Miriam cocked her head to one side, and it was clear that she hadn’t thought about using that as an excuse. If Aspen weren’t so annoyed, she would have laughed at the manual gear change obviously taking place in her stepsister’s brain.
Narrowing her eyes, Miriam said, “Well, yeah, that’s right. I don’t know what he told you, but I did dump him. But that’s not the point.”
Trying not to roll her eyes, Aspen glared at her stepsister. Red lip gloss was smeared along the collar of Miriam’s yellow top, but Aspen refused to say a word. If she had a real relationship with her stepsister, she would have pointed it out, but this was the meanest person in the world and she hated the fact that she was related to her even in the smallest way.
“What do you want?” she repeated.
“I want you to leave Dylan alone. I don’t want you anywhere near him, or else I’ll tell Dad that you’re stealing his money.” Miriam then stepped back and put her manicured hands on her hips. “Stay away from him and I’ll put the money back. Keep sitting with him at lunch, and I’ll keep the money. My dad will believe anything I tell him, you know that.” A self-satisfied smirk spread over her face.
Instantly, Aspen’s cheeks burned. She could feel the heat as it crept up her neck and into her hair roots. How did she end up with the stepsister from hell? Her arms tingled, and she tucked her throbbing fists against her thighs. If only she could do something to defend herself. She winced as static electricity shocked her legs where her hands touched her body.
“What have I ever done to you?” she asked, annoyed to find her own voice trembling. “Why do you hate me so much?”
Miriam jutted her jaw and crossed her arms. “Because I want to.” She sneered. “You think you’re so fantastic with your blond hair and blue eyes. Your mother thinks that she’s important too. Well, I’ve got news for you. You’re both nothing in my life, and my dad listens to no one but me.”
Aspen reeled back in shock. Cinderella’s stepsisters were no match against this girl. How could she feel so threatened by Aspen? She had no possessions and Miriam had everything in life. Why would she want to take the one thing that was special to her?
Anger smoldered inside and she wanted to scream, but she couldn’t. Fat tears welled up in the corner of her eyes and caused her vision to blur. She didn’t know what to do.
Miriam laughed as Aspen picked up her backpack and ran out of the classroom. “Go on, run away, that’s right,” she shouted after her.
Aspen could hear her mocking laugh as she shoved open the school’s exit door at a full run. Her feet slapped against the sidewalk as she ran, then she paused for a second at the parking lot to shift her backpack behind her shoulder. A car’s horn startled her as she tried to cross the street, and anger propelled her forward blindly for the next three blocks before she slowed down.
Rows of parked vehicles lined the street as she ran forward in the shadow of large apartment buildings. Crying openly now, she wiped at her face with the back of her hand, and made her way to the only safe place she’d ever known.
The neighborhood playground lay like a sanctuary between her house and the school. As she’d done many times before, Aspen entered through green metal gates and rushed to a maintenance shed at the end of the park.
Inside the unlocked shed, the smell of wet grass, oil, and gasoline was almost overpowering. It was filled with gardening implements such as rakes and garden hoses, hanging from hooks on a pegboard attached to the walls. A large lawnmower took up most of its floor space, along with a cluttered worktable and a wooden bench. Dropping her backpack onto the bench, she sank down beside it.
As she slowed her breathing in an effort to calm herself, she thought of all the trouble that Miriam had tried to make for her. Despite the warmth of the shed, she couldn’t stop shivering, and rubbed her arms briskly to try to warm them. Suddenly a shuddering sob worked its way up her chest and got caught in her throat. With the back of her hand against her mouth, she let loose her emotions and cried freely.
When her sobs eventually began to slow, Aspen wiped her face. Shifting so she could lay on her side with her knees hugged to her chest, she rested her head on her backpack.
Why would Miriam try to stop her friendship with Dylan? He was special, and she didn’t want to give him up. Her stepsister could have anything her heart desired, but that wasn’t enough.
Aspen couldn’t remember her real father, and Miriam had made sure that she wouldn’t get along with her stepfather. She wondered if he was so mean to her because of Miriam.
Finally Stephan’s poor treatment of her made sense.
Why couldn’t her mother leave Stephan and his stupid daughter? Didn’t she understand how unhappy Aspen’s life had become? Her chest ached when she thought of the arguments that would take place in a few hours’ time if she didn’t give in to Miriam’s demands. With a heavy heart, she squeezed her eyes shut and wept silently.
The heat from the shed made her drowsy and, after a few minutes, her crying subsided and she drifted off to sleep.