Sister, Sister.

X. Truth or Dare

FIVE MONTHS BEFORE

Kat

As I applied rogue blush to the peaks of Karlie's cheeks, I realised that I was jealous of my baby sister. Maybe it was the way her hair was pulled up in a messy bun so soft tendrils of ringlets touch her cheeks and stick to her lipgloss or the way her doe eyes were heavily lined (she copies my style at every chance she gets). Maybe it was because Daniel commented on how beautiful and delicate she was on our first date while we were waiting for our moin-moin.

"Why do you call her puppet?" He asked, poking the moist food with his fork. I watched the stainless steel prongs sink into the moin-moin. He took me to a trendy restaurant at Highway, the place was lit by chandeliers and the tables were set with embroidered napkins and various sizes of cutlery.

"It's just a pet name," I told him with a smirk. I imagined that Daniel would date my sister behind my back. Would Karlie do that to me? The thought of him possibly crushing on her made me deeply upset. In his car, I swigged vodka from the small flask I carried with me in my handbag. Daniel watched me but asked no questions.

I ran shimmery lipgloss on her plump lips and matching eye shadow on her eyelids. Karlie turned her head from side to side admiring her face. I made it up so it did not look like she had any make up on. I tried to control the urge to wipe my palm across her face, spreading the makeup all over it so nobody would find her pretty. Instead I said, "you look pretty."

"Thanks, Kat," she said as she stood up. Her towel loosed and fell around her ankles. She let out a sheepish laugh. My eyes travelled down the flat plane of her stomach. I touched mine, it was not as flat as hers.

"Get dressed," I said, eager to have her out of my room.

She picked up the pink towel and wrapped it around herself, securing it under her armpits. "I'm wearing the black dress, right?"

"No." I did promise her the dress but I did not want to give it to her anymore. The low-plunging neckline and short A-line skirt might invoke comments from the twins. God forbid they call her fragile or something archaic like that. Besides, the dress suited me more than it would ever suit her.

"But you promised I can wear it!"  She whined like a child.

"And I've changed my mind."

She was staring at me with her mouth and eyes widened.

"Don't be dramatic, puppet!" I said. "You can wear another dress. Must I share everything with you?"

"What do you mean?" Her voice was loud. I heard hurt under the layers of it, I was too tipsy to care.

"I mean you have dresses, wear one of them." I sat before my dresser and dotted my face with moisturiser. It took all the strength in my body not to give in, her expression was pitiful.

"I don't have party dresses."

"Well, wear jeans or something," I said rolling my eyes. I could see tears wall up her eyes in the mirror. She was such a crybaby.  She left my room and slammed the door so hard it vibrates in its frame.

Precious showed up in a transparent sheath dress that makes my mother's eyebrows disappear into her hairline. Her wig was another gift from her philanthropic sugar daddy. The silky, luscious curls bounced on her shoulder. Her boots were more expensive than the dress I planned to wear.

"Are you sure you are not going to stand on the streets?" My Mum asks in Bette so Precious did not understand what she was saying. Dad was staring at the TV, watching NTA news. I was thankful he was too engrossed to hear our conversation because he would not let me leave the house once he sees how Precious was dressed. Krystal sat on Dad's lap watching the TV too. I wonder how much of the news he understood.