A million questions crowds every corner of my mind. Who found it? How did they find it? When did they find it? Most importantly, what did they find? Stop wasting your time panicking and actually think all of this through, a voice inside my head hissed at me. I inhaled and exhaled, trying to stay calm.
Who found it? The only people who have been at my house recently is Mum, Dad, River and Stella. How did they find it? They must have known about my journal all along. When did they find it? The last time I had brought out my journal was last night before going to bed, someone must have looked through it today.
Then, all this information pieced together like a jigsaw puzzle. There was only one person who, today could have the time to look through my journal: River. I don't know if she knew about my journal all along but she does have a motive for reading it: she thought I was acting 'weird' last night and even talked to Mum about how 'worried' she was about me. I'm guessing that River came home from university around lunchtime and searched my bedroom for any clues on my 'unusual' behaviour, coming across my journal in the process.
I hope she didn't read it! However, unfortunately, my sister is not stupid and probably read it to discover any clues to my recent strange actions. My face burned with fury at the thought of River breaking her most precious rule: nobody is allowed to enter someone else's room without any permission. Now, that she already knew about my journal I can confront her about it directly!
Stomping down the stairs, I entered the sitting room, snatching the remote control from my sister. I click the ON/OFF button and the TV screen switches from a comedy to blankness.
"Turn the TV back on!" River orders.
"No! I'm gonna keep it off until you agree to collaborate!" I tell her.
"Collaborate with what, exactly?"
The last word is spat so aggressively, I flinch.
"Remember that time when I went into your room and you came up with that rule that you have to have permission to go into someone else's room?" I prompt.
"You'll have to be specific! That's happened too many times!" River answers.
"Haha! You're hilarious!" I laugh dryly," Sadly, I had a similar dilemma today!"
"Oh, really?"
"Yes! It was even worse because that person invaded more of my privacy by reading my journal!"
"My sister, Storm Jackson, owns a journal!" River splutters, a mocking expression displayed on her face that I really wanted to slap off.
"You should know because you entered my room without permission and read something of mine that I didn't allow you to read!" I shout, clenching my fists.
River looked like she was about to explode.
"I did not! You don't have any evidence that proves it!" she declares.
I smirk, shaking my head at how dumb my sister thinks I am.
"There's so much evidence that proves you did it! So, just admit it, apologise and promise that you won't tell anyone about my journal and you won't ever go into my room without permission, including never going near my journal again!" I negotiate.
"And why would I do such a thing? There's nothing useful in your room so why would I go there and before you told me, I never knew that you owned a journal!" River refuses.
My blood starts to boil. Why is she so stubborn?
"ADMIT IT, APOLOGISE AND PROMISE. OR-"
"Or, what?" River interrupts me.
"Or you'll be left with bruises," I challenge.
"Is that supposed to be a threat?" River provokes," You're gonna be in trouble when Mum and Dad come home."
"You are gonna have way more things to worry about when your face is bruised!"
"Woah! Girls, what's going on here?"
Because River and I had been shouting so much, none of us had heard the door opening and the patter of footsteps. Both of us stare at our parents: Dad has his arms crossed, an eyebrow raised, waiting for a response to his question while Mum is behind him, looking worn out and tired.
"Well?" Dad prompts.
At the same time, River and I start talking really fast and loud, barely hearing our own voices above the other. Abruptly, Mum raises her hand to signal for us to stop.
"I don't have time for this! James, can you take care of this. Goodnight, everyone!" she says before trudging up the stairs.
"So, what's going on here?" Dad asks the minute he hears the bedroom door slam.
I opened my mouth to respond however, River got there first.
"Just Storm being her normal drama-queen-self!" she describes the argument incorrectly.
"Well, I have to agree that our Storm is hot tempered," Dad starts and I scowl while River smirks at this statement," But I had never heard her this angry before so you must have pushed her too far, River."
This time, I have the smirk on my face.
"River went into my room without permission and went through my stuff. I was just asking her to say sorry because after all, she had made that rule about not going into each other's room without permission but she refused," I explain.
"Well, River, you did come up with that rule after Storm barged into your room and we all agreed. Therefore, next time you must follow your own rules and if you accidentally break them, you must immediately apologise to the person. Understand?" Dad lectures.
"Yes, Dad!" River choruses.
"And, Storm, you must be more gentle to your sister. I agree she did do wrong but threatening her wouldn't help the situation. Understand?" he continues.
"Yes, Dad!" I say.
"Great. That's settled-"
"No it's not!" River interrupts Dad, surprising both him and I.
"What's the matter, River?" he questions, tired.
"Storm wrongly accused me of barging into her room and reading-"
"She did, though!" It's my turn to interrupt.
I couldn't let my sister blurt out about my journal.
"I DIDN'T!" River shouts, stepped closer to me.
"YOU DID!" I step closer to my sister.
"Hey! Stop!" Dad yells, placing his arms between us," River, we've already sorted this out!"
Her eyes don't flash with anger but with hurt.
"With everything I've been through, you still side with her!"
That's the last she says before storming off. I glance at Dad, confused. He's looking at the floor.
With everything I've been through, you still side with her! What did River mean?
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Author's Note
What do you think River meant?
YOU ARE READING
THE PAINFUL TRUTH
General Fiction'Our greatest challenge isn't speaking up against our enemies, but defying those whose approval we seek the most'. Storm Jackson is a thirteen-year-old girl who everybody envies. She's smart, popular and pretty, with well-off parents and a big house...
