Page 16 of Ivy's Venom

“My boy is going to be hired by the Patriots.” My dad boasts as he downs his fourth glass of whiskey.

Once I declared my major as sport’s medicine, he hasn’t shut up about it, and most of the time his drunk ass just sounds stupid.

“I think I’m gonna head upstairs.” I look at Shay, “did you need help with the dishes?”

“No, no, I’m fine.” She heads to the dishwasher.

“I’m going out for a bit.” Amelia declares and I glare at her.

“Out where?” I demand.

“You can’t go anywhere without your brother,” Dad slurs and I try to breathe out the urge to knock him out.

“But he is so lame!” Amelia actually stomps her foot. “He doesn’t know how to have fun.”

“Exactly.” Dad nods and I growl.

“Ugh!” Amelia storms off to her room.

I stand up and dad laughs, “that fixed that.” He says it like he knew she wouldn’t want to go out with me. Fucking prick.

I ignore him and head upstairs towards our rooms. Mine and Charlotte’s rooms are on the left hand side and Amelia’s is on the right. Instead of stopping at my own, I keep on going and stand outside of Charlotte’s. We were close at one time but even I have to admit the last year of her life was different.

She and I were growing apart and at the time, I attributed that to us being into different things and maturing, but now I’m starting to realize that maybe something was up.

I open her room door and step inside. Charlotte wasn’t a regular girly girl, she liked to watch anime, she collected keychains with her name on them, and had an obsession with old eighties and nineties movies.

She decorated her walls with posters of Rihanna, Katy Perry, and Nicki Minaj, some even had hearts around the faces. No, the longer I stay in this room, the more I feel like I really didn’t know her.

“Charlotte was obsessed with Rihanna.” Amelia says from the doorway, surprising me.

“Yeah,” I raise an eyebrow. “Looks like it.”

“That summer she stayed here, the one she…you know.” Amelia stutters.

The summer she died. I nod for her to continue.

“Charlotte hated me.” She finishes.

“No, she didn’t.” I’m quick to defend my sister.

“She did.” Amelia insists. “She flushed all my body wash, cut up my new clothes, and even embarrassed me in front of my friends by calling me a lesbian.”

“What?” I shake my head. This doesn’t sound like Charlotte. “Amelia, you were young…”

“No, Neil. There was something wrong with Charlotte.” She exhales and leans against the door jamb. “I was relieved when she was gone.”

Her words come out strangled with pain and guilt. “I was happy she was dead because I knew the bullying would stop. I know that’s morbid and disgusting, but it was how I felt.”

“Why didn’t you tell me?”

“How?” She exclaims, throwing her arms wide. “You were never here anymore. You were going to start university and I hadn’t seen you in months.”

I scrub my hand down my face and let the guilt consume me for a bit. I was absent that summer to both of my sisters and that’s something I can never take back.

“Where were you planning to go tonight?” I ask her, feeling myself cave.

“Wharf party.” She smiles wide.

---