Painful Smiles

Clara was ready for whatever punishment she get. Even if it was a whole year of no going to school.

It wasn’t like she had a life there anyway. Her friends were fake, her lies were numerous and she was a total jerk to everyone, even her twin.

But her parents were more worried about the reason she’d turn that way. It was way more than just her disobedient and rebellious nature. It was becoming psychological.

“You cause the cut in her hand in the first place, why do you keep aggravating it?” her mother asked tearfully. She muttered a “I’m sorry” but her mom shook her head.

“You may be sorry but I still want to know why. Why are you this mean to your sister? It’s not like she has what you have? You are popular in school and as I can remember, you even got to date Mark, the guy she liked as a kid. Why are you this way with her?” Mrs. Larabee was now shaking her daughter violently. Painful tears just streamed from Clara’s eyes.

When their father heard of the incident, he suggested taking Clara to a psychologist. Mrs. Larabee seconded it.

After that, she would have a week at the psychologist center to check if her “condition” would improve.

“Don’t act like you are sorry, bitch” Claudia said to Clara as she saw her packing up in her room. Clara stayed calm and continued packing her bags.

“You may not have anticipated me bleeding but you made cry and be in so much pain that you staying in even a rehab can’t condone for”.

Clara turned to her, “Leave me alone”.

Claudia walked closer, “There’s nothing you can’t do out of jealousy. Now that I know that somewhere in you, you are jealous of me, I’d make sure to always act like the superior I am, especially in front of you”.

Clara raised her brows, “Jealousy? What are you talking about?”.

She had to ask to not give herself away but Claudia just smirked and walled away. She need not explain Clara was well aware of all her insecurities and now, Claudia was.

“How did you know she was jealous?” Paul askes as if he helped Claudia pass a glass of water.

Claudia sipped from her glass before answering him. Clara dragged her luggage’s down at that moment and stared at them.

“Oh, how I knew Clara was jealous? It is a bully thing, always jealous of someone better” Claudia answered. Clara rolled her eyes at her.

Claudia continued, “Well also, she always brought me down, even when she wasn’t half as good as I was. She tried to take all the parent’s love, spotlight and praises away. She even tried ending my life in extreme cases when her psycho demon surfaces. Only people with insecurities acted that way”.

A loud smash on the table made Paul jolt. Clara had caused a crack on the glass table. “I am, will never, be jealous of you again. You are trash, I am a spec. And I’d rise from all these”.

“Poetic” Claudia sighed and sipped from her glass again.

Clara clenched her teeth but then dragged her luggage outside to her father’s car.

“Are you two twins? No twin energy at all” Paul muttered. Claudia felt the urge to laugh at his statement but he was clearly offended so she didn’t.

To help cheer him up, Claudia broke her parents rule on staying indoors to rest, and took Paul for a stroll and ice cream.

“I hope no Wright is coming to meet us today?” Paul asked, in respect to their last stroll when Wright had askes to meet.

Claudia shook her head but then remembered something. “You did not give my number to any one answering Michael”.

It should have been a question if not that she already knew that answer.

Paul scratched his head trying to remember. “The rich going man is the only one I gave your number recently. I don’t know any Michael”. Claudia didn’t respond to him as her eyes were glued to a car rising towards them. “Hey, it’s the young rich man’s car” Paul yelped and rushed to it but Claudia dragged him back to avoid him getting hit.

“Yikes, you and your sister likes doing dangerous things” Michael said when he got out of the car.

“That’s why I call him “Frenchie”. Never thinks before acting” Claudia smiled.

Paul was confused as the young man smiled at his sister and she seemed to have smiled back. “Wait a minute, did you two know each other?” he asked.

“Yeah, he’s the pathetic and incredibly foolish French guy I told you went head over heels for Clara even though he had saved my life technically fourteen hours ago” Claudia said quickly.

Both Michael and Paul seemed confused but she just left to get them ice cream.

“I had plans of inviting you for lunch, sir. But my family had so much going so I didn’t want you getting the wrong idea” Paul explained

Michael patted his head, “Yeah, I’ve been involved in the “goings”. I was just wondering how her hand was doing. And what exactly would happen to Clara”.

Paul frowned, this young man knew to that extent?

“Vanilla or Strawberry, Michael?” Claudia came back with an ice cream for only Paul and herself, “I don’t know your preference”. She began digging into hers.

“None. I rarely take I cream. Very unhealthy” he sighed. Claudia rolled her eyes.

“Well, nice meeting you. You can drop by at our house from time to time…”.

“Because you own the house or is it a thank you to almost kidnapping you?” Claudia shut him up.

Michael began laughing, “I didn’t know she was also very rude and bossy to her own family. I thought it was only to me”.

“No, one gets preferential treatment. Especially when they try showing off stupidity” Claudia said again. Michael laughed harder and Paul just pouted. He was used to it anyway.

Michael stopped laughing when he noticed the same car that had passed by before passing by for the fourth time.

He could have termed it a coincidence if not it had the same logo of the “Bleu Cristal” and not the official logo but the “Bleu Cristal Mafia Deal-lands”.

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