"You just noticed now?" Mom laughed. "You're such a sister of the year!"
"So, what happened to our princess?" I crossed my arms ready to hear another incredible story of her success. Knowing that little Jess was born with a crown on her head, I wouldn't be surprised if she had already received the Nobel Prize and an Oscar as a pleasant bonus for the day.
"She's grounded. She's sulking in her room right now."
No way!
"Can I know why?"
"Besides the fact that she took your stuff and made you haul this junk. My poor baby Mel! Why are you looking at me like that, did you think I was blind and wouldn't notice her disgusting behavior? Well, she also was rude towards her geography teacher! They called me from school because they left her behind after class. She thought I, like her grandma, would immediately come, cause a scandal, pull all the strings in school, and take her home where she eats a big apple pie. No way, Jessica! You can't avoid getting grounded."
"No wayyyy, mom!"
"And that's what I'm saying."
I listened to her with my mouth open!
Ugh, my sis Jessica? Total diva since forever. She's been getting everything handed to her on a silver platter since day one. And don't even get me started on her looks – she's a total babe, unlike me. So, picture this: my sister's face is like, legit goals. Her eyes are this bomb mix of almond-shaped magic, with flecks of gold that catch the light and draw you in. And her skin? It's like a flawless blend of cocoa and cream, giving her that glow-up that everyone's after. Her smile? It's infectious, with dimples that pop like emojis in real life. And her hair? Girl, it's a whole vibe – curls for days that slay every hairstyle game. She's biracial and beautiful, and honestly, it's like she's living her own Insta filter IRL.
Yeah, we're only half-siblings, as you have already noticed. Mom married her dad when I was just a little kid. But neither of them – not him or his mom, Jessica's grandma – ever fully accepted me as one of their own, the part of their family. I was like the invisible relative, always overlooked, especially by Grandma Jen, the influential and strict woman. Sometimes it felt like she couldn't stand the sight of me.
At first, of course, we were best friends with my sister when we were very young, but then I began to understand more and more, or rather, feel the coldness from her father and his family. Jess never stood up for me in front of them, never sympathized with me when I was left without a birthday present again. She just took their behavior for granted. Luckily, mom quickly evolved with Jessica's dad and got a decent settlement after the divorce. Jessica's grandma tried to resist, even came to our house a few times and caused scandals, saying that mom was a thief and a gold digger. But Jen picked the wrong one. Mom could create the impression of a simpleton, but she was always smart, acting like a hidden threat: soft and fluffy until she bared her claws.
I was ecstatic that Jessica's father no longer came to our house – a businesslike and cold lawyer, but even he lost to my mom. She's always been smarter and stronger than any man.
Jessica's grandmother, of course, constantly took her away for the weekends, for holidays, or gave her insanely expensive gifts. I didn't want anything from their family, but it was incredibly painful to see that Jessica had everything: looks, popularity, a bunch of nice gifts, and I only had a very busy mom careerist who never said a word about my dad except that he ran away with another woman before I was born.
"I'm glad we moved, Mel. Now we will finally be a real family. Me and my girls. Jen spoiled her. And it's my fault. This needs to be fixed."
"Do you think she won't come here or even move to this city?" I asked anxiously.
"Of course, Jen loves Jessica, but I know this old woman too well to understand how self-centered she is. She'll never move and leave her power and company behind to be with her granddaughter. Neither Jessica's father nor Jen will travel often across the country to visit her, they'll send a check and that's it, and then they'll forget about her when she turns eighteen. I hope she'll soon realize who they really are. If they wanted, they could have raised all their connections and taken your sister away from me: I'm a single mother, absent at work, they are dirty rich and influential people, but as you can see, they didn't do that."
"Because he's got a new wife, who his mom totally approves of, and new kids, twins? Like, talk about a whole new family dynamic?"
"Exactly, darling. A new obedient wife, religious and from a decent family, and those sweet new babies. Have you noticed that Jen doesn't shower Jessica with gifts or invite her over as often anymore? I bet it's the new wife versus Jessica showdown."
"It's karma, I'm sure. Now she's not needed."
"Don't gloat! And don't say that in front of Jessica. Keep your cards for a more opportune moment."
***
After dinner, I went upstairs to the second floor where three bedrooms were located. For a second, I stopped at Jessica's room. A cheerful beautiful letter "J" was on the door. I showed my tongue to the door and went to my room. Our things hadn't been delivered yet, but we brought something in the car, besides some furnishings was sold with the house, so the room didn't look so empty. Mom's things, of course, were already in place: it felt like they were afraid to mess up with her.
The room was like, low-key empty. But it had got potential, for sure. There was that sleek white bed with four posts, giving off major minimalist vibes and making it feel like a cozy haven. And then there was a desk, and an armchair that was begging to be sat in. Oh, and let's not forget the bookshelf – gotta have a place for all those future reads. Plus, there was a built-in closet, even though it was basically bare 'cause my wardrobe was still in the works.
I looked at my bracelet, remembering her touch and closeness. I wanted to purr like a satisfied cat.
Maybe tomorrow I'll go to her and say hi?
Dreamily, I emptied the contents of my bag on the bed. In addition to my things, something else fell out.
The handbook!!!
More chapters on my personal Patreon page
New updates:
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without written permission of the publisher. This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents either are products of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events or locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
