Offside (The Barker Triplets 1)

Billie pushed her chair back and grabbed her glass of wine. “I’m not doing this right now.”

“Go ahead. Run away like you always do.” Her sister’s perfect demeanor was starting to crack. Her voice rose a notch and she tossed her napkin onto her plate.

“Now girls,” Gerald began.

“Shush.” Bobbi hissed at him and then glared at her sister.

Gerald frowned but remained silent. [i]Pussy[i].

“Run away? What’s that supposed to mean?” Billie got to her feet. How the hell had a normal family dinner disintegrated into a mess in under five minutes? This had to be some kind of record.

“Oh please,” Bobbi said. “You’ve been running away from here for as long as I can remember. Ever since the day you put on a pair of skates.”

“Watch it, Bobbi. You’re starting to sound, oh I don’t know…a bit jealous.”

“Jealous? Of you?!” Her sister snorted—again—and stood as well. The two of them faced off—identical versions of each other for the most part, and yet, they’d never been so far apart. Billie had to clamp down hard on the hurt that bubbled inside her. Where had all this anger come from? Bobbi had never been so damn condescending. Or nasty.

Bitchy sure, but she’d never stood on a holier-than-thou pedestal. Billie’s hands twitched as she set her glass down and squared her shoulders. It was time she pushed her sister off the damn thing but Gramps would have her ass if she broke any of their late Grandmother’s crystal.

“Bobbi I hate to point it out to you, but your perfect skin has taken on a new shade of green and it’s not a nice color, like emerald or anything.” Billie leaned in for the kill. “It’s more like that puke shade…you know, the one called jealous.”

Her sister was now livid. If she were a dragon smoke would be blowing out her ears frying everything in sight.

“You’ve got to be kidding me.” Bobbi took a step round the table, her fitted black blouse expanding as she exhaled loudly, creating little gaps between the buttons. “Why would I [i]ever[i] be jealous of you?” Her voice rose yet another notch. “I’m proud of the things you’ve accomplished. You’ve played in an Olympic tournament—”

“Actually, that would be two Olympics,” Herschel nodded and held up two fingers. He waved them slowly back and forth before resting his elbows on the table. “Two.” He added once more with a quick wink.

“Whatever, Gramps.” Bobbi wouldn’t be deterred. “My point is, you’ve had some early successes Billie, but they’re behind you now and it’s time to get real. You had your fun and honestly—”

“Yes,’ Billie’s heart was racing again and she felt more than a little lightheaded. The knot in her stomach twisted a little more. “By all means, let’s be honest.”

Bobbi arched her brow again in that way that made Billie’s teeth crunch together. “Okay, I’m going to be brutally honest.”

The room went quiet and everyone was focused on her sister, who had the floor. Bobbi glanced over to Gerald as if she needed his permission to speak and that one small gesture left such a bad taste in Billie’s mouth that she nearly gagged. When Dooley nodded, ever so subtlety, Billie’s fists balled and she shouted. [i]Why are you here? What have you done with my sister?[i]

And yet nothing came out.

“Like I said, you’ve had your fun and now it’s time to grow up. I’m sick of being the only responsible Barker triplet. I’m sick of Betty flying off every few months and we never know when she’s going to come home. When the princess does grace us with her presence, she sleeps all day and parties all night. She’s like a damn vampire. If she wants to move out…then move out already.”

Billie opened her mouth but her sister didn’t let her get a word in.

Bobbi threw her hand up. “And don’t you dare tell me she’s modelling all that time she spends away. I don’t think she’s had a regular paying gig in a nearly six months. Her nose isn’t clean and we both know it.”

Billie’s heart tightened a little more, mostly because what her sister said was the truth.

“I’m pissed that for a lot of years I had an absent father because he was always somewhere with you.” She threw her hands in the air. “A hockey tournament in Canada. Another one in Washington.” Bobbi’s voice was getting hoarse. “Hey, let’s fly to Timbuktu and while we’re at it, let’s blow all the college fund money on a stupid pipe dream that got you nothing but a wasted education, a half-baked career in Europe and a body that you can’t trust.”

Tears filled Billie’s eyes but she refused to let them fall.

“Twins!” They all looked toward Gramps. “Enough!”

Gerald looked confused, but Billie wasn’t about to explain to him that their Grandfather had always called them ‘twins’, even though they were three girls. Sometimes he went weeks without using their names. He’d just shout out [i]twin[i] or [i]twins[i] depending on how many were present.

Billie stared at her sister, feeling utterly defeated. “What happened to you?” she whispered. There wasn’t one soft, approachable thing about her. It was like staring into a mirror and seeing what Billie would look like if every single emotion that made her human was gone. “You used to be fun and easy…and real.” She gulped. “Badass. Leather, jeans, and too much makeup.” Billie shook her head, trying to understand. “Now you’re all perfect and manicured, fitted skirts and,” she glanced at Gerald. “Three piece suits.”

Bobbi stared at her for a few moments, her eyes glittery and hard. “Life happened, Billie. Dad being sick happened. This house and the bills that go along with it happened. [i]They happened to me[i]. While Betty was off modeling lingerie and bikinis and you were in Europe living your dream, I was here, looking after Dad and Gramps.” She paused. “And I did it while working my way through night school.”

“I had no idea you were so bitter about things.”