Runner [Book 3; Daddy Series]

9: Pizza

"Why the hell are you here?" I glare at my twin standing in front of my door in the hallway. I can't believe she thought this would be okay, to just show up at my door. To stalk me.

"I-I'm sorry, I-can I come in?" she asks. I roll my eyes and open the door a bit wider, just enough for her to squeeze by me and walk into the flat.

"What do you want?" I ask, narrowing my eyes at her and crossing my arms. She's always been the type of person to just get into everyone else's business. She and mom are the same way, that's why they always got along better that mom and I, or Leah and I for that matter.

"I want my sister back," she says, her eyes drop to the floor as she shuffles her feet and I almost feel bad for a second.

"You want your sister back? You want me to come back to that God forsaken town so I can be miserable? So I can live in the shadow of you? So I can only be known as Luke Hemming's step daughter? You always have been so selfish." I shake my head and sit on a barstool by the island in the kitchen.

"Me selfish? Who was the one who stayed up way later than she should have last semester to help you finish your paper? Who has covered for you more times than I can count so you could go sneaking off to the 'party of the school year'? Who has been there for you when those boys would break your heart? Who has helped you every step of the way? Who has been there since before you were born, literally?" Her. The answer to all of that is her and she knows it.

"And who always benefits from it? You stay up to help me so that I can at least pass because I don't understand any of it, you get praise. I didn't get praised I got reprimanded and was told I needed to pay more attention. I went out to a party and you covered for me, you benefitted from it when you gave in and ran and told mom that I snuck off again. You didn't stick by me like you were supposed to!" I yell at her, "You've always been the favorite." I say a little calmer.

"That's such a lie. Mom and dad have always focused on you more because you've been the troubled kid or whatever. You'd get talked about the most, 'what're we going to do with Kathryn?' they were always talking about you. They were always coming to me asking about you, about what was going on with you, or what was going on at school as if I had an answer." She crosses her arms and I can tell she's getting frustrated. Her face is heating up, her ears are turning red. Those are the two biggest tells that she is getting frustrated.

"I was always being told to be more like you. I'd get a bad grade, and they wouldn't even listen to me saying I needed to be tutored or needed help, they'd always ask me why I couldn't be more like you." I sigh.

"I just want you to come back," she says softly, she's dropped eye contact now and she's looking at the floor.

"I can't,"

---

"Who's at the door?" Leah asked, I smile and get up from the couch practically running to the door. Leah and I talked and we are okay now. We've just been sitting on the couch watching reruns of Friends for the past 20 minutes. I swing open the door and smile as I see Mason standing in the door way. For some reason I wrap my arms around him and hug him. He doesn't hug back for a second and is stiff, but soon relaxes into it and hugs me back.

"Sorry it took so long, my mom was questioning me about where I was going and I had to make plans to meet another friend for dinner or something. Pretty much I lied to get here so appreciate my presence." He smiles, I chuckle and roll my eyes at him.

"So, I hope you aren't hungry, because I don't have any food," I tell him as he walks in the door and I shut it behind him.

"We could probably order take away," Mason suggests and shrugs. I nod and show him to the living room.

"Mason this is my sister Leah, Leah this is my friend Mason," I say introducing them.

"Hi, Leah," Mason says and smiles at her.

"Hi, you look really familiar," she says slightly squinting her eyes at him. He shrugs and takes a seat on the chair next to the couch.

"You guys look a lot alike," Mason says while studying our faces.

"We're twins," Leah and I say at the same time making all of us laugh. After discussing what we wanted to eat for a few minutes we all settle on pizza and I call in the order.

"Where's the bathroom?" Mason asks after I get off the phone.

"It's down the hall, first door to the right," I tell him. He thanks me and stands up from the chair as I sit down on the couch.

"I swear I've seen him before," Leah says turning toward me, placing one leg on the couch bent. Her eyes are wide and her eyebrows are raised, "I don't know where, but I know I've seen him somewhere," she insists.

"Okay, Scooby Doo, calm down. You can solve this mystery some other time, you're probably just comparing him to like John Michaels on the baseball team back at home or something. Don't worry, I thought the same thing at first glance, but if you really look at them they don't look the same at all. I mean, John's nose is bigger than Mason's an-"

"Kathryn, shut up! He doesn't look like John at all for one, and for two, he looks like someone I've seen like on a larger scale not just from school."

"Mason! The pizza's here!" I yell at him after I hear the knock on my door. That was quick. Mason insisted on paying, Leah and I both stand up and go to the kitchen and Mason walks to the door and opens it. Leah and I grab the few of plates I have and set them on the counter.

I hear shuffling from the door as the pizza man hand Mason the pizzas.

"Have a good night, Mr. Horan."