The Reluctant Sister (Reluctant Series Book 3)

by Melanie Brown

  As I was walking past the dress store that had the prom promotion in the window, the manager of the store came running up to me. “Oh Miss!” he called. “Miss, may I have a word with you?”

  Wary of this complete stranger running up to me, I said, “Maybe. Like what?”

  “I’ll get straight to the point. I’m Mr. Watson, the manager of this store. We’re having a fashion show in late January, and I was hoping you’d consider being one of our models.”

  A model? Me? I said, “I don’t know how to be a model.”

  “That’s fine,” Mr. Watson said. “We always do a practice session or two before the actual show. None of our models are professional. We just use local high school girls, since that’s our clientele.”

  “Okay, I’ll think about it.”

  He handed me a piece of paper and said, “Just complete this form and be sure to have your parents sign on the lines indicated. I hope you decide to join our little show!”

  * * *

  I just sat in the car for a few minutes. It seemed like such a big step, spending a holiday with Jeff and his parents. This was definitely serious dating. I took a deep breath and got out of Mom’s Escort.

  The door opened a few moments after I rang the doorbell, revealing Bill, Jeff’s dad. He said, “Hey Chrissy. Happy Turkey! Say. You don’t have to ring the doorbell. You’re as good as family. Just come on in!”

  Yeah, right! Like I’m going to just walk into Jeff’s house without knocking, “Thanks, Mr. Kowalski, but I think I’d be uncomfortable just barging in.”

  “Suit yourself,” said Mr. Kowalski. “Jeff’s in the living room, watching the pre-game show.”

  I walked into the living room, and there was Jeff, sprawled out on the couch with a Dr. Pepper can in one hand and a donut in the other. He looked up, flashed me a smile and said, “Hey babe! How’s it going?”

  Before I could answer, Doris, Jeff’s mom, came into the room from the kitchen and said, “Chrissy! Thank you so much for coming.”

  “Thank you for inviting me over!” I sat down next to Jeff on the couch and gave him a little kiss.

  Doris started back into the kitchen and said, “If you get tired of watching football, I could always use some help in the kitchen.” Crap! I wasn’t interested in watching the game, but I did want to sit next to Jeff. Well, I’d wait a few minutes before seeing what I could help Mrs. Kowalski with.

  I snuggled close against Jeff, gripping his arm and closing my eyes. I felt perfectly content and I just didn’t want to move a muscle. I looked up and watched Jeff watch television.

  It’s funny where life takes you. Last Thanksgiving, while waiting for Mom to cook the turkey, Joey Saotome and I, along with some of the other geekoids were all logged on to our favorite game server blasting each other gleefully into oblivion. And now, here I was, as a girl, snuggling warmly against my boyfriend!

  At that last thought, I closed my eyes and snuggled more tightly against Jeff. Then, from the kitchen, Jeff’s mom called out, “Chrissy! Would you mind coming in here for a moment?”

  Sighing, I got up and gave Jeff another kiss before heading into the kitchen. He didn’t even notice. I looked at the television and saw that the game had just started at that moment. After taking a couple of steps, Jeff turned to me and said, “Oh, hey Chrissy. Would you mind bringing me a Dr. Pepper from the fridge? Thanks.” He turned back to the television.

  As I entered the kitchen, Doris looked over at me and smiled knowingly, “I’ll bet the game has started.”

  As I opened the refrigerator door, I sighed, “Yep, it has.” I removed a Dr. Pepper can and closed the door, “I seem to have become a waitress.”

  Mrs. Kowalski said, “Don’t let it bother you. That’s just the way guys are.” Not all guys, I thought. She continued saying, “After you give Jeff his soda, I could use some help getting some of things ready. If that’s okay?”

  I turned towards her, smiled and said, “Sure. I’d be happy to help.”

  I handed Jeff his drink and got a mumbled “Thanks” in return. As I started to turn to go back into the kitchen, Mr. Kowalski, without taking his eyes from the game said, “Chrissy, could you bring me a beer, please?”

  * * *

  I stood there looking at the pan with sliced potatoes boiling. “Uh, Mrs. K, these are real potatoes in here,” I said while holding a potato masher.

  “Of course, silly,” said Doris as she placed plastic jug of milk on the counter next to me. “What else do you use to make mashed potatoes?”

  “I’ve always just used instant, I said as I took the pan from the stove to drain out the water.

  “Nonsense! If you’re going to be somebody’s wife one day, you need to know how to cook real food,” Jeff’s mom said as she checked on the status of the turkey.

  I almost dropped the pan. Did she just say “wife”? I hope she wasn’t meaning Jeff as that “somebody”. As I was about to attack the potatoes, I paused a second and contemplated being Jeff’s wife. I could certainly think of worse things. Like being Ed’s wife.

  I added some milk to the pan and began mashing the potatoes or I should say tried to. Those puppies were hard to mash.

  * * *

  The game over, we all sat down at the dinner table. Lots of good food spread out across the table, steam rising from each dish. ‘Doris and I made a pretty good team’, I thought.

  After everyone (all four of us) had been seated, Doris turned to Jeff and asked, “Jeff, would you mind this time?” Jeff just nodded and all three of them bowed their heads. This took me by surprise. It’d been quite a while since anyone had said Grace at our table at home. I joined in by lowering my head and closing my eyes while listening to Jeff. Just for a moment after he finished, I felt suddenly... uncomfortable.

  Within seconds of Jeff finishing, Bill was standing with his electric carving knife. He stood proudly over the turkey with the knife while Doris snapped a quick picture.

  As Jeff passed me the bowl of mashed potatoes, the very ones that had put up such a noble fight, he said, “It’s too bad you were in the kitchen the whole time. It was a great game!” Jeff’s eyes took on a wistful look as he talked about the game. I felt sad for him as his big dream of one day going pro or at least playing in college was never going to happen due to his injury.

  Smiling I said, “Well, I did see some of the game. Let’s see... how many sodas did I bring you? How many bags of popcorn did I pop for you? So, I was in there with you pretty often!” I laughed.

  As I added a couple of slices of turkey to my plate, I said to Jeff, “Oh, I forgot to tell you! I got a job at the theater!”

  Bill said, “Congratulations! Is this your first job?”

  “Actually, it is. I’m very excited, I said between bites. I looked at Jeff and said, “Jeff, what’s wrong? You don’t like me having a job?”

  Jeff frowned and said, “Well, between school, cheerleading and now your job, it’s not going to leave much time for us!”

  Does someone have to have a problem with everything I do? Pushing my hair back, I said, “Jeff, it’s just part time, and it’s only for a few weeks so I can earn some extra Christmas money.”

  “I guess it’s okay then,” Jeff grumbled. ‘Yer dern tootin’ it’s okay’, I thought. He continued, “As long as there’s some time for us.”

  Before taking a bite of celery, Mrs. Kowalski said, “Speaking of time Jeff, did you tell Chrissy about our Christmas plans yet?”

  Jeff looked a little embarrassed as he said, “Oh, yeah. I forgot. Chrissy, I won’t be with you on Christmas. We’re spending the whole Christmas break in Arizona visiting Mom’s family.”

  “That’s certainly disappointing,” I said. However, I thought that it couldn’t have worked out better for my plan to spend that time as a boy. “Don’t worry. I’ll cope,” I said as I took his hand and squeezed it.

  * * *

  Doris and I were in the kitchen trying to get a handle on the huge stack of dirty dishes. Jeff an
d his dad were in the living room playing video games. They were playing one of the newest titles, and I really wanted to be in there playing it, too.

  As she was scrubbing a pan, Mrs. Kowalski looked over her shoulder towards me and said, “I just want to say ‘Thank You’, Chrissy.”

  I looked up from the plate I was drying and said, “Oh, no problem Mrs. K. I don’t mind helping with the dishes.”

  Without turning around, Doris said, “It’s not about the dishes, Chrissy.” She stopped scrubbing and turned to face me. “I want to thank you for everything you’ve done for Jeff.”

  I started to say something in response, but she continued, “After the doctor told him he wasn’t going to get to play football anymore, Jeff got really depressed. He started to hang out with a really bad crowd. His father and I were getting worried. His grades were falling and he seemed disinterested in everything.”

  I didn’t know that. Actually, I never even gave Jeff a thought until that fateful morning he first noticed me and thought I was a girl.

  Jeff’s mom took a step towards me and said, “And then he met you. At first we thought you were just another ‘Girl of the Week’. But you helped Jeff with his schoolwork, and we noticed his grades going up, and he seemed interested in life again. You were his inspiration that he drew that extra inner strength he needed to make his last touchdown.”

  I started to protest what she was saying, but she waved me silent and continued, “Chrissy, because of you, Jeff is on the right course again. He’s now going to go to college because of the scholarship you’re helping him get. Because you were that one special cheerleader, Jeff made a play that sent your school to the state finals and landed him in your school’s hall of fame. Jeff is now excited about the future instead of dwelling on his pre-injury past.”

  I could feel my face turning bright red as I sputtered, “Now Mrs. K, please stop. I can’t take credit for Jeff’s successes.”

  Doris waved her hand again and said, “You know what they say, ‘Behind every successful man is a woman’. You’re that woman behind Jeff, and I just want to thank you. I don’t know what the future holds for you two, but for today, you’ve made a huge difference in Jeff’s life.”

  I just fell silent and drifted back a few steps. This was pressure I just didn’t want. If I hadn’t been there, would Jeff had still made that last run, the last touchdown he’ll ever make, that won the game and boosted his own self-esteem? Would his grades have turned around if I hadn’t been there to tutor him? Or would he just have found someone else to fill these roles? It made me feel creepy to think that just by putting on a cheerleader’s uniform I brought someone out of their personal tailspin.

  Finally, in a small voice, I said to Doris, “You’re welcome, Mrs. K. I’m glad I was there to help out.”

  She turned, smiled at me, and handed me another plate to dry.

  * * *

  When I arrived home at a little past nine pm, Dad was sitting on the couch reading the latest edition of Guns & Ammo. He looked up as I shut the door, “Hey Kitten. Happy Thanksgiving! How was your day at Jeff’s?”

  “Hi Daddy.” I shrugged as I said, “It was pretty good, I guess. Lots of goodies to eat. I helped make dinner. Jeff watched football.”

  “Sounds like a pretty wild party!” Dad smiled and closed his magazine as I approached the couch.

  Plopping down next to Dad, I said, “Oh, I had a good time and all.” I hesitated a second, then “But, Jeff didn’t act quite right. He paid more attention to the dumb football game than to me, and he didn’t like me getting a job.”

  Dad put a fatherly arm around my shoulder and said, “Well, Princess, that’s what you have to expect if you’re going to date a guy. Especially if the guy eats and sleeps football.”

  I have to say, Dad’s use of the same pet names he used to use for my sister was started to bug me. “If I was a guy, I wouldn’t act like that!” I said, folding my arms.

  “If you were a guy?!” Dad laughed. “Chris, now I know you’re getting far too carried away with this. I don’t care how much like a girl you look, underneath the make-up you’re still a boy.”

  I stood up, hair flowing over my shoulders. I looked down at Dad and said, “I sure don’t feel like a boy anymore. I must be a big disappointment to you, huh Daddy?” I turned and stalked off. Granted, it was a rather prissy style of stalking, but it still showed I was leaving in a huff.

  “Christopher!” Dad barked. I stopped and slowly turned around.

  “What is it, Daddy?” I whined. “I’m tired and I have a big day planned tomorrow.”

  “Chris, you’re absolutely right. I really don’t like all this... this... girly shit.” He ran his hands through his hair as he stood up to face me. “I don’t like it at all.”

  “I’m sorry Daddy. I really didn’t set out to hurt your feelings. Honest.” We just stood there staring at each other for a moment. Dad started to say something, stopped, and slowly turned away to sit back down, staring at nothing. His eye twitched.

  As I walked down the hall to my room, I stopped in front of the door to my old room. I stared at the door for a few moments. I bit my lip and just stood there, frozen, for a few seconds. Suddenly, I opened the door and went in...

  “Hey Dad,” I said as I stepped back into the living room several minutes later. “How’s it hangin’?”

  Dad slowly looked around towards me and smiled as he said, “Hey Chris!”

  “Happy Thanksgiving, Dad,” I said as I started walking over to the couch. I had washed my face, removed my earrings, put on my old sweat pants and a t-shirt. I had pulled my hair into a boyish ponytail, and I’d stuffed it down inside the back of my shirt and put on one of my old ball caps.

  As I sat down next to Dad, I picked up one of his latest car magazines and opened it, “Hey, have you seen this new Ferrari?” I pointed to the article. “This is a cool car!” Dad leaned over to look with me and started describing the details of the engine. His eye stopped twitching.

  * * *

  I was very nervous as I walked into the theater about fifteen minutes early. I was wearing my new uniform with my hair in a loose pony tail that was stuck through the hole in the back of a blue ball cap. Gwen was behind the snack bar counter, and she waved as she saw me come in.

  “Chrissy! Welcome to the club! Come on back here,” Gwen motioned for me to go behind the counter. Gwen then motioned for those in the immediate area to come over to where we were standing, “Guys, I want you to meet Chrissy. She’s one of our new part-time team members. Please help her feel welcome and show her the ropes.”

  I felt rather embarrassed and all I managed to say was, “Hi.”

  “Chrissy, this is Holly, Denise, Martin and Bobby,” turning towards the really cute boy on the end, Gwen said, “and Bobby, you leave her alone.”

  “No problem there. I know who her boyfriend is, and I enjoy breathing too much,” Bobby said, grinning. He had a really cute smile.

  Pleasantries over, Gwen turned to Holly and ordered, “Holly, show Chrissy the ropes, okay? Martin, don’t you have something to do in the projection room? Oh, Denise. Good news for you. You’re now no longer the lowest on the totem pole. Chrissy now gets to clean the women’s restrooms. Have fun, Chrissy!” Then, she turned and walked briskly back to her office.

  Holly turned towards me with a smile and said, “You probably don’t recognize me, but I sure know you! I’m a junior at JWB High.” Turning to Denise, who appeared to be around 20 or so, Holly gushed, “Chrissy is a cheerleader at the school. She’s actually dating Jeff Kowalski. Isn’t that cool?”

  Denise furrowed her brow and wrinkled her nose somewhat and sneered, “And just who the hell is Jeff Kolwashkey? Should I be impressed?”

  Holly frowned as she explained, “Jeff is, or I guess was, the football captain. He’s the one that took us to the state finals! And he’s majorly cute!” She turned back to me and smiled.

  Denise just turned away and started straightening a stack o
f empty popcorn bags. As she rolled her eyes, she said, “God! I’m so glad I’m not in high school anymore!”

  To me, Holly said, “Don’t mind her. Well, I guess I should start showing you how to do things before it starts getting busy around here again, which it should do in about fifteen minutes.”

  Holly then proceeded to show me how much oil and popcorn to put in the popper, how to use the cash-register and how to try to convince the customer buying a soft drink that spending just thirty-five cents more for what amounted to just more ice was a bargain.

  Customers started trickling in as the time got closer to when the next feature started. The work really wasn’t hard, and in no time, I was getting the hang of it. I have to admit though, that I really didn’t like having to check and clean the women’s restrooms every two hours.

  The last matinee of the day was getting close to starting, which also meant that I only had an hour more to go, when a young family coming into the theater caught my attention. The man and woman appeared to be in their early twenties and both looked strangely familiar. The man, looking rather harried, was carrying a two year old boy, while the woman was big-time pregnant, looking ready to pop at any moment.