“I’m not sure, let me get my schedule.” With a flick of her blond ponytail, Sandy retrieved a timetable from her shirt pocket. She opened up the document and Aspen saw the girl’s name printed in the corner of the paper.
“Your last name is Walker too? That’s cool, so is mine.”
Sandy laughed. “Wow, that is a coincidence. We must be related.”
“Wouldn’t that be crazy?”
“We’ll have to get together later and see where we find a connection.” Sandy winked conspiratorially and tucked the schedule back in her pocket. “Looks like I’ve got history first.”
“That’s easy. Take a right at the end of the corridor, and it’s the second door to the left. How about meeting me at lunch and we can go through the”—Aspen used her fingers to form air quotes—“family tree.”
“Sounds good. See you then.” Giving her a friendly wave, Sandy disappeared into the crowd.
Aspen entered her classroom and almost bumped into Miriam, who stood in her way and forced her to move to the side to get in.
“So, who’s the new friend?” she asked as Aspen maneuvered around her.
Ignoring her stepsister didn’t work, as proven by the sound of her high heels clicking on the tile floor behind her. She glanced back and noted the familiar pinched expression on Miriam’s face, which signaled she wasn’t giving up and was itching for a fight. Aspen sighed, not in the mood for the girl’s dramatics.
“She looks just like you. Is she an orphan or does she actually have a dad?” Miriam asked hatefully as Aspen dumped her bag on the table.
She whipped around. “Look, what’s your problem? Just leave me alone, okay?” Aspen took a deep breath, willing herself to react calmly. Her stepsister loved to bait her, and delighted in embarrassing her. Luckily the room was empty and no one could hear their conversation.
“Another Walker brat,” Miriam said with a sneer. “As if we don’t have enough running around already.”
“Excuse me?” Her mouth gaped. This was low, even for Miriam.
“You heard me. She’s scrawny and white as a ghost. She’s probably some trailer-trash relative that your mom’s been hiding from my dad. I bet you’ve been stealing money from my dad’s wallet just to support her.”
“What the hell are you talking about?” Aspen asked incredulously. “Where did you come up with that load of crap? I can’t believe you just said that.” Her fists tingled with static, and she balled them up and lifted them in line with Miriam’s chest.
“Huh-uh, not so easy.” Miriam shook her head. “I know you’ve been stealing money from my dad. Now I know why.” As she spoke, she held out a thick wad of money in front of her.
Aspen snorted. “You’re sick, Miriam. You seriously do need help.” Then she stepped aside as a boy walked between them to his desk.
She stared at the cash that her stepsister flapped in her hands. “Where did you get that money from?” she asked. Miriam didn’t usually have access to so much money.
“This is the money that my dad will be looking for when he gets home tonight,” she answered gleefully.
“What do you mean? Miriam, I’ve never stolen a cent from anyone in my life.”
“Are you sure?” She lowered her head and challenged Aspen with her dark brown eyes.
“Don’t play games.” Aspen’s stomach rolled, and the sour taste of bile hit the back of her throat. “It’s not funny anymore.”
Her stepsister reached out and fanned the money against Aspen’s cheek. It had a musky, sweaty scent, and she wrinkled her nose.
“Oh, I don’t know. I think I like this game. I think I’d like to see my dad’s face when I tell him that you took his cash.”
“I wouldn’t do that.” Aspen swallowed hard. “You know I’d never steal from anyone.” She glanced around at the classroom filling up, and tried not to wince at the kids who stared at them with interest.
“Hmm, I don’t think so. I’m sure my dad would be curious to know where you got the money to buy food for your friends in the cafeteria. Dylan ate with you. I thought that your precious mommy made your lunch.”
Aspen’s heart sank. So this was what the fuss was all about. Her stepsister was jealous. Dylan had bought his own food, but that didn’t matter to her.
“What do you want?” she asked flatly.
Miriam pulled the money away from her face. “That’s better.” She put the cash back into her wallet carefully.
Aspen’s heart raced and her cheeks burned with anger.
“So Dylan sat with you at second break yesterday, even after I asked him to join us?” Miriam spoke through her teeth as she shoved the wallet into her backpack. “Do you think it’s fun to be turned down?” She ran her hand through her auburn curls. “Did the two of you enjoy your little joke?”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about, I swear. He just joined me.” Aspen shrugged. “I thought you’d dumped him.”