The Quiet Things That No One Ever Knows

For as long as I can remember, there has been this unspoken competition between me and my sister. Actually, that's a lie. Since we were 7 there has been a competition. For years we had two parents, like most kids do. My dad would always congratulate me and praise me for things I did well. Meanwhile, my mom would do the same for my sister. Our family life was great. Me and Haley were like best friends. My mom and dad were completely in love with each other, life couldn't have been better. Then, when we were 7, our dad died. Heart problems ran in his family and one day he went into cardiac arrest. They were unable to revive him. Since then, things just got worse. My sister and I felt like we had to compete for my mom's affection. Actually, my sister felt that way. Somewhere along the line, we just grew so far apart and the competition was more intense. I just stopped trying because no matter what I did, Haley did it ten times better. So, instead of trying to impress my mother, I was just me. I glanced up as Haley popped up in my doorway.

"Peyton, mom is taking us out to dinner. And she wants us to wear the skirts she bought for us the other day." Haley said, leaving as quickly as she had appeared. These skirts that she just mentioned, were probably the ugliest things I had ever seen. They were both knee length, and these hideous colors. Haley's was bright yellow and mine was a vibrant orange. Finding the skirt took me a good ten minutes, which was pretty good time considering I had stuffed it in the back of my closet the second I got it. Knowing my mother, she would end up taking us to some fancy place. Her snobby tastes were good from time to time, especially when she was making us dress like clowns. At least if we went to expensive restaurants, I wouldn't see anyone I know. Reluctantly, I put on the skirt and a button down white top. I didn't feel like pleasing my mother tonight, so I left my hair down and didn't put on any makeup. The competition tonight would be easy for my sister to win.

"We're leaving!" I felt so loved. They don't even come up to get me, they just yell and expect me to hear them. Maybe they would forget me. They would climb in the car and drive off without me. I stood in the silence, waiting to hear the car pull out of the driveway. Unfortunately, I wasn't so lucky. The next thing I heard was obviously my mom leaning on the horn.

"I'm coming. Calm down ma." I muttered to myself as I walked downstairs, pulling open the front door and heading to the car.

"Took you long enough." Haley called out the window. I sent a sarcastic smile in her direction before climbing into the backseat.

"Sorry, I didn't hear you." I lied. My mom pulled out of the driveway and I jerked at the speed she used to turn.

"Couldn't you at least have put on a little rouge? We aren't going to McDonalds." my mother chided me.

"Where are we going?" I asked, praying for some fancy expensive restaurant.

"Daniel. The new restaurant that opened up downtown." Haley replied, running a finger underneath her eye to fix the smudged eyeliner. There was one thing I did better than she did, makeup. I sat in silence in the backseat, tuning out the mindless chatter between my sister and mother. The restaurant ended up only being about a half an hour away, so before I knew it, we were there. Apparently she had made reservations, and of course our table was the best one in the room. We sat down and ordered what we got every time we went out, three waters with lemon. I hated water with lemon, but my mom always ordered it for us. So I just drank it without complaining.

"So guess who wrote the editorial for this month's issue of the paper?" Haley said with a grin.

"Haley, congratulations! What's it about?" my mother asked excitedly.

"It's about how family life affects the person you become. I used my own personal experiences. I wrote about how I am a good person today because of my amazing mother." I kept myself from gagging at her sickly sweet tone. I wanted to say 'What about our father?', but I didn't. My mother blushed at Haley's overly enthusiastic praise of her.

"Oh Haley...you shouldn't have." she said, taking a sip of her water. "So I know how Haley's doing... How are you, honey?"

"I'm doing pretty good. We are having try outs all week for new cheerleaders. And I got an A on my essay in Mr. Turner's english class." I had my own successes to talk about, but I knew my sister would have something better to say in response.

"That's great! I'm glad you're keeping up in your studies."

"Mom, I forgot to tell you...I met a boy." Haley interrupted.

"What happened to Steve? He was a nice boy."

"It just wasn't working out. Steve was suffocating me. I had to end it." Steve was the guy she had brought home last week. I knew he wasn't going to last. Firstly, her dating him didn't make me jealous. Secondly, he was on the debate team, played with Pokemon cards, and even tried to start a club at school called 'Nerds Anonymous'. Seriously, HE was shocked that he got a girlfriend. He was lucky it was even for a week.

"Well, who's this new boy?"

"His name is Lucas, Lucas Scott. He used to go to the prep but he is transferring to Tree Hill high this week." she said excitedly. "Peyton, I think you'll like him. He's into reading and that lame music you listen to." I just put on a smile, really wanting to jump across the table and strangle her.

"How old is he?"

"Oh same as Peyton and I. And I was thinking maybe he could stop by for dinner tomorrow. Meet everyone." Haley suggested.

"What a lovely idea!" my mother exclaimed, like it was the best thing in the world. The competition had ended early this evening, and my sister had won. The rest of dinner was pretty much spent discussing the new boyfriend. Luckily, my thoughts kept me entertained as they droned on. One thing was for sure, I was not looking forward to tomorrow night's dinner.