(My deepest thanks go to Violetlittle, for managing to find the time to edit this for me.)
It's my own fault really. I was so wrapped up with my own education. Getting ready to fully live my own life, without any recourse to my parents whatsoever. Yes, I knew I had a sister. It was that cute blonde thing with pigtails that mum and dad doted over. I used to get regular updates from them when I was at college, always the usual. Keyleigh is in the cheerleader team. Keyleigh was picked as queen of the prom. Keyleigh's grades are so good that we're sending her to another college rather than with you. Keyleigh, Keyleigh. KEYLEIGH.
How could I be jealous of my own sister? Yet there it was, I admitted it. I believed all three of them were a huge chunk of the reason why I practically rushed out of the house, and into college. They hadn't even noticed that I never came home at college breaks anymore. Choosing instead to work and put my money aside for my own place at the end of college. I always told them I had some project or other I had to finish. They didn't care as long as Keyleigh was home so they could dote on her, just as long as I remembered to send the appropriate birthday and Christmas cards they didn't notice.
But now with college over, I have to return home, the gap between the end of college and my new job was three months, when mum and dad found out they insisted I return home. I did fudge an excuse that I still had to find a place to live yet, sadly that didn't work. I was going home for six weeks, before I could finally escape them all forever. I had even put a countdown in my diary. I had worked out the weeks, the days even the hours, before I never have to hear the name Keyleigh or mum and dad ever again. Don't get me wrong; I hold no ill will against my sister. After all she is my sister.
Her birthday is easy to remember, as hers is two days short of mine so I don't quite outrank her by a year. It's just that I have seen it all through the years; when she was born, they took one look at me, and decided to move all their energy to her and I seemed to have taken a back seat in their affections. Being moved further and further towards the periphery of our family unit. Other than to make sure I got my homework done that is. So you see why I hold no resentment to my sis. My parents on the other hand, are a different topic all together. With that thought in mind. I pull onto the driveway, not much has changed in the years I've been away, I thought.
Walking to the back I pull my suitcase out of the car, I have the rest of my stuff in storage. I want to be able to slam my suitcase shut in six weeks and run for the door, rather than waste valuable time re-packing the car again. It surprises me that my key still works in the door. I would have thought they would have changed the locks the moment I made my escape the first time. The house seemed empty. I smiled to myself, no welcome home the prodigal son banners then. Dumping my suitcase on my bed I looked out the window, my room is at the back of the house, so I get a perfect view of our back lawn.
In the middle of the lawn lay a body on a towel; there is a sun lounger next to her yet she is lying on a towel. Dad must be letting the neighbors use the lawn to sunbath in I thought. Then went to the kitchen to fix myself something to eat, stuck to the fridge door with a fridge magnet was Keyleigh's nineteenth birthday card I had sent her over three weeks ago, I had to smile. I would have thought it would have been in the bin by now. I had wondered what to say to mum and dad and indeed how I would say it, figuring on just playing it by ear and trying not to throw up when either of them started a conversation with. Keyleigh did this or that.
"Welcome home bro." Said a female voice behind me.
I bashed my head on the fridge door, surprised that anyone was here at all, when I turned there was the girl from the lawn. I had to do a double take, there is not a chance this is the Keyleigh I left here four years ago. The pigtails were gone, the sun had bleached her hair totally blonde now, and her skin was a nice shade of brown. But not the brown you instantly think is either fake tanning or has skin cancer waiting in the wings written all over it. I had to smile when I noticed the yellow polka-dot bikini. All I could think about was the song.
The cheerleading had given her broad shoulders, which seemed to enhance her breast rather well, as for the flat stomach I half expected to see a six pack in there somewhere, wait a minute. I'm her brother, why am I checking out my own sister. God I need to get laid more often. She came over and hugged me, she smelt so nice. I asked her if she was up for something to eat and we both settled on a salad and not only picked our way through the salad but the conversation as well, bringing ourselves up to speed on what we were up to and who we are seeing or not in both our cases.
Mum and dad came back soon after we had finished. Keyleigh went into her room to change, giving me a view of a very nice ass, she came back wearing shorts and a t-shirt with the slogan 'sisters for life' on it. I just took it as some sort of feminine rights thing and left it alone without a comment. Of course as soon as she returned they both set about telling me all the stuff that Keyleigh had been up to while I had been away. I had promised myself not to throw up. I was finding that promise rather difficult to keep at the moment.
Then I noticed a very strange thing going on. It was like an undercurrent of a conversation, mum and dad were extolling the virtues of Keyleigh. But she herself was running interference in the conversation trying to tone down what they were saying. I didn't understand. With the coming of the evening I knew I could get away with an early night, since I had just traveled five hundred miles I was just a tad tired. It was early hours of the morning when I woke with a start. Sitting up I looked around the room, it took me a moment to remember I was at home again, but there was something wrong here.
It may have been four years, but I could walk my room without the lights on, that's what I did, the hairs on my neck were standing up. If I were out on the street I would be looking over my shoulder by now. Everything seemed normal, yet how could they be and why did I wake so suddenly? I went back to bed, assuming that it was all getting to me, anyway one day down not many left to go. Keyleigh. Now why did a thought of my own sister just pop into my head? Then I realized what it was, it was her smell. I could smell Keyleigh in my room, but that was impossible, she didn't come into my room when I went to bed, but there it was.
I could smell her in here, just as clearly as I smelt her when we hugged in the kitchen and on a couple of occasions when she passed me during the evening. I had a restless sleep after that, so many unanswered questions going through my head. When I did finally get up I followed a pattern that I had at college, I jog before breakfast. I'm no runner just a jogger so I never got as far as any sports competitions not that it bothered me. I jogged for fun and fitness. It was while I was stretching outside the house, the door opened.
"Mind if I join you?" The voice said behind me.
I looked, Keyleigh was stood in the doorway in what seemed to be a standard uniform for her now, of shorts and t-shirt, and this one had the slogan of 'you only live once' on it. For the life of me I couldn't think of any feminist cause that would include that slogan.
"Are you good for five miles?" I asked.
She smiled then set about stretching then said, "yep."
We both set off at a reasonable pace, we didn't talk just jogged, and she navigated a course for us both. She didn't seem to be wheezing at the end of it. I supposed she would have to be reasonably fit to hold down a body like that. Stop it. I thought to myself, this is insane. I have got to get myself laid soon. Mum and dad went off to work. Sis took up her position on the lawn, while I played catch up on the Internet. After an hour I took sis out a soda, then resumed my work. I was so centered on my work, when I looked up again sis was sat on the couch, I hadn't even heard her come in.
"How long have you been sat there?" I asked.
Keyleigh just shrugged her shoulders and said. "I came in to get another soda, that's when I see you working so I decided to sit and see what you where doing."
I laughed, "it's all geek work, the company I'm going to work for have allowed me limited access to there data base and past stratagems and forecasts, so I can get up to speed, nothing more."
Although she looked like she was listening, it was obvious by her manner that it was just an opening question for her. The real question was coming; she was just building herself up to it.
"You don't like being here do you?" she asked.
What could I say, and if I said anything would she understand. I think my silence told its own story; she got up and went back outside. I stood and watched her for a while from the window as she settled back onto her towel in the middle of the lawn. It was a pang of guilt that I should of said something, that made me move from my spot, so I walked out and sat on the lounger, she looked up at me, her breasts dangling snuggly in the cups of her bikini. Her eyes hidden behind sunglasses.
Yet all I could think to say was. "Do you fancy a trip to the mall?"
A smile split her face and she dashed into the house, with me yelling, "That's a yes then."
I'm ashamed to say I learned more about my sister in those four hours at the mall than I have known about her these last four years. She has a lot of friends. All of them seemed to be at the mall that day. Whenever she introduced me, she would always hug my arm. She hates pink, likes make-up but not in abundance, she knows she has the looks so doesn't let make-up take that away from her. Loves dresses, over pants any day, drinks milkshakes and sodas by the bucket load. Feels the need to stick a straw into her drink and make that silly slurping sound, to get every last drop out.
Cannot tell a joke without laughing halfway through telling it, because she knows the punch line. Those daft little things that all big brothers really should know about their little sisters. Mum and dad were home when we got back. The evening meal went well, then we had that conversation again, almost a repeat of last nights, with Keyleigh acting as interference yet again. All this seemed to be a pattern now, so I did what I did last night, begged off and went to bed. It was fitful sleep, me wondering how much longer I could put up with all this. I truly didn't believe it would be until the end of those six weeks.
Then I heard it, the noise that woke me last night. It was the click of my door opening only I must have heard it closing last night. I lay there pretending to be asleep and the form that I knew to be my sister went and sat on the window seat. That was it, she just sat there. I looked at the clock. She sat there for an hour before she got up and left, it was definitely the closing of my bedroom door that woke me that night. I found this all very weird, why is my sister coming into my room, is she sleep walking?
When I got down stairs for my morning jog. Keyleigh was already outside in her usual uniform stretching; she smiled and went back to stretching. This time her t-shirt slogan read, 'know your mind' I shudder to think how many t-shirts she had. Again sis set the pace and the whole five miles went without a word said. When we got back we showered and had breakfast, I wondered how to ask her about last night. It was Keyleigh that shook me from my thoughts.
"What are we doing today?" She asked.
"I still have work to do and you still have a tan to top up." Was the only reply I could think of.
"Can we go for a drive? I can make some things we can turn it into a picnic if you wish." Replied Keyleigh in return.
Not having a counter argument to her suggestion, off she went. Then dashed into her room to lose the bikini and get changed into her usual uniform. I noted the slogan on her t-shirt. It was simple enough, one word 'yes'. She chatted all the way, giving me direction every now and then. We ended up by the lake, even managing to find a bench. Keyleigh was a hive of activity, giving me a slap on the arm when I tried to give her a hand. We both sat on the same side of the bench so we could get a clear view of the lake and the people in there boats.
