Polar Opposites

Part 1

Chapter 1

Cecelia

I thought my father's marriage to another woman that wasn't my mother would ruin my life. I just pictured me like Cinderella, scrubbing the floors, whilst a stepmother with a wacky hairdo towered over me as I did her bidding. The biggest surprise was, at the wedding, I met my new step sister. I could tell she was my polar opposite, just by her posture and hairstyle: cornrows that fell on her shoulders, sleek and tight; she was hunched over her phone, staring blankly at the screen, rainbow sparkles from her phone case that refracted onto the floor near her red Doc Martens. She wore them with her dress, pastel yellow and poetic, and they completely changed her outfit. She tapped the floor with her feet, and each time she did, a loud stomp echoed across the ballroom. And there was one detail I will never forget- the beaming smile plastered on her face as her head bopped to the music. I didn't know she would end up as my step sister, because I didn't know that she was related to my new step mother.
***
Everyone says that weddings are a tearful experience, of bringing two loving individuals together, of joy. And that's true. The ceremony was so amazing.

The music started, steel drums ringing in people's ears. Laced with glitter, the aisles were all pastel, pink rose petals danced gracefully on the floor near the benches. The flower girls skipped down the aisle. I was so nervous, and I was only a bridesmaid, I only wondered what the bride would be feeling. I looked across the arching doorway that the bride would enter through, and saw a girl I had never seen, with shining red Doc Martens. She has the same bouquet in hand, and wore the same dress, which meant only one thing- she was a bridesmaid too. We walked down the aisle next to each other, and separated again at the end of it. And the bride. She was my new stepmother; she was so gorgeous. Diamond studded, jewel encrusted-sparkling as she strutted through the door and towards the groom. They said their vows, and many, MANY tears were shed. Beautiful.

Even though the ceremony was tearful and joyous and beautiful, the remainder of the evening was boring. Fancy dinner with tiny portions, tiny slices of cake, old people music. Not the place for a kid really. I spent at least two hours in the bathroom, just sitting on my phone. I was about to text my mum, to tell her that she didn't have to be happy for my dad, and that she wasn't missing anything anyway, when the door swung open.
"Hi"
"Hi"
Mine was a nervous hello, me not being very sociable.
She just stood in the doorway, and we just kind of stared at our phones for five minutes in an awkward silence. As hours passed- or at least, it felt like hours- she spoke first:
"Do you have Insta?"
"Yeah, you want it?"
She stumbled over to me, tripping over her laces and crashing against the wall next to me. That's when I let out a demented pig snort of a laugh, and she just imitated me and laughed too. Swiping my phone from me, she typed her username with unknowable speed, and accepted 'my' request. And started texting me. In the same bathroom as me. And our bond never broke.
At this point, we were twelve, just in year seven and cocky little shits. And since then she has witnessed countless of my embarrassing, life changing, self esteem shattering moments, and vice versa. The only reason we are friends, is because we would blackmail each other to death with secrets. What we didn't do though, was ask who we were related to at the wedding. How stupid were we? I think it's clear how ridiculous it was that the thought never crossed our minds. But it wouldn't, us being too busy 'socialising'. The only reason we left that bathroom, was when someone else walked in, and we couldn't talk about the same crazy stuff we did in there without being judged. So we left the bathroom together, and ran into my father.
The next words he said excited and shocked us to our very core;
"Ahh, I see you have met your new step sister, CeCe?"
"WHAT?"

Chapter 2

We both slumped into a chair, reminiscing in our stupidity: gobsmacked. And then, almost simultaneously, we remembered something; we were going to be sisters. We slowly arise from our chairs, share a sly smile, and squeal like three year olds with brand new Barbie doll.

Wondering what the fuss was about, my new step mother walked into the situation. Clearly shocked at our stupidity, more so than we were, she embraced us both and smiled at her new husband. In all the time I knew Loretta, she never once embraced me, or told me she had a daughter. It was slightly strange, I'll admit, but a nice surprise all the same. The first question that popped into my head just blurted out of my mouth-

"Is she coming to my school?"

The adults chuckled in response, and we just gave them a menacing glare until they stopped. It was obvious then, that we were both going to enrol at Houston Community College- at least I knew someone there now. She was my adopted twin, it seemed.

My anxiety overflowed at that moment, like I need to sort everything out at this second. Beads of sweat ran down my face, which was drowned in foundation, that now inched down my face. I started to drum my fingers against the nearest table, each one shaking as it did so. I fell down out of my seat, in worry and panic. It was common for me to melt down in social places and overreact when there was no need to—the most effective coping mechanism; close yourself off. Loneliness was a common side effect of the miracle mechanism, and it was one reason that I hated primary school and everything in it. From the ease of the school work to the fact you had to go outside every break time. I hated all of it. Especially the fact that there are hardly any people to get to know. Now I had one person to confide in, to trust with all my secrets, to be friends with for eternity.
We saw the woman leave the toilet, the one who interrupted our "conversation" before, and we returned to sit on the edge of the sinks, talking utter shit really. We paused, and I glanced behind us into the oval mirrors- my face. Round and unappealing, soft, green eyes that her boring and unnatural, unruly strawberry blonde hair that curled in the wrong way. I looked a mess. But I didn't care: I finally had a friend.