Yeah, it does tend to suck a little when even your parents would choose your shitty straight-A student of a brother over you. They say I'm a rebel without a cause. But I say I'm just a teenager.
I just stood there open mouthed as I watched my dad pat his son on the back and ruffle his hair like a two-year-old, Robert stood there with a that big shit-eating grin that I so desperately wanted to punch off his shit-eating face.
So what if I only just scraped enough passable marks to graduate? Oh, who am I kidding? I fucked up big time. But what musician needs a friggin' degree in, I dunno, The Science of Cheese. Actually, I think I would take that class, it sounds pretty kick-ass if you ask me.
So, back to my lovely dork of a brother. You know what makes me crazy is the fact that he got the clever half of the egg when we were spilt in the womb of our dearest mother 18 years to the day in two weeks time. And you know what else pisses me off? The fact that I'm the older twin. I came first. So why am I always put second?
I glared over at my mom and her little Bobbikins stood side by side while my dad snapped about forty pictures with his ginormic vintage camera. I rolled my eyes and walked away. S'okay, Mom, Dad, I'll just go home. S'not like you give a rat's ass about me anyway, you two just carry on mollycoddling your seventeen year old pride and joy like he's five. I'll just crawl into a corner and let self-pity eat me alive.
You may have already noticed, but if you haven't then I shall tell you, I'm a teeny bit dramatic when it comes to life. I mean, as crap as it may be, you've only got one shot right? After that, its game over. Buuut then again, Child Prodigy over there will probably find a cure for death. Along with a cure for the Common Cold, global warming and shit.
I ended up at the old park where I used to go with my dad when I was like four. Yes, my dear children, there was in fact a time when I was treated at part of the family. Then I grew up.
I sat on the grass hill over looking the small run down park. I love this place. Its pretty in its own ugly way. My mom told me, "Cleo, there's no such thing as ugly, everything is beautiful in its own unique way." By that, she meant, "Cleo, I think you're ugly, but you're ugly in your own special way." Thanks mother. Way to boost my confidence.
Anyway, I sat there for a good hour of so. By then I'd discarded the fugly yellow graduation robe thing and tossed it behind me somewhere. The sun was hung low in the sky, casting an orange glow over everything it could touch. I sighed and lay back on the crispy half-dead grass and looked at the purple clouds drag themselves lazily across the darkening sky.
"Who's there?" A female voice called out, I sat up and turned in the direction of the voice, "Oh, its you." Oh golly, this shall be humorous. I looked at the four figures approaching.
"Oh, hello Temperance." I said, dragging out her full name just to piss her off. Honestly though, who in their right mind would have a kid called Temperance?! Friggin' Temperance! Her folks are really old-fashioned. I don't even mean old fashioned like mine, who still think AIM is an army command. I mean, 19th Century old fashioned. Anywho, it apparently means virtue. Yah, the virtue she lost in… Third Grade was it?
"Its Tammy to you." She hissed, "What's up? Mommy and Daddy disown you again?" There's a funny story behind that actually… But that is for a different time entirely.
"How do you get Tammy from Temperance, Temperance?" I asked, furrowing my brown and tapping my chin in deep thought.
"You just do! Is that okay, Chloe?"
"Its Cle--" I snapped.
"Don't care." Her little army of plastic whores all giggled their weird little nasal giggle. Okay… Perfectly usual…
"Hey, Cameron." I said, ducking my head so my bangs partly covered my face. What's better than messing directly with Temp, when you can mess with Temp through Cameron, Temp's boyf. I don't actually like him. I don't usually go for the humungous football playing beefcakes, but whatever pays the bills. Ha! He likes me though, if I may so say.
"Um, hey Cleo," He said, dropping Temp's hand to rub the back of his neck.
"Ugh! You cannot be serious! Cammy…" She wined, tugging on his arm and fluttering her mascara coated lashes at him, "Remember what we had planned for later?" She half moaned. Remember what I said about third grade?
"I would love to stay and chat, but unlike some people, I actually have a life." I said, stretching over to grab the fugly robe then standing up, dusting off my butt in the process. "Goodbye, Temperance, Temperance's friends, Cameron," I said, saluting them before turning on my heel and walking away.
"G'night, Cleo!" Cameron yelled after me.
"Ugly dyke!" Temperance yelled at the same time.
Jealousy is a disgusting emotion.
I got home an hour later, I walked the long way round. By the 'long way round' I mean taking a inexistent short-cut that resulted in me ending up in a completely alien area. But I, like, totally meant to do that, duh!
I, once again, went the awkward way, hurdling the low fence at the side of the house, climbing up the drainpipe, and across Bob's window ledge to eventually crawl through my window, successfully falling and landing on my head with a thud. 'Honey, I'm home!'
"Cleopatra Juliana Parker!" My mother's shrill voice rang up the staits and into my ears. Still dazed from my head's recent collision with the wooden floor, I stood up shakily and rubbed the back of my head. Uh-oh. I never get the full name. Often Cleopatra, but when the Juliana card is played, I know I'm in some pretty deep shit.
I momentarily argued the pros and cons of legging it back through the window and off to pastures unknown. However, the cons won in a landslide and I reluctantly crept downstairs into the living room where my parents were sitting side by side on the cream loveseat by the cream wall that met the cream carpet that I was tredding dust all over. My bad.
"Sit down." My dad ordered. Okay, deep breath. I'm not worried, just a bit apprehensive…
"Cleopatra." My mother addressed me. She saw me reduce my eyes to slits and sat up straighter, "Patsy," Oh, joy! "We've been think--"
"No, Linda, there's no need to be nice to her. Patsy, how could you possibly think we'd not know about you barely graduating?!" My dad said, his voice raising with every word.
"If you ask me, I don't see what all the hullabaloo is about! I graduated didn't I?!"
"Nobody is asking you!" He shouted, "Yes, you graduated, but have you thought about the future? No wonder you haven't mentioned anything about college acceptances! You havent got any, have you!" He roared. Ouch. "Look at your brother! He's had offers from Yale, and Harvard and Princeton! And then there's you." He spat the last word out with utter disgust.
"Well its not like you expect anything from me anyway!" I argued, "I'm the dumbass twin remember?"
"YOU WILL NOT CURSE IN THIS HOUSE!" My mom suddenly erupted, making my jump.
"Sorry." I mumbled.
"Why can't you just be more like Robert?" My dad said quietly but it was still loud enough for me to hear. Ouch. Again.
"Well excuse me for not being like Mr Perfect! Speaking of, where is Mommy and Daddy's Favourite Child on this fine evening?" I said sarcastically. I have been poned for the last time.
"Out. He'll be home soon. We can trust Robert to be in before curfew, unlike anybody else in this house."
"Well good for Bob." I said, getting up off the sofa and stretching my arms above my head.
"And just where do you think you're going, young lady?" My mom asked me, rising herself.
"Out." I answered, heading for the door.
"No you are not!"
"Watch me."
"Get back her now, Cleopatra!" My dad was up in a flash grabbing my arm in a vice like hold. He yanked me round to face him, holding my forearm tighter. I fought against him, but his hold grew stronger.
"Don't. Call. Me. Cleopatra." I said through gritted teeth.
"Don't you tell me what to do!" He yelled, moving his hand to squeeze my upper arm and shake me like a doll.
"Get off me!" I said. The regained blood flow to my hand was almost painful.
"You need to clean up your act, Patsy!" My mom whispered, her eyes welling up. Like she gives a damn!
"No! You two need to clean up yours!" I said. It was actually more of a yell, but I wont go into details. "You treat Robert like fucking royalty and me like crap! Its not fair!"
The next thing I felt was the back of my dad's hand collide with the side of my face. I stumbled backwards forcefully into the wall and half fell over.
"John!" My mom screeched, coming to my side to help me up. I shook her off.
"Your mother told you not to curse in this house." He said simply, sitting back down and rubbing his forehead.
I stood up and cradled the left side of my face. Um.. Ouch. Again. I cast one look at my mother who now had tears running down her face. Boy can she act.
"I'm outta here." I said, my voice cracking several times in the one sentence.
"Patsy, don't go!" She wept, trying to pull me back in. For the second, maybe third time, I shook her off and carried on out of the door to my room.
I have been poned for the last time.