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“Get out!” Dale grabbed the handle, swinging the door closed, but Chrissy was in the way.
“Fuck you.” Chrissy was ready for battle. I could tell. Even through the crack in the door—her knee was blocking the way, so Dale couldn’t close it completely. I scrambled around for clothes—t-shirt, jeans. I didn’t even bother with panties or a bra.
“Move.” Dale’s voice was calm and firm. He’d regained his control after being so surprised by her entrance. I was going to have to ask John if we could put a lock—and maybe even a chain—on our bedroom door. I found socks and tugged them on too.
“You think you’re really something, don’t you?” Chrissy sneered. I saw her face in the shadows. She was a very pretty girl, long dark hair and blue eyes. She had her brother’s features, only softer and more rounded. But she could make herself ugly in an instant—it was like some magic trick, a strange illusion. “Mr. Perfect. Mr. Rockstar. You wouldn’t be anything without him, you know that?”
I knew she was baiting him, just like she baited her father. I think they were both too blind to see it. John, I knew, would never take that sort of bait. He realized, somehow, that what Chrissy needed was not the negative attention she seemed to be asking for. It went deeper than that. Dale, though—Dale’s fuse was long, but she’d been wearing him down for two weeks and the whole thing was about to explode. I could feel it crackling in the air, like electricity.
“Dale, I have to go.” It was early yet, but a good enough excuse. I ran a hand through my hair, grabbing my purse. I was small enough to insert myself between him and the door. “I’m meeting Ben for coffee and then I have to drop off those drawings at work.”
He blinked down at me, trying to focus. I knew she’d gotten to him and she knew it too. She just wouldn’t stop.
“Go.” I pushed him back. “Go back to bed. I’ll see you in a few hours.”
He took a step back from the door and I was relieved. I’d broken the spell. Whatever hold she had over him was fading, even though the words still kept spilling from her mouth.
“Oh my God, you are so fucking pussy-whipped!” Chrissy called as I slipped out into the hall with her, closing our bedroom door behind me. It felt like I was stepping into a gladiator ring with a lion. Or maybe a dragon. Up until now, she’d ignored me, but with Dale safe on the other side of the door, I knew she was going to try to use me to bait him.
“He doesn’t love you, you know.” She crossed her arms, leaning against the wall with a smug smile on her face. She was still in her pajamas—red silk, top and bottoms. “He just feels sorry for you.”
It was hard to believe words could hurt that much. Chrissy’s words came attached with razor blades. I tried ignoring it, starting to take a step around her, but she moved with me, blocking the way to the stairs.
“Poor pathetic little Sara. You poor-me’d your way into free room and board and a rich rock star boyfriend. Do you really think he’s going to marry you?” She laughed. “He can’t love anyone. He can’t see anything unless it’s a mirror. That’s all you are. A great big mirror.”
“Get out of the way.” I took a step to the left but she did too.
“Oh Dale, you’re so wonderful and famous and everyone loves you!” She mocked, yelling this so Dale was sure to hear her. “He’ll never be Tyler Vincent and he knows it. All he’ll ever be is some cheap, knock-off imitation of the real thing. And that’s the only reason he keeps you around, sweetheart.”
She used that term of endearment with emphasis and I wondered how long she’d been listening at our door this morning. I was trembling inside and my body was shutting down. System overload. I knew the feeling—it used to happen when the stepbeast got like this. I was having flashbacks, sensory memories of recoiling, withdrawing into my shell as far as I could to hide from the oncoming disaster.
“Shut up!” Dale opened the door—he had jeans on, but no shirt—and strode toward her. I, of course, was in the way. I turned and pushed him back, both hands on his chest.
“Dale, no.” I glanced back at Chrissy. She was smiling. It was a truly malevolent smile.
“Always has to try to prove himself,” Chrissy went on. She sounded downright gleeful. “Because he knows he’ll never be good enough. Never as good as Daddy.”
“Chrissy, I swear to God…” Dale said through clenched teeth, hands curled into fists at his sides. He was looking past me straight at her and I felt like I was holding a tiger by the tail.
“Oh Sara, let him go. You’re going to have to let him go eventually.”
“Dale, come on, let’s go downstairs.” I tried to get him to focus on me instead of her. I tried to ignore the searing pain of her words. I just wanted to take Dale and escape. Of course, she was between us and the escape route.
“Sara, you’re a one-trick pony.” She was right behind me now, whispering her words. But she was looking right at her brother. “He only wanted you because you chose him over Tyler. And I’m sorry, but you can only do that little stunt once. After that, you’re useless.”
I turned and pushed her. Chrissy stumbled back, surprised, catching herself from falling by steadying herself against the wall. I heard John stirring downstairs. We must have woken him. He was calling but sounded far away, “What’s going on?”
“Bitch!” Chrissy snarled at me.
I think they both lunged at the same time. And I was in the middle. I screamed when Dale made a fist and pulled his arm back. I knew he was going to hit her—and she was smiling, triumphant. It was just what she wanted. Oh the publicity that would bring down on our heads. Greg would be furious. And Dale’s career would be over before it began.
“No!” I cried, turning to stop him, but it was too late.
His fist connected with the side of my cheek with a force that shook my teeth in my head. My ear was ringing and I couldn’t keep my balance. I tried, my hands groping the smooth hallway wall, but I fell, moaning softly, looking up to see Dale’s horrified expression, fists now at his sides. And I heard Chrissy laughing, delighted.
“Sara! Oh God, Sara,” he croaked, kneeling beside me but I was already scrambling to my feet. I felt his hand on my calf for one, brief moment, but I was fast when I needed to be. I flew down the stairs, grabbed my shoes on my way out, and I was already pulling away from the house when I saw Dale burst out the front door, calling after me.
But I was gone.
