Extra 7.1 Sister's for Life

Loud music echoed off the walls as flashing lights illuminated a concrete rink with few people going around on rollerblades. There were young couples giggling as they held hands and teenagers who were passing time by. One teenage girl doing her rounds swayed her hips to the beat as she moved to the music. She was so adept at blading that she passed by each person without once slowing down. Her brown hair frizzed out, covered in layers of hairspray so thick, it was probably flammable. Her eyes were a dark blue, reflecting the disco lights on the ceiling slowly turning by. She chomped down on the gum in her mouth, blowing it out into a large bubble.

*Pop*

"Becks!"

Popping her bubble casually, she looked over at a girl exactly identical to herself who was waving frantically to get her attention. The girl called Becks didn't rush and did one more lap around the roller rink before stopping on the side. She leaned over the edge, "If it ain't Mama's little sweetheart, Lizzy. Are you here to rollerblade?"

She spoke in a thick accent, "Becks, you know I can't rollerblade. I ain't got the balance."

Becks hummed in boredom, "Then why are you here?"

Lizzy grimaced in irritation, "Mama's been lookin' for you. She knows you skipped class again."

Becks glared at her, "Did you run your mouth again?"

"Nuhuh." Her sister raised her nose triumphantly, "Principle called."

"What a scuzz."

Becks climbed through the opening in the roller rink wall and took off her blades to exchange them for her shoes. Her sister strolled behind her, nagging consistently for her to hurry up or else it would anger their mother more.

Their father had died from alcoholism three years before, leaving behind triplets and a lack of life insurance. Their mother, who had never gotten an education, barely managed to scrape by with her office jobs. To earn extra income, she leeched onto men and went through a cycle of many boyfriends. Each one would meet the children, declare themselves their new stepfather, and then be gone in the next few months.

Lizzy was considered the sweetheart of the family. Her grades were excellent, she never struggled to make friends, and she was the child every parent used as the gold standard.

Becks, on the other hand, didn't care for school and would constantly skip classes. Her grades were barely passing, her friends were considered the bad crowd, she blared rock music for her whole neighborhood to hear, and was the child every parent warned against becoming.

The third triplet was a boy who didn't make much of an impact. He wasn't an outcast, but he much preferred the company of a comic book rather than a group of people.

As the girls walked up the steps of the trailer, he was sitting on the porch swing flipping through one of his comics. His eyes glanced upwards at his sister's, sharing their characteristic deep blue eyes.

"Welcome back."

Lizzy ignored him and strolled inside the house, leaving Becks outside.

Becks grinned at him, "Hey, dweeb."

She flicked his hat playfully as he wrinkled his nose. "How many classes did you skip this time?"

"Almost made it to a week." She snatched his book and flipped through the pages, "Why do they always draw such exaggerated features in these books? It's so unrealistic."

"Hey give it back!" He grabbed it from her hands with a huff, "It's the art style."

"If you enjoy it then whatever."

Before she opened the door, her brother muttered with gentle eyes, "...Don't forget to fix your skirt and shirt."

She smiled back at him, "Thanks."

She unfolded her skirt, allowing it to stretch to her ankles and buttoned up the remaining buttons on her shirt. Then she tossed open the door and stepped inside.

"REBECCA LOUISE CARSON!" Her mother was already holding a leather belt with fury in her eyes. "Did you skip classes again!?"

The door closed behind her, "Just a few."

Her hair was suddenly grabbed as she was led over to the living room.

"OI! Get off you old bat!"

"You're always causing trouble! Do you even realize how ashamed I am to have Miss Nadine saying I raised a cow!?"

As she was thrown to the couch, her "stepfather" sat on the lounge chair, smoking a cigarette as he watched. Becks spat out, "Who cares about that old hag?!"

Her mother raised the belt, "I'm gonna whoop manners back into you."

Becks winced as the belt made contact, leaving behind a ruptured skin full of bruises. However, she stayed indignant and held back tears.

Her stepfather suddenly interrupted, "You should do that on her bare skin. Then she'll learn."

Becks looked at him in shock, only to see a creepy stare that made her skin crawl.

Her mother folded up her skirt and no longer held back, smacking her skin until it started to bleed.

After hearing her let out painful grunts, her mother finally relented. She looked down at her daughter with disgust, "Why can't you be like Elizabeth?"

Becks ignored the burning pain on the back of her thighs and stood up despite how much she wanted to lie down and cry. She turned to her mother with a prideful stare, full of defiance. "I ain't never gunna be like her."

She stomped down the short hallway, into a room as her mother shouted at her.

"YOU'LL NEVER ACCOMPLISH ANYTHING! YOU WOULD BE DEAD ON THE STREET WITH A NEEDLE IN YOUR ARM IF YOU WERE ON YOUR OWN!"

She collapsed face down on the bed, her eyes causing the pillow to get wet. Eventually, the door opened and closed silently. Her brother's voice whispered, "Why are you in my room?"

"Better than the room with that stuck-up cheerleader."

He sat down on the bed and pulled out disinfectant and bandages, "Let me clean that up for you."

She grunted in approval as he treated her. Unlike before, she let her tears fall as she endured the pain.

Although the two always insulted each other, their bond was stronger than with anyone else. He loved his sister Becks and never felt connected to Lizzy. He would be bullied in class, but only Becks would have his back. Lizzy always pretended as if she didn't know him and would sometimes even laugh. This made him not think much of her, but draw closer to Becks instead.

In this house, it was him and Becks against the world.

He finished, "If you want to sleep in my room tonight, you can."

"...Thanks, Mikey."

The next day she attended classes, ignoring the aches in her legs. During lunch, she snuck behind the school and sat on the concrete railing. Opening her shirt, she pulled a cigarette and lighter from her bra and lit it up.

As she took in a deep inhale, a man suddenly strolled around the corner.

"Becks! I didn't think you'd be here."

Her eyes were displeased as she stared at the blonde-haired jock with a cocky grin. Despite being identical triplets, all three had such different personalities that everyone could tell who they were with one glance.

She too, recognized the man.

"What's Lizzy's boyfriend want with me?"

"Come on, now. Don't be so hostile."

He stood next to her, leaning so close it made her uncomfortable. However, her stubborn nature refused to lean away and she met his eyes without fear. "Do you need something?"

"I just want to talk."

She blew out smoke, "Then talk."

He ignored her and started tapping her leg, "I just now realized how beautiful you look."

"Well I AM Lizzy's sister. I look like her so why wouldn't you think I'm beautiful?" Her eyes didn't make any ripples as she stared at him, "If you want to see my sister she won't be here."

"I don't need to see her."

"Hm."

"You know…" His arm slid up her thigh, "I don't really like your sister. She's too prudish. I prefer types like you…" 

She raised an eyebrow, "Types like me?"

"The wild girls." His eyes were drawn to her unbuttoned top with exposed cleavage. He leaned forward with a smile, "It makes me want to tame them."

She sucked in another puff of smoke and then blew it directly into his face. As he coughed, she hopped off the railing and dropped the cigarette. 

"You should know somethin-" She used her heel to grind the burning cigarette into concrete, "I may not be a prude, but that don't make me easy."

She looked him up and down before walking away with a humph.

He grinded his teeth, "Tease."

As soon as classes were over, she found her sister walking home. "Lizzy. Wait up."

Her sister grimaced at the sight of her sister running over, "What? Not going to the roller derby?"

"I gotta tell you somethin."

"What?"

She carefully studied her face, "Your boyfriend tried to get with me."

She rolled her eyes, "Stop trying to start problems, Becks."

"I'm not! I'm telling you the truth."

"Yeah right."

"I can prove it!"

"How so?"

She leaned over into her ear and whispered.

Her sister scowled, "That won't never work."

"If it don't, then you know he's loyal. But if he does, then you have your answer."

Her sister scoffed and then kept walking. She didn't think much of her sister's plan, but she was willing to play along to prove herself. The next day, Becks pulled her sister's boyfriend inside while no one was home.

He looked around the smoke-filled trailer and filth with slight disgust, "Can't we do it at my house instead? I have a pool." 

"F*ck your pool." She pulled him into her sister's room and tossed him to the bed, "Wouldn't you rather f*ck on my sister's bed?"

"Ohoho… I knew you were wild."

She rolled her eyes, "Yeah, yeah. Didn't you say you wanted to tame me or something?"

"Oh I will."

As he sat up and grabbed the back of her head, forcing her to kiss him, all Becks could think of was how bad he was at it. When she felt her chest get grabbed with no skill whatsoever, she secretly felt bad for any girl he would somehow convince to join him in bed.

The closet door was suddenly thrown open.

"You f*cking skank!" Lizzy ran towards Becks and slapped her across the face, leaving a bright red mark.

"What the hell Lizzy!?" Becks scrambled off of him and held her cheek, "This was the plan! Why are you slapping me!?!"

She screamed at her with tears lining her eyes, "YOU TRIED TO SLEEP WITH MY BOYFRIEND!"

Becks stared at her in disbelief, "Umm? He kissed ME!!"

"ARGH!" Lizzy abruptly turned around and stomped out of the house.

"Lizzy! Wait!"

Becks watched as her sister's boyfriend ran after her trying to explain. She knew her sister enough to know when to retreat. So with a huff, Becks rubbed her cheek in aggrievement.

"I was just trying to show you how no good he is…"

Sitting down in her brother's room, she waited for her sister to come home, but she never did.

Her mother eventually opened the door instead of Lizzy, "Where's your sister?"

She flipped through her brother's book, "Library."

"This late?"

Becks looked outside and saw it was dark, "Yeah."

"Go pick her up."

Her mother tossed her the keys to their car which Becks took with a sigh. As she left her brother's room, she found him lounging outside in the grass, staring at the stars. She leaned over, "Where do you think Lizzy went?"

"Isn't she at the library?"

Becks made a guilty face, "...No. I made her mad and she stormed off."

"Ah. Then maybe Jacob's house. I think he's having a party tonight."

"She wouldn't go to a party."

He shrugged showing he had no other ideas. Becks let out a sigh and walked out to the car. After driving around for a while, she finally pulled over by a payphone. She fumbled in her pocket with a scowl, "Can't believe I'm wasting my hard-earned money on this."

She dialed a few numbers, but no one had seen her sister. After a while, she finally called Jacobs house.

"Yeah?"

She could hear the loud music and shouting behind the other's phone, "Is Lizzy there?"

"Who's this? Is it the feds?"

She rolled her eyes, "No, it's Becks."

"Ohhh! Becks! Yeah, she's here. Puking in my aunt's garden right now."

She quickly hung up and sped over, only to see her sister face down in the soil. She rushed over and brushed the dirt off her face, "Liz!?"

"Ughhh…."

She groaned and turned her head away from the sudden movement. Becks could see the vomit covering her clothes and let out a sigh, "What kind of friends just leave you face down in the dirt?"

She picked her up and led her to the car, "Come on Liz, let's get you sobered up before we go home."

After getting her sister into the car, she cranked down the windows using the handle and shut the door. She drove through the night allowing the cold air to come into the vehicle.

Finally, her sister mumbled, "You… Kissed… Him…"

"You are still upset about that?" She rolled her eyes, "I only did it because I wanted to prove to you I was telling the truth."

"You… You want to steal my life."

Becks raised her eyebrow, "I'm sorry?"

Her drunken eyes glared at her sister, "You seduced my boyfriend because you want to be like me."

"Liz. You're drunk."

"You… You think you can live however you'd like and swoop in to take my things!? You have always been jealous you have nothing and wasted your life while I have everything..."

"Trust me Liz, I don't want your life or your boyfriend." She scoffed, "Why do you even like him? He has absolutely no skills and is a dirtbag. You're better off without him."

"I... I hate you."

Becks went silent and tightened her grip on the steering wheel.

"Listen close, Liz. I don't want your life. I don't want your boyfriend. Both are complete shi-"

Lizzy suddenly lunged across the seat and grabbed Becks throat, digging her nails into her skin as she choked. Becks frantically tried to push her off, but as soon as her hands left the wheel, the vehicle started to lose control. Her hands hastily tried to regain control, but the tightening around her neck increased in pressure.

"L-Liz!"

She tried to claw off her hands as the vehicle jerked side to side. The tires skidded across the road, burning and screeching as she tried to regain control. However, her sister kept screaming as she tightened her grip and yanked her side to side.

"YOU ARE TRYING TO STEAL MY LIFE! YOU JEALOUS BITC-"

"Liz-"

The car tire exploded from the constant burning and forced the car off the side of the road. As it tumbled down, Becks was finally freed by her sister's hands but was tossed out of the open window.