Sophia
"S-O-O-OP!"
I urgently raised my chin from my pillow. I was half-way to a nap.
"S-O-OP!!!" Stacy bellowed from outside the house. She was being very loud this afternoon.
I screamed at the top of my lungs: "W-H-A-A-A--AT!!??" And plonked my face onto my soft pillow.
"BUSTER WANTS TO PL-A-A-A-A-A-Y-Y-Y!!!" My sister shouted back.
"THEN LET HIM PLAY-Y-Y-Y!"
"GOD HAVE MERCY ON US ALL," exclaimed Bro Mack, who was passing by our bedroom.
"BUT HE ALWAYS PLAYS WITH BOTH OF US!!!" yelled Stacy.
"I'M COMING, I'M COMING." I rolled out like sushi and fell off my bed with a THUD.
A groan escaped me as I crawled on the warm floor and reached for some fresh clothes.
Early September has arrived, signalling at least two months of Lucas' courtship to my sister.
Stacy had once mentioned she wouldn't go easy on him, and I believed her, certain it would take a long time before she gave Lucas her sweet 'yes.'
Or 'no.' I'm simply being realistic. Stacy is a hard shell to crack, after all.
Changing into a plain green shirt and denim shorts, I drew my brown hair up into a high ponytail and shut the bedroom door behind me. I was wearing camouflage slippers as I exited the house.
I stepped into the sunlight,whose rays were beaming down on everything within proximity.
When I caught sight of my tall, blonde, blue-eyed sister in an apricot t-shirt and black shorts, I tried to squash down my bitterness about the situation we've been in for the past 2 months.
Life, to be quite frank, has not been a walk in the park for me. It would never be easy nor fun to stand in the sidelines, witnessing the guy you like be wrapped around your sister's finger. For many weeks, I have seen Lucas give Stacy a ride to and from school, inevitably leaving me to commute on my own. I wordlessly watched on as Lucas escorted her to and from her classes, and I soon became the third wheel, but most of the time, I hid in the shadows, providing them their privacy as they shared lunchtime together, and whenever Stacy had a modeling gig, I always tagged along since I've been accompanying her long before Lucas met her anyway.
I did my best to be a supportive sibling, but I couldn't help feel hurt every time I see them walking alongside each other, holding hands, laughing and flirting in front of me.
"Sop!" Stacy's voice sliced through my grim thought bubble.
I looked at her energetic face and my gaze traveled downward to the beagle at her feet.
When we had turned five years old, our stepparents brought us to the animal shelter and told us to pick out one pet to take home afterward. Stacy and I had taken one glance at a baby beagle and fell in love in mere seconds. We agreed to name him Buster.
"I was napping when you suddenly turned banshee mode on me," I scolded my twin as I neared.
Her forehead creased with worry as she examined my face. "A nap? Why? Do you feel ill?"
"Just catching a bit of sleep,that's all," I told her with a wave of my hand.
She continued to assess my features. She commented: "You DO look a little pale, Sop."
I avoided eye-contact and squatted down in front of our adult beagle, stroking Buster's head. To be honest, I've been feeling dizzy and lightheaded from all my duties and responsibilities at school. If not homework, it would be editing articles and managing the layout for the Orion Arrow, the university magazine. Plus there were projects to complete and only a few weeks left until Final exams would start. Time really flies fast when you're swamped with academics.
"Sop, are you alright?"
My heart tightened painfully from the stress, but I chose to be quiet and waited for the pain to subside. And it did, after a few seconds.
I peered up at my blonde sister's concerned face, and I nodded my head. "Yes, I'm alright."
Her sky blue eyes stayed on me for a minute or two before she handed me a brown stick.
The two of us stepped back, maintaining a reasonable distance between one another, and I looked down at our beloved dog, whose dark brown eyes stared right into my soul.
"Buster," I called him while I showed him the stick. "Fetch!"
I hurled the brown stick as far as my arm could throw, and the beagle caught it in his mouth.
The gesture suddenly reminded me of someone, and I choked out an incredulous laugh.
"What's so funny?" Stacy demanded as she plucked the stick from Buster's mouth.
"I'm just happy," I said instead. Nothing good would come out of telling her the truth.
We continued to play with our adorable dog for hours, switching to a red Frisbee and some hula hoops, until the three of us laid our backs on the lush grass of our backyard, bathed in sunlight.
A familiar white mustang suddenly pulled up along the pavement.
The driver rolled down his window and poked out his head. He smiled at us. "Hey."
"Lucas!" Stacy greeted before I could part my lips.
My blonde twin flashed him a bright smile as she approached his white mustang.
"What are you doing here?" Stacy asked him.
A fond smile appeared on Lucas' mouth. "I wanted to see you."
"That's sweet," Stacy gushed, "Well, here I am."
I was becoming the third wheel again.
Times like this one made me ache for the old days--When everything was less complicated.
Lucas abruptly swerved his head to the right and threw me a disarming smile. "Hi, Sophia."
"Hi, Lucas," I calmly greeted him even though inside I wanted to cry. He called me by my name.
Bit by bit, the closeness evaporated into thin air. He stopped calling me 'Ya.' It just wasn't fair.
I got on my knees and ran my palm over Buster's soft brown coat, his dark fur therapeutic.
"Are you in the mood for a movie? We can eat somewhere after," I heard Stacy suggest.
Lucas answered her: "That'd be great, Ace. I'll wait for you to shower and change."
"Thanks, Luke. You're a peach," Stacy crooned before blowing him an air-kiss. She ambled into the back door of our house, leaving me alone with Lucas.
"Sophia."
I forced a merry smile on my full lips as I turned to face him, my knees still pressed on the grass.
"Yes?"
Lucas carefully eyed my expression. "You don't mind me calling you that, right? It's just that--"
"Of course I don't mind," I cut him off. "Why would I?"
A silence fell over him. His brown eyes locked onto mine. He looked as though he wanted to say something, but I didn't give him the opportunity to beat me to the punch.
"I see things have been running smoothly between you and Stacy for the past two months," I told him.
He nodded and smiled.
The awkward quietness was absolutely unbearable.
"How have you been?" Lucas asked me, catching me off-guard.
"Great!" I inwardly cringed at my pretentious joy. "The univ magazine has been flying off the shelves for the past weeks. I scored a bunch of souvenirs from Marcus Young's concert last month, and my cousin Ate Jolene just turned 22..." Fudge I'm rambling. I quickly shut my mouth.
"O..Kay?" Lucas sounded apprehensive.
I nervously cleared my throat and faced him. "Basically, I'm fine."
After a few minutes of eerie silence, the back-door swung open to reveal my twin. She emerged like a goddess with a pink headband, wavy golden hair, sky blue eyes, and a plum summer dress.
"I'm ready," she announced, gracefully walking towards Lucas' white mustang, her smile poised.
Lucas stared at her like she was the world to him. "You look incredible."
Stacy wore a confident smile as she watched her escort climb out of his car and hold out the passenger's door for her. A reminiscent needle speared inside my heart at the sight.
I said nothing as my sister hopped inside the passenger's seat and Lucas closed the door.
Stacy poked her head out the window and waved a hand at me. "See you tonight, Sop."
I waved my hand at her, too. "Be careful," I reminded her with a smile on my face.
They drove away, disappearing into the distance until I saw nothing but puffs of smoke.
To my pleasant surprise, Buster jumped onto my lap, his furry cheek nuzzling my stomach.
I stroked the healthy beagle's head and heard his sad whimpers. He must have sensed my mood.
"Promise me, boy, that when a girl-dog develops feelings for you, you won't give her mixed signals, you hear? It's one story to assume, it's another to---"
"Sophia, who are you talking to?" Papa Ben asked from the back-door.
"Buster!" I said in panic. "I was talking to Buster!"
Fudge. Someone send help.