Stepsisters

Chapter Four

"They know Chloe is here," Ella's dad said to no one in particular. He had come downstairs after getting ready for bed.

Ella was getting a glass of water to bring upstairs when she heard her dad. "Who knows that Chloe is here?"

"The media," he replied. "Magazines, local news channels, celebrity websites, and of course, the paparazzi."

"Wait," Ella's mom called from the bathroom. She was brushing her teeth. "How do they know Chloe is here?"

"She posted something on Twitter about being in New York, and the paparazzi will find her eventually," he replied. "They always do."

"Why don't you tell her not to post her location?" Ella's mom suggested. "You told Ella not to reveal Chloe's whereabouts."

Ella's dad rolled his eyes. "It's over now, Meredith. The information is already out. Be prepared to have no privacy for the next week or so--and maybe even beyond that, if they want to interview the stepfamily. They would probably be interested in Ella, since she's the same age as Chloe."

"No," Ella's mom said. "I don't want this celebrity, no privacy life for me and Ella. That is not what is happening."

"Well, it's too late now," Ella's dad remarked.

"Then you will have to leave," Ella's mom told him.

"No!" Ella cried. "Dad just came--he can't leave now!"

"Do you want to be all over the Internet for the rest of the summer, Ella?" her mom asked her. "Do you really not want any privacy? This is not happening." She turned to Ella's dad. "You need to get your horrible daughter far away from here."

"Horrible?" Ella's dad asked. "Is Chloe horrible because she's famous?!"

"No," Ella's mom replied. "Not because she's famous. Because she's rude and stuck up!"

"Please stop fighting," Ella pleaded. "If the paparazzi find us, then we will deal with it. Okay? I just want Dad to stay. I haven't seen him in forever."

Ella's mom sighed. She didn't want to be publicized, but she also wanted her daughter to be happy. "Alright," she finally said. "But tell Chloe no more posting about where she is."

"I don't think she'll listen to me," Ella's dad said. "But I'll try." He went upstairs to go to bed, obviously angry at Ella's mom, but staying because he wanted to see Ella.

"You should go to bed too," Ella's mom said to Ella.

"Okay," Ella said. She got a glass of water and then headed upstairs to bed, where she pulled out her phone.

Hey, Ella said to Jenny.

Jenny replied immediately. Hey! What's up?

Going to bed. It's been a long day. Ugh.

Aww :(, Jenny wrote. What happened?

Just family stuff, Ella texted. She couldn't tell Jenny about how Chloe was a celebrity. You don't know the half of it.

Oh. I gtg, Jenny said.

You're going to bed too?

No, Jenny wrote. I'm going to Hannah's house for a sleepover.

Ella's heart sank. She didn't understand how Jenny couldn't see how mean Hannah was.

Cool, Ella lied. I'm going to bed. Gn.

Ella put her phone on her nightstand and closed her eyes. She tried to think about something happy, but right now it seemed like everything was going wrong. Her mom and dad were fighting, her new stepsister seemed rotten, and Jenny and Hannah were hanging out.

At least Sydney seems nice, Ella thought to herself as she drifted off to sleep.