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RYLEE
“RYLEE, IF YOU DON’T get downstairs you’re going to be late.” My mother’s voice rings through the closed door of my bedroom, a soft knock following.
Late. I roll my eyes, wishing I could do more than be late—like maybe skip this whole day altogether. It’s the day I’ve been dreading since I found out that her and Paul were getting married and we would be moving in with him.
It’s not something any teenage girl wants to hear. That with a mere five months left of her senior year, she will have to leave all her friends and everything she loves to live with a man she barely knows and his intolerable son.
Yay me.
“Rylee. Did you hear me?” Mom knocks again.
“I heard you,” I call back, trying really hard to keep the irritation from my voice. This isn’t Mom’s fault. Well, I guess technically it is, but how could I fault her for going after a chance to be happy? I can’t expect her to pass up on love because it’s inconvenient for me. Besides, in a few short months I will be leaving all this behind for college anyway.
“Well, chip chop then. You don’t want to make a bad first impression,” she practically sings.
She is way too chipper for this early in the morning.
“Earth to Rylee. Come in Rylee,” Savannah says, reminding me there’s a phone pressed to my ear.
“Sorry, Mom was talking to me. What were you saying?”
“I was just saying how bad Bristol is gonna suck without you. You basically left me high and dry with no warning,” she playfully jabs—though she’s not wrong. When I’d left for winter break I’d thought I’d be back after the New Year. At that time I had no idea I would never grace the halls of Bristol High again. “Who am I going to bitch to in between classes?” she chatters on. “Who’s going to tell me when I have food stuck in my teeth, or that my makeup is smudged? Who’s going to keep me from throwing myself at Jonah every chance I get? Because you know I have zero restraint without you.”
Savannah has been my best friend since kindergarten, and up to this point, we’ve pretty much never been apart. And while yes, thirty miles of separation isn’t the end of the world, especially since we both have cars, it feels like she’s an entire world away.
“Don’t be dramatic. You still have Jane and Sarah,” I remind her.
“Jane and Sarah aren’t you.”
“Well, it could be worse. You could be walking into a school where the only person you know is your stepbrother who’s made it painfully clear he doesn’t like you and treats you like an intruder in your new home.”
“Still hasn’t gotten any better, huh?” she asks, already knowing about the growing list of issues I have had with Oliver since we moved in last week.
“He walked past me in the family room yesterday and didn’t sneer at me. That has to count for something, right?” I groan audibly.
“Baby steps,” she reassures me lightheartedly. “Besides, if I know you, and I think I do, he won’t be the only person you know for long. You’ll probably have replaced me by the end of the day. Everyone loves you.”
“One, I could never replace you—I’ve tried,” I tease. “And two, not everyone loves me. Clearly.” I tack on the last part with an eye roll.
“Don’t let him get to you. Just do you and you’ll be fine. I know it.”
“Thanks.” I blow out a shaky breath.
“And if you need me to come over there and beat his ass for you, I totally will.”
“Don’t tempt me.” I chuckle, the thought of tiny little Savannah scratching Oliver’s eyes out flashes through my mind.
“Well, it’s a standing offer. I’m here if you need me.”
“I’ll keep that in mind,” I say, figuring I need to wrap this up and get going. “I better go. Mom will kill me if I’m late for my first day of school.”
“Okay. You’ll call me right after?”
“I will.”
“Love you, Ry.”
“Love you, too.” I end the call, turning toward the floor length mirror that adorns my closet door. I run a hand through my thick brown hair, wishing it had been more cooperative this morning.
Honestly, I look terrible. My eyes are all swollen and puffy from lack of sleep. I was so nervous about today that I tossed and turned all night and not even my favorite concealer could hide the evidence of my sleepless night.
My gaze travels down to my pale pink top and dark skinny jeans that I partnered with my favorite pair of brown booties. It took me hours to settle on an outfit, and I still feel uncomfortable, which is very unlike me.
I’m not used to being so unsure of myself, but this entire situation has really thrown me. It had all happened so fast. One day I’m living a normal happy life, looking forward to spending senior year with my friends and doing all the fun things that entails. The next, my mom and Paul are eloping in Fiji, and my entire world gets turned upside down. I’ve barely had time to wrap my head around it, and now here I am, facing my first day at a new school where none of my friends will be.
Blowing out a puff of air, I turn away from my reflection and head toward the door, grabbing my book bag on the way out. I drop my cell into the front pocket before sliding the strap over my shoulder. Opening my bedroom door, I pause when Oliver opens his at the exact moment as I step into the hall. As if moving wasn’t bad enough, I got stuck with quite possibly the worst stepbrother in history. He hates that Mom and I are here.
Before he c
an say anything snarky, I quickly turn and take off down the stairs, heading in the direction of the kitchen.
If they had moved in with us, I wouldn’t be forced to have a bedroom directly across from a person who hates me for reasons that are completely out of my control. I can’t help that his parents divorced, or that his dad remarried within a year. None of that has anything to do with me. But I think it’s safe to say he doesn’t see it that way. Either that, or he’s taking it out on me because he knows he can’t take it out on my mom, or his dad for that matter. Not if he wants to maintain free access to his father’s money.
Unfortunately, Mom thought Paul’s house was the more logical choice. Good school, a nice neighborhood, and closer to the hospital where she performs most of her surgeries. I get it, but it certainly doesn’t make the pill any easier to swallow.
I walk through the foyer and down a long hallway, dropping my book bag right inside the door of the kitchen.
“There she is.” Paul looks up from his laptop and smiles, his freshly pressed suit perfectly fitted to his broad shoulders.
At least he’s nice to me.
“Good morning.” I force a smile and head toward the refrigerator to grab some orange juice. I still feel so weird being here. I know it’s my home now, but I can’t help but feel on edge and uneasy, like I’m walking on eggshells all of the time.
“Excited for your first day?” he asks.
“I guess.” I shrug, my back to him as I retrieve a glass from the cabinet.
“She’ll be great.” My shoulders tense at the sound of Oliver’s voice. I know he’s only saying that because he wants his father to believe he’s playing nice, but I don’t miss the hint of something dark in his tone.
“Of course she will,” Paul agrees.
I turn right as mom enters the kitchen; her slender frame somewhat hidden beneath unflattering scrubs—her dark hair pulled back in a ponytail.
“Surgery today?” I ask, knowing that’s the only time Mom wears scrubs to work.
She nods, taking the seat next to Paul where a cup of coffee is already waiting for her. This makes me smile, despite my sour mood. Paul really is good to Mom. Truthfully, it’s the only thing that makes any of this worth it—seeing the smile that slides across her face as she sits down next to her new husband.
