That night, after Raelyn was asleep, Rachel went into Rhianna's room.
"I think we should call a truce." she said.
"Fine." Rhia replied. "You stop treating me like such a screw-up, I'll think about it."
"Right, Rhianna, because everything's my fault, isn't it?" Rachel snapped. "You're just the poor, innocent baby sister, and I'm the horrible, demanding perfectionist."
"Yeah, that's about right." Rhia said coolly.
"Fine," Rachel said, throwing her hands up. "Forget it. But if I'm so bad, how come you're the one who bailed on us the first chance you got?"
"I bailed on you?" Rhianna repeated, shocked. "You gave up on me a long time before I left, Rachel. Why should I have stayed, when we both know damn well that you wanted me gone?"
"Like you've ever listened to me before!" Rachel retorted. "What about Rae, and Dad? How did you think they felt when you took off?"
"Don't you lay that on me, Rachel Prudence." Rhianna said, shaking with anger. "Just because you've dedicated yourself to being the martyr, taking care of everyone else and screwing yourself and what you wanted to do, doesn't mean the rest of us have to. Some of us actually have the courage to go out and pursue our dreams-"
"Which is what, exactly?" Rachel asked, her voice rising. "What was it you did in New York, Rhianna? Because all I heard from Rae and Dad was that you needed money, or that you got fired again from another dead-end job waiting tables at some hellhole bar. So what was it you were hoping to accomplish, exactly? And did you accomplish it? Did you?"
"At least I wasn't too afraid to try." Rhia retorted smugly. "At least I didn't stay home, hiding behind my supposed devotion to my little sisters, absolutely terrified of doing anything else. God, you really fooled everyone, didn't you, Rach? They all felt so bad for you. Poor Rachel, stuck at home, caring for her dumbass little sisters and her sick father. And oh, she's so brave. Never once complains. Didn't they ever wonder why you were so happy to do all this, so eager to stay at home when you could've been going away to college, living on your own, like everyone else your age wants? Didn't they ever notice how scared you were of failing, and how that was the reason you stayed so close to dear old dad? Damn, girl, maybe you could be an actress. If, of course, you ever get up the courage to try something on your own."
"You ungrateful bitch." Rachel whispered, tears rolling down her face. "I'm the scared one? I'm the one afraid to do anything? Tell me, then, how come you ran away after Daddy got sick, and I was the one who stayed here, and had to watch him die? Oh, sure, you came back in the last few weeks, to say good-bye, and all the other daughterly bullshit you thought you should do. But me, I was here the whole damn time. I took care of him when he was sick, I watched him get worse every day. I stayed by him, me, while you were off doing God-knows-what and not dealing with it at all. Now who's the coward in the family?"
With that, Rachel ran out of the room. She locked herself in her own bedroom, and buried her face in her pillow, sobs wracking her body.
Rhianna, meanwhile, had also started crying. Angrily, she threw her pillow at the now-closed door, where only moments ago Rachel had been standing. Then, she lay back onto her bed, burying her face in the mattress.
Neither girl slept that night.
****************
A/N: Did that completely suck? I was trying to show them as being beyond pissed off, you know, the whole 'underlying family issues' deal. I dunno if I got it, though. Review and let me know what you think, I could really use some feedback.
"I think we should call a truce." she said.
"Fine." Rhia replied. "You stop treating me like such a screw-up, I'll think about it."
"Right, Rhianna, because everything's my fault, isn't it?" Rachel snapped. "You're just the poor, innocent baby sister, and I'm the horrible, demanding perfectionist."
"Yeah, that's about right." Rhia said coolly.
"Fine," Rachel said, throwing her hands up. "Forget it. But if I'm so bad, how come you're the one who bailed on us the first chance you got?"
"I bailed on you?" Rhianna repeated, shocked. "You gave up on me a long time before I left, Rachel. Why should I have stayed, when we both know damn well that you wanted me gone?"
"Like you've ever listened to me before!" Rachel retorted. "What about Rae, and Dad? How did you think they felt when you took off?"
"Don't you lay that on me, Rachel Prudence." Rhianna said, shaking with anger. "Just because you've dedicated yourself to being the martyr, taking care of everyone else and screwing yourself and what you wanted to do, doesn't mean the rest of us have to. Some of us actually have the courage to go out and pursue our dreams-"
"Which is what, exactly?" Rachel asked, her voice rising. "What was it you did in New York, Rhianna? Because all I heard from Rae and Dad was that you needed money, or that you got fired again from another dead-end job waiting tables at some hellhole bar. So what was it you were hoping to accomplish, exactly? And did you accomplish it? Did you?"
"At least I wasn't too afraid to try." Rhia retorted smugly. "At least I didn't stay home, hiding behind my supposed devotion to my little sisters, absolutely terrified of doing anything else. God, you really fooled everyone, didn't you, Rach? They all felt so bad for you. Poor Rachel, stuck at home, caring for her dumbass little sisters and her sick father. And oh, she's so brave. Never once complains. Didn't they ever wonder why you were so happy to do all this, so eager to stay at home when you could've been going away to college, living on your own, like everyone else your age wants? Didn't they ever notice how scared you were of failing, and how that was the reason you stayed so close to dear old dad? Damn, girl, maybe you could be an actress. If, of course, you ever get up the courage to try something on your own."
"You ungrateful bitch." Rachel whispered, tears rolling down her face. "I'm the scared one? I'm the one afraid to do anything? Tell me, then, how come you ran away after Daddy got sick, and I was the one who stayed here, and had to watch him die? Oh, sure, you came back in the last few weeks, to say good-bye, and all the other daughterly bullshit you thought you should do. But me, I was here the whole damn time. I took care of him when he was sick, I watched him get worse every day. I stayed by him, me, while you were off doing God-knows-what and not dealing with it at all. Now who's the coward in the family?"
With that, Rachel ran out of the room. She locked herself in her own bedroom, and buried her face in her pillow, sobs wracking her body.
Rhianna, meanwhile, had also started crying. Angrily, she threw her pillow at the now-closed door, where only moments ago Rachel had been standing. Then, she lay back onto her bed, burying her face in the mattress.
Neither girl slept that night.
****************
A/N: Did that completely suck? I was trying to show them as being beyond pissed off, you know, the whole 'underlying family issues' deal. I dunno if I got it, though. Review and let me know what you think, I could really use some feedback.