Why Can't You Be More Like Your Sister?

Thankfully, no one has ever said those exact words to me before. I've never gotten a "why aren't you like your extroverted, fashionable, make up oriented sister? Why can't you be more telephone addicted, hairblower loving, makeup wearing teenage girl?"
No.
Instead, I get subtle things, usually from people other than my parents.

Stuff like the fact that when my sister wears her poodle skirt, everyone thinks it's fabulous, but when I wear my style: refashioned t-shirt, jeans, and either my painted shoes or sequin converse- no one says boo.
I guess it's because they aren't as used to Valerie by now.

Another one of the things that happens is that whenever a friend comes over, it becomes a Valerie and (insert friend here) playdate. My friend came over, and Valerie and she played on the computer for about an hour while I sat in the living room with a book.
Another of my friends came over, and she and Valerie got into a long discussion about a celebrety, while I sat there and watched them because I don't give a crap about pop culture.
I don't know.
It seems to happen a lot.

It's because she's an extrovert, you know. She likes parties. She likes shopping. She forgets the stupid stuff she says. She makes people feel at ease, she gets them to talk. She shares her lunch. She's an eccentric, but in a good way.

Valerie: extroverted.
Angela: introverted.

Valerie: always happy.
Angela: occasionally happy.

Valerie: not afraid to look dumb.
Angela: terrified of looking dumb.

Valerie: makes friends everwhere.
Angela: barely ever makes friends/relies on others to approach her.

Valerie: can write poetry.
Angela: can't write poetry to save her life.

Valerie: always gets along with little kids.
Angela: gets sick and tired of mini people when she sees them too often.

Valerie: thinks up fun things to do.
Angela: had no clue waht to do.

Valerie: makes herself heard in conversations.
Angela: tends to fade to background.

Valerie: shows sympathy to people.
Angela: tells people to suck it up.

Valerie: wants to do popular jobs like modeling and fashion designing when she grows up.
Angela: wants to be a mathematician/pilot.

Valerie: has a common sense of humor- finds funny books funny.
Angela: has a sarcastic sense of humor, barely ever laughs at "funny" books.

Valerie: gets really happy around tons of people.
Angela: would rather hide in her room all day than go to a dance.

Valerie: is the one sitting by all her friends in the cafeteria at GS camp.
Angela: is the one sitting away from everyone in her camp and not talking to anyone.

Valerie: is the one everyone wants to talk to.
Angela: is the one who connects everyone with Valerie.

So, you see. That's why people like my sister more.
I mean, even I like my sister more than I like myself. Why do you think I talk to her all the time? Why do you think I always try to sit next to her at class? Because she's an extrovert. Because she puts me at ease. Because I know that if I get freaked out she'll take care of the problem for me.

It kinda stinks, being an introvert with an extorverted sister.

So, yeah. People want me to be like my sister. (Main point of this rambling post.) My teachers want me to be like my sister. My friends would rather I be extroverted like she. My dad would rather I be a bit more extroverted. I think the only one who doesn't really mind my being completely introverted like I am is my mom. (and myself.) Which is really nice, because if she wanted me to be an extrovert too?

[shudder]

So, yeah. That's why you like Valerie more than you like me. That's why people talk to her and think I'm weird.
In fact, it's awful at Girl Scout camp. I walk past my sister, and her group of friends, before they know me. And the friends start giggling at me, because I happen to be wearing boy's shorts and a tank top and my socks are a bit too tall and my hair is a bit too uneven. And when they find out that I'm Valerie's sister, one of two things will happen.
1. They'll completely accept me
or
2. They figure that I must just be the odd one out in the family.

Ah well.
Thus is the life of your friendly neighborhood blogress.

[/rant]