Better Than The Movies

Chapter Four

"Amen," All the happy churchgoers bring their heads up in rejoice as the two-hour service ends.

I can't get out of there fast enough and not just because this knee-length navy blue dress mother forced me to wear is starting to make my thighs chafe and my hair, done up in a bun that took almost an hour to do is giving me a headache.

"So, glad you could join us today, Scarlett. We missed you last week!" One of the older ladies Mrs. Taylors says from the aisle in front of me. Oh right, last week when I faked being sick and stayed in bed all day to avoid coming here. Almost forgot about that.

"Oh I didn't want to come and infect all these lovely people with illness," She nods in understanding. She reaches for a hug and I reciprocate before her husband Louis comes to drag her away.

My sister left as soon as the service was over. Oh, how I wish to be her. She loves the church but doesn't like the people that go there. They all give her the look that's enough to make anybody hide under a rock. Even when she promised our parents that one day out of the week, she would show up to the church, hair in a tight bun, dress below knee length and become the daughter they always wanted her to be. They all still looked at her like she deserved to rot in hell for all the sinning she's brought inside the holy church.

SMH. Like those older women don't try to feel up the boys in the choir when their parents aren't watching. It's disgusting how many double standards that are involved to be a good Christian girl. I, unlike Brielle, am loved by the church. I'm the good child. The one who can't afford to mess up because then I'll be just like the other one.

My parents' wide smiles on their faces with my cousin Ashley and her parents in tow. Ashley unlike me believes in all of this, but we share a bond probably because she is only a year younger than me. Her parents own a fried chicken spot down the street so she's my hookup when I'm hungry after a long day of doing nothing.

"Ashley and her parents are coming over," I smile brightly at my mother's words and so does Ashley. "We can leave now if you would like-" I nod my head and practically skip out the door

"Yo, why Pastor O'Brien is talking so long? Dude, we get it god is great god is good. He liked this, he wanted this..." Ashley complains. She props her feet up on my dining room table. Thank god my mother isn't here to see this or else she might've had a heart attack. "I don't need you to recite the whole bible to me!"

"I'm so tired my parents woke me up extra early to help set up for the fundraiser tomorrow," Which thankfully, I don't have to be a part of. I scratch my eyes thinking about how bad of a host I would be to my lovely cousin if I just left to take a nap in my bedroom upstairs.

"I don't see you around the church anymore, where you been?"

"I've just been busy," She looks uncomfortable, glancing every few seconds at a picture of Brielle from middle school on the wall. "What?"

"I seen your sister up on one of them corners. She doing good?" I look up trying to avoid the look of pity then back down at Ashley. Her hazel eyes filled with big globs of pity ready for the sister of the problem child.

"I don't even know who she is anymore. I know Daddy sick and tired of her mess," she murmurs in understanding.

"Yeah, I would be too. She better not be getting into anything cause we beat her ass,"

"Just like when we was kids and she would boss us around," We laughed thinking about the old times. "What's up with you?"

"Darrell and I still going strong," I smiled at her blush when she mentions her boyfriend.