? ? ?
When she opened her eyes and saw Dylan standing before her, his hair tousled and an anxious expression on his face, she knew at once that she was dreaming.
He glanced around the shed, then frowned down at her. “Aspen, where have you been? I’ve searched for you everywhere.”
Sighing, she looked away and said softly, “I can’t be friends with you anymore.”
The words hurt as she said them, and she realized this was the worst punishment that Miriam could have given her.
Dylan crouched down on his haunches. “Why not? What happened?” he asked, and reached out to pull her into his arms.
Aspen didn’t resist and snuggled into his warmth. Putting her chin against his chest, she closed her eyes and breathed in his fresh scent. Her body tingled as though it was charged, and an unfamiliar but pleasant flutter in her stomach made her want to smile.
“Miriam is causing trouble for me,” she said, and wiped at her tearstained cheeks.
“It’s okay, princess. You’ll be fine. Your sixteenth birthday is just two days away, and she won’t be able to hurt you then.” Rubbing her arms, he kissed the top of her head lightly. “You need to get up and go home.”
“She won’t let me speak to you anymore.”
“It’s not that easy to stop me.” A muscle flexed in his jaw. “She doesn’t have a say in the matter.”
When Aspen looked up at Dylan, he hugged her tightly again.
“Don’t worry, I’ve got you.” He smiled and brushed a strand of hair from her face, then kissed her forehead gently.
? ? ?
Aspen woke up suddenly. Long shadows had formed on the shed’s dirt floor, and children shrieked with joy in the playground outside.
Her backpack lay crumpled on the bench next to her, so she picked it up and dusted off her shorts and top. She must have slept longer than she thought. The familiar sound of the school bus rumbled past nearby, which meant that school would be finished already.
The walk home took about fifteen minutes. Taking a fortifying breath, Aspen opened the front door and snuck into the house as quietly as possible. The sweet smell of vanilla scented the air, a good indicator that her mom had been baking.
As she grabbed the handrail to head upstairs, her mother called out, “Hey, honey. How was school? Do you want something to eat? I’ve made vanilla cake and I’m icing it with caramel.”
“No thanks, Mom. I’m not feeling so good.”
“What’s the matter? You don’t look well.” Norma walked out from the kitchen, wiping her hands on a kitchen towel and frowning with concern. She climbed the first two stairs and reached for Aspen’s forehead, which was still warm from her brisk walk home. “Hmm, you feel a bit feverish. Go and lie down. I’ll get some aspirin to make you feel better.”
It wasn’t a lie, Aspen did feel sick, but it was because of the morning’s tension and she wasn’t really acting. After dropping her backpack on her bedroom floor, she walked into the bathroom to splash water on her face.
What is Miriam jealous of?
Staring at her reflection in the mirror, she saw a slim face with a small, slightly upturned nose and full lips. She dragged one bottom eyelid down and stared at her light blue eyes. They were probably her best feature. When she was angry, they changed to a silvery hue. Her face was normally pale, but her cheeks were flushed from today’s events.
Aspen was pale and fair, with waist-length blond hair and blue eyes. Miriam, on the other hand, was more vibrant with auburn hair highlighted with streaks of copper, and her eyes were chocolate brown. All the boys loved Miriam. Her body was beautiful and she had a pretty face. Why would she feel threatened by anyone, let alone her own stepsister?
There was no explanation for Miriam’s behavior, so Aspen shrugged her shoulders and grabbed a toothbrush. After she’d brushed her teeth, she changed into pajamas and crawled under the white quilt on her bed, feeling sore and fragile.
Lying on her back, she stroked the white bedding, running her fingers along the stitching. Stephan insisted on the color white to make sure that she didn’t bring food upstairs. The rule was, no eating outside of the kitchen. He was always on the lookout to see if she’d cheated and had made a mess on the quilt.
Her mother switched on the overhead light as she entered the room. Aspen’s bedroom was the smallest one, on the back side of the house and shaded by thick trees, so it was dark in the afternoon. She brought a plastic cup of water with two headache tablets, and gave them to her daughter to swallow.
“You must be coming down with a virus,” Norma said as she handed back the cup.
“I don’t feel so well,” Aspen croaked convincingly.
“If you don’t feel better tomorrow, you can stay at home. I’ll take you to the doctor.”
“That’s okay, Mom.” Aspen continued to play with the edge of the quilt while an old Mickey Mouse clock ticked softly in the background.