9. Stop!
STOP!
PRESENT
I cling to what fragile shred of hope I have left as I finish my shower and blow-dry my hair.
Maybe—just maybe— my stepmom had invited different guests over to the house.
Maybe Sienna left with Jase to go drive her latest luxury car off a cliff.
Granted, there aren’t any cliffs in Ravenswood, but a girl can dream, right?
I poke my head out of the bathroom, and sure enough, Sienna’s tinkering laughter can still be heard from downstairs.
To say I have a severe case of the fuck-its would be an understatement.
I’m tempted to just put on my pajamas and pad my way into the kitchen barefoot, but sadly, more voices can be heard, none of which sound familiar.
Is it Sienna’s parents?
Would Blythe really be that cruel to invite them over?
I want to kick myself because, yes, she would. Sienna was already here, after all.
I throw on the first matching things I can find: a silk camisole and a pair of black leggings. Reluctantly slipping on heels, I consider my makeup, going for only mascara and bold red lips.
When I came home, I had been nothing short of famished, but now the scent of Italian cuisine wafting up to me only churns my already-knotted stomach.
Stress always has that effect on my appetite.
It played a major factor in my previous weight loss…
and it seems that hasn’t changed. My God-given stupidity had assumed I’d gotten over it, taking into account the pressures of college this past year hadn’t gotten to me. But I’d be wrong.
Even after all this time, I’ve reverted back to being pathetic, anxious Birdie.
Tears sting the corners of my eyes, and it takes everything in me to not let them fall.
Only once I’ve composed myself do I enter the kitchen, finding a flurry of activity.
A girl I’ve never seen before stands at the island as she mixes more sauce into the serving bowl filled with spaghetti.
She can’t be older than seventeen, wearing a simple dark blue dress and makeup so sparse that I can’t detect anything more than a sweep of blush and lip gloss.
Her hair tumbles down her back in long blonde waves, and amid the hive of conversation, she appears shy, offering nothing but soft smiles and one-sentence responses.
A middle-aged woman, whom I can only assume is her mother, sits on a barstool at the counter with Sienna, chatting and laughing away.
“Hey, honey.”
I damn near jump out of my heels at the voice that manifests right behind me, followed by a kiss to the top of the head. My heart regains some semblance of normalcy when I look up to find my dad.
He shrugs off his suit jacket and introduces himself to our guests, only making it more apparent that the unfamiliar girl isn’t from around here. She shakes Dad’s hand, the blush on her cheeks deepening further—a common symptom of being starstruck.
Even if you’ve never watched a football game in your life, you’re guaranteed to have seen Everett Sharpe in countless commercials over the years, spanning everything from charity foundations to soft drink endorsements.
His hair is now peppered in gray around the temples, and the laugh lines around his eyes are a little more prominent, but he’s still undoubtedly handsome.
Looking at my family, it’s easy to spot the black sheep amongst us.
One glance at our dad, and you can clearly see who Derek and Vanessa take after.
Everyone has the same honey-brown hair and hazel eyes.
Blythe had been blonde when she met my dad, but even her hair now is a shockingly similar shade.
And then there’s me, with Mom’s midnight black hair, pale complexion, and baby blues.
The fact that everyone used to tell me I looked like her gave me a sense of pride.
She had been beautiful, and I wanted to emulate her, to be the byword of her family’s heritage.
Now, without her, I’m like a puzzle piece dropped into the wrong box.
The conversation continues, but I’m only half paying attention. Not until Dad’s easy smile falters when he spots Sienna sitting cross-legged at the far end of the counter. He steals a look at my stepmom, who only mouths, “She came in with Jase,” the What was I supposed to do? implicit.
Because who said no to a Hawthorne?
Answer: stupid people.
Whatever exchange Dad tries to have with Blythe, she apparently isn’t in the mood because she immediately flags me down and hands over a bunch of dishes to set out in the dining room, excusing me from the introductions.
Fine by me.
Even better, Jase and my sister are nowhere in sight.
Having to spend the next couple of hours in Sienna’s company is excruciating enough, but it seems I’ve been spared from further torture. I cherish that small blessing for, oh, about five minutes.
Because just as I finish laying out the silverware, the front door opens. In seconds, Derek enters, hand-in-hand with Lauren…and Jase is right behind them.
Well, fuck me.
I’ve gained two more allies and one more enemy.
Sure, I can assume Lauren will back her brother if the situation calls for it, but I know she won’t be needlessly nasty to me just because Jase is. If anything, I have a feeling she’d call him out.
Like the mature young lady I am, I pretend he isn’t there and proceed to move the serving dishes into the dining room with the help from New Girl (who I learn is Aria).
The table is obnoxiously large, capable of hosting a dozen people.
I take a seat farthest from the head of the table where Blythe always sits, and though there are plenty of other places to park his ass down, Jase just so happens to sit directly across from me.
Son. Of. A. Bitch.
And it seems his ostracization from the Untouchables may be lifted, at least as far as Sienna is concerned, because she makes a point of taking the seat next to him.
That, in and of itself, isn’t anything to write home about, but the fact that she continues to touch and nudge and whisper to him most definitely is.
All hail the mighty knight. He has at long last returned.
The sight is enough to make me vomit.
Even as Sienna regales us all with how she recently met Aria, she places her hand on Jase’s forearm, running her nails along his skin in slow, idle lines.
“I was right in the middle of an appointment with Ana?s,” she says, emphasizing the name, as if that’s supposed to mean something.
It apparently does, because Blythe gushes, taking immediate note of Sienna’s gold fingernails, the whites painted with a silver glitter.
“That’s when I see this adorable little creature through the window, wandering around the sidewalk, looking utterly lost.”
“I was trying to find the hardware store,” Aria admits. “The GPS in the car has been kind of wonky, and it wound up sending me to the completely wrong side of town.”
“And I know everyone in Ravenswood worth knowing, so imagine my shock that I’ve never even seen this girl before,” Sienna coos.
“And even more unbelievable, she tells me she’ll be going to Winterborn Prep in the fall.
I mean, look at this figure. She has the perfect body for a basket toss, so if I’d seen her in the hallways back in the day, I wouldn’t have cared if she was an underclassman.
She would have been recruited for cheerleading like that .
I still have connections with the squad, so if Aria wants to join, it wouldn’t be a problem—”
Aria’s mom clears her throat awkwardly. “Right now, we’re more concerned about her settling in.
She’s had a bit of a rough year. We lost Aria’s father this past fall.
” Her voice cracks on that last part. “And then with the boundary changes to the school districts, she had to leave C.H.S. Either she had to accept the scholarship to Winterborn, or she’d have to go to Pineview Public. ”
“Winterborn is one of the top prep schools in the country, so the advantages far outweigh any downside,” offers Blythe.
“Yes, well, all of the friends she’s had for years still attend C.H.S., and with this being her senior year in the fall, the adjustment hasn’t been easy.”
“All the more reason for her to join the squad.” Sienna bats her eyes sweetly.
“It would be a great way for her to make fast friends, and we’re kind of like a sorority.
You know, ‘look out for your sisters’ and what have you.
Olivia’s cousin is the cheer captain, so getting you in will be no problem. ”
“How is Olivia?” Blythe asks. “Her mother mentioned something about her being in Brazil for the summer.”
Sienna manages to laugh off the absence of her wingwoman and best friend, but her exasperation is evident by the less- than-convincing smile she keeps forcing onto her face.
Not only were Olivia and her twin brother inseparable since birth, the Untouchables have been glued to one another since middle school.
I can’t think of a time when Sienna and Olivia weren’t more than ten feet apart.
But then, to Sienna’s surprise, Olivia apparently changed her mind about what university she was attending and split for the West Coast this past fall.
And now, to stick another finger into Sienna’s eye, Olivia conveniently found other plans to keep herself away for the entire summer break.
Lucky bitch.
I have to smother down my smile…until I get a better look at Aria.
I could be wrong. She could very well be just like Sienna: another Mean Girl hiding behind a pleasant facade.
But I don’t think I am.
Aria seems nice and just a little too shy for her own good. Either Sienna hopes to groom her into being another faithful lackey of Winterborn’s next round of Untouchables, or she’s looking to send a vulnerable sheep to slaughter.
I want to grab Aria by the shoulders and shake her. I want to scream at the poor girl to run as far away from this bitch as possible!