The Problem With Love [+18]

1: Estranged

I remember not being thrilled to spend the summer with my estrange sister, whom I only saw a few times on holidays when she would return back from dorm school. She made it a tradition to turn every event into a screaming match with my mother. When she went off the college she stopped coming home all together. I thought she had died, I was silly back then.
I don't think my mother liked the idea much either. Too worried that Sydney's bad behavior would rub of on me. My father was able to convince her, for better or for worse. He said something about how it could be good for me. That one day I would be thankful for getting to know her.
And just like that I was sent away across the country to hot and humid California.
Before I left my mother gathered me in her arms and pulled me close. Whisper reminders like "don't forget to practice clarinet" and "remember your on a 2000 calorie diet." My father had to practically pull her away from me so I could board the train.
It wasn't the first time I traveled by train, but it was the first time I was travelling alone. I sat in the sit closest to the doors so my eyes wouldn't leave my mother's worried face. My body bounced slightly when I sat down on the green velvet seats. I waved goodbye and gave my parents a small smile before they just became a blur. The second the train pulled away and they could no longer see me, my smile dropped. I became a lot more aware that I was all alone, travelling across the country. I held my hands across my lap and focused on the world zooming by. I tried not to thing much about the fact that I was leaving everything I ever knew. It was only for the summer. I kept reminding myself.
My mind began to wonder about Sydney, what she would look like. How she would dress. I imagined her to look more like my mother, with sharp cheekbones and a tiny nose. Her hair would be long and curled. She would be waiting at the train stop in some floral sundress. I hoped that she would like me. That we wouldn't just fight like her and mother.
When the train reached California I was exhausted. The whole trip I had refused to fall asleep, to afraid someone would take my clarinet case and I wouldn't hear the end of it. The nervous feeling came back and sat at the bottom of my stomach. Slowly working it's way up. I picked up my bags and held them so tight my knuckles turned white. To stop them from shaking.
My eyes danced across the parking lot, careful not to get in the way of those trying to board the train. I had no idea who I was looking for. Someone that looked like me. I suppose.
"Sheryl!" my eyes snapped over to the side where I heard the sound come from. My eyes were greeted by a tall and slender woman who leaned casually on a crème colored bug. My feet began to walk over to her. I greeted her with a smile before asking if she was Sydney. The women nodded at me and grabbed my suitcase, moving to put it in the trunk.
Sydney didn't look much like the idea I had. She was more lean than I expected. Her hair was long, but straight. Her skin was sun kissed from the California rays. She dresses plain, casual, yet trendy. She threw by bags in the trunk and slammed it close before moving over to open the door.
That's when I realized there was someone else with her. A tall man got out of the small bug, using the car's roof to steady himself. I took a few steps back to stare at the man. He was like nothing I had seen before.
He was tall and board with thick curly dark hair. His nose was crooked in the middle, looked like it had been broken at some point and was never straightened. His lips were full and pink. Sunglasses covered his eyes. I gulped as he looked me up and down, pressing my clarinet case into my legs.
"You sure this is your sister?" He asked. He had an interesting voice, it was nice. With a slight accent that I didn't recognize. Sydney gave him a strange look, like she was annoyed with him before pushing me pass him and into the car.
"She looked nothing like you, did Elizabeth fuck the mailman." I had never heard anyone talk like him, so crude. No one back home swore, thought it was a sign you were unintelligent.
"Really Col? She would look just like me if I didn't tan" But I had to disagree. We didn't look that similar. She was much more thin. Col, the tall man, didn't have anything else to say and to my surprise went to get back into the car. I looked away and felt uncomfortable with this new situation. I was sat with my side digging into the console. Now with a man I didn't know pressed against my side. He reached over me with the seat beat, putting his hand on the thigh that was against the console to put the seat belt on. I bit my lip and focused my attention of my sweaty hands and not the very good-looking man that was so close to me. This had been the first time I was touching a man that I wasn't related too.
Sydney sat in the driver seat and was silent as she put on her own seat belt. As she began to drive, Col reached over me again to turn up the radio. Falling against the seat and began to lightly hum the words. Every time he moved his body it would force mine more into the car seat. At one point he had moved to put his arm around the seat and therefore me. I remember trying not to over think anything and looking up and over at Sydney. I expected her to be upset or something. But I suppose she wasn't too worried about a fifteen year old stealing this grown man. When I turned my head back I was met with Col's face staring back at me. He had his head against the car window and was starring me down from behind those tainted sunglasses. Col smiled slightly back at me, causing my heart to skip a beat. I just remember how beautiful he was and how nervous I was. I smiled back causing him to just shake his head lightly and move out of his fingers to his lips. I could feel my cheeks flush as I moved my head back down to stare at my hands.