by Jamie Knight
Most of the things in the box had been in my desk back at school. It included a bunch of knick-knacks, change, paperclips, and other tiny things. It took about twenty minutes of picking through the grass to find them all!
It turned out I had slipped on a dog toy. What a non-surprise. Phil, my new stepbrother, apparently just let his dog leave his crap everywhere. He really was such a jerk.
After gathering up all my stuff and the rubber bone, I finally managed to get into the house. I was sweating because it was unseasonably warm for March and I was still wearing a jacket.
“Hey, Tracianne,” Daphne, my new stepmother, greeted me, as if we were good friends. “Do you need help unloading your car?”
“No, I’m fine,” I said, trying not to engage with her.
“Oh, it’s no trouble,” she insisted. “I could get Phil to help.”
“No thanks,” I shot back quickly.
“Okay. Your room is right up the stairs and to the left,” she said, in a sniffly tone of voice, as if I’d rejected her offer for a million dollars instead of just her son’s help moving in my stuff.
As if I wanted this woman or her son to touch and look at all my stuff? Definitely not. And I was mad that Phil had beat me here because I wanted to just retire to the bedroom my dad had said I could have when I called him to let him know of the situation, and fall fast asleep without having to deal with anyone.
“Of course you can come stay here,” he had said, once I had told him about the campus-wide email. “We made sure to get a three bedroom so that each of our adult kids could come stay with us whenever they want. Of course, we didn’t anticipate you having to leave college due to a pandemic, but that’s what parents are for, and we’re here for you.”
“Thanks, Dad,” I’d said, knowing I should be more appreciative than I felt.
I wished I had somewhere else, anywhere else, to go. But this was it. And Phil was already here.
So, I had to deal with that jerk, too. I brushed past Daphne and went upstairs.
Cresting the top step, I could smell the vape juice. So disgusting.
“Hey,” Phil greeted me, sucking on an electronic cancer stick. “Is that all the stuff you had at school? You travel light.”
“No,” I growled. “And here’s your dog’s stupid toy. Try not to leave it in the yard next time.”
“He’s a dog. He doesn’t put his toys away.”
“I know, that’s why I’m suggesting you do it.”
“I didn’t know it was there. What’s the big deal?”
“Well, besides the fact that someone will run over it with a lawn mower, I nearly broke my neck stepping on it!” I informed him.
“Jeez, sorry,” he laughed. “You seem really annoyed. But that’s pretty much you all the time, isn’t it?”
“Screw you,” I sneered, stepping into the bedroom that had been designated for me and closing the door in his face.
I texted Diamond.
“Just got home. He’s here already.”
“Send me a pic!” joked Diamond, adding a tongue emoticon. “Also, I’m blowing up on Tik Tok.”
Checking the feed, I saw that Diamond had done a rant while driving home. She was annoyed that the state couldn’t figure out the virus faster.
Basically, she complained about first world problems from her car, which her parents gave her, while leaving her college, that her parents paid for, and going home to luxuriate for God-knows-how-long in her parents’ huge house. What a tough life she lived.
I wanted to wait until Phil left the hallway before I walked back down the hallway to get more things from the car. The less interaction we had, the better.
He was just hanging out there, sucking on that Juul stick, though. Giving him five minutes, I saw that he still hadn’t left, so I just decided to go back to the car.
“Got more stuff out there?” he asked.
I was pretty sure he was just asking to annoy me.
Rather than giving him the satisfaction of a reaction, I just went downstairs.
His dog passed me on the way, bounding through so quickly that he nearly tripped me. He was one of those big, friendly, dopey dogs. I could tell I would have to watch myself with a drink if I sat on the couch, because he’d just leap onto my lap without warning and knock it over.
He was definitely a cute dog, though, and it wasn’t his fault he was so bad. It was all Phil’s fault, of course. You’d think he would’ve trained him, but no.
Back outside in the car, I decided just to grab my comforter. Since it was so bulky, I could carry nothing else.
Halfway back across the lawn, the sprinklers came on and I got wet. I ended up getting the comforter damp. I took a detour to the dryer and threw it inside for a tumble.
Upstairs, I could hear Phil laughing.
Did he know what had happened?
Had he turned on the sprinklers?
I marched upstairs and saw him on his phone, still standing in the hall.
“What?” he asked.
“Nothing,” I said suspiciously. “What are you watching?”
“Some stupid video about a talking squirrel.”
“Oh.”
Now I felt silly and slightly guilty for suspecting him.
I went back for more boxes. With the sprinklers on, I decided to move the car closer to the side door. After moving it, I opened the trunk.
Of course, during the drive, everything had shifted, and I had books and notebooks all over the place. Additionally, one of the boxes I had them stacked in burst open from all the weight.
Grabbing an armful, I trudged back up the stairs.
Phil was still in the hallway.
What is wrong with this asshole?
I struggled to open the door.
“You know, you might help me,” I griped.
“You told my mother you didn’t want my help,” he noted, still staring at his phone. “Plus, I had offered, and you turned me down, too.”
Well, I didn’t want his mother’s help. If I was being honest, I hadn’t wanted his help, either, until now that I was getting tired. I was damp, annoyed, had grass stains on my pants and generally just wanted to lie down.
But it was true that I’d been offered help and refused. So, I guess he was right that I had done this to myself.
Going back to the car, I grabbed my laptop, a backpack full of stuff and an armful of clothes. This time, I was careful to stick to the driveway and sidewalks.
It took a little longer, but I didn’t want to drop my clothes since it had just rained. When I finally trudged upstairs, Phil was gone.
Diamond texted me. She wanted to know what I thought of her Tik Tok video. I said it was great, even though I had barely watched it.
The compliment was enough to get her going, I guess. She didn’t even ask how I was doing. She just sent back a barrage of texts about how many followers she had gained.
God! How many more trips did I have to take to the car?
Now I wanted some food and a shower and just to stop walking back and forth to the damned Prius. This time, I grabbed some more clothes.
Normally, I’d bring suitcases back to school during the last break. Now, though, I didn’t have them. Fortunately, the Prius was clean, so I just stacked them inside.
I had, unfortunately, closed one of my shirts in the trunk door. It now had a black mark on the sleeve.
Great.
Going back inside, I put detergent on the offending area, set the washing machine and threw it in. By washing it by itself, I was hoping to save the shirt.
Then I took the rest of the stuff upstairs. Phil was now sitting at the bottom of the stairs, vaping and looking at his phone. I stopped because he was in the way and he slid to the right without looking up. I walked around him.
Jeez, is this what I was going to have to put up with every day?
It was a good thing some of my high school friends lived in the ar
ea. If I had to hang around here all day, I’d probably go insane. But then again, I didn’t even know if I’d be able to see them, during a pandemic.
Avoiding Phil was hard enough, but Daphne seemed like the type to never leave to go anywhere. And my dad was working from home because his job had wanted everyone to quarantine. It was going to be crazy, being trapped with all these people.
I made one final trip to the car, then scanned it for anything I could’ve possibly missed. I lifted up seats and checked under them but didn’t see anything I’d forgotten. Finally, just as I was ready to lock the doors and be done with the whole ordeal of unloading everything, I heard the last voice I wanted to hear.
“Who is doing laundry now?” asked Daphne, on my way in. “Is that you, Tracianne?”
“Yes,” I sighed, exasperated.
“I’ll be happy to do some with the rest of the—”
“No, it’s fine, I got it,” I said, feeling obligated to explain now. “I just needed to spot clean something, and dry my comforter, because of the sprinklers.”
“Oh, okay. Let me know if you need any help, hon!”
I just nodded and said nothing, holding back from rolling my eyes or telling her that she wasn’t actually being all that helpful.
I was a grown adult and knew how to wash laundry.
God, this woman was already constantly up in my business.
I couldn’t help but compare her to my mom, a career-minded woman who had worked her way up from secretary to head paralegal at a large law firm. She wasn’t the type to sulk at home and hover over me. I didn’t know how my dad could have found her exact opposite in this Stepford-looking new wife, but it annoyed me that he had.
Walking past Phil, I got up the stairs and sighed, telling myself that none of this was any of my business. I was just a grateful guest staying here until I go back to school and get out of their lives. I had no right to judge them but at the same time, I didn’t want to have their new life rubbed in my face all the time, and now I had no choice.
“Hey, do you need help?” Phil asked.
“My car is empty now, dumbass!” I snapped.
“I’m just kidding,” laughed Phil. “Of course I knew that.”
What an absolute ass. It didn’t matter how hot he was, when he was that obnoxious. At least it kept me from temptation, since I wouldn’t want to hook up with a douche no matter how attractive I found him.
Growling to myself, I went into my room and shut the door. I threw down my stuff, flopped on the bed and tried to take a nap. This was going to be a very long quarantine.
Chapter Four - Phil
What a brat my stepsister was!
God, she couldn’t even unload her car without turning it into a big dramatic production. If she had just come inside and asked nicely, I would’ve been happy to help empty her car. But of course, she had had to insist on being the center of attention.
I spent the morning answering emails, eating breakfast burritos and generally looking at the Internet at stupid shit. It was relaxing, if unproductive.
Then I called Mickey, who was building model planes in his childhood room as if he was still eight years old. I guess he was really getting into the whole idea of living with his parents again. At least he seemed happy about it, unlike me.
John was next on my list of people to call, but he didn’t answer. He’d been shacking up with Zoe and I was quite sure they were turning this quarantine into a fuck fest.
Will call back later, he texted me after a minute. I’m a bit preoccupied…
Yeah, yeah, I thought, feeling a little jealous.
I didn’t want it to knock me out of my relaxed mood though so I didn’t text him back. I was just about to get into a groove and watch some online lectures to keep up with my schoolwork, when I could hear someone gently knock at my door.
“Excuse me, Phil?” asked Richard, my stepfather.
“Yeah, what?” I responded.
“Family meeting in ten minutes. You decent?”
“Yeah.”
He opened the door.
I was still in my underwear.
“I thought you were decent.”
“I’m always decent, Richard.”
“Well, put on some pants, please. We’re having a family meeting,” he repeated.
“I heard you. Why can’t you just tell me whatever it is you want to tell me?” I asked.
“Because we’re all going to be living here and it’s easier if we talk as a group, okay? Now come on, please?”
“All right, all right,” I relented.
“Now, please.”
“You said ten minutes.”
“Oh, right. I did. Ten minutes.”
Jeez, this guy forgets what he said thirty seconds later. Guess he’s just nervous being here. Hope no one’s infected yet. What a nightmare if we all get it. Then it’s off to the hospital to what, be put on a respirator, I guess.
At least I wouldn’t have to listen to Richard’s bullshit for a while.
I put on some pants, brushed my teeth and then went downstairs. Mom, Richard and Tracianne were already sitting at the kitchen table.
Traci had one of those plastic cups with a straw. Not the kind you’d get at McDonald’s or something, but one of those high-end store-bought ones. You know, the straw was reusable, and you had to wash it.
She just sat there, occasionally sucking on it and playing with the straw with her tongue.
What’s her deal?
“Okay, everyone,” Richard began. “First of all, glad you’re both safe. Thanks for being here. I expect the smoothest of stays, right, Phil?”
“What? What did I do?” I objected.
Tracianne put her hand up and started smiling.
She was enjoying this.
“Nothing, I’m just trying to stave off trouble,” Richard said.
“You’re challenging me like I did something wrong,” I said. “I didn’t do anything.”
“Not saying you did.”
“Then what’s the problem?”
“There’s no problem and I don’t want there to be one,” Richard repeated, again making me feel like he was blaming me for something.
“It’s fine, Phil. We all just want to get along, right?” my mom asked.
I could tell she really wanted to make this work.
For her, I sucked it up.
“Yeah, sure,” I muttered.
“Good,” she said, smiling.
Tracianne was grinning with glee. What the hell was wrong with her? So petty.
“We’re planning on shopping in rotation,” Richard explained.
“What good will that do?” I asked.
“It’ll keep some of us from getting infected,” Richard pointed out.
“Yeah, but the virus has a two-week incubation period. Unless you’re going to stay away for over 14 days, it’s not going to matter if you end up coming back to the house,” I pointed out.
“We still think it’s best.”
“But it’s not doing anything.”
“Phil,” Mom said, warning me.
“Ma, it doesn’t. Think about it.”
“Okay, you made your point, Phil,” said Richard. “But we’re doing it anyway. It will cut down on the number of people in the stores and on our chances of getting and spreading it to people.”
I threw up my hands. I had tried to say my piece, but they had just ignored me. This sucked.
Speaking of which, Tracianne was smiling at me with the straw in her mouth. She was clearly overjoyed that I was frustrated. What a weird chick. Hot as hell, but weird.
“Is there anything else either one of you want from the store?” Mom offered.
I threw out my food list. Tracianne added a few things. She was playing innocent.
Is she bipolar? I wondered.
She wanted a bunch of food that was all diet, of course. She probably never ate anything that actually t
asted good, now that I thought about it.
Mom and Richard headed out. He looked at the list of food on his phone and made a face.
He was probably editing my request. I got the sense that he was like that.
He had to be the smartest guy in the room, with complete control over everything.
“Oh, you didn’t need that junk.”
I can just hear it now.
The door shut and I was left sitting at the kitchen table with the brat.
“Smooth sailing, Phil,” she repeated.
“That’s not what he said, dumbass,” I corrected.
“You know what I mean.”
“You’re so full of yourself and you keep sucking on that straw, by the way.”
She suddenly realized what she was doing and put down her cup angrily.
“What are you implying?”
“That you have some kind of oral fixation, I guess.”
“Eww!”
“Do you even know what that is?”
“I know what it sounds like.”
“Hey, I was minding my own business and your father just comes at me,” I pointed out. “What’s the deal with that?”
“He’s not going to take any of your crap, and neither will I,” she said smugly. “So, watch it.”
“You watch it,” I warned. “You’re not the boss of me.”
“You’re not the boss of me.”
“I never said I was. I want nothing to do with you,” I said, getting up.
“Fine.”
“Fine!”
I got up and pushed my chair back in towards the table.
“You’re a weirdo,” I commented as I started to leave.
“You’re the weirdo; how late do you sleep? Past noon?”
“Sometimes I stay up pretty late, as if it’s any of your business.”
“Didn’t say it was, but you made the whole family meeting run late.”
“I didn’t know we were having one!”
“Oh. Well, I didn’t know that.”
“What you don’t know could fill an iPhone. A good iPhone, with the most amount of storage available.”
She thought about that for a minute.
That would be an insane amount of information.
“You’re an asshole!” she snapped. “Just leave me alone.”