Twenty-one-year-old Brynn Carlson sat on her legs, her torso twisted, and her head was leaning against the hardwood floor of her bedroom. "Come on, Brandy." She coaxed gently. "Come on, get out from under there now."
Noticing no movement she went for the bribe behind her back. "Brandy." She said smiling. "I got ice cream." Now waving the bowl in front of her. "It's chocolate chip chocolate and rocky road." She taunted.
Nothing was happening.
Groaning Brynn climbed up on her bed, "I give up!" She stated loudly before she started eating the bribe herself.
"You are so mean!" Her sister screamed, giving the underside of the bed a sharp kick.
Brynn winced. It would've been cute if she was trying to recover a small adorable pooch out from under her bed, but since it was her twenty-year-old sister instead, it wasn't. "That's right!" She screamed back before eating another spoonful of ice cream. "I'm the meanest sister in the whole world! I don't know how you can actually live with me, or put up with me!"
The sniffles were always what made her crumble before, tonight it wasn't happening. She was tired, in need of a shower, and a long-long good night's sleep.
"The least you could do is help me!" She cried out pathetically.
Brynn smirked and continued on with the ice cream. Draining the bowl and lying back on her pillows. "I'm not going to talk to you until you come out and act like an adult."
"The one you're supposed to be!" She added a second later.
Another swift kick was delivered to her mattress.
Counting down the seconds, Brynn smiled to herself when she heard her sister moving and coming out from under her bed, her security blanket clutched tightly in her arms. "Joining the big people world now?" She asked sweetly.
Brandy crossed her arms after she lay next to her, "Doctor Jaminson says that if it makes me feel better, then it's all right."
Brynn rolled her eyes, "Well, I guess it's better than sucking your thumb and hiding in the closet." She muttered dryly.
She stuck her tongue out, "You're not helping."
"I'm not trying yet." Brynn remarked carelessly.
She sighed when her sister started pouting. "Okay," She said giving in. "Okay, tell me what the guy did."
"He broke my heart!" Brandy cried out, tears starting to fall all over again.
Brynn refrained from rolling her eyes and got the tissue box next to her bed and gave it to her. "Here, tell me about it." She said putting her arm around her.
Brandy grasped onto her tightly, "He said he loved me!" She whined. "He said we'd be together forever!"
This time Brynn did roll her eyes. "And after a million guys, and two marriages, you have yet to realize that when a guy says that, it's not true?" She chided gently.
"But he meant it!" Brandy complained, crying even more. "He was so sure and so sweet, and so-so,"
"Lying?" Brynn supplied.
Brandy gave her a dark look. "He was telling the truth!" She defended.
"If he was, where is he now?" Brynn questioned skeptically.
Her sister gave a wail, "Gone!"
Anger started to boil up inside her when she heard the hoarseness of her sister's voice, "Hold on. Let me get you a cup of tea." She said gently, getting up from her bed and walking into the kitchen.
Turning on the lights she stopped in mid-step. The floor was liberally covered with broken figurines. The ones that Brandy collected all the time, and cherished above most things on earth.
Sighing, she turned to the china cabinet. A groan escaped her mouth, this was worse than she thought. Both marriages only caused three broken figurines, there was seven lying on the ground now.
Returning to her room with a cup of steaming tea with lemon and honey, she turned sympathetically to her sister and hugged her gently. "Who was it?" She asked softly.
"Alex Jay McLean." She whispered exhaustedly as she took a big sip from the mug.
"Come on." Brynn said quietly, getting under the covers. "You can sleep in here tonight."
Brandy smiled weakly and crawled under the blankets as well, "Thanks, Bry." She murmured as she drained the cup, her eyes drooping already. "You are the best sister in the world."
Brynn smiled slightly and pushed the hair away from her sister's face and took away the mug. Her eyes darkened with rage though. "I'll get him back for you." She murmured, barely audible. "I won't let him hurt you or anyone else again." She promised.