The Ugly Stepsister (4 page)

Ellie was relieved to have an excuse to take a break from the game she played with Sam. She was being slaughtered. Sam hadn’t lost a single life and she was beginning to feel annoyed she still played as terribly as yesterday. The game didn’t look that difficult, so why was she still dying all the time?

“Can I use your computer again?”

Sam nodded.

“You can play without me for a while. It’s not going to make any difference to the game for you if I’m not helping. Actually, it probably will make a difference. You might win for a change.” She grinned.

Sam only nodded.

Ellie’s grin faded. “Ah… okay then.” She entered his room and signed into her messenger. Several of her friends were online so she quickly set her status as busy.

Want kitten now says: Tell me everything.

Ellie says: About?

Want kitten now says: Details now or you die slowly.

Ellie says: There’s nothing to tell.

Want kitten now says: Then why the snoring comment?

Ellie says: You weren’t online. I was just hassling you.

Want kitten now says:
:P


Ellie says:
:D


Want kitten now says: So nothing interesting happened?

Ellie says: I took over Tom’s bed while he was out. Had planned to be out of it before he got home. But, he returned early.

Want kitten now says: And? The suspense is killing me. He wasn’t like the octopus from hell, was he?

Ellie says: No. He crashed and that was all. And please don’t remind me of last weekend. I still find it hard to believe Brodie acted like that.

Want kitten now says: But nothing happened with Tom?

Ellie says: Nothing. I don’t think either of them are like Brodie. I think I might have been worried about nothing.

Want kitten now says: You slept in Tom’s bed with him?

Ellie says: Yep
:D


Want kitten now says: I know girls at school who’d pay for him just to look at them. You have all the luck. What’s he like? Is he a bed hog?

Ellie says: Nah. He stayed on his side.

Want kitten now says:
:(


Ellie says: lol. That’s exactly the way I wanted it. So quit with the sad face.

Want kitten now says: What sort of bed does he have?

Ellie says: *rolls eyes* queen-size.

Want kitten now says: Nice. What sort of sheets?

Ellie says: Lauren!

Want kitten now says: Nothing interesting ever happens to me. You’ve got to tell me everything.

Ellie says: At school tomorrow.

Want kitten now says: Come early.

Ellie says: NO!

Want kitten now says: You’re no fun.

Ellie says: You’ll live.

Want kitten now says: No I won’t. I’ll have died of curiosity by then.

Ellie says: Bad luck.

Want kitten now says: Harsh.

Ellie says: Yep.

Want kitten now says: What are you doing today?

Ellie says: Don’t know? You?

Want kitten now says: Grounded
:(
Have to clean my room before I can do anything. It’s going to take me a week to get it cleaned up.

Ellie says: Wish I could help you.

Want kitten now says: Me too. You’re so much quicker than me.

Ellie says: Probably all the cleaning experience I’ve gained in the past three years. Better go. Sam’s waiting for me.

Want kitten now says: Your stalker?

Ellie says:
:D


Want kitten now says: He still doing the creepy stare?

Ellie says: Yep.

Want kitten now says: Eww.

Ellie says: Yep.

Want kitten now says: K. Bibi.

Ellie says: Buh-bye.

Ellie continued to stare at the screen after she’d signed out. If the teenage years were meant to be some of the best years of your life, like her teachers kept telling her, she dreaded to think what her future held. Sighing heavily, she returned to the lounge room. Tom came out of his room at the same moment. Their eyes met and held for a moment before Tom looked away and headed for the bathroom. Turning back towards the television, she found Sam staring at her. She fought the urge to run screaming from the room. She only had to survive until the afternoon. Then she could go home. There should be a bus stop somewhere around here. Hopefully she had enough money for a bus home. After lunch she’d look online to see where the closest one was.

Sam walked with her to the timber gate. He gave her a piece of paper. She glanced down at it and saw it was a phone number. She looked back at Sam who continued to stare at her.

He blushed. “Our phone number.”

No kidding! She managed to stop the comment from escaping. He might have spent the weekend staring at her unnervingly, but at least he’d let her stay without questioning why she’d wanted to. “Thanks.” She shoved the number in her pocket, glancing up when the gate swung open. It was Tom. She’d hoped to be gone before he returned.

“What? No plans to have your mail redirected here?” Tom stepped out of the way.

“Try to contain your disappointment.”

Tom laughed. “I’ll be heart broken.”

“Take two Panadol and you’ll be pain free in minutes.” Ellie turned to Sam when he made a strange squeaking sound.

Tom swore. “Looks like Mum’s home early.” He turned to Sam. “Disappear.”

Sam didn’t need any extra encouragement. He ran down the steps and in the door at the foot of them. Ellie looked at Tom in confusion. Beside them the garage door opened automatically and a car drove in.

“What’s going on?” Ellie asked.

“The least you can do is play along.” He dropped an arm around her shoulders.

“What are my lines?”

“As little as possible.” Tom guided her forward.

A woman, with curly brown hair tied back from her face and a fringe of ringlets, came out of the garage. She looked like she was dressed for a business meeting with her slim black skirt and black jacket over an ice blue blouse. “Tom?”

“Just breezing through. Left my phone at home.” Tom continued to stand with his arm around Ellie.

“Are you going to introduce us?” The woman looked pointedly at Ellie.

“Mum, this is Beth. I’ll be back after I give her a lift home. Beth, my mum, Teresa.”

Ellie held out her hand. “Pleased to meet you. I was just admiring your front yard. Someone must spend a lot of time taking care of it.”

Teresa hesitated before she took Ellie’s hand. “Yes. The gardener.”

Ellie ignored the frosty tone and smiled. “Well he’s certainly worth what you’re paying him. It looks great.”

Tom’s hand tightened on her shoulder. “I’ll be back for dinner.”

“I hope you don’t mind we’re not sticking around. I’m desperate to get home and clean this makeup off and wash my hair. Tom picked me up from the play I’ve been acting in.” Ellie grinned. “The things we do for extracurricular activities.”

Teresa thawed slightly. “Maybe next time you’ll be able to stay a little longer.”

Tom led Ellie to his car that was parked on the footpath. He held the passenger door open for her. The look he gave her when he closed the door made her wonder why he was so annoyed.

Ellie waited until he started the car. “What’s your problem?”

“What part of saying as little as possible didn’t you understand?”

“The middle?” Ellie grinned when Tom remained silent. She spotted a bus stop. “Can you drop me there?”

“Not likely. Where do you live?”

“You’ve got to be kidding.”

“Not at all. You know where we live. So what’s the problem?”

Ellie sighed. She gave him the name of the closest shopping centre to her place instead. Tom remained silent as he continued to drive. Several glances towards him showed he still looked annoyed. When he pulled up in front of the shopping centre, about twenty minutes later, he was still silent.

“Thanks for the lift.” Ellie unbuckled, turning to open the car door. Tom’s hand landing on her shoulder caused her to face him again. “What?”

“Are you in some sort of trouble?”

“No.”

“Your parents weren’t bothered you were away the entire weekend?”

Ellie grinned. “Nice try.”

Tom shook his head. “Come on, Beth. How old are you? Fifteen? Sixteen? Not many parents let their kids disappear for the weekend.”

“Sixteen. I live with my mum. Dad’s a few hours from here.”

“I bet that hurt.”

Ellie frowned. “What?”

“Giving me some info about yourself.”

Ellie laughed. “Traumatic.” She started to turn her head. Tom’s hand, that still rested on her shoulder, slid behind her head and pulled her forward. Their lips met and it was her turn to be surprised. Her hands automatically entwined at his neck as she leaned closer.

“Where do you live?” Tom murmured against her lips.

Ellie pulled back far enough to meet his eyes. She smiled slightly. “Keep trying. Better luck next time.” She grinned, starting to pull away.

Tom captured her arm, pulling up her sleeve. He took a pen from the centre console and wrote a mobile number on her skin. “Text me. Let me know you got home okay.”

“I can take care of myself. I don’t need a babysitter.”

“Humour me.”

Ellie sighed. “Fine.” Tom released her and she climbed out of the car. The electric window slid down as she closed the door. She leaned on the sill, looking back in at him. “What?”

“Say hi to Frank for me.”

Remembering his bride of Frankenstein comment, Ellie grinned and stepped away from the car. She waved as he drove off. Still smiling, she headed for home. It was only a ten-minute walk. As she entered her street, her smile faded. It was nothing like the neighbourhood Tom and Sam lived in. The only gardeners in her area would be the ones paid to take care of other people’s yards. They certainly didn’t take care of their own. She walked through the gate that hung crooked on its hinges. Grass grew up through the rusty mesh. The concrete path that led to her front door was cracked and prickles had taken up residence in them. Ellie took larger steps to avoid standing on them.

When she reached the verandah, which ran across the front of the small timber house, she pulled her key from her pocket. Avoiding the lose floorboard, she unlocked the door and stepped into the open plan lounge, kitchen and dining area. Letting the door slam shut behind her, she dropped her handbag in a clear spot near the door, her eyes narrowing at the mess.

The sofa had a stain in the middle where something had been spilt. Empty spirit and beer cans littered the area and a plastic bowl of chips had been knocked over and trod into crumbs. Luckily lino was easy to clean. Ignoring the dirty dishes that filled the sink and littered the kitchen and island benches, Ellie pulled a large garbage bag from the bottom kitchen drawer. While she was in the middle of throwing empty containers into the black plastic bag, her mum stumbled out of her bedroom, a ratty dressing gown hanging open to show her short, silky nightie.

Sharon yawned, finger combing her shoulder length sandy blond hair. “You look like crap.”

Ellie eyed her mum. “You don’t look much better.” She grabbed a card of Panadol off the top of the fridge and threw them towards her mum.

Sharon popped two out, hesitated and popped out a third. Swallowing them dry, she tossed the card onto the island bench. “Your father rang. Something about next weekend. Told him you’d be home tonight if he wanted to talk to you.” She shrugged and headed for the bathroom.

Ellie picked up the card of tablets and returned them to the top of the fridge. Noticing it was the last card left, she made a mental note to pick up more when she went shopping.

While Ellie was outside dropping the two bags of garbage into the wheelie bin, she pulled out her phone and sent a text to Tom.
Home safe and sound Ma.
She smiled as she returned it to her pocket. She’d waited to send the text so he didn’t know how close she lived to the shopping centre. She was in the middle of washing dishes when her phone beeped. Drying her hands on her pants, she checked the message.
Wrong gender. Are you sure you go to school?
Ellie laughed before she returned to the dishes.

A little over an hour later, she surveyed the living area. A towel covered the stain on the sofa and would hopefully soak up what had smelled like scotch and coke, the floors were still damp from being mopped and every window was open to clear out the smell of stale alcohol and smoke. The bathroom had been cleaned, she shuddered as she recalled the mess in there, and she’d eaten a sandwich for dinner. She’d been surprised to find four pieces of bread still in the fridge. She wistfully wondered what Tom and Sam were having for dinner.

Ellie shrugged. There was no point in stressing about it. Until recently, living with her mum had been the best choice. She still thought it was better than moving in with her father. As long as she kept the house clean, stayed away on weekends and didn’t bring home trouble, her mum didn’t care what she did. She could pretty much live her own life. It was just a pain that her years of staying with Lauren on the weekend were over. But she was sure she could figure something out. Eventually. She didn’t have a choice. There was no way she could live with her father full time.

Snatching up her bag from near the front door, Ellie stopped at her bedroom door, which was just past the bathroom. She used the other key on her key ring to unlock the padlock on the barrel bolt she’d attached to her door, swinging it shut behind her as she turned on the light.

She’d learned the hard way that when people were drunk they’d enter any room that wasn’t locked and make themselves at home. Once she dropped her bag on her bed, she turned to pull clothes from her duchess. She desperately needed a shower. Her hair was driving her crazy, her makeup felt five centimetres thick and she was sick of wearing the same clothes.

After a shower, Ellie sat at her laptop and turned it on. She towel dried her hair while she waited. It was a few minutes after eight. Less than an hour and Lauren would have to go to bed. Leaving her towel draped around her shoulders, she signed into her messenger.

Kitten, kitten, kitten says: You were ages.

Ellie says: Had to clean up the mess.

Kitten, kitten, kitten says: Was it bad?

Ellie says: At least no one threw up on the floor this weekend.

Kitten, kitten, kitten says: Eww.

Ellie says: I know!

Kitten, kitten, kitten says: You sure it’s worth it?

Ellie says: Alternative- Dad, Pamela, clone 1, clone 2.

Kitten, kitten, kitten says: Okay, you’re right.

Ellie says: Exactly. I’d rather clean up vomit every day of the week than listen to Pamela saying, isn’t there something else you should be doing? I’m sure I didn’t spend my childhood sprawled in front of a tv/listening to music/on the computer. Must you sit like that? What are you wearing? And my favourite one of all, must you always try to be such a disappointment to your father?

Kitten, kitten, kitten says: I hope I never have to meet her.

Ellie says: Did I tell you I organised to stay there next weekend?

Kitten, kitten, kitten says: Yep. You’re crazy.

Ellie says: Probably. But until I can figure out something else, they’ll have to do. I couldn’t live there full time. I don’t think Pamela would let me anyway.

Kitten, kitten, kitten says: I bet she was behind your dad’s offer of sending you to boarding school last year.

Ellie says: More than likely.

Ellie says: I’ve just had someone try to add me as a contact. Give me a minute while I add them and see who it is.

Kitten, kitten, kitten says: I have to go anyway. Mum keeps hassling me to get my room finished. Think you can sneak in tomorrow after school and help me? They’re going to be gone until at least six. Dad has to work late and Mum said she’s grabbing some groceries after work.

Ellie says: K. No problem.

Kitten, kitten, kitten says: You’re the best.

Ellie says: I know
:P


Kitten, kitten, kitten says: Bibi.

Ellie says: Buh-bye.

Still smiling after her conversation with Lauren, Ellie sent a message to the person who wanted to add her to their contacts.

Ellie says: Who’s this?

Society of Australian Magicians says: Sam Wallace. You signed into your messenger on my computer.

Ellie says: Hi Sam. Tom didn’t get in trouble for me being there, did he?

Society of Australian Magicians says: No.

Ellie says: That’s good.

Society of Australian Magicians says: Is that why you came home with me?

Ellie says: ???

Society of Australian Magicians says: To be with Tom.

Ellie says: No.

Society of Australian Magicians says: Why did you come home with me?

Ellie says: Why are you only asking me now? You could have asked me while I was there.

Ellie says: You still there?

Society of Australian Magicians says: Yeah.

Society of Australian Magicians says: Tom wants to ask you something.

TW has been added to the conversation.

TW says: Ma?

Ellie says:
:D


Ellie says: Is that going to bother you for life?

TW says: Makes me wonder if you do go to school. Do you?

Ellie says: Yep.

TW says: Not homeschooled?

Ellie says: Nope.

TW says: Which school?

Ellie says: Sam- is he always so stubborn?

Society of Australian Magicians says: Yeah.

Ellie says: It’s almost like a disorder.

TW says: Funny.

Society of Australian Magicians says: They said he was untreatable
:D


Ellie says: That wouldn’t surprise me.

TW says: You’re a pair of comedians.

Ellie says: Yep.

TW says: I still want to know why you stayed this weekend.

Society of Australian Magicians says: I already asked her.

Ellie says: Maybe it’s a disorder that runs in the family. Do your parents have trouble dropping a subject?

TW says: I will figure it out eventually.

Society of Australian Magicians says: He always does.

Ellie says: What did you have for dinner tonight?

TW says: What?

Ellie says: The last meal of the day… dinner. You have heard of it, haven’t you?

TW says: You’re hilarious.

Ellie says:
:D


Ellie says: Well, what was it?

Society of Australian Magicians says: Marinated chicken legs on a bed of rice with stir-fry veges.

Ellie says: Who cooked it?

Society of Australian Magicians says: Dad.

Ellie says: What’s he cook like?

Society of Australian Magicians says: Better than me.

Ellie says: Wish I could have stayed for dinner.
:(


TW says: You almost moved in.

Ellie says: Nah, I didn’t bring a suitcase

TW says: So we lock the door if you turn up with a suitcase?

Society of Australian Magicians says: You’re welcome to come have dinner Wednesday night if you want.

TW says: Only if you don’t wear that makeup and dress like a bag lady.

Society of Australian Magicians says: I’m cooking Wednesday – Dad works late that night.

Ellie says: Sounds interesting, but I don’t know if I can make it.

TW says: Did you suddenly become busy before or after I said no makeup?

Society of Australian Magicians says: I don’t mind.

TW says: Mum will.

Society of Australian Magicians says: We can have it in our lounge room. Then she wouldn’t know.

TW says: Dining room or our lounge room- no makeup.

Ellie says: Sure thing, Ma.

Society of Australian Magicians says: Is that a yes? You coming to dinner?

Ellie says: I don’t know. I’ll have to get back to you.

Society of Australian Magicians says: kk

Society of Australian Magicians says: g2g. Bedtime. 9pm.

Ellie says: K. Night.

Society of Australian Magicians has left the conversation.

Ellie says: What about you? Need to go to bed?

TW says: Nah. I go when I’m tired.

Ellie says: That seems odd. Why has Sam got a bedtime then?

TW says: He won’t when he turns seventeen.

Ellie says: K.

TW says: You?

Ellie says: Me what?

TW says: Have a bedtime.

Ellie says: Nah. When I’m tired.

Ellie says: Been like that since I was thirteen.

TW says: Unusual.

Ellie says: *shrugs* If you think so.

TW says: Why since you were thirteen?

Ellie says: My father moved out. Mum’s more laidback.

TW says: Laidback or couldn’t care less?

Ellie says: Laidback.

TW says: Hmm.

Ellie says: What’s that mean?

TW says: That I’m slowly putting the pieces of the puzzle together.

Ellie says: You haven’t got any pieces to put together.

TW says: More than you think.

Ellie says: Like what.

TW says:
:D


Ellie says: Oh don’t be a bastard.

TW says: I might head to bed. I have swimming practice in the morning.

Ellie says: Is that every morning?

TW says: Weekdays only.

Ellie says: How early do you have to get up?

TW says: Five.

Ellie says: Rather you than me.

TW says: I don’t mind. And I love swimming.

Ellie says: Why?

TW says: Always have.

Ellie says: That’s not an answer.

TW says: Why is pancakes, vanilla ice cream and maple syrup your favourite food?

Ellie says: You’ve made your point.

TW says: Where do you live?

Ellie says: Thought you were going to bed.

TW says: Night.
:D


Ellie says: Night.