The Girl Next Door

39.

A few weeks later, I came home from school and saw daddy leaving Estelle's house next door. He looked guilty and that made me feel sick. With two big boxes in his arms, he smiled and met me by our front door.
"How was school princess?"
"Fine." Up until I saw daddy moving some of Estelle's things, I was in a good mood. Now I was annoyed.
"What does that mean? Help me with the door, would you?"
I opened the screen door and waited until he stepped inside.
"School was fine. I failed my Spanish two exam and I hate my teachers but school was fine." I said as I glanced around the living room.
Boxes were stacked on top of one another, lined up against the back of the couch.
"You failed an exam?"
"It's not the end of the world." I deadpanned. Daddy could tell I was in a mood but his attention was on rearranging Estelle's boxes in our living room.
Instead of waiting for his attention, I walked upstairs but that only irritated me more. There were more boxes in the hallway and even more in daddy's room. I sighed and went to my room, slamming the door behind me.
Once I threw my backpack on my bed, I shrugged off my sweater and slowly peeled off the rest of my clothes. I know daddy felt like because it was his house, he didn't need to talk to me about Estella and Gisella moving in and that pissed me off.
After I showered, I got so lost with the book in my hand, I barely heard the front door close downstairs. My blood boiled when I heard Estelle giggle as multiple pairs of feet shuffled up the stairs.
Gisella poked her head in my door and smiled. Her hair was down, flowing over her shoulders and she wore a pink and grey sweatsuit that clung to her body.
"Bonjour, Stacy." She entered my room with a medium sized box in her hands.
"Hi, Gisella."
"I texted you." She said and sat next to me. Her sweet perfume filled the air and brought a smile to my lips. I glanced at my phone and saw two texts from Gisella.
"Oops. I was reading."
"I see that." She giggled and playfully nudged me with her elbow. "Are you okay?"
"I'm fine."
"Stacy."
"Ugh." I groaned. "I don't want you or your mom to move in babe. Like at all." I was telling Gisella what she already knew but she listened anyway.
We had this conversation over the phone multiple times but this was the first time in a while I was saying what was on my mind in person. She reached for my chin and pulled my face up so she could see me pout. It made her grin.
"I know, mon amour. Me either."
"They really annoy me."
"At least you have your phone now and I have mine. I can be your best friend from down the hall." Gisella's smile made me feel like I was melting.
"I don't want you to be my best friend, Gisella." I whined. But she knew that.
Daddy passed by my bedroom, stuck his head in and gave me an award winning smile. I didn't smile back though.
"Everything okay? You all moved in, Gisella?"
"Oui, everything is fine. Thank you." Gisella had perfect manners and I loved that about her but everything was not fine. Daddy smiled again and then disappeared downstairs.
"Is your room set up?" I asked Gisella and leaned back on my bed. She shrugged.
"No, I wanted your help." That made me smile. Even though I didn't want them to move in, I was happy Gisella wanted my help.
So the rest of the night, we ignored the giggles coming from daddy's room and put together Gisella's bedroom. She had a big, fluffy, dark purple comforter and light purple sheets and one of the biggest beds I had ever seen. Her bed was so big, it took up most of the bedroom but she was happy with it. Other than a bed, there was a wooden dresser and a tall bookshelf in the corner.
I helped tape up poster after poster and more post cards than I had seen at one time. By the time we finished and hung up white fairy lights on her ceiling, I was exhausted. Gisella and I were up past midnight and I enjoyed every minute. Despite not wanting her to move in, when I went to bed, I was happy knowing she was so close. It was going to be hard living under the same roof as her without giving our secret away but it was worth a try.