The Step Sister

Chapter 4

I woke up the next morning feeling the sun beat on me from the window. I rolled over looking at the time on the alarm clock. 11:43. Had I really slept that long? I sat up and pushed my hair back with my hands. I eyes were burning with exhaustion.

I walked to the bathroom across the hall. As I turned on the light I saw girl stuff, every where. The counter was filled with body sprays, deodarants, and make up. I pushed back the shower curtain. Body soaps and loofa filled the racks.

"What the-"

"Hell?" I heard a voice behind me making me jump. I turned around come face to face with Kat. "I was just finishing your sentence. No need to get all paranoid on me."

She was in shorts now and a sports bra, revealing yet another piercing on her belly button. Her hair was in a mess on top of her head. She looked like a zombie with her eyeliner smudged all around her eyes.

She entered the bathroom, squeezing behind me to get near the shower. "Are you going to leave?" She was looking at me like I was dumb.

Most people would of said "I was here first" or would have put an argument, but I just left letting her have the bathroom to herself. I wouldn't have let her have if it I'd known she would be in there for an hour and a half.

Downstairs I could hear someone walking around.  I walked in the kitchen finding Ira humming to herself and stirring a pot on the stove.

"Well good afternoon to you." She tasted the spoon, added salt, and continued stirring.

"What are you cooking for?" Was my dad having more people over? I don't think I could handle another sit down dinner.

"Oh, you father hired me full time. I guess Janet isn't much of a cook and since it's not just the two of you anymore he wanted a homemade meal every night to make Janet and Kat feel at home."

Ira didn't seem bothered by my dad's request. She would practically be living at the house now. Just another person to fill up this house.

"Don't you have a family to take care of?" It came out harsher than I meant but Ira didn't take it that way.

"Oh no dear, they're older now. They don't need me anymore."

I studied Ira. She didn't look that old to have kids who are on their own. She only looked about mid 30's, younger than my dad. Her hair was light brown and always twisted in a bun with two chopsticks. Her square glasses were always balancing on the bridge of her nose. She didn't wear a wedding ring either, even though my dad writes a check out to a Mrs. Pinture for her.

"So what was the matter with Claire last night? She looked just torn to pieces, poor thing." She stuffed a chicken into a pot then placed it in the oven. Her fragile arms struggling with the heavy pot.

"I don't know. She told me she'd tell me another day when things were better. Do you need help with that?"

I watched as she carried four eggs in one hand and a mixer in the other. I stood up and grabbed the eggs and placed them into a bowl she took out to make brownies.

"Kyle, your such a good boy. Your father should know that. I saw the way you helped Claire last night. You know she probably likes your, dear." She smirked as she said the last part.

I shook my head. "She just needed someone to talk to."

"Wrong." Ira said nearly cutting me off, pointing a spatula covered in brownie batter at me. "You said she didn't talk about it. Honey, I'm a girl. I just know these things. She could have went to her best girl friend but she came to you."

"You keep thinking that, Ira." I got up from the chair, dragging my finger through the brownie battter.

"Oh, I will! Just wait and see!" She yelled after me as I walked out the door.

I drove to Claire's house. I sat in her driveway a few minutes wondering whether or not I should go up to the door. Just go. I told myself.

I walked up the steps to the front porch. All the blinds were drawn on the windows. I rang the doorbell. It was a minute before Claire came to the door. She cracked it open slowly.

"Hey." I wanted her to open the door more so I could see her face.

She just stood there looking behind me at the road. I put my hand on the door and pressed it open more. No lights were on inside. Her round face still looked sad. She stepped out of the house onto the porch. She only came up to about my collar bone. I stood there as she reached up to kiss my cheek. Her lips were soft against my cheek.

"Thank you for last night, Kyle." She finally said. She tucked a piece of hair behind her ear.

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I am," Her smile grew. "I guess I just having a bad night,"

"It's alright. I had a bad night, too." I chuckled.

She just stared at me with her head cocked to the side and a smile. I felt my face begin to blush as she laughed.

"C'mon let's go somewhere." I said turning over my shoulder.

"Uh, wait."  I turned back around. "I can't go out like this." She said laughing.

She was wearing fleece pajama pants with little ballerinas on them and an oversized hoodie with a knitted 3D cat on it.

I hadn't noticed what she was wearing until now. I laughed.

"Don't laugh at me." She hit me in the arm. "My grandmom made this me." She petted the cat on her stomach. One of its blue button eyes was gone and there was a long loose green thread.

I followed her into the house. I had only been there a few times. It always smelled like lavender for some reason. It was a smaller house. Well it was really small compared to mine. It didn't have an upstairs but had enough space for her parents and their two children.

"You can just sit in the living room." Claire said as she walked into her room and closing the door. 

I sat down in a dark blue love seat. The living room had cream colored walls covered with family photos. There was one of Claire and her younger sister above the fire place. Claire was smiling and hugging her sister as she looked over at the camera. Her hair was braided down her back. Her younger sister, Chelsie, looked nothing like her. She was five years younger than Claire and had brown hair with brown eyes and was almost as tall as Claire.

I felt something touch my knee and I looked down. Her cat, Butter, was rubbing against my leg. I picked him up. He turned in my nap a few times then laid down.

"Kyle?" I heard Claire yell from her room.

"Yes?" As I stood up I placed Butter on the floor and he trotted off into the kitchen. I walked towards Claire's room and knocked in the door.

She opened it. "I can't decide what shoes." Great, i thought to myself. 

"Can't you just go bare foot?" I took a seat on her bed.

She rolled her eyes at me and smiled. "I don't know why I bothered asking you."

"We think so much alike sometimes, Claire."

She finally decided on her tan flats because they matched the tan in the petal of the flower on her shirt apparently. I didn't ask any questions.

"Are you ready to go?" I asked as I played with the keys on my key chain.

"Yes." She said grabbing her purse and taking one last look in the mirror. "Bye, Butter." She said as she walked out the door, me following behind her.