A Kellog Serial
"Holy shit!" Dana repeated, laughing hysterically. She dove onto the bed next to Cindy and nearly doubled over with laughter. "I don't fucking believe it!"
"Neither do I," Cindy said, still contemplatively wiping her sister's imaginary saliva from the corners of her mouth. "Post the new videos, then let yourself out, okay?" Cindy said abruptly, bolting out of the room.
She dashed down the hallway, towards her sister's room. She knocked on the door, and when there was no answer, she opened it slowly, peeking inside a darkened room. Sara was sitting on her bed, shades drawn, her back against the wall, with her legs drawn up under her chin.
"Are you okay?" Cindy asked, approaching the bed cautiously. She had never seen her sister like this before. "Sara, you okay?" she asked again. "You don't have to do this, y'know, we can always find the money some other place. Like hold a car wash, or have a benefit picnic, or something. You don't have to go with me, okay? We'll find the money."
"It's not that," Sara muttered.
"It has to be," Cindy objected. "I've never seen you act out like that. I'm the bad daughter, remember? You're the good girl."
"And what's it gotten me?" Sara complained. "All the good guys only want the bad girls!"
It only took an instant for Sara's comment to register with Cindy. Then it suddenly became crystal clear. "Are you telling me that you're doing this because you have a thing for Steve?"
Sara was amazed at how quickly her sister had put it all together. "I don't have a 'thing' for him, I just, I know that Dana's your best friend and all, but I just, I just know that he and I would be a better match. But even then," she quickly added, "You know I wouldn't do anything to try and break them up. I just want him to be happy. That's why I couldn't let Dana volunteer to go with you. He really likes her, even if he doesn't know what's really good for him."
Cindy felt sorry for her sister. They had always been close, but recently, they had become increasingly jealous of each other. Cindy was jealous of Sara's wholesomeness, brains, and positive attention from their parents, and Sara had become jealous of Cindy's rebellious spirit, and of all the attention she got from the boys at school. And over time, they had slowly grown apart. This was the first time in a long time that Sara had opened up to her.
"Don't worry," Cindy said, sitting on the bed beside her sister. "He'll come around soon enough. He's just blinded by Dana's sexual aggressiveness. All boys are; they're just drawn to her because of it. Some girls, too," she admitted sheepishly, raising her eyebrows and holding out her palms to the side.
Sara chortled, laughing at her sister's joke which mercifully broke the heavy tension in the room.
"So, do you think that by doing something wild like agreeing to go to the prom with me, Steve'll be attracted to you, instead of her?"
"No," Sara protested quickly. "Well, maybe, I don't know. I guess I just kind of wanted to see what it was like to be more like you, you know? Sometimes I take things a little too seriously, even when it doesn't really matter. And sometimes," she paused dramatically, "sometimes I try to be perfect because deep down I know that I can't be like you, even though sometimes I want to be."
"I felt the exact same way about you," Cindy confided.
"Thanks," Sara said, unsure if Cindy really meant it. After all, other than for her good grades, why would anyone want to be more like her?
"No, really. You might not believe me, but I've been a little resentful of all the attention you get from mom and dad, and from everyone at school. Whenever I got into trouble, everyone would ask me, 'why can't you be more like your sister? She studies hard, she gets good grades, she's going off to a good college.' And where does that leave me? Community college, probably. If I'm lucky, maybe I'll end up as a secretary in the city, and end up marrying someone more for his money than for love. But you get to choose who you want to be. Who wouldn't be jealous?"
Sara felt her belief system reaffirmed and immediately started to feel better. "Thanks," she said, meaning it this time. "But at least you get to choose who you marry. I can't even get a date without sticking my tongue down your throat."
This time, it was Cindy's turn to guffaw. "Besides, I just wanted to help," she added, a grin creeping out at the edges of her mouth. "Since you obviously can't get a guy all by yourself."
"Oh! Is that right?!" Cindy objected loudly. She stood up and grabbed the pillow that she had been sitting on, and sent it flying straight into her sister's face. Sara shrieked playfully and grabbed the other end of the pillow, battling Cindy in a tug of war for control of the pillow. The battle quickly escalated into a brief slap and tickle fight, which soon sent Cindy running from the room.
"And stay out!" Sara yelled jokingly after her, holding her arms victoriously above her head.
As Cindy ran back inside her own room, she found Dana sitting on her bed, staring contemplatively at the carpet.
"What's the matter with you?" Cindy asked.