Not His Juliet

Chapter 19

Not His Juliet by K. Jessica Ramirez

Chapter 19:

"Hey, three more shots over here!" Nikki slurs waving her hands over her head trying to attract the attention of the bartender.

"Nikki you've gotta order even amounts of liquor." I tell her as I watch the people around us with mild interest.

"Babe that order was for me, you've got a big enough mouth order your own shit" Nikki replies already preparing to down her shots.

I bump my shoulder into hers playfully as I order a bottle of Hennessy. We are well on our way to being drunk beyond belief why not break out the big guns. Go hard or go home, right?

"Go big or go home, huh?" Nikki voices my thoughts as I pour myself a line of shots.

"It's our way of life." I joke back as I down the first of my victims.

I finish off all three other shots. The hard liquor burns as it slides down my throat. The slight burn in my throat bubbles a few darker memories to the surface of my time with James before our relationship but I push them down. It's ironic to think that so many years ago it was my sister’s disappearance from my life that finally broke me down and now here I am sitting across from the one and only Nichole Rebelle.

I look up at the thought of my sister. It's weird for Nikki not to respond to anything anyone says. I catch a weird look on Nikki's face. Her eyes are swirls of shades of different dark emotions. She look hurt but last I checked drunk is the only emotion we were feeling.

I lightly bump my shoulder against hers snapping her back to reality. Tonight is not going to be another brooding depressing night; we've both had enough of those to last a lifetime. Tonight should be drunk smiles tipsy laughs but most of all just being happy, enjoying each other’s company and celebrating our small victory over bear like man.

"What's up dear sister of mine?" I ask playfully in hopes to enlighten the mood.

Nikki turns to look at me for a moment before returning to stare wide eyed at the shot glass in her hand. I watch her twirl it in between her palm looking at it wistfully. She looks lost in old memories. It’s evident in her eyes that she's got just as many demons in her closet as I do.

"Alright Nikki spit it out you have me all worried now, and Angela White does not do worry." I scold lightheartedly.

Nikki's green eyes snap up to meet mine but she doesn't look away as she whispers in a pained voice, "Neither does Isabella White..."

"Oh Nikki..." I whisper at the mention of my sisters greatest demon, our mother.

I remember too painfully vividly how quick everything crumbled when Stark left. I remember how cold the house felt. I remember watching Nikki break more apart every single day that our mother refused to speak or even acknowledge her.

I may have lived my entire existence after Stark walked out on us pretending to be perfect but Nikki; she has had no life in her since the day he walked away. He left and with him he took my best friend, my partner in crime, my everything. I have spent so many years allowing mother to brainwash me into believing Nikki chose to be this way and now to look into the eyes of the young girl who meant, who means the world to me and know I failed her kills me.

I'm her older sister, her only sibling. I'm the protector yet the second things got tough I ran like a cheetah from hell. I've run for years from every single problem I've ever had. I ran when Nikki needed me, I ran away from my family pretending to be something I'm not and trying to convince myself every day that I had no family anymore.