Beta's Second Chance

Sisters

It was 9:35 a.m., and Iris drove on the open road to the city that was forty minutes away.  She felt a hint of nervousness in the pit of her stomach while driving. "I have to do this for myself and my sanity. I agreed to speak to her, and I will give her a piece of my mind," she mumbled. She eventually arrived in the central city and then got to Tierra Mia, where she parked.

Once parked, the young woman noticed her sister's 1998 blue Nissan; Brianna was in the coffee shop. Iris took a deep breath and exited the car; the skies were cloudy, and the winds were cold. The cool weather helped her relax, and she walked toward the building. Once inside, soft jazz music hit her ears, giving a warm feeling within the coffee establishment. There weren't many customers, and as Iris looked around, her eyes stopped at the right corner of the shop; it was Brianna. Iris thought she would feel disgust and rage, but she felt nothing; it was strange. Iris slowly felt relief at getting the opportunity to face the woman who caused her so much pain.

The young woman slowly walked toward her sister and stood before her. "Brianna."

Brianna had a large hot coffee with a chocolate croissant. Her hair was messy, and slight bags were under her eyes. Iris refrained from smiling and laughing at her sister's appearance. "You look like hell. Are you drinking again?" Iris asked while sitting down in her seat.

"I-I had a party last night."

"Yet, you had the time to text me. Quite gutsy, Brianna." It was quiet between the sisters, as only the soft jazz music was heard. "So, are we just going to sit here like mannequins?"

Brianna looked down at her drink; she hadn't looked at her sister once. "Mom, Dad, and I didn't celebrate Thanksgiving this year because of you."

Iris rolled her eyes, and she chuckled. "You know, I forgot about it. I don't have a family besides Jessica, so it wasn't necessary for me to go anyway. It seems like you're blaming me that things are not going you're way."

"I-I didn't mean it like that. I know what I did was wrong and I shouldn't have done that, but Mom and Dad shouldn't suffer."

"So it was Mom and Dad who told you to do this?" When Brianna didn't answer, Iris scoffed. She had her suspicions about why Brianna texted her out of the blue. Iris always knew that her sister was a prideful narcissist who felt that she could do no wrong. Iris didn't know why, but she felt her sister was hiding something. "Were you threatened to meet me?"

Brianna finally looked at Iris with a surprised look and squeezed her coffee cup so hard that some liquid dripped out. "N-No! I-I-I-!"

"Don't lie to me, Brianna. When I saw you with Derek, you smirked at me; you were proud of causing me pain. You were always like that as we grew up. You always wanted to take everything and everyone I had." Iris giggled, which confused Brianna. "I didn't know how I was going to react today. I thought I would tell you everything I felt and thought about you. If I overreacted, you would have enjoyed every single moment of it; it's like getting the power you never had." Iris smiled even more. "Thank you, Brianna. You did me a huge favor as you showed me who Derek was and that I was going to waste many moments of my life with a weak, immoral man. I guess you were a blessing for showing the true nature in people; I get to learn from it."

Brianna bit her lower lip; her legs were trembling up and down. "I-I'm sorry you feel that way. I-!"

Iris suddenly stood up. "I forgive you, Brianna. Now that I have forgiven you, I don't want to see you or Mom and Dad again. You also taught me the truth about yourself. Would you like to know what it is?" When Brianna didn't answer, Iris continued. "The truth you never wanted to admit is that you hate me because you're jealous. It was never my intention to outshine you. I just have always been me; you have never been you; you were trying to be me." Iris then walked out of the coffee shop, leaving Brianna alone.

Brianna sat momentarily as she saw her sister drive away. She immediately stood up, ran to her car, and entered. She let out a scream in anger as she hit the driving wheel. "That bitch! You bitch! Bitch! Bitch! I hate you! I hate you!" Then, her cell phone rang, and she checked the caller ID; the color of her face drained. Brianna answered but said nothing.

"I assume you failed to get her trust."  Brianna didn't answer as her finger fidgeted. "I thought so; I noticed how you hardly spoke to her."

"You saw us?"

"Of course I did. You're so useless, like you always were. Since buttering your sister up won't do the trick. Then, we will have to go for the next best thing. Oh, and Brianna." The young woman gulped in anxiety. "If you refuse to cooperate, I will have no problem telling the police what you have done. I have the recording of your confession. Toodles." The person from the other line hung up, leaving Brianna crying from the anxiety.