Page 13 of Cruel Steps

She sneered at me, her lips pulled tight to the side as she glared her big brown eyes at me. Her dark hair lay perfectly down her back, the top portion pulled back into a half ponytail. There were no flyaways, no misbehaving bumps to be seen, almost as if they didn’t dare to defy the queen herself.

“Did you miss me, Princess Muppet?” she asked, using the nickname she’d bestowed on me in ninth grade. “You’ve become so hard to find these past few years, barely showing your face around town. Just think of all the fun we can have now.” She cackled, the shrill sound grating in my ears. I yearned to cover them to ease the pain, but that would show weakness, and I already had enough of that when it came to Hope.

My eyes darted to the floor, but not before I caught her perfectly applied makeup and mocking smile. She dared me to say something, to push back, but I never did. This was our dynamic:

She pushed, and I caved. Always.

“Don’t call me that,” I whispered.

“But it fits you so well, Muppet.” Hope kept her gaze locked on me until the silence became unnerving and I glanced up. She gave me a smile that on anyone else would look serene but on Hope spelled trouble. “I looked at all the rooms and we can both agree I deserve yours. It’s the biggest and has the most amazing private bathroom.” She sighed dreamily and my stomach knotted.

“You want my room?” I gasped.

“It’s the least you can do for your step-sister.”

“But—”

“We can do this two ways, Muppet. You give me what I want and I’ll leave you alone and we can pretend to play happy family. Or, I’ll make your life worse,” she paused, glancing at the pool bed in disgust. “More than it already is.”

I gulped, my body shaking. I didn’t know how much further I could sink, but Hope would find a way.

“Girls, everything okay?” my father shouted out the backdoor. He looked between us, and I pleaded with my eyes, begging him to intervene. His brow furrowed, and vindication that he knew me and cared arose.

“Everything’s great, Milton. Emmy offered me her room to welcome me into the family.”

My dad frowned. “Are you sure, Pumpkin? I know?—”

“That’s a wonderful gesture, Emmy,” Rose cut in, and my dad yielded to her, smiling at his new wife like he was the luckiest guy on earth.

“My step-sister is just the best.” Hope beamed, and I had to hold back my gag. Casting my eyes down, I prayed they’d leave me alone to wallow. Hope abruptly wrapped her hand around my arm and yanked me from my spot. The rudeness threw me off, and I stumbled, skinning my knee on the concrete.

“Oopsie, you’re heavier than I thought.”

I closed my eyes, self-hatred brimming and barely keeping the tears at bay. I could not cry in front of Hope.

“Pumpkin?” My dad hovered over me and offered his hand. The simple gesture shouldn’t have been that meaningful, but it was the last straw, and my tears poured out as I stood. “You girls go ahead. It’s been a lot for Emerson,” Dad said. I hated that he needed to make excuses for me when I’d done nothing wrong.

His arm wrapped around my back, and I sobbed harder into him. My father took me through the side entrance where the half bathroom was. Neither of us said anything as he cleaned my knees and wiped my face free of tears.

“What’s going on, Emmy? Something tells me it’s not that I’m married.”

I opened my mouth and urged the words out. I wasn’t sure if it was shame or protection, but I’d dealt with Hope for so long on my own that it felt dumb to say anything now.

“It’s nothing, Dad. It’s just a lot to adjust to. I know Rose made lunch, but I just need some time alone to process. Would that be okay?”

His shoulders slumped, and he smoothed his hands over mine. “Of course, Pumpkin. I know I should’ve told you sooner. That’s on me. I didn’t want to jinx it, and there’s no handbook on how to tell your daughter you’re seeing someone new.”

I offered my dad a watery smile. “It’s okay.”

It was absolutely not okay, but what else could I say? Your stepdaughter is a bitch who made my life hell? Yeah. Even I didn’t believe me, and I’d lived it.

“Take some time this afternoon. We’re going to go out to dinner later to celebrate. That’s the important one.”

I nodded, no more lies willing to form on my lips.

Dad opened the bathroom and led me toward the kitchen. An electrical awareness overtook my body, and my brain caught on way too late. Voices rumbled down the hall, one deeper than Rose’s or Hope’s. My dad kept walking, pulling me along, not noticing I’d frozen. My heart beat against my chest, my vision blurry, and I wondered if it was too late to fake an illness.

My body came alive, the feeling I’d been craving all summer roaring to life. But now that I had it, I didn’t want anything to do with it.

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