CHAPTER THREE
The familiar sound of the radio wakes me from my slumber. I moan and slowly pull myself up to a sitting position. My hand slams on the stop button of my alarm clock and I rub my groggy eyes. No pale, bright light greets me at the window this morning. Maybe my life will come back to normal.
Yesterday was weird. And not just because of the light. I was nice to Abby Brown. I flirted with some creepy goth guys. I went to church.
I need to take a hot shower.
My thoughts seem to clear as I clean my body with warm water, brush the tangles out of my hair and put on a snazzy top and jeans. It returns to me that I'm still Aster Edenfield, the mean, but sexy, up-to-no-good, Popular. I have a stepfamily. I have a Mom stationed in Afghanistan. I have a group of awesome friends. I have the best boyfriend on the planet. I swear. I party. I don't always make good decisions. I don't go to church. I'm not holy. And that's who I am. And it won't change.
I pull part of my curled hair up in a mini ponytail and check myself in the mirror. There I am. Aster Edenfield. Green eyes, red hair, washed out skin, full lips, long eye lashes. Me. I stare at myself for a moment and curl a strand of hair around my finger. And I attempt a smile. But it's hard to smile when you aren't 100% proud of yourself. As I stare, I'm trying to ponder exactly who I am. Since last night, I've been feeling more and more unsure of myself. I shake my head. I need to stop this. My thoughts will be more readable later. I check the clock, which informs me that it's 7:43, and that I need to be at school in approximately 35 minutes. So I leave the mirror and hastily rush out of the room, hesitating once at the doorway for a last glance at my reflection one more time.
I come downstairs to a normal morning. My stepsister is munching on a bowl of Cheerios at the table and Nate is lumbering around in the kitchen, preparing his own food. I do my normal routine. I give them both the silent treatment and grab a bowl from the shelf, filling it with granola and milk. So far, Nate hasn't given anything away about me sneaking out last night. Maybe Cindy actually listened to me and didn't squeal like she usually does. The thought makes me feel slightly happier.
"You've been pretty quiet lately." Nate tells me as I start chewing my cereal at the bar.
"And that's different?" I throw at him.
He shrugs. I continue to eat without looking up.
"I'm guessing the party you went to last night wore you out, right? Just let me know when you aren't busy. I have plenty of jobs I can make you do after school today."
My whole body stiffens in response to his words, and anger boils inside of my chest. I shoot a death glare at Cindy as I travel to the kitchen table. "I'm going to kill you-"
"Aster, stop." Nate grabs my arm and yanks me back. I rip my arm free.
"Keep your hands off me!" I scream at him. Anger is plainly exposed in my voice, making it almost shake.
"Don't yell at me like that." He lectures me.
"I can do whatever I want!" I snap at him. I attempt to storm off when Nate grabs my arm again and steers me back. I shake my arm away from him and glare at him in defiance, crossing my arms.
"Aster, I found out myself. Your sister has nothing to do with it," I glance over my shoulder at Cindy who is gazing at me with wide, fearful eyes before slowly turning my head back to Nate.
"How did you find out?" I say steadily.
"Aster, do you think I'm stupid?"
"Yes."
