The Brightest Stars

Annabelle

We silently look at the wooden table as my sister stares at us.

Diego swallows and says, "We can explain. It's not what it looks like."

My sister raises her brows and says, "Really? Because the call I got a while ago sounded like you got in a fight." She crosses her arms on her chest; a usual sign of her disappointment.

"He's right," I say for the first time since I've gotten home. "I was only in there because my friends started punching other friends, and I was only trying to separate them. While Diego was punching in there." Diego sends daggers at me and I clear my throat. "In defense of his other friends, of course."

"And you thought that jumping into that group would help at all? What did it do? Nothing. All it did was help you get in trouble--"

"But you're not getting the point," I firmly say. "We were simply trying to protect our friends. I'm not going to just stand there while my best friend is getting beaten!"

"Well, maybe you should get better friends!"

I'm taken aback the moment my sister says this. Even Diego seems surprised as he observes my reaction. My blood starts to boil, but I keep myself steady. "Excuse me," I say and I start getting up from the table.

"Anabelle. Wait," my sister says with regret. Her tender brown eyes carry sadness this time. We may look identical and share the same past, but we are so different in many ways.

"No...it's fine. You're right. We did wrong. I'm just going to go out for a run." My voice is almost a whisper as I say this and my sister quietly nods. Leaving things unsaid between us, I get ready and walk out the door.

She doesn't understand. Kristen is the only person who understands what I go through. Through the struggle of waking every day when your life was only a mistake. My sister pretends to understand, but she fought that battle already and she thinks I have, too.

It's all fake. I pretend to be strong. I'm not who they think I am. Kristen is the only one who knows the real me. She's the only one who's seen behind the mask.

These thoughts haunt me as I run around the nearest park. The sound of my feet pounding against the cement combines with the rhythm of my heart. I have AJ to thank for this strategy. He taught me to cool down by taking a run. The first time I got in a big fight with my sister, AJ took me to this park.

Deep down, I wish he were here.

I stop by a bench and stretch. The feeling of my burning lungs distracts me from my boiling blood. As I take out my inhaler, my eye catches someone running on the sidewalk. I recognize that hair and posture anywhere.

I quickly take a drink of my water and start sprinting towards AJ. Luckily, he has his earphones in so he can't hear me as I jump on his back. I make sure to aim for him to fall on the grass next to the sidewalk. I laugh as I watch him angrily take off his earphones and turn to see me. Those angry eyes grow back to their beautiful shine when he sees it's me.

We're still laying on the ground as he says, "Annabelle?"

"Last time I checked, yes. That seems to be my name," I say.

AJ chuckles and gets up. He offers me a hand and I trick him as I use that hand to lift myself up. "You seem to be hanging out too much with Kristen."

"I suppose you're here to cool down? Your mom must've gotten really mad at you three."

"Mm. Something like that. You? Cooling down?"

I sigh and nod. "I seem to be doing a lot of running lately."