You’re the perfect one around here, I shouted, slamming my laptop shut. Want to know why? Because Im fed up always being secondbest! Always, in everything! In school you were the head girl, teachers sang your praises. At university you graduated with firstclass honours, while I was just scraping through resits. At work youre racking up promotions and bonuses, and Im stuck in the same rung! I want a high salary and the bosss respect too, got it? I want to be first!
***
Great, another scolding from the boss, I muttered, flinging myself back into the swivel chair.
Emma Clarke looked up from her screen, a smirk playing on her lips.
So you made that mistake in the report, huh? Did anyone pat you on the head for it?
I pursed my lips and turned toward the window, my cheeks flushing with embarrassment. Emma ignored my sour look, gathered her bag, and the workday finally came to an end. The paperwork was neatly filed, the mug was washed.
I stayed silent as we walked down the corridor toward the exit. Only when the doors of the office block closed behind us did my younger sister speak again.
You find it easy to laugh, dont you? Youre the perfect one.
Emma sighed. Those conversations had become all too frequent lately. She used to brush off the bosss remarks with a joke and move on. Now a hint of bitterness coloured every word.
I just do my job well, Lucy. You can too.
Of course, sure.
Wed been at the same large trading firms procurement department for three years. Emma got in first; six months later she helped me find my place. Wed always been close, supporting each other through everything, but our approaches to work were worlds apart.
Emma stayed late, combing through supplier markets, comparing terms from dozens of companies before making a decision. I preferred a more relaxed pace get the minimum done by the deadline, then spend the rest scrolling on my phone or chatting in the kitchen. Emma never judged me for my different outlook; to each their own.
A month ago, something that should have been a family celebration happened. Management called Emma into the directors office and offered her a promotion senior procurement manager with a hefty pay rise in pounds. Emma was momentarily stunned, then accepted straight away. Years of painstaking work had finally paid off.
Lucy hugged her and congratulated her, but I saw the smile on Lucys face fade quickly, the words sounding strained. That evening we went out to a cafe to mark the occasion, but the atmosphere was odd. Lucy kept steering the conversation toward salaries, asking how much more I would be earning now and how many extra hours Id have to put in.
Youre just lucky the bosses noticed you, otherwise youd be stuck on the grind forever, Lucy blurted between bites.
Lucky? I asked. I spent two months on that project without a day off.
Right, of course.
Six months later, I was appointed head of the whole department. The news spread like wildfire through the office. Colleagues shook my hand, offered congratulations, and wished me luck. Lucy was the last to arrive. She hugged me and whispered in my ear,
Congrats. Now youre the top dog around here.
There was no warmth in those words. I stepped back, looked Lucy straight in the eye, and saw something cold and alien there, like a snake coiled for a strike.
In the weeks that followed, office life subtly shifted against me. Emma stopped inviting me to lunch. James from the neighbouring department never dropped by with his morning coffee. People greeted me with a dry nod and then turned away. Whispered giggles and hushed snickers floated behind my back. Whenever I turned, everyone pretended to be busy.
I was baffled. What had changed? Id always been open, helped colleagues, shared my knowledge. Had my promotion really turned the whole team against me? I hadnt started shouting at anyone or setting impossible targets.
One evening, as I was about to leave, Marina Bennett knocked on my door, looking nervous and fidgety.
Come in, I said. Whats up?
She closed the door, sat opposite me, and looked utterly embarrassed.
I have to tell you something. Im ashamed, but you deserve to know the truth.
I set my pen down and stared at her. She swallowed hard and continued,
Lucy has been spreading rumours about you for months now. Shes been telling everyone that the ideas in your projects are actually hers, that youve appropriated her work, that you only got promoted because youre a brownnoser. She says you look down on the staff, that you think were all idiots.
Lucy? My own sister, the one Id helped get this job? The one whose work Id quietly corrected for the benefit of the team? Lucy was turning the whole office against me?
Are you sure youre not mixing things up? I asked, trying to keep my voice steady.
Absolutely. At first I didnt want to believe it. I thought maybe it was a misunderstanding. But she repeats it all the time, to everyone. People are starting to believe her. You know how fast gossip spreads, and the more outlandish it sounds, the more you start to think its true
I didnt remember how I said goodbye to Marina, nor how I got to my car. All the way home, Lucys accusations buzzed around my head like angry bees. Why? Why? Wed always been together. Id always supported her, defended her, helped her. And now the gratitude felt like a joke.
Lucy opened the front door, surprise flashing across her face.
Emma? Whats wrong? Is everything OK?
I walked in without waiting for an invitation, turned to face her, and met her gaze.
Why?
What are you talking about?
Why are you making the whole office turn against me? Why lie that I steal your ideas? Why spread those rumours? I said, my tone cold and detached.
Lucy wavered, crossed her arms, and her face flushed with a sudden heat.
Did Marry tell you?
Does it matter who said it! Answer the question!
Dont yell at me in my own house! This is business now!
Im not yelling, Lucy. Im demanding an explanation. How could you do this? Were sisters!
She stepped forward sharply. In her eyes flickered something Id never seen before anger? Hurt? Something else entirely?
You want to know why? she snapped. Because Im sick of always being second! Always, everything! In school you were the star pupil, teachers adored you. At university you got firstclass honours, and I was barely scraping through resits. At work you get promotions and bonuses, and Im stuck on the same level! I want a big salary and the bosss respect too, understand? I want to be first!
I stayed silent as she kept going, breathlessly.
You were always ahead, always perfect. Emmasmart, Emmabeautiful, Emmahardworking. And me? Just a shadow, the useless little sister who always messes things up!
Then you should have worked for it, I replied. Put in the effort, not spend the day watching videos at the desk and chattering in the kitchen. You wanted respect? Earn it. But dont drag me through the mud for it.
Lucy opened her mouth, but I cut her off, turned, and walked out of the flat. The door clicked shut behind me, tears sliding down my cheeks which I swiped away hastily. Hold on, I told myself. Hold on.
The next morning I handed in a transfer request to move to the firms branch in Manchester. HR was surprised but signed the paperwork without fuss. I was a valuable employee; they didnt want to lose me. The transfer was approved in two days.
Lucy heard about it from colleagues and called that evening. I stared at the name flashing on my screen before picking up.
Youre moving? Lucy said, no greeting.
Yes.
So youre running away then.
No. Im just going where no one will plot against me.
Youre betraying me! Traitor! Sister!
I said nothing, hung up, and let the line go dead. There was nothing left to say.
Three months in the Manchester office flew by. The team welcomed me warmly, projects ran smoothly, and I began to forget the nightmare. One evening, Marina called.
Emma, have you heard? Lucys been sacked.
I froze, phone pressed to my ear.
What?
Last week. She missed deadlines on three contracts in a row, made errors in reports. Management had enough, so they let her go. Without you, everything fell apart. Thats how it went
I didnt
Emma, you spent years fixing her mistakes behind the scenes. When you left, everything came to light. She simply couldnt cope without your safety net.
I put the phone down and sat in stunned silence.
The following day Lucy turned up at my doorstep, hair a mess, eyes red, clothes rumpled. She burst into the hallway, shouting,
Youre happy now? You got me sacked! You moved just to trap me! Did you do it on purpose?
I looked at her calmly.
What am I to blame, Lucy? You had the chance to prove yourself. I didnt stop you. What did you do? Ruined everything.
This is your fault! You!
No, youre the one who caused what happened. And now forget the way back to my house.
I flung open the front door. Lucy froze, unable to believe her sister was actually kicking her out. She turned and fled down the stairwell, the door slamming shut with a deafening bang.
An hour later Mom called, shouting,
What are you doing, Emma? Youre to blame for Lucys sacking! You abandoned her! Youre selfish! You should have helped, not run off to another office! Youve ruined our family!
I tried to explain, telling her about the rumours, about Lucys own role in getting herself fired. She didnt listen. She screamed, accused, demanded I fix everything immediately.
Youve betrayed the family, Emma. Remember that. Its a sin.
A short beep sounded as the call ended.
She was alone. The family had turned their backs the moment I defended myself, the instant I stopped sacrificing for my sister.
Shed manage. Emma had always been strong, and that strength was needed now more than ever.
An email from senior management arrived: a transfer to London headquarters, a new role, a new city, a fresh start. If before Id hesitated about the offer, now I replied with confidence.
When everyone had turned away, there was nothing left to hold me here. Time to think only of myself.
Weeks passed in a hectic move. In the new place I settled quickly, didnt look back, didnt try to fit in. Relations with the family remained dry, limited to obligatory holiday greetings. But I no longer felt the sting of their indifference.
The end.
