The Madonna, The Virgin, and The Whore

Chapter Five

Erin

It had only been two hours and she was already getting on my nerves. I glanced over at my younger sister, sprawled out on my bed with candy wrappers strewn around her and her eyes glued to the television set watching some reality show about models or actresses. She'd made herself at home and I had no idea how I was supposed to get any work done with her here.

"Put her in your room with some pizza," Mary had said. As if dealing with Lexi was that easy! But nothing about my sister was ever easy. She had already devoured an entire pie, three of my beers, and half of my secret candy stash. Lexi was everywhere in the same space of my dorm room, and I wasn't going to get anything done with her here.

"Could you please turn the volume down?" I asked for the third time in the last hour. "It's distracting."

"Jesus Erin!" she scowled at me from the bed. "How much lower do you want it to go? As is, I'm already going deaf trying to hear what they're saying!"

"And it's oh-so important to hear if either Chantal or Dominque get a booking!" I rolled my eyes at her. "Give me a break Lexi! I have a test I have to study for--"

"I know! I know! You've told me like a gazillion times!" She picked up the remote, stabbed at the button, and turned the volume down, before collapsing back onto my bed in a huff. She let out an unsettled sigh while staring up at my ceiling. "I'm bored!" she declared. I rolled my eyes.

"You're nineteen years old Lexi; it isn't my job to entertain you."

"Like you'd be any good at it anyway!" She let out a rude laugh and rolled over onto her stomach, resting her chin on her hands and studying me.

"What?" I shot out in frustration.

Lexi smirked; she'd succeeded in getting my attention. "When was the last time you went to a party?" she asked, in all seriousness.

"When's the last time you cracked open a book?" I shot back.

She narrowed her green eyes at me and I could see them spark with anger before they tinged with perverse delight. "You need to get laid."

Like I said, my sister was an expert at pressing my buttons. But I was pretty sure that she didn't know. I mean, it's not like Lexi, Mary, and I sat around in our pajamas eating raw cookie dough and discussing boys until the wee hours of the night. But if Lexi knew I was still a virgin, there was no way she wouldn't be throwing it in my face every chance she got.

And it's not like I was a nun for Christsake! I had had boyfriends, just nobody serious. I either ended things before they got too intense, or they got tired of waiting around for me to put out and ended up dumping me. It never bothered me though. I wasn't like some girls who needed a guy to validate their worth. I looked over at Lexi, in her tight black jeans and white T-shirt that feel off her shoulder and exposed the strap of her lacy bra and shook my head in disappointment.

Most boys were a distraction and all I knew about love was that it was a messy, complicated thing that I wanted no part of. I saw what my parents "love" had done to all of us. You'd have to be stupid to get yourself involved in that nonsense.

"I don't need to get laid, and I don't need to go to a party. I need to study. That's all." I pulled my attention back to my notes, but when I started to read again I could feel her still staring at me.

"If you need to study, the. why don't I get out of your hair? You could just give me the keys and I could come back later when you're done."

I whipped my head over to her. "Are you kidding me?" I asked, laughing in disbelief. "You think that I'm just going to just let you go gallivanting around and what, trust that you'll be here at 9 AM ready to go? Why do you think Mary booked us on the same plane Lexi? No one trusts that you'll get on that plane!"