Page 57 of Dirty Little Secret
Willow
Poppingthe handle of my suitcase out, I roll it out of my room and down the hall, hollering to Kendall as I pass her room, “Leaving in ten. Are you almost ready?”
“I have nothing to wear!” she whines. “I need to go shopping.”
“It’s not a fancy party. Bring a bathing suit and a sundress to wear over it. Sandals. What else do you need?” I ask, parking my suitcase by the front door and backtracking to her room.
I’m not prepared for the sight that greets me when I cross the threshold. Kendall’s bed is covered in clothing. From dresses and skirts to tanks and tees. Her suitcase, however, lays empty on the floor next to the mess.
“Seriously?” I ask, scanning the room until my eyes stop on her.
She’s standing in her closet. Most of the hangers are bare, clothes are piled around her feet, and she’s scanning the little bit she has left still hanging.
This is not normal behavior for Kendall. If anything, she’s the one usually helping me find an outfit to wear, waiting on me to finish getting ready before we leave. She loves to dress me up, in her clothes or mine, and create outfits I never would have put together myself. To say her wardrobe is vast is an understatement.
“Kendall, what’s really going on?” I ask, stepping up behind her and placing my hand on her shoulder. When she turns to face me, I’m surprised to find her face stained with the remnants of tears. Without giving it a second thought, I pull her in and wrap my arms around her. “Talk to me,” I beg.
“I have nothing to wear,” she repeats, her words muffled against my shoulder.
“We both know that’s a lie.”
“I want to go shopping.”
“Fine. We can go after we drop our bags at my mom’s house. There’s a cute little shop in the strip mall next to our subdivision. We’ll make an afternoon out of it. I’ll even see if Evie wants to come with us.”
If there’s one person Kendall likes to dress up more than me, it’s my little sister. It’s something she missed out on growing up. Kendall’s twin, Kora, is a bit of a pill sometimes. One minute older, she acts superior. They were separated in school, Kora starting at five while they made Kendall wait to start the following year.
Everything between them is a competition and Kora is keeping score. From the time she was old enough to know what the phrase meant she’s been keeping track. Kora crawled first, walked first. Had a boyfriend before Kendall and lost her virginity first. She graduated high school and will graduate college before K.
She’s not a free spirit like Kendall and has always treated her as a little sister instead of her equal. It’s going to be nice not having her around this summer. She’s off experiencing life, flying around the world as a flight attendant.
With K being treated as a little sister all her life, though, she never experienced what it was like to have one. So, when Evie is around, Kendall perks up and pretends Evie is her sister. She likes to dress her up and do the kinds of things she would for her own sister, if she let her.
“I guess we could do that,” Kendall finally says, stepping back and looking around her room. Some of the hurricane of clothes she threw from her closet are going to have to come with us. Starting with a bathing suit just in case the little boutique doesn’t sell any. The store is new, and I have yet to check it out.
“Let’s grab a few of your favorites, get you packed, and then we’ll go on a shopping spree to cheer you up. I’m sure Evie will be thrilled.”
Nodding, Kendall numbly walks over and begins sifting through the piles, tossing clothing toward her open suitcase, not bothering to fold anything. Ten minutes later, she’s fully packed and we’re loading our suitcases into my VW Beetle.
I’ve spent the entire week on edge, nervous about tomorrow. The big reveal, as Kendall’s been calling it.
Laugh it up, bitch. I’ll remember this when you fall in love.
We’re headed to my mom’s house. Everyone else is coming tomorrow, including Finn and Max. Kendall and I promised to help my mom get the food ready for my parents’ annual Memorial Day pool party. It’s going to be hard to celebrate without Dad, but I know this is something Mom needs to do. We told her she could cancel it, but she refused.
The holidays were always a big deal with my parents. It didn’t matter which holiday it was, or what we were celebrating. Birthdays, America’s independence, Halloween … they all required a party. As we got older and went off to college, Max and I took over some of the parties, especially the ones where we were at school and couldn’t get away in the middle of the week. But things like Memorial Day, where they could host, they always have. And this year, even though Dad’s not here and the pain is still raw, my mom insisted we keep with tradition.
“It’s what he would have wanted.”
She’s right. Doesn’t mean it’s not going to be hard watching Max man the grill alone. That I’m not going to miss my dad laughing with his friends. Or that I’m not scared shitless that Max is going to blow a gasket tomorrow, even though he’s not known for his public outbursts. This might just send him over the edge, and Dad won’t be there to reel him back in.
“Finally,” Evie says as soon as the screen door slams behind us. “I need to get out of here.”
On the outside, my little sister looks perfect. She’s a direct reflection of me in so many ways. The same height as me, a measly five foot three inches, a few pounds lighter, with eyes the exact same shade of blue. But outside appearances can be deceiving because the fire in those eyes is raging right now.
“Kendall wants to go shopping. Why don’t you two get out of here?” I suggest, knowing the bonding time will be good for both of them.
“Yes, please,” Evie says at the same time Kendall chimes in with, “Sounds like a plan to me.”