Jade steeled herself, getting ready for the barrage of heckling that was sure to come as she walked down the stairs to the kitchen.
"Get dressed, Jade,"
and,
"We know you're not coming to church, but why can't you make yourself presentable, Jade,"
and,
"Stop being so pathetic, Jade."
But as she descended the stairs, clad in a black Apes of the State tee and her pink pajama pants, no such criticism came. Through the archway to the kitchen, she could see her father and sister seated at the breakfast table. They both looked up at her, and her father quickly and sheepishly looked away with an awkward smile--Cleo, however, wore a sympathetic expression for her older sister, and she pulled out a chair for Jade as a symbol to come and join them. Confused, Jade walked cautiously to the table before taking her seat.
"Good morning," her mom cooed in an out-of-character singsong voice from behind the counter. Jade hadn't missed the disapproving once-over her mother shot her, but it was much less judgmental than she'd come to expect. Plus, her mom was cooking... French toast? French toast was only for special occasions. What was going on? Why was everyone being weird?
Oh. Cleo must have told everybody. That's why they were all being extra nice to her. "Guys--" she started to say.
"We know," her mom interrupted. Jade waited for more, but the breakfast that followed was eerily quiet, and Cleo kept looking over to her with that sorrowful expression.
Oh, please,
Jade thought,
I don't need your pity.
Her face must've betrayed her thoughts, because Cleo looked a bit taken aback and averted her gaze, focusing instead on the breakfast in front of her.
"It's a shame," her father said after a few long minutes. "We all really liked Paige." Her mother glared at him. "What?" he asked.
"Okay, yes," Jade said, trying to relieve some of the awkward tension, "Paige and I broke up yesterday. But it's fine. It was a mutual thing. We'd just been growing apart. I don't need you guys to baby me." This must have come out more curtly than Jade intended, as her mom looked a bit hurt and--surprisingly--kept her mouth shut. "Um, the French toast is really good, though, Mom," Jade added in a softer tone. "Thank you."
As their parents were getting ready to load into the van, Cleo lingered in the foyer for a minute, looking at Jade with that same sad expression. "I'm sorry," she said. "I didn't mean to make it weird. I just didn't want them picking on you this morning." She left, locking the door behind her, and Jade had the house to herself. She couldn't help but soften a bit--as irritating as her little sister's big mouth could be, it was a nice gesture.
They had always looked out for each other like that, even though they were about as different as two siblings could get. Jade had quit going to church over a year ago, while Cleo co-led the church's choir. Jade buzzed her blonde hair and wore a lot of denim, while Cleo was the picture of femininity--lace and bows frequently adorned her slender frame and long, dark hair. Though they were only two years apart, Jade's tall stature and stark features had always made her pass for older, while Cleo's freckled face and big eyes gave her a more youthful beauty.
Their interests differed, too; while they often bonded over music, Jade was much more worldly than her 19-year-old sister. Cleo never stepped out of line--it was unlikely that she'd ever had even a sip of beer--while Jade had experienced more than a few different kinds of highs. Still, as different as they were, Jade and Cleo had always had something of an unspoken pact to be there for each other in a household that was strict and unyielding.
Jade needed to lie down. She made her way back upstairs to the room that she and Cleo shared.
Why the hell not,
she thought, fishing a pre-rolled joint and lighter out of her top drawer before stepping out onto their mini balcony. The weather was grossly cheerful--a light breeze settled in to accompany Jade as she slowly inhaled. The world, she supposed, was reminding her that it didn't care about her shitty little life. If Paige were here, she'd probably say something about the poetic irony of it all. Paige was like that: smart, but she leaned into it a little too heavily.
Just as she started down the long, pathetic road of reminiscing about her now-ex, Jade was startled by a
tap-tap
on the sliding glass door behind her. As quickly and surreptitiously as she could, she flicked her joint through the balcony fence and into the bushes below before turning to face whoever had caught her. Luckily, the face behind the glass door was Cleo's. Jade nodded for Cleo to come join her, and the younger sibling slid open the door and stepped out onto the balcony, taking the other seat.
"You're not going to church?" Jade asked, genuinely curious.
"I thought you could use the company today," Cleo answered.
"I bet that took some finessing." This was met with a
yeah, tell me about it
look from Cleo.
"So, what were you doing out here?"
"Uh, just getting some air." Cleo looked disbelieving, but didn't push.
"I'm really sorry about Paige," she said. Jade shrugged. "No," Cleo continued, "she's a real b-word if she doesn't see what an awesome person you are."
"Whoa-ho-ho!" Jade laughed. "Little sis gettin' serious!" Cleo blushed. "No, I... I appreciate it. Really. And thanks for telling Mom and Dad. I wasn't looking forward to that conversation."
"You're welcome," Cleo said quietly. They sat in silence for a few moments. Jade felt the absence of her wasted joint. Then, she got an idea. Holding up one finger to Cleo, Jade walked back into their room and fished around in her top drawer. She brought back two joints and sat down with a curious look on her face.
Cleo, on the other hand, looked terrified. This prompted a hearty laugh from Jade. "You don't have to do anything you don't want to. I just thought it would be polite to give you the option."
Closing her eyes, Cleo shook her head quickly and raised her eyebrows. "Um, no, thank you." Jade nodded. "But--" Cleo added quickly, "I don't mind, um, if you want to. Really." Jade's eyebrows went up. She considered for a moment before shrugging, sitting back, and lighting up. It felt funny to be doing this in front of her perfect little sister, but Cleo had given her permission. They sat like that for a few moments, Jade taking the occasional puff and Cleo sitting way too stiffly. As Jade felt the high come on, she couldn't help but chuckle at her sister's innocence.
"Nothing," she said to Cleo's curious look. "Just... surprised by you."
"What is it, um, like?" the younger sibling asked. "Weed, I mean" she added in a whisper.
Time to play the older sister role.
"It's fuckin' awesome."
Oops. Oh well.
"It's the opposite of stressful, and it makes everything feel interesting and funny. At least, that's how it is for me. Some people just get drowsy." Cleo stayed seated stiffly, but her brow furrowed and her eyes focused on the fresh joint on the table. Jade saw an opportunity. "It would probably be too much for you to handle," she said with just a hint of teasing in her voice.
Cleo--defiantly, slowly--reached out toward the joint as if it were a wild animal poised to bite. Jade looked on, smiling in disbelief, as her goody-two-shoes younger sister slowly picked up and inspected the piece of rolled paper. The older sibling held her lighter out, and Cleo cautiously put the joint to her lips, letting Jade light the end for her. "You have to breathe in," Jade said, watching the end glow red as her sister followed her instructions. Not two seconds later, Cleo erupted in a fit of coughing. Jade chuckled, patting her sister hard on the back. "See?" she said, "I knew it would be too much for you."
Cleo's eyes narrowed. "I know what you're doing," she said. But she put the joint back to her lips anyway, looking at Jade expectantly. The older sibling relit the end for her sister, who managed to take in a sizeable hit before coughing again. There they sat, passing Jade's lighter back and forth, and the situation was
hilarious
to Jade. The more she smoked, the funnier it became. The more she laughed, the more her little sister wanted to prove that she could hold her own. As a result, Cleo burned through her joint rather quickly. Noticing this, Jade leaned over to inspect Cleo's eyes. This led to another hilarious realization: her sister was
stoned
.
"What are you laughing at?" Cleo asked.
"Nothing," answered Jade. "You did good, sis." Their parents would be pissed if they found out, but Jade didn't really care. She decided that she wasn't being a bad influence, not really. That brainwashing church their family went to wasn't any better, and it was time her sister started to experience some of the real world. "You can say it, by the way," she added. Cleo looked confused. "The...
b-word
," Jade whispered teasingly. Cleo flushed.
"Paige is a, um...
biiiitch
." It was the slowest and most awkward cursing Jade had ever heard, and she loved it.
"Paige is a bitch!" she replied, chuckling.
"She's a total... bitch," her sister answered, more confidently this time.
"Bitch bitch bitch!" Jade yelled out to the open sky. Cleo started laughing hard. Her laughter led to more coughing. "Let's get you some water," Jade suggested, moving to get up. Her sister started to protest, but Jade nodded
c'mon
, and Cleo stood to follow.
After a brief excursion to the kitchen, the sisters settled back into their room with water, coffee, and snacks. They loaded up Mario Kart and were soon teasing each other about who was winning.
"Are you sure you're okay, Cleo?" Jade chuckled. "You keep running into walls. Even more than usual, I mean."
"Shut up!" Cleo retorted. "...I'm just a little dizzy." Jade's smile turned into a look of concern.
"Are you uncomfortable?"
"No," Cleo replied, "it's just that everything looks... extra 3-D. You know?" Jade smiled, relieved. She knew exactly what to do. She cut off the game. "Hey!" Cleo said, but Jade just held up a finger as she pulled something up on her phone.
"Here we go," Jade said, and she broadcast her phone to the TV. Blue filled the screen, accompanied by slow, mystical music. A school of fish came into focus.
"What is this?"
"
Blue Planet.
" Before long, David Attenborough's lilting baritone voice joined the soundscape.
"
Just below the surface of the great Atlantic Ocean lies a thriving, yet delicate, ecosystem..."
"Whoa," Cleo said, staring at the screen intently. Her eyes were bloodshot, and her mouth lay slightly agape. Jade smiled. She felt proud of her little sister for breaking out of her shell.
"This is your first time ever doing anything like this, isn't it?" she asked.
"Huh?" Cleo replied. "Oh. Yeah. Although, I have tried drinking before--I just didn't like it very much. It made me feel like I couldn't think straight. But right now, I feel like I can think of a bunch of things all at once."
"--
these ten thousand eggs will soon become tiny fish--
"
"...Is this what you do every week instead of coming to church?"
"Most weeks, yeah."
"How do you not get caught? I mean, how do you act normal when Mom and Dad come home?"
Jade smiled. "It comes with practice. And it'll wear off, don't worry. Drink your water." Cleo did as she was told, and Jade grabbed a blanket from her bed. She wrapped the soft fabric around Cleo's shoulders.
"Thank you." Even just sitting there wrapped in Jade's blanket, high as a kite, Cleo looked effortlessly beautiful.
