The Ugly Stepsister (5 page)

Still smiling, Ellie closed down her laptop, leaving her towel draped over the back of her chair as she rose to her feet. Hearing the television on, she wandered out to the lounge room. Sharon was sprawled on the sofa, a coffee cup in one hand and a sandwich in the other.

“Night, Mum.”

Sharon looked up. “Did you have a good weekend?”

“Yeah, it was all right. You?”

“Reasonable. Did your father ring you back?”

Ellie shook her head. “Nah. Guess it wasn’t important.”

“Probably that stupid bitch he married wanting to make sure you bring the right sort of clothes. I don’t know what she’s on. You’re old enough to pick out your own clothes. I wonder if she’s going to keep dressing her clones like her when they’re teenagers.”

Ellie laughed. Her stepsisters did look like clones of their mother, right down to the clothes she dressed them in. At the ages of eight and six it was starting to lose its cute factor. Not that it had ever had much of one. “Can you imagine them in ten years? All dressed the same. Wonder if that means Pamela will dress too young for her age or they’ll have to dress too old for their ages.”

Sharon snorted. “As if Stupid Bitch would wear something that was inappropriate. They’ll have to dress too old for their age.”

They fell silent for a moment, grinning at each other. Ellie broke the silence. “I need to get some groceries tomorrow afternoon. We’re cleaned out.”

“I’ll leave my keycard on the bench when I head to work.”

The familiarly of the conversation made her feel a little more in control of her life. Now if she could just get her weekends sorted out again. “Thanks. I’ll see you tomorrow night.”

Sharon nodded and turned back to the television.

Ellie grabbed at her textbooks as they started to slip from her arms. She couldn’t believe she’d slept through her alarm clock and ended up arriving late to school. Looking down to position the books better, she hurried around the corner of the corridor. The books skidded across the floor when she collided with someone. Looking up when they grabbed her upper arms to steady her, she met Tom’s eyes.

Tom grinned. “Did you ditch Frankie?”

Ellie suppressed a groan. It looked like she’d have been better off continuing to sleep rather than rush to get to class on time. “Frankie?” She shook her head thoughtfully. “No. I don’t know a Frankie.”

“Give it up, Beth.” Tom stressed her name.

Lauren came running around the corner, waving a textbook. “Ellie you forgot… oh.” She came to a sudden halt when she saw Tom.

“Ellie?” Tom stepped back from her, his lips thinning.

Ellie stared at him defiantly. “Elizabeth.”

Lauren came forward, pushed the book at Ellie and fled back the way she’d come.

“And that explains the name you use online.” Tom bent to pick up the books.

Ellie joined him. “You should be happy you figured out who I am. What was it?”

“Your eyes.” He handed the books to her as they stood up.

“I should have used coloured contacts.”

“Demon eyes?”

“I was thinking skull and crossbones would have looked good.”

Tom reluctantly smiled. “Why did you stay the weekend?”

Ellie rolled her eyes. “Get over it already. You’re annoying the hell out of me.”

“I guess if I ask around I’ll figure it out eventually.”

Ellie took a deep breath, trying not to let the panic show on her face. That was the last thing she wanted. “Fine. But not now. I don’t have time for this discussion. After school.”

“What’s wrong with lunchtime?”

“I have other plans.” Like getting Lauren to help her come up with an excuse.

“You disappear and I will ask around.”

“All right. You said that already.” Ellie stepped past him without another word. She was going to be extremely late for her first class. She sighed. Great start to the day. Not!

By the time the bell rang for lunch, Ellie was desperate to talk to Lauren. She didn’t have a clue what she could tell Tom. Her home life might be a little different, but it was no one’s business except hers. It looked like she was going to have to go to her father’s place every weekend. She hated to even think about it and wasn’t sure which was worse. Spending the night at the train station or putting up with Pamela. Staying at Brodie’s house certainly wasn’t an option. Once had been one time too many and neither her nor Lauren had spoken to him since. Even when he’d tried to apologise.

Ellie reached the tree her and Lauren always sat under and dropped to the ground. Her stomach grumbled and she ignored it. Until she went shopping that afternoon there was no food in the house. Her mum’s party friends always cleaned the fridge and cupboards out. She normally stashed some food in her room, but she’d been too worried about where she was going to stay to remember. Finding bread in the fridge last night had almost been a miracle.

Lauren dropped down beside Ellie. “You have to tell me everything about your weekend.” She bit into her sandwich.

“Seriously, it wasn’t that interesting.” She tried not to stare at Lauren’s food.

Lauren shook her head. “You’re not getting out of it that easily. What did Sam say when he found out he went home with Cinderella and woke up with the ugly stepsister?”

Ellie laughed. “I’m not sure he remembered. You had already got a few drinks into him before I continued. He didn’t remember me at all. But Tom kept hassling me about why I was there. Seriously, it wasn’t as easy as I’d thought it’d be.”

“Why’s that?”

“Tom’s determined to find out why I stayed the weekend. Help me think up a good excuse.” Ellie tried to ignore the sandwich Lauren was eating. She knew Lauren would willingly hand it over, but it wouldn’t be fair to let her friend go hungry. There hadn’t even been anything in the house for breakfast.

“How about it was an elaborate set up so you could attend the party without parental permission, but part of the planning fell through and you had nowhere to stay for the weekend because your best friend was grounded.”

Ellie looked thoughtful. “Pretty good. Better not say best friend since you were at the party too.”

Lauren grinned. “Good point.”

“I don’t think I’ll be able to help you clean your room this arve. He’s expecting me to meet him after school and explain everything.”

“Aww Ellie! Come on. I’m desperate.”

“So am I.”

Lauren sighed. “Okay. How about Tuesday? We’ll only have until five though.”

“Yeah. Tuesday’s free.”

“Great! Now tell me every detail. Even the boring stuff.”

Ellie grinned and the rest of the lunch hour was spent discussing the weekend in depth. When the bell rang, Ellie reluctantly dragged herself to her next class. She knew the rest of the day would crawl by. She couldn’t believe she’d forgotten to stash some food. In each classroom she kept watch on the hands of the clock, her stomach feeling hollow. A few minutes before the last bell rang, she felt her phone vibrate in her pocket as a text came through. While the teacher was busy, she pulled it out and held it under the desk. She glanced down. It was from Tom. He’d sent directions of where to meet. Frowning, she returned the phone to her pocket, hoping he didn’t want to grill her too long. She was desperate to get something to eat.

Tom was leaning against the bonnet of his car when she reached him. She frowned when she saw a couple of his friends standing nearby. He better not expect her to tell him in front of them. Although the story she’d come up with wasn’t too bad. Unless of course you knew how laidback Sharon was. Ellie began to worry. What if he’d asked around about her and learned her mum let her do pretty much anything. It was too late now. She didn’t have another story to tell him. As she reached the car, she saw Sam in the backseat.

Tom pushed away from the car. “Well, hop in the front. I don’t have all day.” He turned to his friends. “See ya tomorrow.” He slid into the driver’s seat and started the engine.

Ellie hurried around and hopped in. She barely had time to buckle up before he was reversing out of the car park. She turned towards the back of the car. “Hi, Sam.”

Sam nodded solemnly.

Ellie sat forward again. “Think you could drop me at the same shopping centre?”

“What’s wrong with letting me drop you at home?”

“I’ve got to get some groceries. The place is Mother Hubbard bare.” Her stomach grumbled as if to underline the statement.

Tom looked sceptical. “There’s nothing at all in your fridge?”

“Butter, half a jar of jam and a six-pack. I don’t think school would’ve been happy if I’d brought beer for lunch.” She turned when Sam tapped her on the shoulder. She looked at the clear plastic container he held out, her gaze drawn to the slice of cake inside. Maybe he used the right name on his messenger after all. He was a magician. “Thanks.” Taking the container, she opened it, biting into the cake. Apple and cinnamon exploded in her mouth. “Mmm, heavenly. Who made this?”

“I did,” Sam said softly.

“You’re a magician in the kitchen.” Ellie reluctantly popped the last piece of cake in her mouth, handing the container back to him.

Sam shoved the container in his schoolbag. “Are you coming for dinner Wednesday night?”

“Ahh…”

“What’s the issue now?” Tom demanded. “We know who you are and before the day ends I’ll know where you live. Whether or not you give me your address.”

“How?”

Tom smiled cryptically. “You have secrets…”

“You look beautiful without that other makeup,” Sam said.

Ellie looked back to see him watching her again. “Ahh… thanks.”

“So why did you crash at our place on the weekend?”

Ellie faced forward so she could answer Tom’s question. She took a deep breath and told the story her and Lauren had cooked up. She waited for Tom’s comment. Instead he said nothing. He turned into the car park of the shopping centre and found an empty spot. When he opened his door, Ellie blurted out, “What are you doing?”

Tom smiled. “Going shopping with you, then dropping you home.”

Ellie opened her mouth to argue. She met his determined stare. “Fine! You can push the trolley.” She left her schoolbag in the car and only took her handbag. It was about a quarter of the size of the one she’d used on the weekend. Heading for the supermarket, she stopped near the trolleys and looked pointedly at Tom.

Tom grinned as he pulled a trolley out of the bay and followed her into the supermarket. Sam trailed quietly behind his brother throughout most of the expedition. He didn’t remain quiet when they reached the frozen department and Ellie placed a selection of pre-cooked meals in the trolley.

“They aren’t very healthy.”

“I don’t cook. Besides, I put fruit in there.” Ellie pointed to the five apples.

When Sam opened his mouth to speak again, Tom interrupted him. “Forget it, Sam. It’s her health. Or lack of.”

“Not everyone has someone to teach them to cook. And the Home Ec teacher strongly advised me not to take the subject again after I managed to cause seven fires in grade eight.” Ellie glared at Tom.

Tom looked at her in disbelief before he burst out laughing. “Seven?”

“Yes. I refuse to take credit for the eighth one. I wasn’t at fault that time.”

“Seven?”

Ellie’s hands went to her hips as she continued to glare at Tom. “What are you? Deaf?”

“I’ll teach you,” Sam said.

“Maybe you better teach her at her house. Mum and Dad wouldn’t be too happy if she burnt the house down,” Tom said.

Ellie ignored Tom and turned to Sam. She shrugged. “I don’t know. It doesn’t seem much point. I’d only be cooking for myself.”

“Don’t you live with your mum?” Sam asked.

Ellie nodded. “Yeah, but she works long hours during the week. I barely get to see her let alone eat a meal with her.”

“Oh.” Sam fell silent again.

Ellie headed for the checkout and waited in line. She was glad it didn’t take long. The packet of chips she’d thrown into the trolley was starting to look really good. She opened them up as soon as she’d paid for the groceries with her mum’s keycard and they were headed back to the car.

“Who’d you steal the card off? Or isn’t your name Elizabeth? Are you really Sharon Malloy?” Tom loaded the bags of groceries into the boot of his car.

“It’s my mum’s. She doesn’t have time to go shopping. She works twelve hours a day Monday to Thursday and half a day on Friday. By the weekend she’s ready to relax, not go shopping.”

Tom hopped in the car and started it as soon as everyone was in. “So where do you live?”

Ellie hesitated before she told him. At least getting a lift home with the groceries would be a lot easier than buying them two shopping bags at a time and walking back and forth to the shop until it was done. Her mum might not notice the odd twenty or thirty dollars cash withdrawn when she payed for groceries but she complained if too much money was taken out. That meant a taxi was out of the question if she wanted to have any money to spend on herself.

“Anyone’d think it was a national secret.” Tom glanced over his shoulder before he reversed out of the car park.

“I just don’t want people thinking they can drop in whenever they feel like it.” Especially not on a weekend. “Turn right.”

“Why would we drop in unannounced?”

Ellie shrugged. “People do.” They fell silent except for the handful of directions Ellie gave. She watched Tom carefully when he pulled up in front of her house. His expression remained neutral and he said nothing.

Between the three of them they carried all the groceries inside. Ellie quickly put everything away while Tom and Sam prowled around the small house. Ellie closed the fridge, turned to move away and nearly stumbled over Tom.

“I thought you said there was a six-pack in there. I only saw two beers.” Tom gestured towards the fridge.

Ellie wasn’t about to say her mum had probably had them for breakfast. She shrugged. “So I exaggerated. Two beers, six pack,” she shrugged again. “What’s it matter? The fridge was still empty.”

Sam joined them by the fridge. “Why’s there a barrel bolt and a padlock on one of the doors?”

“I like my privacy.”

Sam’s mouth dropped open. After a few seconds pause he shook his head. “That’s your bedroom?”

“What do you keep in there? The dead bodies of your ex-boyfriends?” Tom went to check the door for himself.

“It’s to keep Frankenstein from running away,” Ellie said dryly.

“Frankenstein is actually the name of the man who created the monster. He never named his monster,” Sam said.

“Ah… okay.” Ellie followed Tom.

Tom lifted the padlock and let it drop back against the door. “Are you going to open it?”

“Why?”

“So I’m not left wondering what’s in there and asking around if anyone’s been in the sacred room that’s always bolted shut.” When Ellie remained silent, Tom said, “Well?”

She glared at him. He knew. She shouldn’t have given in so quickly earlier. Pulling out her key, she unlocked the room. She’d spent the first few years of primary school being thought odd and getting picked on. She knew what it was like to be bullied and even had the scar to prove it. When she’d changed schools, she’d made sure she fit in. Maybe she didn’t completely follow the crowd and maybe she only had one real friend. She wasn’t spending her hours away from school being someone she wasn’t, but she also didn’t have a reputation for being odd. And she wasn’t about to gain such a reputation ever again. She swung the door open and entered her room, hooking the padlock onto the barrel bolt on the other side of the door.

Tom stepped into the room. “It looks fairly ordinary to me.”

“I just don’t like my mum snooping in my stuff.” Ellie held the drawer of her duchess closed when Tom tried to open it. “I don’t like anyone snooping in my stuff.” The doorway behind Tom was empty and Ellie wondered where Sam was.

Tom glanced behind him, swinging the bedroom door shut. “Why don’t I believe your little story you told in the car about sneaking out to the party?”

“I didn’t sneak out. I tried to arrange things so I didn’t have to.” She took a step away from Tom.

Tom moved closer. “Nothing adds up about you. If your mum works as many hours as you say, why don’t you live in a more expensive house?”

“She prefers to invest her money elsewhere.” Like alcohol. That thought she was definitely keeping to herself.

“Why did you really stay at our place?”

“I already told-”

“I don’t think you’ve spoken a single word of truth since I’ve met you, Ellie.” Tom stressed her name.

Ellie suddenly grinned. “Now that’s where you’re wrong. Every time I do tell you the truth you don’t believe me.”

“Name one instance.”

She laughed softly. “When I told you to give me a minute to get my phone out so I could take a photo.”

Tom took another step forward. “Be serious.”

There was only centimetres between them. Her eyes dropped to his lips. It was tempting, but they were alone in her bedroom and she wasn’t going to risk him thinking it was an invitation for more than she was willing to offer.

“Well?”

Ellie blinked and her eyes met Tom’s. “Ahh… what?”

“Focus.”

“I was.”

“Really?”

Ellie smiled. Well, on the reason why she’d wanted a photo of him. He really was heart-skip-a-beat gorgeous and he was standing in her bedroom. Pity. “Why’s the answer so important to you?”

“I don’t like being lied to.”

“Then why are you still here? And don’t tell me because you want to know the truth. I already told you and you’re still here. I think this is a bit obsessive even for you.”

Tom stared at her a moment longer before he strode to the bedroom door and pulled it open. Ellie stared after him in surprise. She hurried into the kitchen in time to hear him snap at his brother.

“Let’s go, Sam.”

Sam waved towards the dishes in the sink. “I haven’t cleaned up yet.”

Ellie looked at Sam. Those dishes certainly hadn’t been dirty earlier. “What-”

Sam interrupted her. “Sorry. I cook when… that is… there’s a cake in the oven. Take it out when the timer goes. You’ll need more strawberry jam. The jar’s nearly empty.”

“Cake?” Ellie stared at him incredulously. “Where did you get the ingredients from?”

“You bought eggs and milk today.” He shrugged. “There was sugar and flour in the cupboard and butter in the fridge.”

“That’s it? That’s all you need for a cake?” Ellie looked from Sam to the stove.

He nodded, shrugged uncertainly and then glanced at his brother. “Flavour. I used the strawberry jam. I’ve got to go.” He hurried towards the front door.

When Tom started to follow his brother, Ellie grabbed his arm. She checked Sam was outside before she spoke softly. “What just happened?”

“Don’t hurt my brother.” Tom pulled away from her and followed Sam to the car.

“I’ve stepped into an alternate universe,” Ellie muttered before she followed them. She reached the car as Tom started it. She rapped on the passenger window and waited for it to open. “Thank you. For the cake.” She smiled at Sam.

“Wednesday? Are you coming to dinner?” Sam asked.

Why did he have to have puppy dog eyes? “Ahh… sure. Why not?”

“You don’t have to,” Sam said. “I mean you don’t have to feel like you have to.”

Ellie shook her head. “A free meal. What’s not to like?”

Sam turned to Tom. “Can you pick Beth up?”

“It’s Ellie. And only if she can be ready at six.”

Sam turned back to her. “I think you’re more a Beth than an Ellie. See you Wednesday.” He smiled before he pressed the button to close the window.

Ellie waved as they drove off, feeling confused. She slowly turned and walked back inside. “What have I gotten myself into?”

She was still asking herself the same question Wednesday night, when six o’clock was rapidly approaching, as she stared at the clothes hanging in her wardrobe. She glanced at the time on her alarm clock again. Only nineteen minutes until Tom arrived. She ran her hands across the clothes, shifting them slightly as she did. Nothing seemed right. All she could picture was the immaculate lounge room and the frosty reception Teresa had first given her. She glanced at the time again. Eighteen minutes. She jumped when someone knocked on the front door.