking about.

"Lauren," she said. "How did you.." 

I gestured her to be quiet. I didn't want the surprise to come out, not yet though. First I want to talk to them, be a family again. 

"Not yet, Christina. I really wanted to ask you something, before the surprise comes." They all looked suspiciously at me. "Why did you leave us, Amy, Dani and I, alone?"

"I felt guilty," Christina said, "I thought it was all my fault and you hated me for that."

"Why would it be your fault?" Amy asked. 

"Because I was responsible for her that night. For you all."

"I didn't blame you, Chrissie. Nor did the others, right?" I looked around, the girls all shook their head.

"I left because..," I could see Lisa had trouble telling us. "I locked my self up in my room for two years when I realised my life had to go on. I needed to do something. But being in the house, with the family, made me upset. So I left."

"I actually don't know why I left you." Katherine was crying again. "But I felt guilty ever since. I know I needed to stay, to take care of you." 

"Kath, it's okay." I said to her. "We all had a hard time."

"Laur, I am very proud of you, you know that right?" Katherine said. "You got us all back together and you are the only one that had the courage to continue with music."

"I did that because I knew Emily wouldn't want us to stop." My sisters all smiled at me.

"I really miss her. I think about her every day." Christina said, the girls all nodded in agreement. "But I am such a loser," she continued. "I didn't even tell my kids about my past, to scared to get upset again."

It felt good to hear my sisters talking again, with each other. We finally got to know what happened when we broke apart. This would be a good moment for Emily to jump in, I am hoping she thinks the same.