Page 2 of Unwrapping Love

“Water,” Grandma said. “No more of those sports drinks unless they are sugar free.”

“Mom doesn’t buy the sugar free ones because Sandy doesn’t like them.”

It was always all about her younger sister and giving in to avoid tantrums. If her mother bought her anything special, Sandy would eat, drink, or throw it out for spite that someone got something she didn’t.

Been like that since Sandy was born fifteen years ago.

“Your mother should be more concerned about your health and providing for you than if your sister screams and stomps her foot or threatens to lock herself in her room and destroy it in a fit of jealous rage.”

She shrugged. “You can tell her that.”

Grandma snorted. “I’ve gone around the block enough and your mother doesn’t listen. I’m embarrassed that my son doesn’t take more control of the situation.”

“Dad isn’t around much,” she said. Her father was a truck driver and gone several days a week on the road, leaving their mother to all but raise them alone most times.

When her father was home, the house was calmer, him being more in control. Sandy listened, surprisingly, but it was always short-lived until he left again.

“It doesn’t make it right,” Grandma said.

“Yeah, well, I learned life sucks and I’m stuck in that section of it.”

“Is Saylor having another pity party?”

She turned to see her sister standing in the doorway delivering that sarcastic comment. Nothing new there either.

“Leave your sister alone,” Grandma said. “She’s been through a lot in the past few days.”

“Mom is talking to the nurse now to get you discharged faster. I’ve got plans with Lucas today. It’s a joke I couldn’t stay home with him,” Sandy said, flopping in a chair next to their grandmother and flipping her hair over her shoulder.

“It’s because you can’t be trusted alone with a boy,” Saylor said.

Her sister had a reputation of being loose at fifteen already. Her mother threw a fit when she found out Sandy was talking about having sex with Lucas, who she’d been dating for three weeks.

Every month her sister had a new guy in her life. Saylor was positive her sister wasn’t a virgin, even though she kept saying she was.

“What do you know about that?” Sandy asked, her nose scrunching. Surprising her face could move at all with all thelayers of makeup caked on. “No one wants to touch you with all those devices on your body.”

“Sandra Nicole!” Grandma said. “I’m ashamed of you. Tell your sister you’re sorry. She can’t do anything about that and you know it.”

Saylor’s bottom lip trembled. It wasn’t new. These doubts had lived inside her for a long time, but hearing her sister say them out loud cut deeper than the damn IV that had taken thirty agonizing minutes to find a vein in her dehydrated body just days ago.

“I shouldn’t have to apologize for something that is the truth,” Sandy said, scowling at her.

“What’s going on in here?” her mother asked when Saylor was wiping the tears off her cheeks.

“Your youngest daughter is being mean as always,” Grandma said. “And she won’t apologize for hurtful words.”

“What did you do this time, Sandy?” her mother asked, the exhaustion visible for everyone to see. Saylor hated the stress she caused as part of it, but it wasn’t as if she could control it all.

“I told Saylor no boy wants to touch her with all those devices on her body. They think she’s a robot. She acts like one anyway, so it’s fitting,” Sandy said, smirking.

Her mother pulled money out of her wallet. “Go get the donuts you wanted. Get out of here if you can’t be nice.”

Her sister grabbed the money with a pep in her step and walked out with a smile, proving she got her way once again. “I’ll eat a second one for you, Saylor, since you can’t have one right now.”

Just another thing her sister did. Rubbed it in her face about things she shouldn’t eat. Sandy would buy two, then eat them both in front of Saylor, licking her fingers and making moaning sounds when her mother wasn’t around.

Saylor kept eating the wrong things and neglecting her insulin, landing herself in this mess over and over. It was reckless and stupid just to prove to her sister she could handle it on her own.