stuartanne19の小説

Chapter 10Elena’s funeral stretches on, agonizingly slow, every moment another jagged scrape against my heart. My mother crumbles under the weight of her grief, and I can do nothing but watch, hold her up, absorb the grief that threatens to consume her.Since I stepped through that door, I haven’t been able to shed a single tear. Her sorrow eclipses mine, swallowing any space I might have had to mourn my sister. My mother needs me more than I need my own grief.The service feels endless. The townspeople filter through, each one with something beautiful to say about Elena—her charity work, her quiet courage, the friendships she built in places I never thought to look. The mechanic at the end of town speaks of her like a saint, voice thick with emotion, and I hear the phrase “taken too soon” so many times it begins to lose meaning, turns into something sharp and bitter in

The call came while I’m in the middle of class. My phone, tucked away in the teachers’ lounge to avoid distractions, is useless to me now. It’s the school’s comm system that crackles to life, delivering the message in that clipped, formal tone: “Mrs. Morales, please report to the principal’s office.” I run through every possible scenario as I gather my things. I’ve always followed the rules, never pushed boundaries. The principal has a reputation for being picky, so I make sure my earrings are modest, my clothes impeccable and modest, my conduct beyond reproach. What could she want now? But nothing prepares me for the sight that greets me when I step inside her office. Helen sits stiffly in front of the principal’s desk, her shoulders slightly hunched. When she turns, her eyes—so full of something deep and aching—hit me like a wave. Then, she’s on her feet, crossing the floor in a few urgent steps, wrapping me in a hug before I can process what’s happening. I blink, frozen for a be

Chapter 8 I start toward them, but something feels off. My instincts kick in, uneasy, so I slip out of sight, grab the newspaper from the receptionist’s desk, and use it to shield my face. What is setting off my alarms? I can’t place it at first until I notice Helen laughing too much. She looks like she’s just come from work, still in that same skimpy skirt, stiletto heels, and barely appropriate blouse, the kind that always reveals just a little too much. She works as a receptionist at a big law firm, and men are always drawn to her, practically falling at her feet, yet somehow she always ends up with the short end of the stick. Was she flirting with Josh? I haven’t introduced them yet. Helen knows I’m seeing someone, I even showed her a picture, but they’ve never met face to face. Not until now. And the worst part? My stomach sinks. Josh laughs, catches the hand Helen throws at him in her laughter and doesn’t let go. I let it sink in. Then I step outside to wait.There’s pr

New Orleans is great, better than I ever imagined. I made two friends almost instantly, Helen and Ria. We’re all new to this vibrant city of art and noise and life. The streets hum louder during tourist season, and I get swept up in the rhythm of it, laughing, dating, breaking up, laughing again. Time slides by like honey. Before I know it, three years blur past like a dream.I finish my studies. Land a job teaching at one of the local high schools. I’m dating again. Life moves forward, fast and full.Over the years, Elena and I keep in touch. Sometimes I call. Sometimes she does. Our conversations stretch for hours, warm and winding, like we’re still in the same room.But I don’t make it in time for William’s birth.I have something to wrap up, just a quick thing, I tell myself. It ends up taking too long. By the time I’m free, it’s too late. Elena is furious. She doesn’t answer my calls for weeks. When she finally does, her voice is clipped, angry.“You should’ve been here,” she sai

Chapter 6“Are you really leaving?” Elena asks, standing in the doorway with her hands on her hips like she could actually stop me.I laugh. “Not immediately.”“Why do you have to go so far?” She’s got that whiny tone in her voice, the one that always gets Dad and Noah to cave. But it’s not going to work on me.“It’s just in New Orleans. A single flight away,” I tell her.I’m in my room, packing for my early morning flight tomorrow out of this place I once thought I’d live my whole life in, maybe even die here. But now, I know I have to leave.“I don’t understand,” she says. “Why did you suddenly want to follow some teaching program all the way in New Orleans?”I’m a teacher. I want to further my studies. It’s not that hard to understand. But this isn’t about me, it’s about Elena and the fact that I’m not sticking to her script.“It’s only for a year,” I say over my shoulder.“You haven’t even used your first degree yet, what do you mean ‘further your studies’? It’s just an excuse, is

Chapter 5At five years old, I start to realize I’m not like my twin sister. We look exactly the same. The same light brown hair, straight and smooth down our backs, the same almond-shaped eyes with soft amber pupils, the same smile, the same single dimple on one cheek, even the same height. Looking at Elena is like looking in a mirror. So I don’t understand why our parents treat us so differently. Mom adores Elena. She has pictures of her everywhere, on the fridge, on the bedside table in her room. When I ask why there aren’t any of me, she just shrugs and says, “ But you look exactly the same. How do you know that isn’t you? ” It’s supposed to be funny. A joke. But I’m five, not stupid. I know my smiles are never that wide, my stance never that light, never that carefree. “ I’m not in any of the pictures, ” I tell her, because I don’t know yet that my opinions don’t matter. Mom sighs, like I’m saying something ridiculous. “ Of course you are, Esmeray. What are you talking a