16. Parker
Chapter sixteen
Parker
A week passes, and the day Bethany is supposed to arrive comes all too soon. Lauren and I go to our parents’ house, though a part of me wants to skip the whole ordeal and leave them all to their reunion. I’m simply not interested.
To my consternation, Lauren invites Chloe to come along with us. Not that I don’t appreciate her presence, but I don’t know why she needs to get tangled up in this whole mess. It’s not her drama to deal with.
The house is filled with unfamiliar sounds; the clanking of dishes, hushed whispers, nervous laughter. It feels like a gathering for a funeral rather than a welcome home party. The air is thick with tension and anticipation. My mother, ever the gracious hostess, rushes around the kitchen with a manic look in her eyes. My father sits silently with his newspaper, feigning interest.
How can he be okay with this? Mom, I can kind of understand, but Dad? After Bethany nearly ruined everything that he’s built?
Lauren catches my eye from across the dining room and rolls hers. Chloe is standing next to her, and I can tell she’s confused. Of course, she is…she has no idea what really went down between Bethany and my family. She knows I haven’t spoken to my twin in years, but I’m sure the thick tension hanging in the air is throwing her off. I’m sure she’d rather be anywhere but in the middle of my family drama, and seeing as how I feel the exact same way, I can’t say that I blame her.
Needing to do something to stay busy, I push off from the wall I’ve been leaning against and make my way to the liquor cabinet.
“Isn’t it too early to start drinking?” Lauren asks after appearing at my side. She picks up a bottle of whiskey and examines it critically.
“Given the circumstances, we should already be drunk,” I reply, then pour myself a generous glass of the whiskey.
She snorts, a sound that holds more truth than humor. Filling her own glass, she clinks it against mine. She then turns to Chloe.
“You want one, too?” she asks.
Chloe nods, looking almost relieved at having something to do. “Yeah, thanks.”
Lauren pours Chloe a drink and hands it to her before holding up her glass as if in a toast.
“To surviving the day,” my sister says, and I can only nod in agreement.
We all take long sips of our whiskeys, and I relish the burn as it travels down my throat and into my belly.
“So,” Chloe begins cautiously, “anyone going to tell me what exactly is going on here?”
Lauren and I exchange a look, but when I don’t offer an explanation, my sister shrugs and releases a long sigh.
“It was a few years back,” she says. “Bethany was working for our dad, just like Parker and I, and…well…she was caught embezzling from the company. She stole hundreds of thousands of dollars from our dad.”
Chloe’s eyes widen, and her mouth drops partially open. If her reaction was about anything else, I’d find it funny. “What? But why?”
“No one knows,” I chime in, my voice huskier than I anticipated. Perhaps due to the whiskey, or maybe because I was about to be around Bethany after so long. “She never explained herself.”
“You’d think she would’ve confessed when she was caught,” Lauren says, and there’s a hint of bitterness in her tone.
“Nope.” I shake my head, memories floating back like pieces of a broken glass. “She simply packed her bags and left, leaving us all behind to clean up her mess. She nearly ruined the company. We all had to work our asses off to stabilize things again.”
Chloe looks shocked as she sips her whiskey mechanically, probably wishing it could wash away the uncomfortable knowledge she’s just acquired.
“Interesting family reunion this is going to be,” she declares finally.
“You have no idea,” Lauren and I say in unison before bursting into laughter, though it’s humorless and filled with underlying tension.
Just then, the doorbell rings, bringing an abrupt end to our laughter. It’s as if someone has flipped a switch, and the house comes alive; the atmosphere buzzes with a strange mixture of dread and anticipation.
I’m not sure why, but I blurt out, “I’ll get it.”
Before anyone can object, I make my way to the front door and hesitate a moment before yanking it open.
Bethany stares up at me, her eyes wide, which are hazel like mine. Her dark hair, again like mine, except hers falls in long waves around her shoulders, is impeccably styled. She’s a head shorter than me, but looking at her now feels like looking in a strange sort of mirror. There’s too much of my face in hers.
“Parker,” she breathes, clearly stunned to see me. “Hey…”
“I don’t know what you think you’re doing here,” I growl, “but don’t bother trying to play nice with me. Whatever you’ve done to convince Mom and Dad that you aren’t the same selfish, spoiled brat you always were won’t work on me.”
Her face falls a fraction, but she quickly recovers, lifting her chin defensively.
“I didn’t come here for you,” she says in an icy tone. I can see the challenge in her hazel eyes. She’s different somehow. Not the weepy, emotionally unstable girl who fled from home years ago. She’s hardened now, a shell around her like an unforgiving armor.
“That’s good because I don’t want you here,” I retort while crossing my arms over my chest, my whiskey glass dangling from my fingers.
“Well, it's not your decision to make.” Her gaze shifts behind me, and a hint of warmth flashes through her eyes as they land on Lauren, who’s standing behind me in the hallway. Bethany pushes past me, rolling her suitcase inside.
“Lauren!” she exclaims, enveloping our sister in a hug that seems genuine. There’s love there. Family love that’s been absent for so long that it feels foreign now. Lauren appears stunned at first, but then, she slowly returns the embrace.
I feel a flood of emotions, then, pangs of…something. Anger? Jealousy? It makes my hand tighten around the glass in my hand until veins pop against the skin of my knuckles.
I retreat back to the liquor cabinet and pour another glass of whiskey, downing it in one go as noise fills the house again. This time, it’s louder, more animated.
Behind me, Mom and Dad come out of the kitchen, and Bethany throws herself at them with dramatic flourish, her tears and laughter mingling with their happy exclamations.
I watch from afar with a hard look in my eyes.
As if sensing my gaze on them, Bethany turns to look at me over Mom’s shoulder. Her gaze is challenging, yet holds a silent plea that I have no interest in responding to.
“Hey,” Chloe says softly, suddenly appearing beside me. “You okay?”
“No,” I answer honestly.
She reaches up and puts a hand on my arm, but before she can say anything else, my mom turns toward us.
“Parker, come join us. Chloe! Do you remember Bethany?”
I don’t move, but Chloe gives me a lingering look before crossing the room to join the rest of my family.
I stay where I am, hugging my glass of whiskey as Bethany’s return continues to unsettle me, rippling through our family like a wave. The old bitterness and resentment resurface, clenching around my heart like a vise.
I down my whiskey in one long gulp, the burning sensation searing down my throat and chasing away the cold that has lodged itself there. I pour myself another glass, then take a moment to watch the scene unravel before me.
Bethany has everyone under her spell, like she always does. She’s laughing at something Dad has said, and Mom is beaming at her with unabashed joy with tears shimmering in her eyes. Chloe is standing next to them, looking both fascinated and uncomfortable by this sudden canopy of familial warmth.
I notice Lauren has stepped away from the group to refill her drink. She catches my gaze and gives me a weak smile, a mutual understanding passing between us. We had managed to keep things steady during Bethany’s absence. Her return stirs up feelings that neither of us had wanted to relive.
With every bout of laughter that echoes through the house, a sharp stab of resentment pierces through me. I’m left wondering how they could welcome her back so easily after all the chaos she’d left in her wake. Just then, Bethany’s laughter dies down as she notices me watching them from afar. Her smile fades slightly, and she makes a move as if to come over, but I lift my hand to stop her. That’s when our father steps in, his tall frame blocking my line of sight.
“Parker,” he calls out in a harsher tone than my mother had used, “aren’t you going to come over here and welcome your sister?”
At that moment, a bitter laugh escapes me rather abruptly, and everyone turns toward me in shock. I press my clenched fist into my side as the room falls silent.
“What’s so funny about your family asking for your company?” Dad questions me with an even sharper edge in his voice.
Still chuckling bitterly, I decide not to hold back. Maybe it’s the whiskey, or maybe it’s just pure resentment, but I can’t pretend that any of what’s happening is okay anymore.
“What’s so funny is that you all welcomed back the prodigal daughter without a moment’s hesitation,” I declare, my gaze landing on Bethany, who flinches at my icy tone, “while conveniently forgetting that she left nothing but destruction in her path that we all had to deal with.”
The room falls into a hushed silence. Mom’s eyes are brimming with tears as Lauren clenches her jaw. Dad looks at me, his eyes filled with disappointment, but it’s Bethany who seems to be affected the most. She looks at me, and her mask finally falls apart to reveal a flicker of guilt. Chloe just appears stunned.
The best part? I’m not done yet.
“And let me remind you all,” I continue, my voice steady and my gaze unwavering, “Bethany didn’t just leave. She ran away, leaving us to pick up the pieces of the chaos she created, and now, she returns and none of you even question it? You’re all just okay with it? Bullshit.”
“Enough, Parker!” Dad interjects sharply, his face turning a deep shade of red, but I ignore him and keep going.
“No, it’s about time we had this conversation out in the open instead of trying to forget and pretend things are fine."
“Is this what you’ve been harboring all these years?” Bethany whispers brokenly, her eyes large with shock.
I point a finger at her accusingly. “When you were out gallivanting around the world, we were here, cleaning up your mess. You shouldn’t have come back. It’d be better for us all if you were just dead!”
The room falls totally silent, and everyone stares at me as if they can’t fathom what I’ve just said. Truth be told, that was harsher than I’d even anticipated. Still, I’m so angry and hurt by this load of crap that I can’t make myself care.
“I think it’s best if you leave, son,” my dad says at length, breaking the heavy silence that’s choking us all.
I release a bitter laugh of disbelief. “Me? You want me to leave?” I shake my head, setting my glass down and glaring at them all. “Fine. I don’t want to be a part of this farce, anyway.”
Before any of them can say a word in response, I turn and storm toward the door, wanting to get as far away from my family and their misplaced loyalty as possible.
Without so much as a backward glance, I step out into the cool evening air, the slam of the door echoing harshly against the silence. I stride down the driveway, my heart pounding with a mix of relief and regret. I feel liberated from having finally voiced all the pent-up resentment that has been festering within me for years, but at the same time, I wish I hadn’t had to do it. I hate the idea of hurting my parents and Lauren, and I know I’ve done that with my harsh words and abrupt exit.
Suddenly, I hear hurried footsteps behind me. I turn around to see Chloe racing toward me, her cocktail dress billowing behind her. She stops in front of me, panting slightly and looking at me with a strange combination of worry and admiration.
“Hey,” she murmurs as she reaches up to put a hand on my arm. “You’re not leaving without me.”
I stare down at her, stunned. “You sure? You might give us away to Lauren if you do.”
She shrugs. “I don’t care. Everyone needs someone in their corner.”
My heart swells. She’s right, and I’m so grateful that she’s decided to be in mine.