"Good morning" Prue says joining us at the breakfast table. How nice of her to grace us with her presence.
"Do you even know what today is?" I ask
"Ofcoarse, Paige's birthday." Prue says. Lucky guess.
"Yeah" Paige smiles.
"So, what do you want to do today?" Prue asks Paige sitting next to her. She's only been gone a year. Has she really forgotten or birthday tradition. Picnic in the park, some shopping or walking around the mall, the I make a big dinner, and Grams gets a big cake. Then the birthday girl opens presents.
"Prue, every year we do the same thing. It hasn't changed." Phoebe says
"I know, but I thought maybe you'd rather do something else." Prue says inocently. First she leaves, and now she's trying to ruin the family traditions. I hate her.
"Prue, it's tradition." I say
"It's Paige's birthday. We should do whatever she wants to do." Prue says sweetly.
"What do you want to do Paige?" Phoebe asks.
"Let's go to the pool." Paige says.
"Fine" I stand up.I accidently knock my chair over and Phoebe whinces.
"Sory" I say.
"Let's go get changed." Prue says standing up. I stomp up to my room, well, my room and Phoebe's room.
"How cute is my new baithing suit." Phoebe says turning aroung after she changes. It's unfair that she at barely thirteen has a better body than I do at fourteen.
"It's nice." I say. She's wearing a white bikini with some exotic flower print.
"How come you havent changed yet?" Phoebe asks me.
"I think I'll stay here, and make the cake." I say
"Pipe, don't worry about that. Grams always buys one." Phoebe says
"Yeah, but this years diffrent." I say annoyed.
"Alright, maybe you'll join us if you finish though?" Phoebe asks. I can tell she wants me there genuinely, but I don't want to go.
"You guys ready?" Prue says coming in. Paige is holding her hand.
"Piper, why aren't you changed?" Prue asks.
"I'm going to stay here and make a cake."I say
"Alright" Prue says.
"Come meet us for lunch." Paige says
"If I can." I say. I feel bad not being there for her eleventh birthday, but Prue should feel worse for ruining our family.
"Bye" Paige hugs me. She holds on tight as if she's afraid of something.
"Have a good time" I say. She nods and runs back to Grab Prue's hand. I watch them walk out the door. I liked it better when Prue wasn't here. When I was the one holding Paige's hand. I go into the kitchen, and start to make a cake. I have just put the cake in the oven when the doorbell rings. I go to get it.
"What can I do for you?" I ask opening the door. It's Leo. I feel my cheeks get hott.
"Hi, Piper. I came over to see if your Grams was here." He says
"Sory, she isn't, but come on in." I say. Please don't let this be akward. I'm in the house alone with Leo, come on God pull some strings here.
"So today's Paige's birthday." Leo says. I leed him into the living room. I sit on the couch. He sits on one of the chairs. I guess nothing's going to happen he didn't even sit next to me on the couch. But who could resist those big blue eyes?
"Yeah, she went with Prue, and Phoebe to the pool." I say
"Prue's back." I say. Leo smiles. Oh, please don't let him lik her. I'd kill myself. Then Prue could have two rooms.
"Oh, have you guys been spending a lot of time together?" He asks.
"She's been spending a lot of time with Paige, and some with Phoebe." I say
"What about you?" Leo asks. He seems to actually be interested.
"I'm still a bit upset that she left." I say
"You two should spend some time together. I know you'd get along." Leo says. He smiles at me like he cares. My heart flutters. He smiled at me, me!
"Maybe." I say.
"Well, on that note. I'd better go, and could you tell Penny I stopped by?" Leo says. He gets up and I follow him to the door.
"Anything for you" I say dreamily
"Excuse me?" Leo asks stopping
"I said of coarse, she'll be glad to hear from you." I cover. My stomach ties in knots. I can't believe I said that aloud.
"Oh, well, it was nice talking. Bye, Piper." Leo says leaving.
"Bye" I say shutting the front door behind him. I run into the kitchen to check on the cake. It's almost done baking so I pull out some egs, and some sugar and begin to make the frosting. Bye the time I finish baking and decorating the cake it's almost two. I sit at the table exhausted. I love to bake, but it can take a lot out of you. I open the fridge and look for something to eat, but it looks like Prue took everything edible to the pool with her for lunch.
"I'm not hungry anyway." I tell myself.I go upstairs and read. I love to read. it's like escaping your world.
"Hey." Phoebe says coming through the door. I look at the clock. I'd been reading for almost two hours. Show's how much I need to escape.
"How was the pool?" I ask.
"Fine" Phoebe says. She wraps her towel around her tightly.
"Yeah, it's cold. I know." I say
"I'm going to go shower." she says leaving.
"Piper!" Paige says running through my door, and jumping on my bed. I put my book on the table between my and Phoebe's bed.
"Hey, Paigey. How was the pool?" I ask.
"Warm. It was fun, and Prue says she'll take me shopping and I can have a baithing suit just like her's and Phoebe's" Paige smiles. What? The rule is no bikini's till your twelve. I had to follow it, and so did Pheobe, why should Prue just be able to toss away the rules like that.
"Paige, you know thats not the rule." I say
"But Piper, please." Paige says. She looks at me with a pouty expresion. How can you say no to a little girl. How could Prue just promise her that.
"Okay" I say. I hate having to be the mean sister, I'll let Grams say no.
"Yay" Paige says jumping on my bed.
"Why don't you go rinse off." I say. Paige nods and runs out. She has so much energy it's crazy. I take advantage of the quiet moment and pull out my book.
"Can you hand me that?" Phoebe asks coming in. She points to her tank top that's lyying on the ground. I throw it to her.
"There's no more hot water." Prue says opening the door.
"Prue, I'm changing!" Phoebe shrieks.
"I used to change your diapers." Prue waves her off. Like Prue would ever touch a diaper. Phoebe laughs, and proceeds to change.
"Yeah, that's what happens when three people all shower at once" I say
"Could you save me some next time?" she asks
"You have to fight for it." I laugh. It's not like she deserves special treatment. She'l learn.
"I'll try" Phoebe says. She wouldn't do that for me, but I know she still won't for Prue even though she says she will. I can see through Phoebe like that.
"Thanks." Prue says. She comes in and sits on my bed.
"We missed you today." she says. She pats my leg. What is she my mother now.
"Yeah, well, that's how it goes." I say flashing her a fake smile.
"Hey, those are some cute pants." she says going to our closet.
"Thanks" I say.
"I'll have to borrow these. What size are they?" she asks picking them up. I want to yell at her to put them back, and leave. I let Phoebe borrow my clothes because it's a mutual thing, but Prue hasn't done thing for me in atleast a year. And a real sister would know my size. I wonder if Prue even knows my eye color. She probobly wouldn't if she didn't know we had the same coloring. But she looks in the miror atleast twelve times a day, so it's hard to forget.
"Wow, Piper, you sure lost weight from last year." she says. I feel myself fluster. I don't want to think about last year. All the teasing, the braces, and the glasses. Thank God I grew out of all that.
"Thanks" I say coldly.
"I'll go change now." Prue says leaving with my pants. I wonder if she's oblivious to the fact that I hate her, or if she just doesn't care.
"You should lighten up on her." Phoebe says.
"She should get a clue, and realize that she isn't so perfect." I say.
"Piper, can't you forget about last year." Phoebe says.
"No, I can't. She hurt me Phoebe. I wasn't as popular as you were, or as easy going as Paige was. I needed Prue, and she promised she would always be with me, but she left." I say taking out some of my anger.
"Piper, we all know it really wasn't her choice to leave." Phoebe says after a bit of silence.
"Well, I'll never go back on my promises. I swear on that, and I hope my word means more than hers." I say. Phoebe looks a little hurt. She can go cry to Prue. I turn around and go back to reading.
