• The air smelt of barbequed burgers and hotdogs, lightly glazed with a sweet honey mustard sauce. Dark smoke coming from the grill filtered the air, and disappeared above the trees. The children of other relatives danced and chased each other around the elephant sized pool, whose shape resembled a sunny-side up egg. Strong rays from the sun reflected off the chlorine blue of the water, shining my flawless face in the pool.
    I overheard a few of the neighbors gossiping by the Jacuzzi. I recognized the voice as Mrs. Delacore, my father’s next door neighbor since I was four. Her face was older than the bible, and her posse was just as old, if not older, than she was; each woman with exaggerated facelifts to hold their skin together. They began to giggle at something that seemed irrelevant, and then I heard my name. My curiosity got the best of me, and I leaned forward in my lawn chair to eavesdrop.
    “That Esther,” Mrs. Delacore squawked, taking a hard sip of her vodka tonic. “The nerve of that child. She doesn’t show up in this town for years, and now she’s here at her father’s thousand dollar pool party. It’s obvious she wants something.” Mrs. Delacore downed the rest of her drink as the other ladies laughed in unison. I turned back in my lawn chair, brushing a strand of my dark hair behind my ear. Mrs. Delacore’s known for her useless gossip with her cronies, so it didn’t surprise me when she decided to talk about me.
    I laid back down, ignoring all the suspicious whispers and the dirty stares that were directed towards me by the other neighbors and relatives. My eyes were open before I could even close them, due to the sudden depression on the lawn chair where my legs were. I looked over my shades, to find out that my little brother, Robert, was sitting at my feet. I wasn’t happy to see him. Last time we talked was the last time I was home, and that didn’t go too well. Robert let out one his young, baby like smiles that, not like his body, was still the childish feature that I remember. He was about nineteen now, and had the stubble to prove it. Robert took out a cigarette and lit it with his golden lighter with his name engraved in italics on the side. I watched as he deeply inhaled the smoke, and blew it out through his nose like in the movies. He examined me for a while, looking me up and down, taking another deep breath of smoke. I decided to ignore his curious stares and wait for him to open the conversation, but the silence was too unbearable to handle.
    “Take a picture, it’ll last longer.” I finally said, looking at the children playing by the pool. One was bound to fall in soon and drown if their parents weren’t paying attention. A puff of smoke flew into my face, causing me to close my eyes and choke.
    “Surprised to see you here.” Robert said, looking hard at my face. “I thought I’d never seen you again.” I ignored his insipid comment, looking back at the children running around the other end of the pool.
    “Well, I’m here. Do I look any different?”
    “Can you take off your sunglasses?”
    “Excuse me?”
    “I want you to take your sunglasses off. I want to see your whole face.” Reluctantly, I removed my sunglasses, revealing my whole face to Robert. He stared for a while, his eyes examining mine, Then began to nod his head as if he were approving something. Robert finally broke his stare and opened his mouth as if her were about to say something.
    “Why did you come back?’ He finally asked. It was a loaded question that took me by surprise. I couldn’t answer it on the spot. There were so many reasons why I came back. None of them were any or Robert’s business. “I know it’s not for Eden’s wedding.”
    “Rob,” I started to say, nibbling on my bright red lips. “I um… I got a job over here as a waitress.” I looked at Robert to see if he was buying any of this. He gave me a skeptical look, and I begged myself that he would just drop it. He flicked the ember from the cigarette on to the lawn, and jammed the butt into a martini glass that was sitting by the pool side.
    “So you left LA to become a waitress?”
    “Robert, please.” I pleaded, rolling my eyes. “No more questions.” Robert nodded his head, and sat there in silence again. We sat there awkwardly looking around the backyard. And then, Robert’s face lit up as if the light bulb in his head finally turned.
    “Have you had the time to see Eden and Vince yet? I bet they’d be happy to see you.”
    “No they wouldn’t.” I snapped, turning around to face Robert directly. Robert’s smile instantly faded. Eden and Vince were our two older siblings. Eden was as pretty and dainty as a flower, she was the star child that everyone gave all their attention to, but had the personality of Satan himself. She would lie and cheat to get to where she wanted, and she knew exactly what to say to get what she wanted.
    And Vince was the oldest out of the four of us. His pompous attitude and his acceptance into all the ivy league schools was well known to all of us younger siblings that they were just used as a decoy for all the trouble he’s gotten into. Like his stealthy nights of drug trafficking. Or his past experiences with stealing father’s car and driving it off a bridge. I was the only sane child in the family. Everyone else were all liars. Evil and treacherous, and could never be trusted.
    I almost forgot that Robert was still sitting at the foot of the lawn chair, staring at me. He glanced over at the snack table where Mrs. Delacore once stood, noticing that Eden was standing right there amongst the crowd of elderly women. Mrs. Delacore pointed her bony finger towards my direction, and for the first time and years, Eden and I made eye contact.
    “You know you’ll have to talk to her sometime. It’s the day before her wedding. You might as well stay the night.” Robert said, looking back at me. Eden was now coming over to our direction. Her golden blonde hair bouncing off of her shoulders as she walked towards our direction. I got up from my seat, adjusting my blue and gray, pinstripe bathing suit.
    “Where are you going?” Robert asked. I had no intentions of answering his question. But I did decide to refer back to his previous statement.
    “It’s Eden’s wedding tomorrow. I’m going to see her then, right?” I said, turning my back on Robert. He nodded his head with a naïve smile attached to his face.
    “Yeah. Vince is going to be there too. How about I get your number so I can hit you up sometime?”
    I gave him a sly smile and a slight wave and began to walk away. “It’s good to see you again Robert. I’ll see you tomorrow.”
    The next morning pulled over slower than I wanted because, despite the fact that I hate being here, I was anxious about going to Eden’s wedding. I crawled out of my small, unstable bed that was being supported by a cinderblock and a half, and slid on my blue slippers. The motel I was staying in was considered crap beyond recognition, with it’s pealing puke-yellow wallpaper, and it’s colony of roaches living in the broken microwave. The bed wasn’t even in it’s right place when I checked in. The mattress was in the bathtub, and the pillows were all out on the balcony where whoever slept here last put them. The shower was the worst part. The faucet was broken off, now making the water come out of a giant hole in the wall, where a few unidentifiable critters were spotted behind the pipe. The only thing that was easy on the eyes in this dump was me and everything I brought here.
    I unzipped my designer suitcase that my daddy bought me after high school, and picked out the loveliest dress I owned. It wasn’t much compared to what all of Eden’s friends were going to wear. But it was exactly what I was looking for; low-cut, skintight, short, and red. According to what I heard in Mrs. Delacore’s conversation, the theme of the wedding was black and lavender. I wanted to stand out today above the bride herself.
    The wedding took place in the foyer of daddy’s mansion. I knew that because Eden always said that she’d want to get married under the giant ormolu chandelier in the foyer. I decided to have the taxi drop me off a few blocks away from the house so that no one would see me arrive in low class transportation. It was a bit difficult sneaking my way up to Eden’s bedroom, in account that I wore I scarlet dress that stood out like a blood stain on a white shirt. I held my shoes in my hands so I could avoid any possible noise. Eden’s door was already creaked open, so I invited my self in, taking a seat at her expensive cherry wood vanity. My reflection in the mirror was that of a woman with no flaws, no secrets. Her beautiful, shoulder length, black hair was neatly puffed at the tips, and the blood red lipstick stood out on her pale skin. I reached out to touch this woman in the mirror, my hands slightly grazing the smooth, cold glass.
    “Ester?” I heard a voice behind me. My head automatically spun around, breaking me out of my reverie. It was Eden. She looked so beautiful in her long lavender wedding dress. Her long golden hair that usually hung over her bronze shoulders was now tied neatly into a braided bun pinned into place. I couldn’t tell if the smile on her was there because she was happy to see me or because she was scared. I decided to give her a closed smile, batting my thick eyelashes at her. She continued to stare for a moment, speechless.
    “Take a picture, it’ll last longer.” I said, turning back at the mirror to look at myself.
    “Ester! It is you.” Eden smiled, pulling up the bustier to her dress. “You came, I can’t believe you really came. I thought that was you outside yesterday talking to Rob. Why did you walk away? If I had known you were coming, I would’ve made you a bridesmaid.” I scowled at the thought of me dressing identical to Eden’s bimbo friends, standing next to her and pretending to be happy.
    “Oh, darn.” I said, smiling at her though the mirror.
    “It’s been so long, Esty. How old are you now? Like, 16?
    “Twenty five.” I corrected, arranging my dress so I can show off my cleavage. Eden’s eyes didn’t follow where my hands were. She nodded her head, still clueless on what to say.
    “That’s great! You still look sixteen. How’s LA. I heard that’s where you went off to. To pursue an acting career, right?” I saw what Eden was doing. It was something that I’ve been familiar with since I was six. Eden likes to ask questions that she knows the answer to just so she can rub it in our face when the answer is something that wasn’t initially intended.
    I looked up at Eden, who was waiting for an answer. In reality, I bombed the audition for the leading role of Chicago. And when that didn’t work out, I took a job at a gentlemen’s lounge, and worked there for four years, until I got fired for fighting with a client. And without a job, I couldn’t pay rent, eventually leading to my eviction. Basically, my life in LA was a hell hole.
    “Great.” I replied, flashing Eden my white teeth. “I’ve been getting booked for all these world renown plays like Hairspray and Rent. I’ve been compared to many actresses like Audrey Hepburn and Olivia de Havilland.” It was a little white lie that would get me past the night. “But I’m quitting all of that. I‘m thinking of moving back in the house with everyone.”
    “You’re quitting the highlife to move back here? Why?” Eden wasn’t going to give this up. But it was a fight that I wasn’t going to lose. I couldn’t’ give her the satisfaction of my failure. I grabbed the half empty bottom of patrone, and a wine glass that was resting on the vanity. Eden’s eyes glared at the liquid as I poured it into the glass.
    “Have a drink.” I offered, wavering the class under her nose. I knew that alcohol was Eden’s weakness, and I knew that it was the only thing that kept her from talking about my life.
    “I can’t.” Eden replied apologetically, shaking her head. “I’m getting married in less than an hour. I shouldn’t be drinking.”
    “Aw, come on. Celebrate a little. I missed your bachelorette party last night. Make it up to me. This is your last hours of being single, after all.” Eden weighed the pros and cons in her head, and reached out for the glass. She chugged the first cup down in less than thirty seconds, reaching her glass out for seconds.
    An hour went by with Eden and I drinking whatever stash we could find under her bed. Working at the gentlemen’s club has paid off when it comes to raising my alcohol tolerance. I’ve been able to consume mugs of beer and still keep my sanity. Eden, on the other hand, was a loose wire. Her bustier slipping down, and her not even caring like she normally would. I could smell the liquor in her breath, and I smiled with eyes of satisfaction.
    “And could you believe that Vince dropped out of Yale? I knew he wasn’t going to make it, but seriously.” Her voice was loud and her words were slurred. It was the funniest thing I’ve seen since Robert drove his Mercedes Benz into a light pole. It was Eden’s turn to look like a whore in front of everyone. It was her turn to experience public humiliation.
    I picked up my red velvet handbag, and stood up, listening to Eden laugh uncontrollably over Vince’s failure.
    “Oh! And I was the one who told daddy that mother was cheating on him with her bank accountant” Eden shouted at me, laughing even harder. Her hair was a mess and her face was red and drenched with sweat. I nodded my head, because I knew that it was her who broke mother and father up. It was her who caused our family to fall apart. And she was learning to deal with the dark karma that was coming her way.
    I started walking towards the door, so I could leave. Eden continued to talk. “And remember when grandmother died of falling down the stairs? I did that. Me and Vince decided to push her down when she told us we couldn’t go play outside.” Eden looked as if she were about to explode of laughter. I continued to walk away, but then turned around, taking one last look at my reflection. My long slender legs glowing from the light simmering in through the curtains. Then, I looked back at Eden, who was on her back laughing. I was starting to feel guilt about what was happening. But then I looked back at my reflection, and smiled.
    “And I thought I was a mess.” I mumbled to myself, shaking my head at the thought.