She Breathes the Stars

Chapter Eleven

"I'm getting married!"

Emma holds up her left hand and a shiny diamond ring catches the light of the fire. It twinkles as much as her eyes in the light, almost blinding me with how expensive it looks. Her smile is joyous and carefree.

I plaster a fake grin onto my lips. "Wow, I'm so proud of you, Emma! That's great!"

Nite sits next to me with his hands awkwardly folded in his lap. His knee bumps mine when he hears the forced, sickly sweet tone in my voice, and looks at me with startled eyes like he's trying to make sure that I'm okay. He's never heard me pretend to be happy before, so I guess I don't blame him for being a little concerned.

Of course, though; I'm not happy at all. I didn't even know my sister had a boyfriend, let alone a guy that she liked. And then she shows up at my little cabin after years of not visiting with her makeup all done up and her cheeks rosy just to tell me that she got engaged. It pisses me off.

Plus, her looks have just changed so much that it's almost fake. She's no longer the sad girl with dirty hair that I knew before, but a jubilant woman who looks like she belongs in NFL cheerleading. I don't care what the bull crap Disney movies tell you; love can't fix things that were that broken.

"I know," my sister squeals. "We've only been dating a couple of months but when he asked me I just couldn't say no!"

I blink. "A couple of months? As in, two?"

"Well, yeah! But we're so in love that we couldn't wait to get married!"

I furrow my brows and drift my eyes down to her stomach. She used to be so skinny; so much so that I could probably wrap my hands all the way around her middle. It was the effects of depression, but she was very skinny even before my parents passed away. But now, she looks suspiciously bigger. Not just health wise, but I think I can also detect quite a large bump in her lower abdominal...

"You're pregnant, aren't you?"

The television static returns to my ears as the room goes silent. Emma's lips part slightly and the pink from her cheeks grows red and crawls all the way down and up to her neck and ears. She twirls the ring on her finger nervously, looking down at her lap.

"You know, Tawny," she says quietly. "I know my appearance has changed quite a lot since you last saw me, but, after being stuck in a world of crippling depression, a small thing like love can change someone greatly. You've been alone for so long that you probably don't understand, but being around people you love can completely change your mindset."

My hand balls into a fist, causing my nails to bite into my skin and leave behind crescent-shaped marks.

"How long have you been pregnant, Emma?" The words taste sour in my mouth, knowing that from her appearance, it's been way longer than two months.

She presses her lips together in a straight, white line; obviously growing angry at my saltiness of the situation. She swallows visibly, like she's trying to get a pill down, and turns her gaze over to the black-eyed boy sitting next to me, whom has been silent this entire time. Nite tenses under her glare.

"You have no right to be judging me right now, Tawny." She says, obviously still trying her hardest to sound sweet and happy. "You've obviously been having your own share of affairs with mysterious boys." 

My face burns red hot, not with embarrassment, but with anger. Nite senses this and rests his hand on my knee, trying to make me feel better not doing any good to the situation whatsoever because my sister's eyes flicker directly down to where his skin is touching mine. It's clear that the fact that I'm allowing him to comfort me is just making her all the more suspicious.