I wiped away my tears and hurried to fix my smeared makeup. I quickly slipped on my heels and ran downstairs, coming to stop at the bottom when my shoe came off. I stooped with an exasperated sigh and worked it back onto my foot, when I heard a voice behind me.
“Are you all right Cora?”
I looked over my shoulder to see Eric standing behind me, arms crossed, leaning against the wall as he had in my doorway. I put my shoe on the rest of the way and stood, turning around to face him.
“I’m perfectly fine, thank you.”
His expression remained conceitedly proud, and he took another step towards me just as footsteps approached from behind.
“Let’s go Cora.”
It was Jayson speaking, and he grabbed my arm and pulled me to the dining room with him. I bumped into him as he came to a halt at my seat, and whispered to him, “What was THAT all about…?” But he continued to his seat without responding. I neatly folded my napkin and growled under my breath as Eric took his place next to me at the table. This guy was really starting to annoy me.
I picked at my salad, politely answering perk questions directed at me, forcing myself to smile when all I really wanted to do was slap their proud faces and tell them I was no orphan and I didn’t need the pity they felt obligated to provide me.
As I separated my olives from my tomatoes, a pleasing idea entered my head. Hiding a grin, I reached over my bowl to pick up my water glass, purposely misaiming and spilling it all over Eric’s lap. Eric shrieked as the ice water hit his lap, the dinner guests gasped, Aunt Bethany seems mortally horrified, Uncle Todd was turning red at my behavior, Jayson let out a strange half gasp half whoop of laughter, and one boy with blonde hair to my right ducked his head to hide a smile. Encouraged after receiving the responses I’d hoped, I quickly stood up.
“Oh my gosh I’m SO sorry Eric! Here, let me get you some napkins…”
I leaned over the table and extended my arm for the napkins towards the center, once again succeeding in knocking the potatoes drenched in steaming gravy on him. He leapt from his seat, the most priceless expression I’ve ever seem crossing his face, and banged his knees on the edge of the heavy wood table, causing him to plop back into his seat and hoot in pain. By now Aunt Bethany had risen from her seat and some of the guests were half out of their chairs, murmuring amongst themselves. I had to escape the tension filled room before I burst out laughing, so I excused myself embarrassedly and hurried to the back hallway. I collapsed in a fit of uncontrollable laughter, unable to get Eric’s impression of Edvard Munch’s painting The Scream out of my mind.
I heard to people coming down the hall, and when I lifted my head, I saw Jayson and the blonde boy joining me.
“Awesome Cora; that was awesome.”
Jayson went off into another fit of laughter, shoulders shaking as he buried his face in his knees. The blonde boy winked at me and continued laughing himself.
“Aunt Beth and Uncle Todd are going to kill you Cora.”
“I know! I know!”

- - -

After dinner, everyone filed into the sitting room, where sophisticated conversation ensued. I was once again bored to death of the upper class atmosphere, when Aunt Bethany turned to me from her small group of friends and addressed me with a smile.
“Cora Lynn dear, why don’t you go out to the garden and pick one of the roses that are blooming on the bush inside the fence? Mrs. Turner and Mrs. Irwin would like to see how ours are doing so far. See if you can get a petunia and daffodil while you’re at it.”
I bounded up from my lounging position on the couch, and without a word of acknowledgement, I trekked outside and around to the east side of the house. As I went through the garden gate, I heard the grass rustling behind me, and with an inward growl I realized Eric had followed me.
“Lovely evening, isn’t it Cora?”
I didn’t answer.
“You look very nice tonight, might I add.”
I snorted as I searched for a decent rose.
“Lillian always looked pretty for dinner parties, but she was so sickly, you know?”
I raised an eyebrow and plucked the rose from the top of the stem.
“Here let me help you with that Cora.”
Eric strode over to me and touched my hands. I jerked away, the rose falling to the ground.
“I can do it myself, thank you.”
Eric’s face didn’t lose its sneaky expression, and he quickly retaliated by slipping his arm around my waist.
“There’s a better rose bush behind the garden-“
I tried to pull away, not succeeding this time, however. Eric, grabbed my arms and laughed.
“Come now Cora, I’m just trying to help-“
“Let go of her, Eric.”
Eric released his firm grip on my upper arms and I fell back onto the grass. I looked up and saw Jayson bristled up in anger standing at the gate.
“Oh-ho! Come on Jayson; I was helping your sister is all-“
“You didn’t wait very long this time, did you?”
A puzzled expression crossed Eric’s face.
“I beg your pardon?...”
“You waited years before advancing on your own sister.”
Jayson lowered his eyebrows and slowly approached Eric. I saw a dark cloud pass over my cousin’s face as he rotated to face Jayson.
“That was all a lie. That maid was a stupid-“
“No, it wasn’t a lie, and you know it. Your mom and dad just covered it all up nice and neat for you so they wouldn’t have any bad rumors being spread about them. They were protecting their son, but what about their daughter that they told to lie to the police? Hm?”
Eric clenched his fists.
“You’re not her guardian Jayson! You don’t have to follow her everywhere she goes!”
“And you DO? NO. You stay away from her, you hear me? You may of taken advantage of your sister but you won’t touch mine.”
Eric stopped an inch from Jayson’s face, his own flushed with anger.
“Don’t tell ME what to do, Jayson!” Eric took a deep breath and partially regained his composure as well as his smirk. “Just because you aren’t as fortunate as your sister to live with mother and father or in such a highly rated school as myself is no reason to get a-“
I gasped as Jayson shoved him back on the grass.
“Jealous? ME? YOU’RE the one who can’t get a girlfriend because of your stuck-up conceit and thinks he has to take advantage of his sister and cousin to be satisfied!”
Eric growled and got to his feet, smashing his fist into my brother’s chin. I got up and watched their words and blows fly, unable to do anything. Their yells and shouts soon brought my uncle outside, his eyes widening as he saw a full-fledged fight going on in his garden between his nephew and son.
“JAYSON! ERIC! ENOUGH! ENOUGH!”
My uncle strode over, fully enraged, and managed to separate the boys from one another. My hands already covering my mouth, I gasped in horror as I saw Jayson’s lip bleeding as well as his nose. I was proud, however, that he brought Eric down a notch and gave him a nasty black eye and knocked out tooth.
“THIS IS UNACCEPTABLE! WHAT ON EARTH HAPPENED?!”
My uncle glared at Jayson as if the whole thing was his fault, when Eric piped up.
“He called me a conceited jealous molester, father.”
Jayson wiped his nose on his suit coat sleeve and glared at Eric threateningly.
“That’s it; That is IT!”
My uncle raised his voice and guests began migrating outside to see what was happening.
“Jayson Zachary Cook get off my property right this minute!”
“Uncle Todd wait-“
I desperately yelled to my uncle, but his mind was made up. He gave me a glare just as threatening as Jayson’s that dared me to protest his order.
Jayson began walking to his truck, head high, guests moving out of his way as they stared wide eyed in mute shock. I chased after my brother, grabbing his arm.
“Jayson wait you don’t have to le-“
He turned to me and gave me a quick hug.
“Yeah, I do have to leave. Bye Cora. Love you.”
He gave the guests a look as if to say, “who the heck are YOU looking at?”, and got into his truck. Aunt Bethany hurried over and took me by the arm, dragging me to the porch with her. I tearfully watched my brother drive away, not knowing when I’d end up seeing him again.