Joneses – 13.6 Big Sister

It was around 5 a.m. when Breanne heard her bedroom door open, a pair of little feet coming toward her, and faint sounds of sniffles. She arose from the bed so confused.

“What do you want me to do about it?”

The little girl kept crying and whining her name. “Bree Breeeeeee…Bree Breeeeeee.”

She was so pitiful. Something changed inside Breanne that morning. Previously, she viewed her baby sisters as pure annoyances who existed to make her life miserable. But there was something so sad about seeing Lily standing there crying, calling her name, and not being able to effectively convey whatever bothered her. Those two little devils were helpless and could do nothing for themselves. They couldn’t even properly use the potty yet. They needed all the help they could get, and in that moment, Lily needed her big sister.

Breanne bent down and hugged the sobbing little booger. “It’s ok.”

She was about halfway through her teenage days and still had plenty of time to think about what she wanted to do with her life. At one point, she thought having a family would be nice. Having loads of money and a house full of fancy things would have been awesome, but material things would only last as long as she did. Breanne wanted to be known and recorded in the annals of history as someone of influence in the social world. The absolute best way to do that would be to lead a successful family. Having a family that excelled in everything they did and were known for their successful lineage was an excellent way to maintain a high social status for generations to come. She was sold but wasn’t sure how to go about it. Her own grades were stellar, but after school was over it wouldn’t matter. Her own family was quite successful. Perhaps she could learn from her mother if she helped out around the house more. That was a perfect idea. It would be like having the answers to the test a month before it’s taken. Oh yes. A new Breanne had come to town. Bob and Eliza had better watch out.

“Are you ok now?”

Lily still whimpered a little.

“Did you dream about bad people?”

“Bah peepoo?”

“Yeah, bad people. You wanna hear a story about bad people?”

“Stowee! Stowee!”

Breanna scooped up her little sister and carried her back to her room. Although she was excited about her new plan to be a successful matriarch, she was scared. Did she have what it takes? Was it really the best way to ascend into the ranks of Willow Creek’s elite? What else could she do with her life that mattered and made people think she was important? What if she didn’t like having her own children?

It was silly to worry. She had plenty of time to figure it out. For now, all she needed to do was be a better sister and more helpful to her mother. Everything would fall into place from there.