Pass It On

3. fame

i want a name

you want it

you want it, hey

"If you were a stripper, what would your name be?"

A playful smirk plays on Alexandra's face as she dares to say the words. Her sister, Ria, gives her a scandalous look. Alexandra giggles and stuffs some popcorn in her mouth. The girls hadn't been on cordial speaking terms for a very long time, until maybe a couple of weeks ago, or as Ria likes to call it, "post-nervous breakdown." It seems like ages before, though, that her sister had strolled up to that boy in the restaurant - Jacob, was it? Or Jimmy? - and proceeded to punch him, then had come home crying and begged Ria for forgiveness for the past couple of years.

During these past few weeks, the sisters have become close yet again - still a fleeting shadow of what they used to be before their father's death, but certainly much better than usual. This is the third sleepover they have had this week, and Ria is becoming rather accustomed to spending her time in Alexandra's spacious apartment. After the breakdown, they had really tidied it up quite nicely - it now looks as if a human being could actually live here, and not die of suffocation or asthma. Alexandra had also become a lot more relaxed with letting Ria go out to parties; more so, probably, because she often went with her.

"I think Ria de Janeiro would be a nice one, what about you? Sounds exotic," Ria chortles, while her sister gives her a high-five of approval across the popcorn bowl. Ria doesn't know, but Alexandra is asking for future reference. A few days ago, a woman aged 30 had come up to her and asked her if she had ever considered a career in "exotic dancing" - at first, Alexandra was disgusted, but then the woman told her how much she had the opportunity to make, and she realized that the money could fuel her habits...

Ria doesn't know a lot of things.

She doesn't know that her sister - the valedictorian of her graduating college class, five-time honor roll student and all around goody-two-shoes - smokes a blunt or does a line whenever she has time. She doesn't know that she's been sleeping around with both men and women who she doesn't know nor care for. Of course, Ria doesn't do any of these things - she doesn't want to get arrested. The goody-two-shoes gene runs in the family.

This is probably why Alexandra decides not to tell her anything - for fear of word getting back to their mother, and then being castrated on a pole.

Alexandra looks at the clock nervously. 11:53 pm. With a sigh, she begins to act. "Ria, it's getting really late and you have school tomorrow. D'you want me to call you a taxi or something?" Ria tries and fails to stifle a yawn, then nods and hands Alexandra her telephone. Alexandra expertly dials the taxi service, tells them her address, and waits. Ria curls herself up on the bed, long blonde hair covering her face. The second she hears tiny snores, Alexandra smiles to herself. Despite how great she's been feeling, she doesn't want Ria to get caught up in her mess. She's too young, and too innocent. Parties are already bad enough.

Carrying her to the taxi downstairs, she lightly stirs her little sister so she doesn't fall asleep in case the driver is a creep, and when Ria is secure, she watches her back from her bedroom window, looking at the little car illuminated only by the dim streetlights and the moonlight, thinking about how late she is.

It is only when Ria has vanished from view that Alexandra creeps into her bathroom and dares to borrow her younger sister's makeup. She had been doing this for a while now and Ria hadn't noticed. Knowing that Ria would flip if she found her makeup used, or worse, missing, Alexandra only applies small amounts, and mixes it in with hers when she has time. It's not her fault her little sister has such good taste...