After we finally got ready, we piled into the car, and headed off to the airport. As waited in the security line, for the guards to check our bags, my dad kept on saying, “Honey, it’s okay, I can take your bag for you.”

“No daddy, I want to by myself. I can do it.” I whined, while struggling to lift my bag.

“Okay, okay, if you need help just ask.” he replied back.

Pssshhh, I can lift my bag by myself, I am old enough. I started to hoist my heavy duffle bag up on the security conveyor belt, and fell down.

On the cold, tile ground I croaked, “Ummm, I gonna need some help.”

My mom helped me off the floor and dusted me off, I got up as my dad easily lifted my bag up. As we approached the plane, I started to imagine how much fun I at my cousin’s house, and Luke started nudging me to give my ticket to the flight attendant. We boarded the plane, and my thoughts of being older and getting to be the mature one,
came back. In thought, I fell into a deep sleep.    
“What?” I sleepily said.

“Wake up Ava, we're here.” my mom said quietly in my ear.

I jumped up out of my seat and yelped, “Really? Yay!”

“Shhh,” Luke scolded me, “Why are you so loud?”

Landing at 2 am, we hopped into a taxi and rode in the crisp night, not seeing a soul on the streets. Once we got to Darcy’s house, we were welcomed to Atlanta by my aunt and uncle. Darcy had been sleeping at the time, so I was responsible, and didn’t wake her up. All of us were so jet lagged and drained so we immediately slept.

The next day, we woke up up to the smell of french toast and eggs. “This this is so good!” I exclaimed as I stuffed my mouth with some more eggs.

“I’m glad you like it, oh Darcy you’re wake! Good morning, Darcy, say ‘hi’ to your cousin Ava.” my aunt told Darcy.

“Hi.” whispered a little voice.

“Hi Darcy, we are going to have so much fun!” I replied back with a grin.

A small smile emersed from her face and she sat right beside me for breakfast. Darcy was five while I was eight. Darcy said nothing, and I didn’t know what to do. I never had to be the one to start the conversation, but I tried by asking her about her favorite color, animal, and etc. Darcy suddenly opened up and clung on to me. Darcy started to copy every single thing I said! Ugg, she is so annoying, but I am the older one now.

Of course my brother thought this was hilarious and had us play a game just to annoy me more. “So Ava, what is your favorite animal?” he asked me first.

“I really like dogs and horses.” I told him.

Then, he asked Darcy, and she hesitantly said, “Um, me too.” I realized that she was copying me after all. So when Luke asked me what my favorite color was and Darcy copied me by saying the same, I changed my answer.  “Actually I don’t like blue, I like green.”

Darcy’s face lit up and she immediately responded, “Yeah, I like green too.”

I was bubbling up inside with anger, so I suggested we play a different game. “Maybe we can play wrestling on my bed, it will be lots of fun.” Darcy persuaded me.

“No, I don’t think this will be very safe, and I am in charge.” I said in a very commanding voice.

“Please!”

“Oh, ok fine.”

Nevertheless, as we were playing, Luke joined in. It turned out that Darcy’s idea was pretty fun, but the fun came to an end really quickly. As we were fooling around, my foot slipped off the edge of the bed, and I fell down backwards. My head scraped across the headboard, and I was laying on the ground with blood oozing out. It felt as if all the tears in the world were coming out of my eyes. Darcy gave me a disgusted look and said bitterly, “Even I wouldn’t cry if that happened to me. I fell down so many times but I didn’t cry. Why are you such a crybaby.”

In that one single moment, all the anger raging in me burst out, and I tackled Darcy to the ground, throwing her down, and yelling all the bad words there were in the English Dictionary. Suddenly it felt like all my pain disappeared, and the only thing I cared about was giving Darcy what she deserved. I screamed in utter fury, “What do you mean cry baby? You are the only baby here! DO YOU KNOW HOW HARD IT IS TO PUT UP WITH YOU, SO JUST SHUT UP! You know nothing, and I mean nothing! What goes on in your head, you copy me, and I try to be nice, but now, enough is enough!” I simultaneously pinned her down again as she struggled to get up, scratched, and pulled her hair. Darcy’s eyes teared up like a dam about to burst. She tried to pull me off, but I wouldn’t budge. When I came back to my senses, I immediately regretted what I did, and ran to the bathroom. I locked myself in there for a long time. I thought about my mom telling me I was the older one, and how I had to be mature, but it was sooo hard. I heard Darcy wailing in her room, while my aunt tried to calm her down.

“Ava, are you okay up there,” my dad came up the stairs “It's dinner time you know?”

No! I am not okay, now everyone will think I am the bad guy! It is so unfair being older! “Okay, I’ll be there in 5 minutes.” I managed to say with the lump in my throat. Slowly step, by step, I trudged down to the table. Suddenly, everyone was giving me a death glare as I slowly sat down at picked at my food.

“Darcy told me that you hurt her and called her some very mean names. Also, we saw the video your brother took. I am very disappointed.” my mom scolded me.

“What is this, a court! Luke why did you have to show them the video, and why were you recording anyways!” I screeched across the table. I stared down at my pasta and chicken, picking at it. The wind howled outside, and the room was quiet, you could hear a pin drop. Everyone stopped and looked around.

As I started to get up and leave, my dad spoke seriously, “Now Ava, what you did was wrong, and you have to say sorry to Darcy. Then we can get along with this wonderful dinner.” He looked at my aunt to tell her how delicious this meal was.

“Yeah, you have to.” said Darcy mocking me.

I felt that anger bubble up again. “Don’t even talk Darcy, you are the one who should be saying sorry to me! You are the one who started it!” I yelled at them and stormed away. My mom walked in room and asked why I did it, and the whole story unraveled. “Maybe I still just want to be the youngest one, I can’t handle being the older one. I don’t know how Luke does it.” I told her after I calmed down.

“Well you still have to apologize to Darcy, what you did was wrong too.” my mom coaxed me. Finally, after a lot of persuading, I went up to Darcy and in the tiniest, monotonous voice, said “sorry”. I instantaneously walked away, and vowed to never talk to Darcy again.  Of course my mom and dad told me I had to talk to Darcy whether I liked her or not. I thought that was barbaric, but went along. We spent the rest of our vacation talking very minimum, but that slowly changed. We began to act like cousins again and had fun with each other. On our last day together, Luke showed us the recording, and I sat there stunned at what I had done. I can’t believe I just did that, how could I be co cruel! I told Darcy, “I just realized how stupid this whole thing was, and for real this time, ‘I am sorry’.”

“No, I am sorry, I never should have copied you and said that mean stuff.”

“That’s okay, I forgive you.” I replied. Her face broke out into a goofy grin and she took my hand and led me to her bedroom. I started to realize that this trip wasn’t bad after all, and it was something I would remember for my whole life.