Yours To Keep [Completed]

Chapter 2: The Last Goodbye

Serena woke up to the sounds of her mother's shrilling voice.

"SERENA, WAKE UP ALREADY!" Her mom, Patricia shouted from downstairs. Another regular day in the James household and once again the mother hen had cuckooed its morning routine like the cock-a-doodle-doo upon sunrise.

"It's 6:30 am and you are still sleeping in on a Sunday morning when you should be doing more productive things on your summer vacation," Patricia barged into her room and roughly pulled away the blanket off Serena. A shiver ran up Serena's body caused by the cold air rustling in from the opened window.

"God, I feed you and give you a roof under your head, and yet you are still an ungrateful, little brat?" Patricia continued to ramble on even as she left Serena's room.

Serena opened her eyes and stared at the ceiling. Just another day like usual, Serena tried telling herself. But even so, the slight pain still existed along with the anger that clenched around her heart upon hearing such words. Why does it still hurt? Shouldn't she be used to it by now?

Serena was really fed up with starting and ending her days with constant criticism. What did she do wrong? She didn't know. Oh no. She did know. That's right, it was the fact that she was not as smart or well-behaved or perfect like her older sister with straight A's and perfect track record on paper from all the volunteering on her hand.

After all, the past seventeen years of her life were full of tears, insults, emotional abuse and suffering. What did she do to deserve it could perhaps be blamed on the mere fact that she was not like her sister. And because of that all she could remember was always being the outcast among her family. Like a pebble in their shoe. Be it amongst each other or other people, wherever she went with her family, she felt like a mismatched puzzle piece trying too hard to fit in.

It was always about her sister. Her existence was obliterated before it had even gotten a chance to flourish. Was it so wrong to want her mother's approval even if she wasn't on the same level as her sister?

"Did you hear Patricia's daughter got ranked among the top 5 students in all of high school? Quite an impressive accomplishment for a young girl!"

"Seriously? She must have impressive grades, quite a smart girl huh!!What about the younger daughter?"

"Younger daughter? Oh are you talking about Serena?

"Yeah, little Serena. The little trouble-maker. What is she around to?"

"I have no clue. Last I heard, she was struggling with her studies. But you would think with a role model like her sister, she would also achieve great things. But it seems that Serena must not be as bright."

"Well who cares, right? Little Serena must have it easy. She doesn't have to work hard with her sister around."

These were the types of conversations that Serena had been condemned to most of her life. She would be walking down the streets, in the supermarket, or in the library and there she would overhear all these things. About the great things her sister would accomplish, how proud she would make Patricia while Serena was kicked to the curb.

For as far back as she could remember, Serena willed herself to bed after crying her eyes out, wondering what was wrong her with her.

"Why am I not good enough? Why can't I be more like the perfect and ideal daughter whom she cherishes so much and puts on the pedestal? Is it because I'm not smart enough? Not pretty enough? Not sociable enough?"

Since then, Serena tried to change, to become better, to become the way her mother would approve. What did she not do? Serena started studying harder, getting more involved in school by joining the leadership team and the school ambassador. Her track record improved and now she was an honor roll A student with more credentials and extracurricular activities than your average student. Just like her sister was.