Page 1 of Mark

CHAPTER ONE

Freya

Get a cat, they said. It will be therapeutic, they said. But as I once again shake a pack of cat treats while walking around the flat I share with my best friend, I begin to think my cat was put on this earth to test me.

My phone, which is pressed between my shoulder and ear, threatens to fall. I grab it, listening to my mum as she continues her rant, even though I have more important things to be doing. Like trying to find my escape artist of a cat.

“It’s your sister’s wedding, Freya. You have to be there.”

“Mum, I can’t afford to go. I have bills to pay.”

A destination wedding is expensive enough, but my sister has gone and booked a cruise. Our parents may be well off, but I’m not. I have bills to pay, a cat to provide for.

“What bills? You live in a tiny box flat. I’m sure it doesn’t cost that much to live there,” she scolds, and I hear her cluck her tongue.

My mum loves me. That’s what I have to keep reminding myself.

She loves me so much, she suffocates me. She didn’t understand why I wanted to move out. In her eyes, I turned my back on our family. What she doesn’t realise is that I did itforour family. She treated me like a child whilst I was living there. I had a curfew of midnight, I had to ask if friends could sleep over, and if I dreamed of bringing a guy back, I wouldn’t hear the last of it. Which is why I’ve only ever had a relationship with one guy—Danny Ledger. After three long years, he called it quits out of nowhere. Or at least, it felt that way to me at the time.

Then…

A few weeks after our break up, which happened over a year ago, he turned up at our house holding hands with my youngersister—Esther. They were in love, and neither felt any shame for what they had done.

Things at home became worse after their declaration. I love my sister, but watching her cuddle up to the man I once loved... it cut deep. I had to sit and watch them act all lovey-dovey at the dinner table, and listen to my parents tell them they made a beautiful couple. I had to hold back each time my sister low-key patronised me about me finding the right person. Things between us had been rocky before she and Danny got together; they just got worse after they announced their relationship. I held on for as long as I could, hoping the remarks and digs would pass so we could go back to how we were as kids. They didn’t. I wasn’t holding a flame for Danny, but it was too much to be around them both and have everyone treat me like I was the problem. So the minute my best friend asked me to get a place with her, I jumped at the chance and moved in with her and her parents whilst we looked for a place. We got our flat seven months ago, but the people who lived here before left it in a right mess. We had to redecorate and refurbish doors before we could move in. Now, after five months, we are finally settling in. My parents no longer need to get in the middle of me and Esther arguing, and we aren’t at each other’s throats or living on top of each other.

“Mum, we have the same bills you do. Our rent is more than your mortgage.”

“We could help you with a ticket.”

I place the pack of cat treats down on the side and pinch the bridge of my nose. “Mum, I’m not letting you pay for my ticket.”

“Are you not happy for your sister?”

I meet Summer’s gaze as I answer. “I’mthrilledfor my sister.”

“Liar,” Summer mouths from where she sits on the sofa.

I’m not jumping for joy, but I am happy Esther has found someone she loves. I just don’t need her to dig the knife in deeper. It’s not the break up that hurts; it’s the betrayal from two people I loved. My sister is supposed to be the one person I can trust implicitly.

Esther is gorgeous. She has long, straight blonde hair, whereas mine is a curly, frizzy mess unless tamed. She has a slim figure, whereas mine is slightly curvy at the hips. Everyone loves her, whereas I tend to piss people off with my smart mouth. She also has the brains to go with her beauty, whereas I let my family down by becoming a teacher. Those who can’t, teach, and all that crap. Esther’s always been the favourite. All I ever did was let my parents down. And she’s so smug about it. My mum reminds me of what a let-down I am every time I go for Sunday dinner. My dad, however, is gentler about it.

“Then what is the issue? What is so important that you would miss your sister’s wedding?”

I don’t comment on the fact Esther is marrying my ex-boyfriend, or that Esther and I haven’t gotten along in a long time. She will only accuse me of being the issue. And there’s only so much a soul can take.

“Mum, I’ve only been at my job for a few months. I can’t ask for time off already,” I lie.

“You work at a school. You have the school holidays off,” she points out.

“Is that Freya?” I hear my dad call.

“Yes. She is refusing to go to the wedding.”

“That’s not what I said,” I argue.

“Why on earth would she miss her sister’s wedding?” he questions. “Give me the phone.”

Oh God.

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