My Life as the Ugly Stepsister

They rushed back to me.

“This year is going to be awesome!” MC said with her typical optimism.

“New guys,” Madison whispered with a nod of her head.

She was right. Two cute guys had just walked in. Actually, they practically strutted with confidence. They must have been from St. Luke’s. I thought Jonathan was probably cuter though.

MC grinned. “Me like.”

I knew MC could get any guy she wanted. She just hadn’t wanted anyone at our old school. The youngest of four girls, MC was just a tiny bit spoiled and had years of training in the art of flirting. Her family wasn’t rich, but they adored MC. She had this sense of entitlement that I envied.

For now we had a mission. Find out who these guys were.

“After nine years of the same people, we finally have fresh…” Madison trailed off.

“Meat?” MC asked.

“Blood?” I offered.

“Boys,” Madison said with a big smile.

I relaxed in the old-fashioned wooden desk. Helping them stalk these guys would keep them from noticing my real crush. So far, they’d accepted my story that I didn’t care about Jonathan.

Overall the day went pretty well. I met a girl named Katelyn in my French class. She seemed pretty nice. I knew someone to sit with in all my other classes. I had four with Madison and three with MC. By the time school ended, they’d forgotten the insulting present for Diane.

Soccer tryouts were next week, and I hadn’t decided what to do yet.

Tonight I made my semi-permanent move to Dad’s. Mom was taking a flight out first thing in the morning. My nerves about the first day of school had kept my mind off my domestic issues. But as I walked to Mom’s car in the car pool lane, the doubts and fears crept back in.

How was I going to survive four months in the den of the naked stepmonster?

Three boxes and two large suitcases were crammed in the backseat of Mom’s car when she picked me up. “You loaded all my stuff?”

“I hope you don’t mind. I’ll stay at your father’s for a while and help you unpack,” she said pulling away from the curb.

“You don’t have to.”

She put her hand on my knee. “Yes, I do. You’ll know if I forgot anything. Plus, my flight isn’t until midnight.”

“Hey,” I said as I realized my dog wasn’t there. “Where’s Mojo?”

“He’s fine. I went ahead and dropped him off. I couldn’t fit everything in the car with him along.”

“He’s at Dad’s?”

“No. He’s at Jonathan’s. I made arrangements with his mother, and she put water and food out back for him. They’re keeping Buddy in until Jonathan gets home.”

I thought of Mojo all alone in a strange back yard and felt like I might throw up.

“He’ll be fine.” Mom patted my leg again. “Really. You’ll be there soon. He’s going to adjust to the situation. We all will.” She sounded kind of wistful as she said it. “I made sure they had all my contact info and Mojo’s vet records. I also put a copy in the box for you.”

How very paralegal of her.

When we pulled up at my dad’s, Diane opened the door and came out. “Make yourselves at home,” she called. “I’m going to run over to the school and get Caroline.”

I was glad to see she had clothes on, but her top had a plunging neckline that belonged in a nightclub and not a carpool lane. My mom had on a trendy black track suit with pink piping. Mom looked casual but sophisticated and very much like a mother. Her breasts wouldn’t tumble out while she helped me unpack.

“Oh, I’m sorry,” Mom said. “Did we hold you up?”

“Oh no,” she waved away Mom’s concern. “I’ll be back in about thirty minutes.”

I watched her climb in her car and back out of the driveway. “I think she was running away from you, Mom.”

“Good,” Mom said. “Uh, I mean, don’t be silly.” She gave a little fake laugh.

“Pretend you never said that?” I asked.

“Please.” She scooped up my laptop and a big suitcase and headed into the house.

Mojo must have heard us, because I heard whining and scratching on the nearby fence.

“Go ahead and check on him,” Mom called over her shoulder. “I’ll unload the car.”

“I’m coming Mo,” I said. I set down my backpack and purse and stepped into Jonathan’s yard to the gate.

I couldn’t see him behind the tall, cedar fence, but I was already smiling at his greeting. I opened the gate and slipped in. Mojo jumped up putting his front paws on my waist. He wasn’t supposed to do that, but I didn’t mind.

“Hey baby,” I said, leaning down to hug him. He kept wiggling around excitedly. “Do you like it here?”

In response, he ran to the gate and jumped up like he was ready to go.

Oops. “No, sweetie. You’re staying here.”

I guess I was totally wrapped up in comforting Mojo because I didn’t notice Jonathan until he was right beside me.

Jonathan had his hands in the pockets of his shorts. “He settling in?” he asked.

“Hard to say,” I answered, suddenly aware that I still had my uniform on. Oh, right. It didn’t matter anyway. He had a thing for Caroline. I could relax. He would never look at me that way.

Mom chose that moment to open the fence and peek in. “Are you coming?”

“Yeah, Mom. Just a minute.” I motioned to Jonathan. “Have you met Jonathan yet?”

“No. Nice to meet you,” my mother said, her big smile showing off her newly whitened teeth. “I’ll take another load up, but we need to get you settled. Then you can see to Mojo.”

“Okay.”

“I’ll throw a ball with him and Buddy while you do that,” Jonathan said. “Maybe it’ll distract him.”

I smiled at him. “Thanks. I guess I can’t do everything at once.”

“C’mon, Mojo,” he called. “Let’s play.” He started walking across the yard and Mojo followed before he noticed that I was slipping out the gate.

I heard him run after me with a bark of dismay. “Be right back, boy.”

When I got upstairs, Mom said, “You didn’t tell me he was cute!”

Darn her for noticing. “He is?” I tried to sound vague and detached. I don’t think I quite got there.

“Maybe this won’t be so bad after all, Ally. You’ll have Caroline and then there’s a boy handy to drool over—”

“Mom! I don’t drool over boys.”

She shrugged as she folded one of my shirts. “Whatever you want to call it these days, girls will always have a thing for cute boys.”

“I don’t have a thing,” I stammered. “He seems nice enough, but he’s just watching my dog. Besides, he’s slobbering all over Caroline.”

Mom slid a pile of clothes into one of the dresser drawers. “He isn’t watching Caroline’s dog.”

“What? Was that some kind of marriage contract in the medieval village you grew up in? Watch the dog, marry the girl?”

Mom couldn’t help laughing. “Me thinks thou dost protest too much.”

I put my hands on my hips. “I’m not discussing this matter any further.”

With a grin, she straightened the clothes on the hangers. “I want you to be happy.”

“I know.” Then because she seemed to be getting melancholy again, I said, “He is a little bit cute.”

“I knew it!”

Mom had just pulled away when Diane drove up with Caroline. I wondered if maybe she had hidden down the street like Mom. Nah. Diane had no shame. Plus, Caroline would totally bust her.

Caroline ran through the door and gave me a quick hug. “I made the cheer squad!”