One Year of You and I

October 13th

Sunday, October 13th, 2013

Holly

  The next day, my parents found themselves at a business dinner. My parents worked for a company that sold picture frames, leading to an endless amount in our house. They had met at this very company, my mother being a secretary when my father had come in as a simple mail boy. The rest was history from there. 

  They left Olive and I with the house and an oven pizza to bake. Now, the two of us saton the kitchen’s island, munching on the pepperoni pizza that we had pulled out of the oven. 

  Olive swung her long legs back and forth. Even wearing no makeup and with her hair in a high ponytail, she looked prepared for a photo shoot. “How’s Orchid going?” She asked me.

  “It’s great,”  I responded. “I’ve made a few good friends.” 

  She nodded her head. “Really?” She grinned. “You should invite them over sometime.” 

  “Mm, sure.” 

  Ha. Not in this lifetime. 

  I grabbed the glass filled with grape juice sitting next to my leg and gobbled it down. As I set it back on the island, I saw Olive sporting a huge smile on her face. I raised an eyebrow playfully at her, stretching out my foot and nudging her. “What’s got you so happy?” 

  Don’t get me wrong. I may be horribly jealous of Olive and it pained me to stand next to her, yet she was my sister. This made her, and would always make her, my number one friend. Whenever I found myself in a problem, or she found herself with issues, we would immediately go to each other. I was the arms she ran to, and she was my shoulder to cry on. I envied her, but that doesn’t mean that I don’t love her with all of my heart. I did. I did more than love could describe. She was my twin sister, my literal other half. 

  “It’s nothing, it’s nothing,” She said with a giggle, looking at the ground with that smile remaining.

  I nudged her in the ribs with my elbow. Now looking at her with a joking glare, I told her, “You’re a terrible liar.” 

  She grabbed the elastic that held her hair together and pulled it out, letting her dark brown hair cascade down her back. “Well, there’s this guy.” 

  I crossed my legs and turned towards her, nodding my head enthusiastically. “Ooh, nothing better than some juicy boy gossip.” 

  “Oh shut up you,” She said, though she did eagerly set down her plate and mimic my sitting, facing her body towards me. “But Holly, you wouldn’t be able to believe how gorgeous this boy is. He’s a new transfer student from Minnesota, a grade above us, and me oh my, he’s simply darling.”

  “What’s his name?” I wondered.

  “Sammy,” She responded. “How adorable is that?”   

  “Pretty adorable.” 

  “The other day I dropped my books in the hallway and as I was leaning down to get them, he came to help me,” She described. Her face lit up brightly as she spoke of him. “It was so cliche, I couldn’t help but chuckle the whole way through. But then he told me that I have a cute laugh. Can you imagine that?” 

  “Even more adorable,” I added. “And of course I can’t. You’re the one who gets the boyfriends, honey.” 

  This was true. Olive wasn’t a serial dater, yet she had had her fair share of boyfriends. Nevertheless, they always lasted long -shortest being six months, longest being a year- as what kind of guy would ever give her up? Though she had every boy at her heels and could choose from whoever, Olive only had an interest in the ones she had a true connection with.