When Perfect Meets Crazy

“What are you trying to say, Olivianne?” Mom asked, delicately setting down her coffee mug.

Olly grimaced.

I pressed my lips to a thin line to keep from smiling. She would always be Olivianne to our mom just like I would always be Avyanna. Mom absolutely abhorred nicknames. 

“I’m ready. I can play Chopin in my sleep.” Olly persevered.

I quietly munched on my cereal.

She should’ve waited till after Mom was fully caffeinated to emancipate herself from violin lessons. Caffeinated Mom was much more agreeable than decaf Mom.

“You think so?” Mom’s tone made it clear she definitely didn’t.

Olly flashed me a ‘help me’ look. I shovelled in what was left of my breakfast and escaped to the sink. Sorry, babe.

“Any Tom, Dick and Harry with a background in violin can play Chopin in their sleep,” Mom continued.

“But Mom,” Olly whined. “I can really play.”

I rolled my eyes. Whining definitely wasn’t going to work on our mother. She was a lawyer for heaven’s sake and while, yes, she had a soft spot for Olly, this was not one of those times she’d just let it slide because it was her favorite child asking.

“You know the rules, Olivianne. I don’t think you’re ready and since you can’t convince me otherwise, I expect you to be there every other week.”

“Mommy!” she protested, whining in typical Olly fashion. “I know I’m ready. Avy stopped when she was my age.”

“Past precedent does not apply here. Avyanna mastered two instruments. Would you like to take on a second instrument?” Mom countered.

I could feel Olly’s eyes shoot poisonous darts at my back. I rolled my eyes again. It wasn’t like I enjoyed learning them.

“Give me a piece. Any piece,” she begged.

I could only drag on rinsing out one bowl for so long. I had to give up my cover soon enough. I placed the bowl on the rack to dry and slunk back to my seat.

“Any piece?” Mom’s tone warned that it was a dangerous road to take. It made it clear she was going to find a piece even a first chair Vienna music hall violinist would have trouble playing.

Olly glanced at me, begging me with her eyes to jump in. I scowled. Damn younger sisters.

“She’s starting sophomore year next session. She will have to build up her extra-curriculars and her academic load will increase. A lot. She might not have enough time for all of it,” I chipped in. “It’s worth considering.” I shrugged. “If she passes, she can at least get a head start studying with the new free time.”

Olly glared at me, wirelessly communicating, ‘Are you really helping me or trying to kill my social life?’

My eyes answered, ‘Zip it, you dragged me into this.’

“Hmmm,” Mom drawled. “That’s a fair point. We’ll talk about it when I get back.”

“Back?” I echoed, a frown marring my features. Normally, she’d say later. It was unlike her to use the phrase like that unless--

“You’re travelling?” Olly inquired, barely managing to mask her glee.

“Yes,” Mom answered before turning her attention to me. “The oil case, you worked on it over the weekend, needs me there for the hearing and to go over sensitive documents they refuse to fax over.”

I nodded. I had done paralegal work on that over the weekend while stressing over Masked Idiot’s NDA.

“So you’re going to Texas. For how long?”

“A month if things work out according to schedule. Longer if not.”

With each word that left her mouth, Olly’s grin widened while my dread heightened. It wasn’t surprising or anything. She was due to travel any time soon. She had been home for over three months now. It was rare for her to go longer than that without an out-of-state case but no matter how prepared I tried to be, I never seemed to be ready for the reality of it. Of being left alone with my dad, without the passive safety net she provided. Especially not during this period when he was in a perpetual bad mood with the force taking a lot of heat for not having caught perpetrators of the downtown robberies.

It’s just four weeks, Avyanna. Four weeks. Seven days, four times. I can do that. I can handle that. I’ll just be extra careful. It’s seven days, four times. It’ll go by fast.

“Mrs Robbins mentioned that you took the day off from work,” Mom stated, levelling me with a questioning look as she sipped her coffee.

“Hmm?” I looked up, distracted by my thoughts. “Yeah, I--”

“Yeah?” she interrupted.

“Yes,” I corrected. “Sorry. Yes, I want to visit Elderly Acres. Some of the residents are organizing a sort of send-off for me.”

“Didn’t you say your goodbyes last month when you quit?” Her tone made it clear she didn’t see what the fuss was about and more than that, she didn’t approve.

“Yes but they want to make it a little more formal I guess.”

She wrinkled her nose and shook her head in disapproval. “That’s fine. You girls should get to school. It’s getting late.”

waited for Olly to finish her meal

• • •

you hear?” Emily said, sliding in next to me.

by in a blur. Honestly, it felt like they didn’t have things to teach us anymore. Like they were stalling for time, for graduation. I was starting to get bored by school again but I couldn’t, wouldn’t tell my mom that. She would say I brought it on myself, that I should’ve agreed to speed up my schedule and gone to college in my junior year like she asked. Like the adviser from the state education board offered. I’d

the funk but so far, it wasn’t working. I was off my game. School was boring again for the first time in four years. Masked Idiot and I were on outs and my mom was leaving

tray so she had enough

“Ashley dumped Chad.”

mouthed, taking a bite out of

“That’s it? No comment?”

she chipped in in a tone I recognized all too well. It was a tone that said, ‘Wonder

and Tony exchanged knowing

I rolled my eyes. “We all saw

mean, we still hoped,”

because you

by rearranging the food

“Avy!”

all turned in the direction

“What?” I asked.

tell you. Emergency prom committee meeting in the

I rolled my eyes and let out a

was only in to thwart myself from receiving awards, it was

I sighed.

inquired as he walked towards me, heading to the cafeteria

committee,” I said by

for a

against his as we moved past

plays to run by you!” he called out behind me like

to the AV room. “Or at

my shoulder, catching his nod

turned to me,

holding my hands up in the universal sign

waiting for you. It’s time to

managing to refrain from rolling

reason why we couldn’t just text

her life harder, my life wasn’t exactly hearts and flowers at the moment so I wasn’t feeling particularly inclined to

just told everyone else, there was a slight hiccup

was actually my idea but everyone had voted in favor of it. It was an award for the most lovable weirdo in school. She was only a junior but her classmates had very little imagination. Chances they’d honor her next year

though it was my idea, I wasn’t particularly interested in the technicalities. I didn’t even care much for it. It was just an idea that randomly popped into my head and I shared. I wasn’t in the

she answered. “We have to

that’s one real emergency right there.” I rolled my

credit, she maintained her composure despite the snickers that erupted from the

persevered, pasting a tight smile on her face

gaze found Claire’s over her

• • •

mirror, looking for his bike every time I

criminal. That would be unforgivable. This was my only viable option. The smart thing to do was to make my peace with what the situation now was. He gave me options, I made my decision and this was his. I should accept it and adjust like I had been telling myself all day

from afar and after the way he had looked at me last night like he was Adolf Hitler and I was a Jew, I

and shut my

across

could only mean one thing. Olly had taken it. How she even managed to wear it was beyond me. Although she was quickly catching up, my boobs were

the door to her

stomach with her headphones

She pushed one of the ears

dress. The burgundy

opposite of me when it came to organization. Where I neatly stacked my books and evenly spaced my pens on my study table, Olly used her chair as a clothes holder and her desk as miscellaneous surface. Where I color coded, she ‘followed her heart.’ Translation: her room

so clothes on it -which included three other clothes she

the last time, return my clothes

so much

going to. Later.

my eyes.

how long ago

replaced her headphones and

to the airport from the office. She should arrive sometime

over my shoulder at my lounging sister. “And when did she tell

minutes ago. I was getting

than twenty steps

“So?”