Choking on Diamonds

Two

"I can't believe she didn't tell me," I murmured in my long-standing disbelief, my head rested against the backseat of the car window. After I stormed out of practice in a blind rage I went to my friend Camryn's house instead of my own to avoid the source of my anger.

Camryn was my age and even shorter than I was, bordering on five feet. She was one of the kindest people I had ever met and in retrospect it almost made sense why she fell for guys so easily. Maybe most people would see her as a slut that slept around and got into it with too many men, but Camryn had good intentions. I loved her with all my heart and she was one of the perfect people to vent to, but admittedly her advice was usually shitty. A majority of the time it was actually me giving her advice but today just wasn't her day.

But despite her tendencies with men, Cam was a good girl. She didn't party or drink and she didn't break the law but she could turn her sexy on when the time called for it. She was a contemporary dancer but other than that she was just your average student in average classes with your average friends. Her reputation with men was truly the only thing that proceeded her.

It was already dark out, the sun setting early in the January night. There was a full moon reflecting off the melting few inches of snow left over from Christmas break, turned mostly brown and grey from rock salt and mud. I was going to a party at a juniors house but I wasn't dressed for it. My black Doc Martens and ripped jeans were good enough but my grey t-shirt was anything but. I didn't really give a shit though. My intentions weren't to party; they were to get answers that no one else would give me.

"I know," Camryn sighed from the passenger seat in front of me. I told you she wasn't the best at giving advice or comforting. Her elbow was rested against the edge of the window, her head against her fist. Camryn's heritage was indigenous Mexican and sometimes I was jealous of the curly hair on top of her head. Then again, I wouldn't put in the effort to make it look nice. Maybe straight brunette was truly the mundane style for me.

Driving was her boyfriend Nathan. Nate was a sophomore in college from Norwalk. Camryn had always had a thing for older guys but Nate was different. He has been on again and off again with Cam since we were in sophomore year of high school. She could talk to every guy on the planet and they would still crawl back to each other. I had nothing against Nate, but I honestly didn't see what made him so special. Sure, he was attractive but there were plenty of other guys Cam's type in this world that hadn't been arrested for a fight at school in junior year.

"She was probably scared to tell you, you know," Nate drawled from the front seat as he drove down the quiet Darien roads.

"Why? I'm her twin. We are supposed to tell each other everything. It just hurts she told Ashley before me when I'm the only one that always has Kenna's back," I spoke in an annoyed tone, already fed up with this conversation. Today was not a good day for my cortisol levels nor my sanity. After a screaming match with Mckenna this morning before practice I was fuming. But, deep down I knew our fight would only last a few days. I wasn't the type to hold a grudge easily. Time would eat away at me and I just couldn't ignore someone for extended amounts of time.

But that didn't mean I didn't harbor some serious dislike for a plethora of people. You see, a grudge is an active thing but hate isn't. Hate is a feeling you get when someone mentions their name or you see them walk by. You'd prefer not to be around them but you don't go out to your way to avoid said person. I would never understand people that could devote effort into grudges without a second thought.

"Maybe because she thought you would do this," Cam suggested but not accusingly. Regardless, I found myself becoming defensive.

"I think any sane person would do what I'm doing. She's acting like none of this fucking matters when it is literally the future of her life. If she won't take it seriously, then I will."

"I'm with Ki," Nate admitted while Cam lightly hit the side of his arm in frustration.

"We're supposed to be talking her out of this, not into it."

"No. I'm supposed to be driving her. You can do whatever the fuck you want. Besides, I would do the same damn thing. People need to learn lessons and this situation isn't going to change if someone practical doesn't get the ball rolling."

"No offense, Nate, but I don't know if you being on my side is helping Cam's comfort level," I reminded him lamely. Nate was a nice guy, I had to admit. He was real and he always spoke his honest opinion, hence why some people he used to know had some problems with him. I liked outspoken people though. They were easy to feel comfortable around.

"I'm not trying to comfort her, I'm telling the truth. If Kenna doesn't appreciate your ass and what you're trying to do then she should shut the hell up. It was a dick move not to tell you she was pregnant, let alone wait for you to find out on social media. If she was my sister I would have dropped her on her ass as soon as I found out. She's the one that chose to hide it from you and she doesn't deserve your loyalty."

"It's different, Nate. You're an only child. I'm a twin. No one else would understand it either. I can't just leave her even if she does give me too many headaches for my own good."

"Maybe she was ashamed," Cam suggested quietly, drumming her white manicured nails on the center console. "You're in all advanced classes and she's only in two. Your parents want you to be a doctor and they want her to just be a business major. Biased on the type of parenting we get, that's the highest praise. They're harder on you, not her. Mckenna might just feel like she let you down." But she shouldn't. I'm her sister, not a grader. Who gives a shit how many advanced classes I was in? All that meant was I was somewhat more miserable and stupid for thinking it would help me in the long run. Besides, I would stand by the fact that I thought Kenna was smarter than me she just didn't show it the way I forced myself to. Perhaps that's why she searched for validation in her peers instead of our parents.

With a growing frown on my lips, Nate pulled the car over on the side of the road where the party was taking place. The front yard was an acre minimum, keeping us secluded from the large white Victorian house in the distance. Nate turned around in the front seat, his pale brown eyes looking at me over the seat. "If you're about to get arrested and bounce, shoot me a text if you end up in the woods. I'll pick you up. Or you know, if you end up in jail." I was eighteen so there would be no problem with Nate picking me up instead of my parents. Lord knows Nate would do it without hesitation. I would do the same for him because Nate was a loyal son of a bitch. If you were good to him, he was good to you. Despite he and Cam's on again and off again status, Nate would always come through for her and that's why they kept find themselves together again. Maybe I should be happier that my friend had someone looking out for her, because God knows he could protect her in ways guys from around here couldn't.

"Thanks man," I slapped my hand against his and gave him a fist bump before opening the car door of the silver Honda Civic and climbing out. "I'll text you guys if things go to shit." As the cool night air enveloped me, I closed the car door, the sound echoing off the trees. As my feet started to move down the long driveway, I knew there was no turning back.

Someone was going to get fucked up tonight and it wasn't me.