The Ugly Stepsister Strikes Back Read Online Free Page B

back and check on us and we would just log out when our hour is up. We promise to be quiet and stay put." I was trustworthy. She knew me well. And Jake was the center of Malibu Prep's universe. It wasn't like we were hardened criminals or something.
    "I shouldn't…" She had an expressive face, and I could see her desire to go fighting with her duty to stay. She looked at the clock again.
    "We'll be fine," Jake reassured her.
    Several seconds passed before she stood up. "I will be in my studio if you need anything and I will come back to check on you."
    I smirked. No she wouldn't. If she was anything at all like my dad, she'd get so caught up in whatever she was doing that a couple of hours would pass before she'd remember us.
    Her high heels made a
clickety-clack
sound as they walked across the laminate floor. She paused at the door, giving us a stern look. "Right down the hall," she reminded us one last time and then she left.
    I was alone with Jake.
    And I had no idea what to do with him.
    I had imagined this moment so often and now that I was here my throat closed in on itself. I couldn't think of a single thing to say.
    That was a lie. I could think of a lot of things to say, but I was pretty sure if I told Jake I wanted to bear his firstborn child, he might freak out a little.
    Since he was dating my stepsister, you'd think we would've had some kind of interaction in the past, but we hadn't. He never spent time at my house. Especially after the Bathroom Incident.
    So, the story was that I was taking a shower and singing Justin Bieber tunes. When I got out I put on this flimsy, thigh-high, blue silk kimono my mother got for me. (She didn't know that I wore it, and I would never admit to her that I did.) Anyway, it was much tighter than it used to be because, in the words of my Aunt Sarah, I "exploded." She said it happened to the Lowe women just before their eighteenth birthdays. Grandma called it blossoming, but Aunt Sarah disagreed. She said there was nothing slow or gradual about it.
    Aunt Sarah was right. One day I was me, the next my bra didn't fit. I hated it. I knew probably most girls would be thrilled, but it was like I wasn't myself. I was used to the way I looked and suddenly I looked like…well, not me.
    Anyway, I came out of the bathroom, toweling my wet hair, and Jake was standing there. We were like two deer caught in the headlights, staring at each other. I could have darted back into the bathroom. He could have turned around and walked away. We didn't. Instead we stood and stared for what felt like an actual eternity. He cleared his throat and said three words to me. "Nice, uh, singing." Then he finally left, shaking his head and letting out a deep breath. It was then that I realized I had been holding my breath too.
    He never came to the house again.
    As if he could sense my crazy, Jake turned around slowly and laid his left forearm across my desk. My hand was flat on the desk right next to his arm and I could feel the warmth and energy that he seemed to give off. I scolded my twitchy hand to stay put and to not reach out and touch him.
    "So, Aprils sent you to detention?"
    All the saliva in my mouth dried up, but I managed a, "Yeah."
    He gave me one of those high wattage grins and said, "You shouldn't have attacked Twain." He sounded like he was teasing me.
    "I know." I wanted to fan myself, but refrained. I could feel the flush creeping into my cheeks, and I willed them to stay their normal color.
    The words
we're having a conversation! We're having a conversation!
ran on an endless loop in my brain. Only, the reality was that Jake was trying to have a conversation with me and I was ruining it. Ruining it!
    I needed to fix this, and fast before he thought I was a total idiot. "Why are you here?" My voice sounded only a little shaky. I hoped he didn't notice.
    "You mean here on the planet or in detention?" Another smile, more teasing. I liked the way his eyes crinkled up at the corners.
    I smiled back.