I turned my head at the sound coming from the staircase.
"Ow! Ow! Ow!" Lily yelped as she stumbled down the last few steps of the stairs and hopped on a foot while clutching the other.
She lifted her foot and brought it close to her face to inspect her stubbed toe.
After making sure that she didn't lose her toe, she let go of her foot and straightened up, rubbing her eyes and yawning before turning around and looking at us.
Yes, I say us, because my parents were sitting right across from me, watching their oblivious hungover daughter.
Lily froze when she saw our parents sitting there.
I stole a glance at my parents' face and immediately knew that shit was about to hit the fan. They were not happy.
After a few seconds of standing under the parents' stern glare, Lily mustered up the courage to pull off a sheepish smile, before she turned her attention to me for a brief moment to shoot me a panicked look, her wide eyes filled with pure terror.
I shrugged apathetically, she brought this upon herself. I wasn't that thrilled to be woken up at 2 am to pick her up at some boy's party either so I'm not even going to try and get her out of this situation.
And that was when Dad finally lost it.
"Lily Waterhouse, get your ass here this instance!" Dad boomed in a loud voice that shook the entire house.
I jumped in my seat at the sudden noise while Lily flinched. She hung her head and meekly walked to the dining table, sitting herself beside me, pinching my thigh as she lowered herself to the seat.
I swatted her hand, ignoring her sign for help.
'You deserve it, you brat.' I thought to myself silently as I continued to eat my lunch.
"What did we tell you about drinking so much?!" Dad started, his eyes full of a blazing anger.
I was well aware, however, that it was all just his concern for her health and safety. My dad wasn't one to judge others' lifestyle. He stuck to himself and regarded every human being with respect, that is, if you don't count abusers, rapists, kidnappers and murderers. You know, the usual.
My dad used to be a rebel back in the days too so he never felt like he had the right to get mad at us for going out late at night to party.
Mom, on the other hand, was a whole different story.
"I can't believe you drank until you're this hungover!" She stood from her seat and angrily waved her hand at Lily's disheveled state to emphasize her point. Lily fiddled with her fingers under the table, eyes still casted downwards in shame.
Mom was a total goodie-two-shoes. She never went off the rails, even when she was dating Dad, the troublemaker. And, that, is what I call discipline. I don't think I would've been able to say the same if I was in her shoes.
"I raised you better than this! I have had enough of you acting out! How old are you, again? When are you going to grow up? Are you going to keep acting like an immature kid? If you are, then I'll just treat you like one. Lily Waterhouse, you are now grounded!" Mom rambled angrily. I could only listen in amazement as I chewed my food. How did she say all that without catching her breath? Mom could definitely become a rapper if she wanted to.
Just as I was imagining Mom as a rapper, she redirected her glare at me, causing me to gulp down my food and almost choking on them.
I slowly lowered my food down. When her gaze didn't soften even after having looked at me for a few seconds, I knew I was next.
This, people, is what you would call being collateral damage.
Story of my life as the kid that stays out of trouble but had the unfortunate fate of having a rebellious little sister that never fails to get herself in trouble.
"And you, Missy, how could you let her drink so much? Didn't we tell you to look after your sister?!" She finally redirected her anger at me.
I sighed inwardly. "Well, there goes my lunch time," I thought to myself before setting my utensils down. I knew if I continued to eat while she goes off at me, it'll only fuel her anger, and as much as I wanted my sister to face the music, I didn't necessarily want it enough to the point that I'd be willing to face it with her.
What did the "How To Respond To An Angry Parent 101" guideline tell me to say in this situation, again?
Ah, right.
Nod and apologize.
My head moved up and down, my eyes casted downwards as I admitted to my faults. "I'm sorry, Mom."
Mother dearest finally sighed and sat back down on her seat, covering her face with her hands, something she would always do when she's upset.
I personally think that it was a trick she does to keep herself from seeing the source of her stress.
*cough* Lily *cough*
Honestly, my heart goes out to my mom. It must be hard to raise a kid like my sister. She was a rascal since birth.
I heard that Mom had a hard time trying to push her out when she was due and then she grew to be a rebel that never listens to the woman who gave birth to her.
The only time that she'll stay quiet and not talk back like she's doing right now is if the man sitting next to my mom is present, a.k.a Father dearest.
Dad shook his head in disappointment at her, his angry eyes never leaving her face. He wasn't a man of many words but if he did choose to speak when he's pissed, you know it will hurt.
After an hour of sitting there, occasionally getting sprayed by my parents' anger that was supposed to be directed at my sister, my parents finally snapped at my sister to grab a plate from the kitchen cupboard and start eating.
That's my parents for you. They'll want to throw you off a cliff one moment but they make sure you're well fed the next. It's like they can't make up their minds between wanting to keep you alive or to leave you in the forest, at the mercy of wild animals.
But I guess that's parental love?
When my sister stood up to grab her plate, Mom nodded at me before looking at my plate, silently telling me to eat while Dad got up and left the table to cool off.
I took that as my cue to continue eating my lunch.
I expected lunch to be intense when I woke up this morning seeing my parents sitting on the dining table because I knew shit's going to get real when they see my sister's hungover state, but I was hoping I wouldn't have to feel as if I had also gotten caught being severely hungover.
I mean, it wasn't like I was the one out drinking 'til the early hours of dawn.
The world's unfair that way, I guess.
The rest of lunch was silent. Eventually, Mom and Dad had taken out their phones and started replying to work emails.
Lily pinched my thigh and I jumped slightly in surprise.
I turned my head slightly, using my hair as a cover to hide the glare I shot her from my parents. This brat has the audacity to abuse me after dragging me into her mess.
Lily pointed to her phone which was hidden under the table. I squinted to read what she sent me.
I didn't want to risk having to sit through another hour scolding from our parents in case they decided they didn't like us playing our phones on the table.
Hypocritical, you say? Welcome to my life.
Lily: Taylor and Brooke?
I used my left hand and shook it from side to side in a 'no' gesture. I used my pointer and middle finger, imitating a walking gesture and then using both my hands to form a roof sign.
Translation: They went home.
We heard Mom's seat scrape the floor as she pushed it back. Our heads snapped up to look at her at the same time but Mom simply brought her phone to her ear and started talking into the phone.
After our angry parents have left the table, both Lily and I relaxed and slumped in our seats.
After a couple of minutes of silence, I turned towards her and glared. "It's all your fault, you lil' shit!"
Lily waved me off, "It's not like I got home pregnant. Chill."
My mouth popped open. 16 years of living with her and I still haven't gotten used to her remarks and comebacks.
I shook my head, giving up on trying to put her in her place. I don't have the time or energy for that.
"What do we do now?" I sighed, asking her.
I know I'm supposed to be the older sister, but at these times, I never know how to act or what to do because I tend to avoid triggering these situations in the first place.
"What do you mean 'what do we do?' Just do whatever you were planning to do." Lily shrugged, getting up from the table and bringing her dirty plate to the sink.
I watched her walk away in disbelief. It was as if she didn't just get an hour of scolding from both of our parents.
How is that person related to me?
I thought about that a lot.
And at that moment, I'm fucking sure she's adopted.
I huffed after coming to that conclusion and got up from my seat before walking off to my room. Yes, I was throwing a tantrum. Did I care that I probably looked like a little kid? Nope.
I considered banging my bedroom door close but remembered my parents were home too so I chose to act wisely in the midst of my temper tantrum and refrained from triggering another wave of anger from my parents.
I sat on my bed in my room and hugged the stuffed bear I've had for almost a decade now.
Looking out my window, it has started to rain heavily.
My favorite weather.
Call me a sad or troubled soul but this weather never fails to soothe me and put me at ease.
It was also the best weather to sleep in.
I closed my eyes as I laid on my bed and listened to the rapid echoes that came from the roof whenever a raindrop would fall on it.
When my eyes were shut like this, the noise seemed to be louder than it is, but for some reason that didn't keep me awake, quite the opposite, actually, it successfully lulled me to sleep after only a few minutes.
Before I knew it, I've fallen to a dark chasm with the sound of echoing raindrops surrounding me.