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.”

Olly to finish her meal

• • •

Emily said, sliding in next to me. 

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

for the first time in four years. Masked Idiot and I were on outs and my mom was leaving town. It was like the universe was

my tray so she had enough space to set

“Ashley dumped Chad.”

a bite out of

“That’s it? No comment?”

coming,” she chipped in in a tone

Tony exchanged knowing

even.” I rolled my eyes. “We all saw

mean, we still

last week you said you couldn’t wait for them to break up because you wanted to ask him to prom.”

for time by rearranging the food on

“Avy!”

the direction the

“What?” I asked.

committee meeting in the AV room,” Mae

I rolled my eyes

myself from receiving awards, it was taking up too much of

I sighed.

of my closest friends inquired as he

said by

his hand for a high five

his as

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

replied, pushing open the door to the AV room.

shoulder, catching his nod

of the committee turned to me,

just heard about the meeting.” I shrugged, holding my hands up in the universal sign of surrender.

were waiting for you. It’s time to vote on Claire’s choice,”

refrain from rolling

couldn’t just text in

frustration plain for all to see. While I wasn’t trying to make her life harder, my life wasn’t exactly hearts and flowers at the moment so I wasn’t feeling

was a slight hiccup with the Luna Lovegood special award,” she added after a beat.

Luna Lovegood award 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.

technicalities. I didn’t even care much for

she answered. “We have to vote on the two

one real emergency right

her composure despite the snickers

of band?” she persevered, pasting a tight smile on her face despite the angry red coloring her

her

• • •

last week already. Based on his pattern, that meant he would go AWOL for a day or two but after the way things ended last night, I couldn’t help glancing in my rear-view mirror, looking for his bike every time I turned a corner, when I pulled up at Elderly Acres and even when I arrived at home. I felt stalked. Again. I could feel the weight of the gaze. I knew someone was watching me but no matter how hard I

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 but even now as I was getting dressed to go to a friend’s party, I still found myself expecting and hoping he would pop in through the window and head

me last night

and shut

across

I planned on wearing wasn’t in my closet where I put it which 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,

open the

lying on her stomach with her headphones on. She lazily raised her head, eyeing me

pushed one

The

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

included three other clothes she ‘borrowed’ from my closet- before I found the one

last time, return my clothes

much

Later.

rolled my

ago was

her headphones and turned her back

just as I was about to shut her door. “Mom called. She went to the airport from the office. She should arrive sometime around midnight. She said to tell you to drop off dad’s jacket and some of his fancy coffee. The jacket should be in the basement. He’s pulling

my shoulder at my

rolled her eyes. “Like five minutes ago. I was getting ready to come tell you when you barged in.”

literally less than twenty

“So?”