Stepsisters

Chapter Six

"Hey, Ella!" Jenny threw open her front door and gave Ella a hug. "I haven't seen you in an entire week!"

Ella laughed. "I know, it's been so long."

Ella set her sleeping bag down on the floor in the entry way and walked inside. She loved having sleepovers at Jenny's house. She had the coolest room, the best food, and a huge pool.

Hannah popped out from the staircase. "Jenny, your boyfriend keeps texting me!"

"Wait, you have a boyfriend?" Ella asked. She had never heard Jenny say that she was dating anyone.

"Yeah..." Jenny said. "Hannah introduced me to him a few weeks ago. We started dating a couple of days ago. I was going to tell you tonight, since I wanted to tell you in person."

"Oh," Ella said. "What's his name?"

"Tyler," Jenny smiled. "He's awesome. I can't wait for you to meet him."

"Oh, yeah, he's amazing," Hannah said. "But I think he likes me."

Jenny turned around to face Hannah. "What?"

"He keeps texting me things like 'You're so pretty, Hannah' and 'We should hang out some time.'"

Jenny looked confused. "But you and him have been friends forever! Why when we just start dating does he decide to be interested in you?" She was about to cry.

"I guess he just realized that I would probably be a better girlfriend than you," Hannah shrugged. Ella saw her smirk as she went back up the stairs.

She's just like Chloe, Ella thought. They would be great friends.

Jenny eyes watered up as she prepared her and Ella's favorite sleepover snack--mug cakes. Ella could tell she wanted to cry, but of course Jenny would never admit it. Jenny always tried to be tough.

Ella wanted to tell Jenny about Chloe to make her cheer up, since Jenny was a fan of Chloe's, but she decided against it. So far, it only seemed like Channel 13 News knew where Chloe was, and also that Ella was Chloe's stepsister, so Ella didn't want anybody else to share her secret. Even though Jenny was trustworthy, Hannah was not, and Ella wasn't ready to risk Hannah overhearing, or Jenny thinking that Hannah was trustworthy and telling her.

"Jennyyyyy!" Hannah hollered from upstairs. Jenny sighed as a tear rolled down her face. She wasn't ready for another update on Tyler liking Hannah.

"What, Hannah?" Jenny called back weakly.

Ella wanted to cry for Jenny. Her tough friend was in tears. Ella thought that Hannah must have set it all up, knowing that Tyler already liked her or even making up all the texts, because Hannah's goal was to let everyone know that she was the coolest. Ella knew that Jenny couldn't see this, because she was blinded by Hannah's pretending to be nice, and also by Tyler. It was up to Ella to do something. But what?

"Tyler asked me out!!!" Hannah cried. "He's so cute and funny and he likes me--oh, but you like him, don't you, Jenny?" Hannah came down the staircase and put an arm around Jenny, who was crying in front of the microwave.

"We're dating, of course I like him," Jenny said. She wiped away a tear just as another rolled down her cheek.

"Oh, but not anymore, right, Jenny?" Hannah said. Ella hated the way Hannah said Jenny's name. Jen-nay. "Because he likes me. And not you."

Ella was ready to burst out with anger at Hannah. She was always a sweet, kind person, but Hannah infuriated her.

"Yeah, I guess not," Jenny said. She took a mug cake out of the microwave. "Here's yours, Ella." She sniffled.

"No, no," Ella said. "You take the first one. You're the one that just went through a break up."

"Oh, I'll have the first one," Hannah said, grabbing the mug cake. "I'm the one that just got a new boyfriend!"

"You're going to date him? After what he just did to your friend?" Ella said. More like what you set up for him to do to your friend, Ella thought.

"Of course," Hannah said. "People change." She smiled, took her mug cake, and ran upstairs.

"You need to send her home," Ella whispered to Jenny.

"Why?" Jenny asked. "It was Tyler who was mean, not her."

Jenny was brainwashed. It was like Hannah had her under some kind of spell that blinded her to the obvious.

"Can't you see? She set this all up! And she's being a jerk about it!" Ella cried.

Jenny sighed. "Ella, please. I know you're jealous, but not right now."

"But you don't understand," Ella said. She needed Jenny to listen to her. "Hannah is not a good friend. She's not even a friend!"

"My boyfriend just broke up with me," Jenny said, "and all you're trying to do is make me not like Hannah, so that you're my only friend? I see what you're trying to do, Ella, and it's not going to work! Why don't you go home, if all you're going to do is complain about my friendship with Hannah."

"I'm trying to help you!" Ella said. She was ready to cry. "Your relationship with Tyler wasn't real. So don't feel bad! It was all a set up and--"

"STOP!" Jenny shouted. Her voice cut through the kitchen like a knife, silencing everything. "My relationship wasn't real? What is wrong with you? Go home, Ella. Now."

Ella didn't move. She was frozen in place. Was her best friend telling her to go home, after what Hannah had just done? Ella was only trying to help.

"NOW!" Jenny yelled.

Ella picked up her bag from the entry way and went out the door, silent the entire time. It wasn't until she got into her car that she began to cry.