Page 287 of There’s A Thin Line Between Love and Hate

I watched him get into their truck as Harley stepped out, all while Mom went on about something.

“Jackson, are you listening to me?” she asked.

“Uh huh.” I wasn’t listening at all. I was too busy watching dipstick walk over to our SUV.

Why does she always dress like she put her clothes on in the dark?

She called herself a “fashionista”, whatever that meant. To me, she looked like a ballerina who pooped out a unicorn. She was wearing a bright pink shirt, rainbow tutu, red heart leggings, and glittered purple Chucks.

She always wore Converse sneakers. She was a girly-girl who acted like a boy. Every time I reminded her of that, she’d hit me. Still didn’t make any damn sense.

There were sparkly cat ears on her head and a bazillion different colored bracelets on her arms that went from her wrists almost to her elbows. A mermaid backpack was slung over her right shoulder with a pink furry purse, that looked like a dead animal, hanging from the other one.

I sat there staring at the walking disaster coming toward me, shaking my head.

What the hell?

Once she opened the door, I quickly looked away and moved as far from her as I could.

“Hi, honey,” Mom greeted, smiling at her.

“Hi, Aunt Bailey and Uncle Aiden,” she replied in the sweetest voice with a nice big smile.

I rolled my eyes, wanting to throw up in my mouth.

She was not sweet or nice. She was the opposite of that, and I had her battle scars on my body to prove it.

Harley sat as close to me as possible, knowing it would annoy me, and I couldn’t say anything about it in front of my parents.

She knew it too.

She was doing it on purpose.

I hate her.

I knocked her arm with my elbow, and she knocked mine back harder.

“Loser,” she mouthed.

Grabbing my notebook from the seat pocket in front of me with her letters, I started a new one before throwing the whole pad of paper in her lap.

They r not your aunt or uncle. We r not your real family. We r way better than u. Y do u smell like the poop spray my mom sprays in the bathroom? U smell like a fruity fart.

–With all my hate for u, Jackson

She smiled, pulling out her stupid girly pen with the pink fluff on the end from her purse. I’d broken a few, but she always had more.

They ain’t your parent’s either cuz u were adopted. Did u not shower? I can smell your nuts from here.

–Not love, Harley

At least my parents wanted me. U were an accident turned into a big, huge mistake. U must be smelling yourself, ass face.

–With all my hate for u, Jackson

I’m so done with u.

–Not love, Harley

---