FIVE
Logan
It had been six months of pure torture sleeping across the hall from her every night. She was part of every masturbatory event I had and even though I treated her like shit almost every single day, all the girl did was continue to try and suck up to me. I figured after the hair dye incident she would stay far away, but no. Shortly after that she baked me a batch of my favorite cookies. I told her they were dry, even though I would secretly sneak down into the kitchen every night after everyone was in bed to eat them.
For my birthday she made me my favorite cake, triple chocolate brownie. Even though it killed me, I only ate one piece of the perfectly moist cake before announcing I was giving up chocolate.
It didn’t matter what I did, she kept coming back for more punishment. One night, I replaced her shampoo with lube. She screamed for my mother to help her and while I listened to her as she cried in the bathroom, Joe had come in to have a long talk with me. After he left, I couldn’t help but sit there and laugh.
The best prank I pulled was hiding the pregnancy test in her room after she had started dating Aaron. My mother found it while collecting her laundry and I got to stand on the sideline and listen while Joe and Anna had a very serious talk with Gingersnap. It was the funniest thing ever to hear her plead her case to them both that nothing was going on.
Leah barely spoke to me for a month after that. Every time she would look at me she would get this super cute annoyed look on her face. I won’t lie, I was sort of beginning to miss her.
“Are you hanging out with us tonight?” Trevor asked as I walked from the front of the school to my car.
“No, I can’t, it’s my stepsister’s birthday,” I said making an annoyed face. “I’ve been told I have to be home.”
I opened the car door and threw my bag in the back.
“Have you heard anything back from the university?”
“Yeah, I got my acceptance a week ago. I haven’t told anyone yet. I need to because the tuition will be due soon. Just not sure how my mom will react knowing I am moving across the country.”
I looked across the parking lot and saw Leah standing against the tree waiting for the bus. She stood there with her coat pulled tight around her. I kept my eyes on her, there was something about the way she stood there that was bothering me. Normally she was surrounded by her friends but today it was just her, and then Aaron approached her. She turned away from him as he tried to pull her around to face him.
Trevor looked in the direction I was looking. “I don’t know how you do it.”
“How I do what?”
“Live with that, your stepsister is so fucking hot. If she were mine, I’d be taking every chance I got to sneak into her room at night and tap it.”
Every muscle in my body tensed at his comment. “What did you just say?”
“What? I said if she were my stepsister, I would tap that every chance I got.”
I turned to him and grabbed him by the collar. “Don’t ever let me hear you say anything like that again. You got me.” My pulse was hammering in my ears.
“Yeah, man, no problem. Sorry.” Trevor held his hands up in defense.
“Listen, I’ve got to go.” I released Trevor and got in my car and started the engine, then turned and looked in her direction again. Aaron flipped her the bird, and I watched him run off. She slumped down against the tree and put her head in her hands.
I drove over and pulled up alongside the road. “Want a ride, Gingersnap?” I yelled from the window.
“Go away, Logan, I’ll take the bus,” she yelled back.
I wasn’t about to beg, so I put the car in drive and headed home.
I had just finished wrapping the special gift I would give to her later when I heard the front door slam and footsteps on the staircase. I poked my head around the corner to see a trail of red hair fly into her room and the door slam. I was about to knock when Mom caught my eye, waving at me to come down into the kitchen. “Logan, Joe will be home soon, come help me in the kitchen for a minute, please.”
I followed her in and looked around the room. She’d blown up pink balloons and they surrounded the chair where Leah always sat. Gifts were wrapped, sitting off to the side. “Take the casserole out of the oven, please, while I finish up the decorations on the cake.” I watched as she carefully placed the last few roses on the top of the cake.
“What are we having?”
“It’s a broccoli casserole. Joe said it used to be Leah’s favorite when she was younger, so I found a recipe and made it and for dessert I made a lemon cake.”
I pulled the casserole out of the oven and sat it on the counter turning to see Joe walk into the kitchen carrying a small box. “Where is the birthday girl?” he asked walking over and kissing Anna.
“I don’t think I’ve seen her yet this afternoon,” Anna said smiling.