AllFreeNovel
Share Us
"Hello, my other son," Dad replied, giving Maverick a reassuring pat on the back.
"Hello sir," Maverick said, to which Dad responded, "How many times do I have to tell you to call me Derick?"
As Mom walked into the room, her face lit up with a beaming smile. "Oh, my baby is home," she exclaimed, pulling Seth into her arms before turning to greet Maverick. "Your mom called," she continued. "Your poor parents are stuck in Oregon, which means you're stuck with us."
Maverick nodded, a smile spreading across his face. Before he could reply, the doorbell rang.
Maverick offered to answer it and upon seeing who was at the door, his body tensed. "What are you doing here?" he asked.
“Well, I did live here for a year.” The figure walked past him and set her bags on the floor.
Skylar.
As I shot a quick glance at Dad, Seth's death stare bored into him, silently screaming, "What the heck is she doing here?!" Clearly, Dad missed the memo that his oh-so-lovelyotherdaughter decided to grace us with her presence.
“Skylar, not that I’m not happy to see you, but I wasn’t aware you would be visiting. I thought you had plans with your mother?” Dad asked while walking toward her.
"Oops, sorry,Dad," she said in a mocking tone with a smile. "Didn't mean to crash your family bonding session. In case you forgot, I'm your daughter too."
"Watch your tone," Mom warned with a furrowed brow. Skylar had been slinking around like a sly feline, but Mom was no fool and was not falling for her crap.
Skylar put on a poker face. "My bad.” she said, as if hoping to evoke some sympathy from my mother. When Mom did not react as expected, Skylar switched gears and admitted, "It's just been a long day.”
Dad's face softened. "We're happy you're here, kiddo." His arms wrapped around her, pulling her into a warm embrace.
Whatever.
“Let's get settled, Mav," Seth said as he grabbed his bag and planted a kiss on my cheek. "We'll catch up later after dinner."
I smiled as Mav trailed after Seth, but his gaze remained fixed on me.
* * *
Dinner wasn't as bad as I thought it'd be. Actually, it was pretty decent. The food was tasty, especially the roast beef. The sides were good, too— mashed potatoes and green bean casserole. And the chocolate cake for dessert was a hit. But what made the night great was the fun conversations and that we shared a lot of laughs. I was so into it that I almost forgot Skye was there. But then again, Skye was always on her best behavior whenever other people were around. After dinner, I helped Mom clean up the kitchen, and stayed behind to help frost cookies with Mom, while Skylar went up to her room to Facetime her own mom. As Mom sprinkled a bit of sprinkles on a cookie, she muttered, "Well, dinner wasn't terrible."
I replied with a shrug, "Yeah, I suppose so."
However, Skylar's uncharacteristic silence during the meal made me uneasy; typically, she prioritized herself and disregarded my presence or even undermined me.
“This is her second Christmas away from her mom. She’s just going to take some time to get adjusted.”
That still didn’t make the uneasiness go away.
After finishing decorating the cookies, Mom and Dad were preparing for movie night, so I decided to take a quick peek at my artwork. On my way to my room, I could hear Seth and Maverick playing video games. But the moment I opened my bedroom door, I stopped dead in my tracks. There, standing right in front of my priceless gift to Seth, was Skylar. I couldn't believe it! I had clearly warned her to stay out of my room, my sanctuary.
"What are you doing here?" I tried to hide my irritation.
"When was this taken?" she probed.
Without hesitation, I snatched the cover from her hands and threw it over the painting. "This summer. Feeling overwhelmed, I gritted my teeth and asked, "Can you please leave my room?" Having someone invade my personal space only fueled my anxiety. But when she turned around to leave, relief washed over me until she spoke again.
"Relax," she said, what sounded like an exasperation. "Do you honestly think Maverick has feelings for you? You're constantly trailing him like a lost puppy, but the reality is, he only puts up with you out of sympathy." After a momentary silence, she shifted her gaze toward me and, with a dismissive eyeroll, delivered a devastating blow. "Face reality, Scar. Maverick willneversee you as anything more than his best friend's irritating little sister."
“What is your problem?” I whispered, struggling to hold back tears.
“You.’ She cocked her head to the side. “Your family, Derick, and my mother are my problem. My mother thought it was better to toss me aside so she could be with her new husband, who could pass as my brother, and galivant throughout God’s creation.”
Trying to diffuse the palpable tension in the air, I uttered, "Dad took you in," hoping to bring some level of comfort to the situation.
