"the dominoes cascaded in a line."
terribly sorry for the varying chapters that use proper grammar and capitalization and the others that are in all lowercase LMAO
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
i remember your bare ... feet down the hallway ,, ..iloveyou to the moon and back.
𓆩♡𓆪
"serena?" riley questioned, arms crossed as she stepped up onto the bleachers. the rain patted repeatedly on top of her braided hair and covered shoulders.
"ri?" serena returned, unfamiliar with her sixteen year old sister's new look. she'd gotten so tall and beautiful since she last saw her.
"what're you doing here, s?" she swallowed. she wanted to be happy to see her unethically estranged sister, but she didn't think she'd see her here.
"um, i just, came back for a couple days," the brunette stuttered aimlessly. "y'know, im in new york now... it's so much closer than california and-"
"serena, i'm talking about here." the younger girl emphasized, referring to the rain-drenched highschool's football field.
"i'm..." serena trailed slowly, her glossy eyes shifting up to the scoreboard that withheld the "in loving memory" sign.
riley let out a long sigh. she was sixteen, but arguably had the intuition of a wise mother. the blond softly took a seat on the bleachers next to her sister.
after the scoreboard cue she knew what this was all about, and although she was supposed to be on the field for soccer practice, riley understood that serena was more important right now.
"i think you're really brave for coming back, s." riley assured, wrapping her sleeved arm around serena's. she let her head rest upon her shoulder, and once serena comfortably stacked her head on top of hers she carefully continued her speech.
"but, it's not supposed to be a punishment." the girl offered, "i know mom and dad's parenting methods were extreme, but they love you. they just wanted you to be happy, serena." she declared prudently, her identical eyes jumping up to her sister's. the brunette's were locked straight forward. "no one knows how to react when a family member dies... let alone their own son."
serena's stale eyes dropped to her stagnant legs, relentlessly trying to see all this from riley's angle. she loved riley, but this wasn't the way to talk about this dark topic... at least, not in her opinion.
"mom said you hung out with russell." ri continued, changing the subject. she was trying to reach the brunette, and hear her say anything.
"i did," she nodded quietly. her movements were soft and calculated.
riley gazed at her intently, desperate for her to elaborate on the interaction. she was good at reading minds, but could never crack serena.
the girl nervously popped her knuckles. serena always felt silenced on this part of her hometown. perhaps it reminded her of her high school years.
"i wish he never knew." serena proclaimed, "it's- it's awful, and disturbing, and nauseating-" she choked out reluctantly. "i don't know how it happened, riley, b-but he shouldn't have to live with knowing he reminds our entire family of his cousin - who he mysteriously resembles - that suddenly died... two days before he was born, and that's why his mom and aunt neglect him."
riley frowned apologetically. although she was also close with russell, she barely knew her own brother. she was much too young to remember, but the stories about him were those of lively salad days and innocent fun. he always had a joke or witty response, and reviewing old tapes of him playing soccer and hockey was prodigious. she had to thank him for her devotion to sports.
serena on the other hand... her entire world was her twin brother. they grew up doing everything together, looking out for each other no matter what... and were arguably hip and limb attached. they were not only physically identical, but they thought the same too. they shared an internal connection.
the older girl's head shifted away from her sister and toward the left side of the field, near the 20 yard line. that was where the horrifying images of her twin brother flashed when he laid his last time.
serena remembered everything about that evening. she remembered earlier in the school day when he was complaining of chest pain and nausea. she remembered helping him lie to their parents about being perfectly fine beside his fatigue and shivers. she remembered sitting on the bleachers in the pouring rain as he wobbled around disconnectedly with glazed-over eyes. she remembered being held back from the field by administrators as he was actively issued cpr while being hooked up to a defibrillator.
he laid there lifelessly on the twenty yard line as his tiny 5 foot body refused to hold the suction of the defibrillator due to being drenched in the muddy downpour of the rain.
it was in that moment that serena's entire life changed. that was when the real issues developed. that was when she started driving herself crazy over every little thing. that was when she discovered self-sabotage and an internal hatred for herself.
the events after liam's passing was arguably where her passion from psychology derived from, sadly.
and even though she loved her job, she hated thinking about its "orgins". she hated knowing she originally became a psychology student because she felt the need to fix herself. she felt the need to go back in time and first discover why she lied to her parents so her brother could play in his soccer game that night.
"serena," riley called softly, as if being able to read her mind. she could almost see all the dehumanizing thoughts flying around the girl's head.
