The Ugly Stepsister

by Avril Sabine

  Ellie stared after him in surprise. She shook her head, wondering why she should be surprised. Sam was constantly doing the opposite of what she expected. She slowly made her way into Tom’s room and turned on his laptop.

  Once she’d answered emails, Ellie signed into her messenger. She signed in as offline since she really didn’t want to talk to everyone. Just Lauren, if she was online. She grinned when she saw she was.

  Ellie says: Hey.

  Here kitty, kitty, kitty says: Was it odd being at home on a weekend.

  Ellie says: Had a change of plans.

  Here kitty, kitty, kitty says: What happened?

  Ellie says: Party arrived anyway. Even Scott was there. Tom came and picked me up. Thought they were going to break down the front door with a battering ram.

  Here kitty, kitty, kitty says: Oh no! You okay?

  Ellie says: Yeah. Idiots. How could they not have realised there was no party when the place was locked up and no lights were on. Well, except for the verandah light, but it’s permanently on.

  They chatted for a while about how dense some people were, trying to outdo each other with remembered incidents.

  Here kitty, kitty, kitty says: I’m glad you ended up at Tom’s place. Wish I was there too ;)

  Ellie says: Sam’s making a delivery to my mum.

  Here kitty, kitty, kitty says: lol. Bet he gets a buzz out of that. He’s probably picturing himself as some 1920’s crime lord running illegal substances.

  Ellie says: I’ve barely had time to talk to you this week about how the two of you are going.

  Here kitty, kitty, kitty says: Where do I start. Have I told you I’m counting the days until he’s seventeen? Normally it’s my parents saying I’m not allowed to date. Odd to have it be his parents. Mine absolutely adore him. But he cooks like his dad. You should see his dad in action. He has such flair. Mum’s always encouraging Sam to cook something when he comes over. Then she sits back and watches him like he’s a TV show.

  Ellie says: I have seen his dad cook.

  Here kitty, kitty, kitty says: You finally gave in and watched one of his shows?

  Ellie says: Nah, I helped him cook a meal earlier. Some salmon thing.

  Here kitty, kitty, kitty says: Kitchen still standing?

  Ellie says: Very funny!

  Here kitty, kitty, kitty says: Still counting days till Sam’s seventeen. You want me to tell you how many?

  Ellie says: *rolls eyes* You’re a sad, sad case.

  Here kitty, kitty, kitty says: I know. Especially since I’m not likely to be able to sleep over like you get to.

  Ellie says: I wish you could.

  They chatted about Sam for a bit, or at least Lauren did while Ellie teased her, laughing at the similar comments Lauren made about her and Tom.

  Here kitty, kitty, kitty says: Oh, brilliant news. I told mum you introduced me to Sam and she doesn’t think you’re so bad anymore. I’m still not allowed to have you over, but I am allowed to socialise with you if we’re out in a crowd.

  Ellie says: Wow. Before you know it I’ll even be allowed to ring you again.

  Here kitty, kitty, kitty says: lol. Brb

  Ellie says: K.

  Here kitty, kitty, kitty says: Back.

  Ellie says: I was beginning to think you’d be gone forever.

  Here kitty, kitty, kitty says: Sorry. That was Sam. He’s seen your mum. He wanted to ask me to come over to dinner tonight. Said that Tom could pick me up or I could bike back with him.

  Ellie says: He was quick. It’s only been about an hour and a half. What did you tell him?

  Here kitty, kitty, kitty says: That I had to say goodbye to you. I’m riding over with him. We’ll be there in about an hour.

  Ellie says: Yes! Can’t wait.

  Here kitty, kitty, kitty says: Spending time with my two fave people in the world. What more could I want?

  Ellie says: Sam turning seventeen ;)

  Here kitty, kitty, kitty says: lol. Yep. I’ll see you soon.

  Ellie says: Buh-bye.

  Here kitty, kitty, kitty says: Bibi.

  While Ellie waited for Sam and Lauren to arrive, she changed into her bikini and went out to the pool. She was lazing in the shallow end when they turned up.

  “Don’t get out. We’ll join you,” Lauren called when Ellie started to climb out of the pool. “I’m dying of heat exhaustion. A swim is exactly what I need.”

  They splashed around for a while before they ended up lazing about on the steps. “This is the perfect depth of water for laying about,” Ellie said with a sigh. “You know, I was having so much fun I forgot all about lunch. I guess we might as well leave it for dessert now.”

  “And have a main meal as a dessert?” Sam teased.

  Ellie grinned. “I know. Terrible, isn’t it?”

  Lauren played with Sam’s hair. “I wonder what you’d look like with a mohawk.” She spiked his hair up.

  “Odd,” Sam suggested.

  “Or better yet, about three times the length of your brother’s hair and lines shaved into it to make it look like a chess board. You’d have to dye it black and white too,” Lauren said.

  Ellie laughed. “You just want him to match you.”

  Lauren looked down at her own streaked hair. “Well, there is that too. But I also think it’d look cool.”

  “I don’t know about that,” Sam said.

  “I bet I could convince you.” Lauren moved in close to Sam.

  “I’m sure you could.” Before he could say another word, Lauren’s lips met his and his eyes closed.

  Ellie glanced away, spotting Teresa a moment before she reached the edge of the patio. By then it was too late to warn Lauren.

  “Sam!”

  “Uhh… hello Mum.”

  “Your father told me both of the girls are staying for dinner.”

  Sam could only nod.

  “Lauren can stay for dinner and then she’s not welcome back until the seventh of January.”

  Lauren shook her head. “I’m sorry Mrs Wallace. We were just mucking around. I mean… well not exactly… I was saying that a woman can always change a man’s mind about something. We aren’t… weren’t… I-”

  “Then this is your first and final warning, Lauren,” Teresa said frostily.

  “Yes, Mrs Wallace.”

  “If you even think along those lines you’re back to waiting until January before you can visit again.”

  “Okay, Mrs Wallace. I’m terribly sorry about that. We were just-” Lauren gushed until she was interrupted by Teresa.

  “Dinner will be ready in a little over an hour.” Teresa strode inside.

  “I’m so sorry, Sam.” Lauren reached out to him, pulling her arm back before she could touch him.

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Tom joined them in the pool with a grin for his brother. “I’m surprised you didn’t try the old, I was just giving her mouth to mouth.”

  “I’ve obviously got poor timing,” Lauren said.

  “Depends on your point of view.” Tom drew Ellie close to him.

  “How did you do today?” Ellie leaned back against Tom.

  “Not too bad. We won.”

  “Of course you did,” Sam said. “You always win.”

  “It helps we’ve got a good team,” Tom said.

  Sam shook his head. “No need to be so modest, brother. You know you’re the best swimmer.”

  Tom shrugged. “So what did you all get up to today?”

  Tom was filled in on their day and then it was time for them to shower as the dinner hour was rapidly approaching. The start of the meal was filled with large silences and awkward pauses, but as the meal progressed things got better. After dinner, Sam promised to make dessert and bring it down and Lauren offered to help him. Tom and Ellie both retreated to Tom’s bedroom.

  “Are you going to tell me what you were dreaming about?”

  “Hmm. That was so long ago it’s hard to remember. I guess it couldn’t have been
too important since I can’t remember a single dream.”

  “Not a single one, hey? How about two dreams? Or multiple dreams?”

  Ellie lay stretched out on Tom’s bed. “I’m glad you were already seventeen when I met you. It’d drive me crazy waiting for you to be old enough to have a girlfriend. Don’t your parents realise that’s a long time to wait? Poor Lauren.”

  Tom sat beside her on the bed, his hand capturing hers. “I would have snuck you in anyway rather than leave you at your place on a weekend.”

  “Does that mean I would have had to stay in your room all weekend?”

  Tom grinned. “I can’t see any problems with that idea. You want to pretend I’m still sixteen and hide out in here with me for the rest of the weekend?”

  “Nice try.” She reached out and pulled him to her so she could kiss him.

  The rest of the world ceased to exist until there was a knock on Tom’s bedroom door. When Ellie tried to push him away, Tom protested.

  “That’s probably dessert waiting for me,” Ellie said.

  Tom groaned and rolled over onto his back beside her. “Maybe after another few weeks of coming second to food I will have a self esteem problem.”

  Ellie laughed and leaned over to kiss him quickly. She pulled away when he reached out to hold her. “Dessert.”

  “Then we continue?”

  Ellie shook her head. “Then we remind ourselves it’s getting close to bedtime and I’m staying the night and expect you to behave yourself.”

  There was another knock on the door before Tom could say anything. He sighed and dragged himself off the bed, helping Ellie up. “Okay. You win. Dessert.”

  “Of course I win.” Ellie rolled her eyes. “We’re talking pancakes!”

  Tom slid his arm around her waist and pretended to frown. “You think you should have them? I’m finding it a little harder to wrap my arm around you.”

  “If those pancakes weren’t calling my name you’d have to die.”

  “I already am.”

  Ellie paused at the door to meet his eyes. She smiled when she saw the heat in his gaze. “Good. I wouldn’t want to be the only one.” She opened the door before he could answer her.

  Lauren had her hand raised to knock again. “Finally. I was beginning to wonder if you’d checked out of reality.”

  “Forget that pancakes, vanilla ice cream and maple syrup are waiting for me? Never!”

  * * *

  Ellie sat quietly in the car beside Tom on Sunday afternoon. He’d given up trying to talk to her. Her grunts and single syllable answers hadn’t been very helpful in keeping the conversation going. But she couldn’t do anything about that. She was worried about what she’d find. Worried she might not even have a home left. And then where would she go? It wasn’t like she could move in with Tom permanently. Their relationship was still too new to even expect that. Besides, who would look after her mum if she wasn’t there?

  “You want to tell me what’s wrong, Ellie?”

  She shook her head. “I don’t want to talk about anything right now.”

  “It’s a really annoying habit you have.”

  “What?”

  “Shutting everyone out and ignoring the rest of the world when it’s not going according to your plan.”

  Ellie looked out the window. What could she say? It was true. She did have a tendency to clam up when life went to pieces around her. That was her way of dealing with it. He was just going to have to get over his problem with it.

  “Come on, Ellie. I can’t help you if I don’t know what’s going on.”

  “Maybe I don’t need your help. You don’t have to play knight rescuing a damsel in distress every minute of the day. I can look after myself, you know.”

  “Of course I know. But that doesn’t mean you have to. You can accept help from other people without being weak.”

  Ellie continued to look out the window, watching as the neighbourhood deteriorated. “I’m worried my house might be more trashed than usual.”

  “So we’ll deal with it.”

  “What if it’s burnt to the ground?”

  “We see if there’s any coals left to toast marshmallows on?”

  Ellie laughed weakly as they turned into her street. “Well, I guess I can’t see any smoke in the sky. But that doesn’t mean anything.”

  “Whatever it is, you’ll deal with it. I have complete faith in your ability to deal with anything.”

  “Thank you.” Ellie fell silent again, but this time it didn’t seem as uncomfortable. Her eyes focused on her home when they pulled up in front of it. The front door was closed and the verandah light was still on. It looked as dilapidated as it always did. There were several empty bottles in the front yard, that usually didn’t get left there. Other than that, everything looked normal. “Pull up in front of the neighbour’s house.”

  Tom drove along a bit further and turned the engine off. He took her bags and a full plastic grocery bag off the backseat, waiting until Ellie was out of the car before he locked it.

  Ellie tried the front door and found it unlocked. She swung the door open and was relieved to see everything looked normal. Well, normal for a Sunday afternoon. “What’s in the plastic bag?”

  Tom shook his head. “I’ll tell you later. You want to unlock your room so I can put this stuff down. There doesn’t look to be one clean spot out here today.”

  As soon as they’d put Ellie’s gear in the bedroom and Tom had stashed the plastic bag in the fridge they began to clean up. The first thing they did was close all the curtains in case Heather turned up unexpectedly. Once the house was back to normal, Tom glanced around the living area.

  “Where do you eat your meals?”

  Ellie pointed to the small space near the kitchen that was empty. “Occasionally I throw a picnic blanket on the floor in the dining area, but mostly I either sit on the island bench or at my computer desk.”

  “Do you want to grab the picnic blanket?”

  “It’s not a real picnic blanket. It’s a normal blanket that’s too thin to be much use in winter.”

  Tom shrugged. “Doesn’t matter. It’ll do.”

  Ellie grabbed the blanket out of her room and laid it on the floor. She watched as Tom took the plastic bag from the fridge and set containers on the blanket. In the bottom of the bag was a candle in a holder. He lit it with a lighter he drew from his pocket.

  Ellie laughed. “Do you think it’ll burn better now it’s cold?”

  Tom grinned. “I didn’t want you to see it.”

  “So what’s all this in aid of?” Ellie’s hand gestured towards the blanket.

  “Sam made us dinner. There should be enough food here for breakfast and lunch tomorrow.”

  “I should be annoyed he thinks I can’t feed myself.” She opened one of the containers and inhaled. “But I can’t resist his food.”

  “He made sure it was food that could be served cold.”

  Ellie grinned as she grabbed cutlery. She handed some to Tom. After a mouthful, she turned to him. “Sometimes I swear I could compete against Midas.”

  “I’m not following.”

  “Everything he touched turned to gold. This is better than gold. And to think picking Sam was a half random act. Sometimes I’m amazed at my luck.”

  “And what do you call having an alcoholic for a mother?”

  Ellie glared at him. “Don’t ruin the evening.”

  “Come on Ellie, I’m curious.”

  “Balance.”

  “What?” Tom frowned then shook his head. “No, I still can’t comprehend that.”

  “Everyone has good and bad in their life. They balance each other out. With how extremely lucky I am in other things there has to be some major crap in there somewhere.”

  Tom stared at her for a minute. “I have told you how odd I think you are, haven’t I?”

  Ellie nodded. “Yep.”

  “Just wanted to make sure.” He picked up another container and sank his for
k into the food.

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  At the end of lunch on Thursday, Lauren dragged Ellie to the toilets so she could talk to her without Sam overhearing them. As soon as she’d made sure the room was empty, Lauren turned to Ellie.

  “I need you to talk Tom into taking us all to the beach on Saturday.”

  “Why can’t you ask him?”

  “Because I’m being horribly shallow and you know what I’m like when I have an ulterior motive.”

  “What’s going on Lauren?”

  “Michelle’s been making comments about how much Sam has been hanging around us. You know how they all call him Baby Face. If it wasn’t for Tom I bet they’d hassle him worse. But Tom’s really popular so they kind of leave his brother alone. It’ll probably be different next year when Tom’s at uni. I worry about what’ll happen then. I’m trying to work out how to make Sam more acceptable before that happens.”

  “And how are you doing that?”

  “I’ve let a few people try his cooking and I need to get him to the beach on Saturday.”

  Ellie frowned. “I’m not sure how the beach is going to help.”

  “Because Michelle has organised for everyone to meet up at the beach Saturday.”

  “Why didn’t I hear anything about it?”

  Lauren grinned. “Gee, I don’t know. Might have something to do with how focused you’ve been on a certain person.”

  Ellie returned her grin. “Can you blame me?”

  Lauren shook her head. “No, but I need you to use some of that focus to help me with Sam. I want us to make him… well not popular, but at least so no one wants to pick on him.”

  “Hmm. I guess. But how is getting him to the beach going to help?”

  “Seriously. I worry about you sometimes. That boy has a chest to make your heart stop beating. If only I could keep his shirt off all the time. Not a single female would even notice his baby face.”

  “The guys would.”

  “Only if they weren’t gay.”

  Ellie laughed. “You are getting desperate with your plans.”