Sister's Keeper

[MAXINE MCMANUS]

Maxi could hardly see the road through her tears. She knew she shouldn’t be driving when she was so upset, but she didn’t have a choice. She had to get out of Portland and into Scriptor Bay as soon as possible. Breaking up with Charlie was one of the hardest decisions she’d ever had to make. He was so good to her and she pushed him into a relationship, only to take it back after a few months. The man had moved back to Oregon for her and this was how she repaid him. She’d never felt more like scum in her life. Thank God she was only a few minutes away from Maureen and Drew’s apartment.

As soon as she was able to catch her breath inside her car, her sobbing a little more under control, she’d called her big sister. She needed comfort and understanding right now—just someone to tell her that she’d made the right the decision. Seeing the pain in Charlie’s eyes, the way he had raised his voice and torn into her had shaken her confidence. Perhaps she’d made a mistake. But when she thought of how it felt to be in August’s arms again, the heat of their kiss and the ache of happiness that filled her heart when he’d apologized…no, she had been right to do what she did. She couldn’t hold onto Charlie when she couldn’t give him all of her heart.

Of course, she hadn’t told Maureen what happened. All she could manage to sob was whether she could come over right now. Maybe it would have made more sense to go to August but out of respect for Charlie, she didn’t think she should go running straight to her Gargoyle. Besides, she wanted to be more settled when she saw August again. Right now, she didn’t think she was worthy of being happy. The thought had fresh tears spilling onto her flushed cheeks, red strands sticking to the trails already on her porcelain skin.

Anxiety gripped her as she pulled into Maureen and Drew’s apartment complex. What would they say? What could they say? Would they forgive her? Maureen was her sister. She couldn’t remember Charlie very well and Maxi was the whole reason she remembered anything anyway. That meant she had to side with Maxi…right? There was a pit in her gut that told her it wouldn’t be so simple.

Maxi was out of breath again by the time she got to Maureen’s door, pushing the hair from her face and wiping the still fresh trails on her cheeks. She smeared the mascara beneath her eyes until she thought all traces of it were gone. There was no taking the pink stain from her eyes, cheeks and nose, though. Taking a shaky breath, she pushed the doorbell with a trembling finger. In seconds, she could hear the approach of feet and the click of a lock. As soon as she saw the concern on Maureen’s and Drew’s faces, the tears rushed back and flooded her eyes. She couldn’t hold back the sobs as her sister’s arms wound around her shoulders, pulling her into a tight embrace. Maxi clung to her big sister’s waist, crying into her shoulder.

Maureen and Drew escorted her gently into the apartment, Drew closing the door behind them. The string of questions spilling from Maureen only pulled more painful tears from Maxi. All she could do was sob and try to slow her tears. Maureen’s hands on her shoulders steadied her, identical eyes locking in mutual uncertainty. Maxi needed to spit this out so she wouldn’t continue to worry them so much. “I…August…he came over the other night. We talked and…and…” Fresh tears spilled onto her cheeks, unable to look in her sister’s eyes any longer. It was looking into her mother’s eyes and confessing what she’d done wrong—the shame was too heavy on her heart. “The more we talked, the more I realized…I still love him. I can’t stop loving him.” She raised her eyes again, her brow so knitted with pain. “I broke up with Charlie. I can’t do that to him. I can’t be with him when I’m still in love with August. Besides…I realized…August is my true love. I love Charlie but…I couldn’t love him like I love August.” Sobbing again, she gazed at her sister to try and gauge her reaction. The tension was already so thick in the air, it could be cut with a knife. “I feel terrible…I don’t deserve to be happy after what I’ve done. I just…I needed to tell you. I needed to tell someone. Someone not intimately involved in this situation.” Maureen still wasn’t saying anything and the pit in Maxi’s stomach grew heavier. “Please say something, Maury…”

[MAUREEN ABERDEEN]

Maureen peeked at Drew from the corner of her eye, the TV lighting up the room as Back to the Future played. It wasn't what they had chosen to watch, but while flipping through the channels it had come on and they both stopped, drawn in by the nostalgia of it. Both had seen it, but neither could remember if they'd seen it with each other or not, so for purposes of catching up they lingered on the old movie, sitting on opposite sides of the couch. That wouldn't do for long, though. Maureen had her legs up on Drew's lap, a bowl of popcorn propped on her knees so they could both watch, his right hand absentmindedly stroking her foot while the other mindlessly reached for a piece of popcorn now and then.

She gazed at him in the dim light of the movie now, wondering how she had gotten so lucky. He'd been all but wiped clean from her memory, and there they were, playing house together. He was her past, her present, and she knew in her soul he was her future. A content smile spread over her lips as she leaned the side of her face against the back of the couch again, still watching the way the light cast strange shadows over his strong chin which moved while he chewed. When he reached his hand for more popcorn she shot her own out, grabbing his wrist. When he looked curiously at her she returned it with a mischievous smile of her own, one he often told her reminded him of the way she was when she was just a girl. She'd become more troublesome the more she remembered it seemed, as if that goofy part of her laid dormant with the memories, and was now loose to wreak havoc once more. Maureen sat up and put the bowl onto the coffee table before climbing onto her knees and settling herself on her boyfriend, straddling his laps and wrapping her arms around his neck. "I have a lot of old movies to interrupt." She offered playfully, his response making her giggle as she leaned into his lips, pressing her body into his..

The phone chirped at her, and for a moment she thought to ignore it, but when she saw it was her sister she felt compelled to answer. After spending so many years apart, not remembering she existed, she always felt the need to take her sister's calls. Besides, what harm was there in telling her she'd call her back in a few, of course leaving out the details of how she was about to blow their childhood friends mind.. "Hey, Max." She greeted pleasantly, giving Drew the I'm so sorry, this will just take a second look. When she heard the sobbing her brows creased and she climbed off Drew's lap. "Calm down, Max.. I can't understand.." She nipped her bottom lip and walked to the window, peeking out. "No, of course, come over! Do you want me to get you? Can you drive?" She looked anxiously to her boyfriend who was giving the same look back, his hand on the remote as he turned the TV off, a lamp now shedding light onto the room. "Alright.. yes, we're here, just come. I love you.." She hung up and turned to Drew who inquired immediately, her head shaking from side to side to show she didn't know. "She was hysterical.. I don't know what happened."

Maureen rushed to the bathroom and fixed her hair, making sure the short make-out session didn't mess with her looks too much. She didn't want Maxi to think she had been interrupting them. Sexy time would have to commence later. Maybe.. she wasn't even thinking about sexy time anymore as she worried about what had happened to her little sister. She rushed around neatening up and then brewing a pot of coffee, figuring it might be a late night. When the doorbell rang, much sooner than she expected, she darted to the door, pulling it open. She wasted no time pulling Maxi into a hug. Whatever it was, it didn't matter. She needed her sister to know she was safe now, that it was fine as long as they were together. She hadn't been able to protect her for years, and now she would do everything in her power to fix that. "It's okay." She urged softly into Maxi's ear, holding her trembling frame as her shoulders grew moist with tears and probably snot.

After a moment, when Maxi calmed down enough that Maureen felt she could pull back, she escorted her sister more into the apartment, unable to hold back anymore. "Alright, what happened? Was it Charlie? Did Charlie do something? Or is it work?" She looked at the clock and shook her head. "No, it wouldn't be work.. Did August.. did he do something?" She immediately felt defensive, not sure she could handle that Gargoyle messing with her sister more than he already had. "What happened, Max?" Her hands stayed on her shoulders, eyes sympathetic as they met their identical matches. She wasn't expecting what came next.

“I…August…he came over the other night. We talked and…and…” Anger gripped her but she tried not to show it, knowing that fool was behind it all. “The more we talked, the more I realized…I still love him. I can’t stop loving him.” The anger dripped away, leaving her feeling sick. No.. what had she done? What had Maxi done?? “I broke up with Charlie. I can’t do that to him. I can’t be with him when I’m still in love with August. Besides…I realized…August is my true love. I love Charlie but…I couldn’t love him like I love August.” Her jaw went slack. Everything went slack. The hands on her shoulder slipped away as she simply stared at her sister, not believing what she'd heard. How could Maxi do that? How could she just leave Charlie after allowing him to move from Europe to be with her? How could she go back to a man who had flip flopped for years on whether to simply call her girlfriend! Forget even moving in, August had taken ages to admit his love at all, while Charlie had been pining for her most of their lives. She couldn't believe how incredibly selfish and cruel her sister could be. She had always been the selfish one, the one who made rash decisions and not thinking things through before acting. At least in her younger years.. maybe not so much as she grew older, but it was a trait that was considered Maureen. Certainly not good, kind Maxi..

“I feel terrible…I don’t deserve to be happy after what I’ve done. I just…I needed to tell you. I needed to tell someone. Someone not intimately involved in this situation.” Not intimately involved in the situation?! Her brows furrowed slightly and her jaw set once more. How could she say she wasn't intimately involved in the situation? “Please say something, Maury…” "Are you out of your MIND?!" She snapped before she could stop herself. "Charlie loves you! He moved her to BE with you, how could you.." She shook her head, burying her face into her palms and letting out a sharp growl of a scream before snapping her hands down to her side and glaring at the slightly younger girl. "No, no, I'm not letting you do this to him or yourself." She stomped to the end table and grabbed her phone before bringing it back to Maxi and shoving it against her chest. "Fix it! August is terrible to you and you deserve someone who wants to take care of you, who loves you, who has always loved you and has absolutely no problem telling you that he loves you! If mom were here.." The spark of tears moistened the tips of her eyes as she shook her head again. "Mom would tell you to do the same."

[MAXINE MCMANUS]

“Are you out of your MIND?!” Maxi’s eyes widened to stunned silence, her tears momentarily stopped for fear of further angering Maureen. Her sweet, soft-spoken older sister had just shown how much of her younger self was still hidden away in her mind. This wasn’t the reaction Maxi had expected. “Charlie loves you! He moved here to BE with you, how could you…” The guilt Maxi already felt was multiplying by the minute. Her tears began dripping down her cheeks again, her big eyes falling with shame from her sister’s face as the older woman growled sharply into her palms. Didn’t she understand that Maxi had already thought about that? The last thing she needed right now was a scolding from her big sister! All she wanted was some reassurance. One glance at Drew over Maureen’s shoulder confirmed that although he was reluctant to jump in the way Maureen had, he agreed with her. If he didn’t, he would be stepping in for Maxi right now. She suddenly resented his relationship with Maureen—once upon a time, he would have defended her choice in this. At least she wanted to believe he would have…

When Maureen’s furious glare showed itself once more, Maxi’s own brow furrowed a little indignantly. “No, no, I’m not letting you do this to him or yourself.” Maxi watched her sister stomp to her end table and snatch up her phone. She used to stomp like that when they fought as girls. Why did she have to get like this? She got so angry; she wouldn’t be willing to hear anything Maxi had to say! Why did this side of Maureen have to come out today? When Maureen had reached her, Maxi gave a sound of annoyed surprise as the phone was shoved into her chest. Instinctively she held it, but she didn’t really want it. “Fix it! August is terrible to you and you deserve someone who wants to take care of you, who loves you, who has always loved you and has absolutely no problem telling you that he loves you! If mom were here…” Maxi’s whirlwind of emotions as bubbling in her gut. She was bringing their mother into this?! Maureen’s eyes were sparkling with tears, but it only brought more of rage to Maxi’s eyes. “Mom would tell you to do the same.”

Instantly, Maxi shoved the phone back at her sister squarely into Maureen’s chest. Drew now stepped forward to try and split them up. He placed a hand on Maxi’s arm and she threw it off with a glare at him. Turning her eyes back to Maureen’s, it was her turn to glare now. “No she wouldn’t! Mom would tell me to do whatever made me happiest! And this is what makes me happiest!” Fresh tears were swimming in her vision, but she wouldn’t stop now. “I know what I’ve done is incredibly selfish—I know the sacrifices that I asked Charlie to make for me. I can’t tell you how sorry I am that I’m throwing that away. But it’s done, Maureen. I couldn’t fix it even if I wanted to! I made a choice and it wasn’t Charlie. How could he ever forgive me for that?” She sobbed as her emotions overwhelmed her again. “I didn’t want to hurt him—I love him. But it’s not the love I have for August.” Maureen’s reaction to her words only sparked her anger again. “August loves me, Maureen! I don’t expect you to understand that, but he does! It’s not something he shows well in front of others. He’s a very private man—he doesn’t display his affection well because he doesn’t know how. I’m the only person outside of his parents that he’s ever loved.” Her anger abated momentarily, tears racing one after another down her flushed cheeks. “Can you imagine if the only person you ever loved besides Mom and Dad was Drew? If he was your whole world, you’re only reason to look forward to tomorrow, your only friend and person to talk to…don’t you see how lonely that would be? I’m all of that for August. He could have others if he wanted to, I suppose—but he only wants me. When we’re together, I know that. I know just how much I mean to him. Our last fight brought that into question, I know…but he begged my forgiveness on his knees. He’s changed, Maureen. I know that.” Her look bordered on hopeful as she gaze at her sister, pleading with Maureen to understand. “Charlie is heartbroken. I know that’s my fault and I’ll never forgive myself for it. But he can move on. We’ve known each other since I was born, but we’d only been together for a few months. I know in time he’ll find someone knew, someone better. August will never love anyone else. We’ve had years together and even though we argue sometimes, and even though he’s treated me pretty shitty, it doesn’t change how much we’ve built on our love. This isn’t something I can throw away, Maury.”