I Do Until I Don't

Chapter 7

     Sometimes, I think that Julia would pick Sabrina over me if our house was on fire and she couldn't save one of us. I know it's not true but, sometimes, I wonder. They both like standing out and sneaking out and talking to people, while I do not. When Sabrina sleeps over, I sometimes catch her sneaking out in the middle of the night to go to my sister's room. Once, Julia even took her to buy some ice-cream!

I'm used to it by now. That's why, when I invite Sabrina to stay over the day after the ice-cream activity we did with her cousin and Fannar, I don't even try to beg Julia to leave us alone. I don't know why a twenty-year-old girl wants to hang out with us when she could hang out with the friends she's made at the beach, but I will never refuse some sister-time.

"Juju?" Sabrina asks, laying on her bed the next morning. "Could you do my hair at Melanie's wedding? I don't feel like paying someone."

"What? Like you think I would let you go to the hairdresser? Please! These guys don't know what they're doing. I'm way better."

To prove her point, Julia opens her phone and scrolls through Pinterest for a good fifteen minutes, showing different hairstyles to Sabrina. I don't bother asking Julia to do my hair; we've made this unspoken pack to always allow the other sister to do our hair on special occasions.

"I can't believe Mel will be married in two months," I let out. "She's going to leave the house for good."

"It's not like much will change," Julia reminds me. "She was barely at home these last few years."

"True."

Melanie was always at school or out with her friends or flying to Louisiana to surprise Nia. But I know it won't be the same thing when she gets married. It'll be... official.

Sabrina gets up suddenly. "I just got the best idea ever! How about we make a short movie presenting Mel and Nia's love story? Ohmygod! We could show it at the wedding. It would be so cute. And it would be great practice for film-school."

Julia and I share a look and smile.

"I love it!" I say.

"This is why I'm glad you're Ella-Mae's friend!" Julia cheers.

Sabrina beams and takes out her notebook from under my bed. She has multiple notebooks all in different locations. The main one is in one of her drawers in her room. The second one is under my bed. She has one glued under a table at our favourite restaurant back in Boston. She even has one behind a clock at our old high school. She took it after graduation, but left a few pages here and there for the next generation to find. Her notebooks are her version of a time capsule.

"We need a script," she starts, scribbling fiercely on a random page. "And props. And we would need people to do, like, mini-interviews. It's going to be so fun!"

"That's a great idea!" I say. "I'm sure mom would love to tell a funny story, and dad could show pictures."

"And I could communicate with Nia's parents," Julia offers. "They love me. Maybe even more than Melanie."

I hate to admit it, but she's right.

"I'm sure they will tell me some insider's story we could include in some way," Julia continues.

Julia puts her hand up. "Hold on. I'm at your father telling funny stories." We wait for her to finish writing, and then we continue adding ideas.

"We could shoot during Mel's dress trials and stuff," I suggest. "She won't want us to give her our opinions, 'cause she'll take it too much into consideration."