“I don’t like cherry pie.”
My mother actually looked offended by the information.
“You always loved it.”
“Claire loved it.”
I looked up.
Lily laughed once, bitterly.
“There.”
“What?”
“That.”
She looked at me.
“All my life it was Claire and Lily.”
“Claire got the better grade.”
“Claire got picked first.”
“Claire spoke first.”
“Claire knew everybody.”
“Then people looked at me like I was the unfinished version.”
I stared.
“I never asked them to do that.”
“I know.”
“Then why does this sound like I’m on trial?”
“Because you never had to notice.”
That hurt.
She continued.
“You walked into a room and you were Claire.”
“I walked into a room and people asked where Claire was.”
Mom started crying.
“I didn’t know.”
Lily looked at her.
“I don’t think I knew how much I hated it either.”
“Not until the crash.”
I felt cold.
